Stop what you’re doing. Stop the presses, because for the first time in over a calendar year, Montreal’s Scott Gomez scored. Thursday night against the New York Islanders, Gomez was able to slap home a deflected puck on the power play past sieve goalkeeper Evgeni Nabokov. It was his first goal since February 5, 2011. He’s played 53 regular season games during the scoring drought. With Gomez earning stealing $7 million from the Canadiens this season, that was a very expensive goal.

The Habs were able to beat the Islanders 4-2. His goal with 10:10 remaining in the game put his team ahead 3-0, and was assisted by Rafel Diaz and Chris Campoli. Besides Gomez, Max Pacioretty accounted for the rest of the scoring when he recorded a hat trick. His third goal came via empty net with one second left. His goal did affect one person not at the game, the person who runs this website can now rest easy- or pick another player to track a scoreless drought.

The standings in the packed Eastern Conference is getting tighter. Montreal stands in 11th place with 53 points. They are only three points clear of last place in the East (Carolina with 50), and are nine points back of Toronto for the final playoff spot.

Check out the Islanders/MSG call of the goal below:

Because it is Montreal, I don’t want any Francophone’s coming after me for not providing them with a french video:

Kovalchuk had a big three point effort with a goal and two assists en route to a 6-4 victory over the Flyers. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the night came midway through the third period, however, when Kovalchuk capped off the Howe Hat Trick and dropped the gloves with Flyers forward Brayden Schenn. This was Schenn’s second fight of the season and Kovalchuk’s first. However, for being one of the best snipers in the game, Kovalchuk is no stranger to dropping the gloves as he averages at least one fight per season according to HockeyFights.com.

The two pull away from a scrum at 11:38 of the third period and immediately drop the gloves. It doesn’t take long for the two players to engage each other to establish a dominant position. Kovalchuk appears to be the much stronger player as he throws Schenn around a bit and then lands several solid blows to Schenn’s head before finally landing a solid right hook to Schenn’s jaw that drops him for the count. Check out the full video below that highlights not only the fight, but Kovalchuk’s power play assist and dirty two-on-one snipe for his lone goal of the night. Stick around to the end of the video for a slow-motion replay of Kovi’s right hook on Schenn.

For as long as I can remember when Cherry makes his weekly appearances on Coaches Corner after the first intermission of the early game, his wardrobe is about as off the charts as his opinion on various topics related to hockey. It’s well known his love of Canadian players and his distaste for European players. When I was a kid, one of my favorite things about Cherry was his yearly Rock Em’ Sock Em’ Hockey videos that highlighted the best goals, saves, and hits of the previous season. You can find them on DVD if you haven’t already seen em.

His appearance at today’s NHL All-Star Game in Ottawa was no different than usual. If words speak a thousand  words. Check out the photo below.

Don Cherry (Left) and Ron MacLean have been together since 1987 on Coaches Corner.

Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images

Captain Zdeno Chara and Tyler Seguin of the Boston Bruins show a little love after Chara left Seguin among the final four to be chosen in the 2012  NHL All-Star Draft. Seguin, once picked, was greeted with a smiling Chara asking, “Want to hug it out?”. One of the funnier moments of the night.

It looks to be a good lineup for both teams. Anyone else hoping for a Pavel Datsyuk / Evgeni Malkin line?

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson

Montreal Canadiens’ Rene Bourque celebrates with Tomas Plekanec after netting a goal in the first period. Bourque was recently acquired in a highly publicized trade that saw Mike Cammalleri being traded after making negative comments about the club.

The Canadiens won by a landslide, a 7 – 2 final score that ran Red Wings’ netminder Jimmy Howard from the net. The win ended the Red Wings 7 game winning streak and has given the Canadiens a little lift as the NHL breaks for the All-Star weekend. Currently sitting in 11th spot in the Eastern Conference, 8 points out of 8th seed, more wins like this one are needed if they hope to make the playoffs.

Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images

Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers picked up his 5th shutout of the season with a 3 – 0 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The Rangers are on top of the Eastern Conference with 66 points and 3 points up in the Atlantic Conference. Playoff bound indeed, but can Head Coach John Tortorella get pass the first round? In his years with the Rangers, Tortorella has missed the playoffs once with the other two years being knocked out by the Washington Capitals.

Dave Sandford/Getty Images

Patrik Berglund of the St. Louis Blues takes a shot which is stopped by Detroit Red Wings’ netminder Jimmy Howard. Howard had 21 saves of the night, allowing only 1 goal in as the Wings beat the Blues by a 3 – 1 score. Must of been those Vaughn pads.

The game had a playoff like atmosphere, and rightfully so. The two teams are some of the top teams in the Western Conference; the Wings currently in 1st place while the Blues in 4th.

The win is the Red Wings’ 17th straight home win—the NHL’s longest single-season streak in 36 years.

AP Photo/Lori Shepler

Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks celebrates a goal against the Colorado Avalanche. Ryan, who has been the topic of trade rumors, scored two goals on the night and has 10 points in 10 games played in the month of February.

The Anaheim Ducks are currently on the outside looking in for a playoff spot being in 13th place in the Western Conference. Winning five in a row under new Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, the team is starting to click and where it leads them no one will know. If you are a Ducks fan, the remainder of the season is going to be a fun one to watch. My hunch, they end in 9th spot and less than 4 points out, with the last couple games either making or breaking their playoff hopes.

Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images

Toronto Maple Leaf’s Joffrey Lupul carries the puck last night against the Minnesota Wild. Toronto took down the Wild by a score of 4 – 1. Both teams have had unexpected success this year. The Wild jumped out in front early but has seen a slow and painful fall as of late, currently sitting in 9th place. Toronto has followed the same path, currently in 9th place in the Eastern Conference.

Lupul currently leads the Maple Leafs with 51 points, a combination of 20 goals and 31 assists. His career high is only 2 points away. Last night alone he had 3 assists. Rocking the Reebok swag and Easton stick, Lupul is going to break his career high point total and possibly help take the Maple Leafs to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Chicago Blackhawks 20 year-old rookie Andrew Shaw celebrates after scoring on Buffalo Sabres goaltender Jhonas Enroth. Shaw was brought in to replace injured and suspended Daniel Carcillo. The young forward has played on all 4 lines since joining the team, scoring 5 goals and 1 helper for 6 points in his only 8 games played. It is unknown if he will play with the team for the remainder of the season as Carcillo wilnot return this year, but if you’re fantasy team is looking for some depth and you have a spot to mess with, Shaw may be worth picking up.