Matt Moulson getting Lady Byng consideration
New York Islanders' Matt Moulson looks to pass during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago. (Dec. 2, 2011) Credit: AP
PITTSBURGH -- The Lady Byng award for sportsmanship and gentlemanly play isn't always the most coveted award for NHL players -- they play a fairly ungentlemanly sport, and a teammate who gets through an entire season with a single digit in penalty minutes is as likely to be razzed as praised.
But Matt Moulson, who leads the Isles with 34 goals and has just six penalty minutes in 76 games this season, is getting some buzz for a Lady Byng nomination.
"He's my pick for the Lady Byng," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said, unprompted, Tuesday. And there are more accolades.
"You get mentioned for any award and it's special," John Tavares said. "You have to play this game well to not get called for a few trips or hooks. You look at the list of guys who have won the Byng, and it's a pretty impressive list."
That part is true: Martin St. Louis has won it the last two seasons, Pavel Datsyuk the four before that and Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy won it three times each.
Martin nearing hits record
Matt Martin came into the game just 11 hits shy of setting a "record" of 357. The statistic has only been kept since 2005-06, and the category known as "real-time stats," which includes time on ice, blocked shots and hits, among others, can vary wildly in accuracy from arena to arena.
But still, Martin has been incredibly consistent all season, and came into the game leading the hit category by 70 over Dustin Brown of the Kings.
"To lead the league in anything is kind of a big accomplishment," Martin said. "I just try to play the same way every night, just finish all my checks when I can."
Niederreiter, Eaton sit
Jack Capuano stuck with the same lineup that won in Sunrise, Fla. on Sunday, meaning Nino Niederreiter and Mark Eaton were the healthy scratches.
