NHL Morning Papers (Saturday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail examines the Sharks' winning streak and the importance of winning the Pacific Division.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today says Chris Pronger should receive a substantial suspension.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers followed their impressive comeback victory on Thursday with a real dud last night, writes Craig Custance.
• A Zdeno Chara weekend return seems unlikely, writes Fluto Shinwaza. In other Bruins news, apparently all three of the team's netminders get along.
• Buffalo finally put forth a performance they could build on last night, after defeating the Hurricanes 7-1 on home ice. The Sabres got the usual energetic performance from their fourth line last night and, as an added bonus, the group also threw in some offense.
• The Hurricanes didn't match the Sabres' desperation and intensity last night, writes Luke Decock. In injury news, the team will be without Ray Whitney for 2-3 weeks.
• The Rangers power play was one of the main reasons why the team was defeated 3-2 by a desperate Florida team last night, writes Larry Brooks. Last night's loss was the Rangers' first loss in regulation in five weeks.
• The return of Mike Richards should give the Flyers a much-needed boost, writes Joe Logan.
• Sidney Crosby is expected to be out of the Penguins lineup for around a week while he rests his sore right ankle. Meanwhile, Georges Laraque was not happy with the three-game suspension handed down to him by Colin Campbell.
• The Capitals still don't think they are out of the playoff hunt, after last night's impressive 4-1 man-handling of the Thrashers.
• Damien Cox says it is the Bruins, not the Flyers, that Leafs fans should have their eyes on. It looks like the Leafs will rely heavily on Alexander Steen if Mats Sundin doesn't suit up tonight.
• While this season is already a write-off, the Lightning do have some exciting pieces in place for next season, writes Erik Erlendsson.
• After taking a closer look at the CBA, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun tells readers that it would be cheaper for the Senators to buy-out Ray Emery's contract, than they probably think.
• The Islanders have mixed up their lines for tonight's game versus Montreal, writes Greg Logan.
• The Devils may be without Patrik Elias (knee) tonight versus Colorado.
• In an effort to motivate Chris Higgins, Habs coach Guy Carbonneau has mixed up his lines.
• Olli Jokinen picked an opportune time to score his first goal in eight games, as it turned out to be the winner in the Panthers' 3-2 victory over NYR.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• After further review, Chris Pronger is likely to face a suspension, writes Dan Wood.
• Owen Nolan has been named the Flames' Masterton nominee, writes Jean Lefebvre.
• Newest Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash was not pleased with his team's performance last night, writes Tom Reed.
• Even though the Stars have struggled as of late, the team's coaches are not hitting the panic button.
• The Wings' pre-season plan of splitting up Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk has finally started to work out for Detroit. Here is the injury news for the Red Wings.
• Kent Youngblood provides readers with Chris Simon's perspective of the Chris Pronger "stomp."
• Dan Ellis has a problem many people would love to have, writes John Glennon.
• The Sharks made it eleven in a row last night, with a 4-1 easy victory over the Blues.
• The Blues got off to a horrible start last night in San Jose, and the game was basically over after the first period.
• The Coyotes are looking to get closer to the eighth and final playoff spot tonight when they face-off against the Oilers.
• Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal says that the Oilers really miss Shawn Horcoff on their first line. On the injury front, Joni Pitkanen is expected to return from injury tonight.
• The Hawks recorded an important road victory at Columbus last night, as the win moved them to within five points of the final Western Conference playoff spot with only ten games remaining on the season.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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