Halak re-signs with Habs

From the Montreal Gazette:

Two years, a cap-friendly $1.55 million. Halak made $500,000 last season.

Read the short story from Habs/Inside Out here.

Halak is a very good netminder, who would probably be starting for a handful of teams. Unfortunately, he plays behind the second-coming of Patrick Roy and will probably be valuable trade bait in the next couple of years.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Roy MacGregor writes on the importance of goaltending in the playoffs.
2. AO is about to sign new deals with Ferrari and Verizon.
3. The LA Kings say they are losing more money in the salary cap era. Ahem, you're doing it wrong then.
4. Bob McKenzie says that despite the ink the goalies are getting, the Canadiens PP is the real problem.
5. James Duthie wants early whistles to be reviewed.
6. Pierre Lebrun wonders why Pennsylvania fans have made the playoffs into a Canada-USA us versus them affair. Barack Obama must have failed to mention the xenophobia in his guns and religion speech.
7. Mike Brophy comments on the Sharks' inconsistency.
8. Despite the loss, Dave Hodge liked the idea of starting Jaroslav Halak.
9. If the Sharks end up losing to Dallas, will it cost Ron Wilson his job? Scott Burnside comments on the situation here.
10. Georges Laraque is a nice guy.
11. INCH gives us 10 possible Hobey Baker candidates for 2009. As an aside, if you haven't looked into the trophy's namesake, do so here.
12. Rory Boylen attributes the Flyers' success to their willingness to win the physical battles.
13. The individual award winners from the WHL.
14. Memorial Cup history, 1937.
15. A run down of when and where the Stanley Cup was lost or stolen.
16. Teemu Selanne will join the Finns for the World Cup, Joni Pitkanen will not.
17. Brian Gray discusses what it takes to injure a spleen.
18. I suppose this is news in Toronto...Mats Sundin is getting married.
19. A preview of Group B at the World Championships.
20. Team Canada, playing at the Worlds in Canada, will play Canadian hockey.
21. David Staples calls on Team Canada 2010 to adopt the 1972 jerseys.
22. All you ever wanted to know about Paul Holmgren.
23. Another installment on the Roseau Rams.
24. Scott Morrison thinks that the Habs have to go back to Carey Price.
25. An update on some signings in the UK Elite League.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Bob McKenzie with his thoughts on the Canadiens powerplay and the Wings-Avs series.
2. Darren Dreger comments on the Derian Hatcher hit.
3. Memorial Cup history, 1936.
4. The Ice Sheet discusses Montreal's lack of intensity. A small contingent of Illegal Curve contributors predicted problems ahead for the Habs due to their Euro heavy roster.
5. Canada gets a wakeup call from the Russians, lose 4-1 in exhibition play.
6. Michel Therien is tough on the Penguins.
7. Pat Burns is enjoying being back behind the bench.
8. Wilkes-Barre captain and former Moose Nathan Smith apprehended for streaking.
9. Pat Quinn may be interested in the Ottawa job.
10. James Duthie likes the Stars' chances.
11. Barry Melrose to coach the Lightning?
12. Chris Osgood credits deconstructing his game with is resurgence.
13. Puck Rakers thinks that the Blue Jackets could step into the void in the West.
14. Ken Campbell wonders what happened to Carey Price.
15. Pierre Lebrun is learning a lot about the 8 remaining playoff teams.
16. Hal Gill tells Sean Avery that he wasn't hugged enough as a child.
17. The NHL names a committee to look at goalie equipment.
18. Jeff Marek talks playoff hijinks and double standards.
19. Watch one man break up with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
20. Justin Azevedo, of the Kitcher Rangers, wins the OHL's top player award.
21. Introducing David Littman, the newest blogger at the Hockey News.]
22. The weekly Hot List from the Hockey News.
23. The weekly release from the USHL.
24. Tim Schmitt insists that the Sabres must sign Nathan Gerbe to help restore their image.
25. The Blues hope to have T.J. Oshie signed soon.

NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for the Eastern Conference playoff match ups:

Montreal versus Boston:

• The Canadiens rode the back of both their youngest player and oldest player last night in Boston, writes Pat Hickey. "He's in the zone," said Habs coach Guy Carbonneau about Carey Price. By keeping Patrice Brisebois in the line up, Guy Carbonneau ended up making the right roster decision.
• "We have to go to Montreal and play one game. You've got to think about winning the next game if you want to get back in the series. It's as simple as that. You don't look at the fact that you have to win three, because it's too big a picture," said Bruins coach Claude Julien after last night's tough 1-0 loss at home. Fluto Shinwaza of the Boston Globe wonders if sitting Phil Kessel was a good idea. Glen Murray is the Bruins' best goal scorer, but he has been missing in action during the playoffs. Murray is not the only Bruins forward who can't score, writes Kevin Paul Dupont.

Pittsburgh versus Ottawa:

• Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are trying to one-up each other and that only means problems for their opposition, writes Ron Cook. The Penguins want to make sure they finish off the Senators tonight. You should expect to see Ryan Malone dress tonight for Pittsburgh, but it looks like Gary Roberts will sit out his second game in a row.
• "We've put ourselves in a huge hole, but by no means do I think we're done," said Senators defenseman Mike Commodore. It is without question that Daniel Alfredsson is the emotional leader of the Senators. The Ottawa players had better not mail it in, as some of the Senators may be playing for jobs next year.

Washington versus Philadelphia:

• Thom Loverro of the Washington Times thinks the Capitals need to get urgency back into their game after their 6-3 loss at Philadelphia last night. Meantime, Mike Wise of the Washington Post is not a fan of Philadelphia's style of play. Any thoughts of an Olaf Kolzig appearance were tossed out the window by coach Bruce Boudreau after last night's game.
• For those who questioned Martin Biron after Game 1, they don't have much to say now, after the goaltender has been terrific in the Flyers' past two contests. Ovechkin who? Daniel Briere has been that good for the Flyers, writes Tim Panaccio. In roster news, the Flyers got a huge boost last night when Derian Hatcher returned to the team's line up. However, the team did lose top defenseman Kimmo Timonen to an upper-body injury.

New Jersey versus New York Rangers:

• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger wonders if the Devils have turned the series around. The Devils are not happy with the way they've let Jaromir Jagr get on the scoresheet. Jay Greenberg of the NY Post says it has been a while since Martin Brodeur has been great in the playoffs.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post is not in favor of the actions the league took after Sean Avery's antics on Sunday. If fans are wondering what Chris Drury was doing to Avery in front of the Devils net on Sunday, here is the story. Rangers coach Tom Renney wants the Rangers have to make sure they focus on the task at-hand.

The morning papers for the Western Conference morning papers are soon to follow...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Brian Campell: One Fluid Beautiful Motion

Brian Campbell scores his first goal as a Shark. Putting this beauty past Carey Price. This move is really no surprise he has done this many times as a Buffalo Sabre in the defensive end to evade forecheckers. He brings his great skating ability to the offensive end and makes The Canadiens look silly.

NHL Morning Papers (Tuesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• All teams that are looking to trade some of their star players got a big boost yesterday with the announcement by Peter Forsberg that he won't return to the NHL this season, writes Dave Shoalts.
• Mark Spector of the National Post points out that no-trade clauses are hindering GMs abilities to complete trades. Spector also has some information about players that are available and teams that are looking to trade in Naples.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today says that Mats Sundin is the biggest fish available now that Forsberg isn't coming back.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Apparently the price for Mats Sundin is extraordinarily high, writes Bruce Garrioch. Damien Cox has the GMs' perspective on what might happen in the next week prior to the trade deadline. Meanwhile, Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star has a feature on Leafs netminder Vesa Toskala.
• Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune opines that goaltending is the new glamour position in the NHL.
• Senators fans are taking their anger out on head coach John Paddock for the team's free-fall in the standings, writes Don Brennan. Ray Emery will start in net for the Sens tonight, marking the first time John Paddock has strayed away from his win and you're in policy.
• The Islanders pulled off a great comeback yesterday as they defeated the Sharks 3-2 on Long Island. Coach Ted Nolan missed the first period of Monday afternoon's game to comfort his son on the shocking death of his OHL teammate Mickey Renaud. (Writer's note: Good for Nolan for having his priorities straight.)
• After Monday's 5-1 victory over the Hurricanes, the Devils joined Ottawa and Montreal atop the Eastern Conference standings. Last night marked the first time the Brookbank brothers were able to play against each other in the NHL.
• The Habs are one of only two teams to have not lost at least four straight games this season, writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. Even with the recent play of Carey Price, Hickey doesn't think the Habs should consider dealing Cristobal Huet.
• The Panthers will be without center Stephen Weiss for the next two weeks, writes Steve Gorten.
• Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution thinks the Thrashers should pursue Tomas Kaberle.
• The Hurricanes were dominated yesterday by the Devils, writes Luke Decock. The Canes have recalled Joe Jensen from the AHL to replace the injured Rod Brind'Amour.
• The Rangers may have a lot of firepower on their roster, but Tom Renney is not straying away his defensive roots. Brandon Dubinsky has Jaromir Jagr's back, writes John Dellapina.
• After reading Sam Donnellon's column in the Philadelphia Daily News, you'll realize that the pressure is on Flyers coach John Stevens. On the trading front, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren is willing to make a deal that makes sense for his team.
• The Capitals were impressed with the play of rookie Sami Lepisto in his NHL debut the other night, writes Tarik El-Bashir.
• The Penguins have been getting offensive contributions from unlikely sources, writes Dave Molinari. However, for all the other contributions the team has been getting, the Pens would be nowhere without Evgeni Malkin.
• Lindy Ruff was happy with the Thomas Vanek's comment that he guarantees the Sabres will make the playoffs.
• Coach Claude Julien understands that there is a balancing act between making the playoffs and developing his young players, write Steve Conroy. On the injury front, Bruins defenseman Andrew Alberts is starting to make progress in his concussion rehabilitation.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Ducks forward Ryan Carter has been a revelation for the team, and he can thank Ducks assistant GM David McNab for the opportunity, writes Mark Whicker.
• The Blue Jackets are really excited to embark on their three-game Eastern Canada road trip, writes Aaron Portzline. Here are the Jackets' probable lines for tonight's contest.
• The Red Wings ended their losing streak last night, but lost Nicklas Lidstrom in the process, writes Helene St. James. Apparently Wings defenseman Kyle Quincy has quite eventful sleeps.
• Phoenix continued to give the Kings trouble last night as they defeated L.A. 4-0.
• With Peter Forsberg sitting out, the Wild can shift their focus to acquiring other centermen, writes Michael Russo.
• Taking a page from the New York Rangers, the Predators have begun to salute their fans after games. Here are some notes about the Predators/Oilers going into tonight's contest.
• The Sharks blew yet another third period lead yesterday on Long Island, writes David Pollak. The Sharks have placed Patrick Marleau on injured reserve.
• Blues GM John Davidson thinks all this talk about restricting "rental" players from returning to their old team is ridiculous.
• The Flames had the game of hockey put into perspective yesterday with the passing of their recent draft pick Mickey Renaud.
• It's true, Jonathan Toews is that good, writes Chris Kuc.
• The Wings/Avs rivalry got some spice added to it yesterday as Tony Granato and Mike Babcock got into a verbal war on the bench.
• The Oilers need better production out of Ales Hemsky and Dustin Penner according to coach Craig MacTavish. In injury news, the Oilers should get Joni Pitkanen back in their line-up tonight.
• Last night's 4-0 victory at L.A. marked Wayne Gretzky's 100th coaching victory of his career.
• Roberto Luongo has been asked to take the flaps off his pads and he is not happy about it.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers can thank Kari Lehtonen for their 3-2 shootout victory over the Capitals last night because they were outplayed, writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As a thank you to the fans, the Thrashers have raised season ticket prices for next year. (Writer's note: Good move by Atlanta. This should decrease their attendance from 14 people to 12 for next season.)
• The Bruins played a playoff-type game versus Pittsburgh last night and came away with a 2-1 road victory, writes Kevin Paul Dupont. Unfortunately for the Bruins, last night's win came at the cost of a scary injury to Aaron Ward.
• The Sabres only got one last night and it was uncharacteristically from Paul Gaustad, but that was enough to defeat the Maple Leafs 1-0. The Sabres can thank Ryan Miller for last night's win, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News.
• It appears that Hurricanes center Matt Cullen will be out of the line-up for quite a bit longer as he is still suffering from vision problems.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post has all the details behind the Henrik Lundqvist contract extension.
• With Braydon Coburn still out for an extended period of time, the Flyers have decided to call-up Ryan Parent from the AHL. With the Parent call-up, the Flyers aren't exactly following their pre-season plan, writes Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Daily News.
• "We played a team that was hungry to play, and we weren't. It's pretty simple," said Pens head coach Michel Therrien after his team's 2-1 loss to Boston. According to Therrien there is a good chance that Dany Sabourin will start between the pipes tonight versus Carolina.
• The Capitals lost 2-1 in overtime to Atlanta last night, leaving them in a three-way tie for first place with the Thrashers and Hurricanes. (Writer's note: I'm sick of having to write first place in that division. None of these teams deserve "first place" beside their team name.)
• The Leafs didn't play a bad game, they just couldn't squeeze on past Ryan Miller and that was the difference as they were defeated 1-0 on Mats Sundin's 37th birthday. If you expected the Leafs to tank the rest of the season, you were wrong. (Writer's note: Who in their right mind tanks a season these days? The draft order for the top picks is done by lottery anyways.)
• Here is some information on the long and drawn out attempted sale of the Lightning, courtesy of Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune.
• Senators coach John Paddock shuffled his lines last night, but that mattered not as the Sens were defeated 3-2 by the Devils in overtime. "I'm still looking around and I'd like to make at least one more move," said Senators GM Bryan Murray.
• Chris Simon is eligible to return to the Islanders line-up next week, writes Erik Boland of Newsday.
• With last night's overtime victory, Devils netminder Martin Brodeur recorded his 30th win of the season, marking the 12th time he's done that in his career. The Devils have scaled down their expectations for the remainder of the season, eyeing the Atlantic Division crown instead of the Eastern Conference leading Senators.
• Here is a nice Valentine's Day story about the Beliveau's, courtesy of Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette. After leading the Habs to last night's 2-1 overtime victory over the Panthers, Pat Hickey thinks starting Carey Price on Saturday is the logical choice.
• The Panthers think they got hosed on the penalty call versus Jassen Cullimore in overtime, and weren't happy about it after their 2-1 overtime loss to the Habs. (Writer's note: I was watching the game at the time of the penalty, and it was an awful call. Sometimes you wonder what game these refs are watching...)

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Curtis Zupke of the Orange County Register examines Brian Burke's options heading into the trade deadline.
• Last night's 7-2 home loss to the Blackhawks may have been the Jackets most painful loss since the franchise's inception to the NHL, writes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. Portzline's colleague at the Dispatch, Michael Arace, believes the Jackets playoff hopes have fallen by the wayside. Fredrik Norrena didn't play well last night but at least he manned up and shouldered the blame for last night's loss.
• Here is the newspaper article touching on the Stars' decision to lower season ticket prices that I linked yesterday afternoon.
• Even though he is in the midst of an awful slump, Eric Belanger is continuing to stay positive, writes Michael Russo.
• The Predators enjoy having the luxury of being able to start two goalies with equal confidence, writes John Glennon of the Tennessean. The Predators are hoping to have winger Jordin Tootoo back in the line-up this weekend.
• The Sharks believe they have to change the way they play at the end of games, writes Mark Emmons of the San Jose Mercury News.
• The Blues raised ticket prices yesterday and didn't really explain why in this article by Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. (Writer's note: Don't really understand how this team can justify raising ticket prices...)
• Apparently Mike Keenan is looking towards winning 700 NHL games, writes Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald. Meanwhile, the Flames' fighters have been having trouble finding dance-mates.
• If the Blackhawks are going to make a run at the playoffs, they better continue playing as well as they did in their 7-2 victory over the Blue Jackets, writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• The Avalanche can't seem to shake the injury bug, as Brett Clark is now on the mend, and Paul Stastny is now out with a groin injury.
• Ales Hemsky has been playing lately with an injured wrist, which may be contributing to his recent struggles.
• Wayne Gretzky is still confident in his team's ability to turn it round even though they are in the midst of a four-game losing skid.
• The Canucks are calling tonight's game versus the Wild a "must win." The Canucks are excited to get Willie Mitchell back on their blueline for tonight's game.
• Wings GM Ken Holland thinks there will be three-to-four significant deals before the February 26th trade deadline.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Afternoon Roster News

Here are some tidbits that may be of interest to poolies and fans:

• Tim Connolly (hip) is a game-time decision for tonight's game versus Toronto.
• Michael Ryder (healthy scratch) will be out for tonight's game at Florida.
• Stephen Weiss (flu) is a game-time decision for tonight's game against Montreal.
• Carey Price will start between the pipes tonight for the Habs.
• With Dominik Hasek (hip) still hobbling, Chris Osgood will start for the Wings at home versus Columbus on Friday.
• Martin Gerber is starting tonight for the Senators in New Jersey.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers (Tuesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Brian Milner of the Globe & Mail has further details on the story reported by Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star yesterday that the NHLPA has hired a forensic accountant to examine NHL franchises.
• Steve Yzerman has aspirations of running the Canadian men's Olympic entry at the 2010 games in Vancouver, writes Tim Wharnsby of the Globe & Mail.
• Mark Spector of the National Post believes that Curtis Joseph is the perfect backup goaltender.
• Mike Brehm of USA Today thinks that Alexander Ovechkin has surged into the lead for the Hart Trophy.
• Mike Babcock is a big fan of the way the New England Patriots run their organization and was disappointed that the Pats couldn't make 19-0 on Sunday, writes Damien Cox of the Toronto Star.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star discusses the possibility that a number of Leafs veterans won't waive their no-trade clauses. In positive Leafs news, defenseman Bryan McCabe could be ready to return to the lineup for Thursday night's game versus the Habs.
• The Senators frustrations are starting to boil over, writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. In positive news for Sens fans, apparently the team is on Peter Forsberg's short-list for teams he would sign with, if he decides to return to the NHL.
• The Islanders keep getting worse news, as forward Mike Sillinger has been lost to the club for three weeks with a hip injury.
• The Devils responded to a Brent Sutter motivational speech at the second intermission and came back to defeat the Penguins 4-3 in overtime. Devils tough-guy Arron Asham was a healthy scratch last night.
• The Panthers are hoping to get Ville Peltonen in their lineup by this weekend, but will now be without Jozef Stumpel and Radek Dvorak for substantial periods of time.
• Carey Price is back with Les Habitants and could very well start for the team Thursday versus the Leafs. Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen believes the Canadiens are true contenders.
• The Lightning has not packed it in for this season, and still believe they can make the playoffs, writes Carter Gaddis of the Tampa Tribune.
• In Atlanta, Coach Don Waddell says it is unlikely that Ilya Kovalchuk will suit up tonight versus the Flyers.
• Bruins rookie Vladimir Sobotka hasn't scored a goal yet this season, but is contributing in other ways, writes Barbara Matson of the Boston Globe. The Bruins have their eyes on Lord Stanley's Cup, even if most people don't believe they have a chance, writes Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald.
• The Hurricanes have put Saturday's loss to Pittsburgh behind them and have shifted their collective focus towards defeating the streaking Predators in Nashville tonight.
• The Rangers won three straight games on the road, but Jaromir Jagr didn't tally a point, so Tim Bontemps of the NY Post thinks he's due to breakout. Tom Renney defended Jagr to the media yesterday. In injury news, Brendan Shanahan might not return until February 16th because of a number of ailments.
• Joffrey Lupul thought he'd be ready to play this week, but now doctors are telling him he will be out another five games.
• After gaining a point in their 4-3 overtime loss to the Devils, the team is now tied for first place in the Atlantic Division, however, the way they blew a 3-1 lead at New Jersey left a sour taste in their mouth. In the Pens dressing room, Boston native Ryan Whitney was hearing it from his teammates about the NY Giants upset victory.
• The Capitals have recalled Eric Fehr from the AHL and are hoping he provides them with a boost in the points department.
• Sabres netminder Ryan Miller will be between the pipes tonight as his squad takes on the Bruins. So much for the return of Maxim Afinogenov as the speedy Russian winger had a setback with his injured groin at practice and will miss more time.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks are expecting to have Teemu Selanne in the lineup tonight when they face-off against the Islanders on Long Island.
• The Ducks neighbours in Southern California take on the Rangers tonight at Madison Square Garden.
• The Stars are getting tremendous productivity from Matt Niskanen and Niklas Grossman, and the two youngsters are flying under the radar of most NHL fans, writes Mike Hieka of the Dallas Morning News. The Stars take on the Canucks tonight, here is a preview.
• If Dan Cleary really wants to stay in Detroit, he most likely will have to sign for below market value, writes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. George Sipple of the Free Press tells readers that two Red Wings are on track for some post-season awards.
• Wild coach Jacques Lemaire won't even think of separating Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra if they continue to play like they currently are, writes Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.
• John Glennon of the Tennessean has the back-stroy behind the Arnott-Radulov-Dumont line, which has been on a tear since being reunited. The Predators play the Hurricanes tonight, here is a preview.
• Mark Emmons of the San Jose Mercury News is reporting that the Sharks will be without defenseman Douglas Murray for at least a week.
• Blues coach Andy Murray says his team needs to win 20 of their last 31 games to make the playoffs in the Western Conference. Blues goaltender Manny Legace is bitter about his Saturday performance against the Avalanche and is looking to rebound tonight at home versus the Lightning.
• The Flames came out flat against the Horcoff-less Oilers and were on the losing end of a 5-0 score at Rexall Place last night. The Flames didn't give Curtis Joseph any help in his Flames debut writes Steve Macfarlane of the Calgary Sun.
• Even with the loss of Shawn Horcoff, the Oilers showed no signs of panic last night, writes John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal. With most pundits writing them off, the Oilers don't think they are out of the playoff race just yet.
• The Coyotes rode Radim Vrbata to a come from behind 4-3 overtime victory over the Avalanche last night, writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic. In other Coyotes news, Rick Tocchet returns to the bench on Thursday and Commissioner Gary Bettman says it is time to move on.
• Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province runs down the man games lost for the Canucks defense corps this season.
• Avalanche coach Joel Quenville was disappointed with the officiating in last night's 4-3 overtime at home to Phoenix. Meanwhile, it looks like Denver is among the cities being considered to host the next outdoor game.
• The Blue Jackets were hoping to streak out of the All-Star break but, instead, have lost three in a row and now the team has a bad case of the bronchitis. The Jackets host the Capitals tonight; here are the projected lines for Columbus.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Nightly Recap: Kovalchuk Carries the Thrashers to Victory

Atlanta 3 - Florida 2 (OT) - Ilya Kovalchuk continues to rake, he had three points tonight, including the overtime winner 25 seconds into the period. Marian Hossa and Todd White each collected a goal and an assist. Kovalchuk is on fire with 16 points in his last 6 games, and after a slow start Marian Hossa is heating up with 9 points in his last six.

St Louis 4 - Detroit 3 : After losing to Chicago on Sunday, this was Detroit's second straight loss to a division rival. The Blues scored all four goals in the second period, including two by David Perron. Former Winnipeg Jet Keith Tkachuk had two points for St. Louis. Henrik Zetterberg went pointless for the first time this year, snapping his 17 game point streak.

Montreal 4 - Toronto 3 (OT) - Rookie phenom Carey Price stopped 37 shots and Mike Komisarek scored the overtime winner, his second goal of the year. Alex Kovalev had three points for the Habs, and Kyle Wellwood and Ian White put in two points each for the Leafs.

Calgary 3 - Minnesota 2 - Calgary defeats their division rivals, snapping a five game losing skid. Kristian Huselius scored the winning goal with 53 seconds remaining, it was his second point of the night. Mikko Koivu scored both goals for the Wild, Daymond Langkow had an assist for the Flames in his first game back after missing one game from a concussion.

Anaheim 4 - Los Angeles 3 (SO) - Andy MacDonald scored the shootout winner for the Ducks, while Ryan Getzlaf chipped in with two points in regulation. Alex Frolov had three assists for the Kings and Mike Cammalleri scored his 12th of the year. It was the Kings second game since November 3rd, they had a week off playing no games between November 4 and November 9. Who were the ad wizards who came up with that one?

Tomorrow's Games (all times Eastern)
7:00pm NYR@NJ, CHI@CLB,
7:30pm CAR@TB,
8:30pm SJ@DAL
10:00pm EDM@VAN (TSN)

Morning Musings: Randy Jones got off easy

We could talk about this ad nauseam, but the suspension to Randy Jones has been deemed fair by most people in hockey circles. I have to say, I wholeheartedly disagree. I do not particularly care that Jones is not a dirty player. Furthermore, I don't exactly understand how Colin Campbell can decipher whether someone "intended" to hurt someone or not. I saw the hit, and Jones drove Patrice Bergeron's head straight through the end boards. There was no let-up, no backing off; instead, he clearly followed through with a punishing hit from behind. As well, Bergeron did not turn at the last second as some have suggested; rather, he was standing with his back to Jones the entire time. A suspension of two games sends little if any message to the rest of the NHL players. I have just one question: Would Jones have only received a two game suspension if Bergeron had been paralyzed?

Here are the the Eastern Conference mornings papers:

• The Capitals were having trouble getting on the scoresheet until Monday night's game versus the Leafs in which they scored four goals in the first period; the Caps won the contest by a final score of 7-1.
• Penguins' coach Michel Therrien think this is the right time for the Pens to go on the road and come together as a team writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pens' forward Gary Roberts, who has been out of the team's lineup with a respiratory infection, is close to returning to the lineup.
• Flyers' GM Paul Holmgren was disappointed that Randy Jones was suspended at all writes Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Here are some notes about the Flyers from this morning's Inquirer.
• The Leafs' next four games are thankfully on the road writes Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star. Damien Cox of the Star believes the Leafs are a "terribly vulnerable" team . In some positive Leafs' news, both Darcy Tucker and Kyle Wellwood appear to be making progress in their respective attempts to return from injury.
• Not even the return of Dan Boyle to the lineup could spark the Lightning to their first road victory, as they were defeated 3-1 by the Rangers at MSG.
• If Dean McAmmond is ready to return to the lineup on Thursday versus Atlanta, youngster Nick Foligno would most likely find himself demoted to the AHL. Meanwhile, it looks like Jason Spezza is looking for a similar contract to the one his teammate Dany Heatley received from the Senators writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Garrioch also tells readers that Peter Forsberg will be using his time at the Karjala Cup in Finland to gauge his ability to play at a high level.
• Jaromir Jagr demonstrated his leadership skills last night against the Lightning as he lost all his front teeth and stayed in the game to score the game winning goal. Jagr sure earned his "C" last night writes Larry Brooks of the NY Post.
• Habs' rookie goaltender Carey Price will be starting his second consecutive game tonight, but more importantly, it is Price's first home game for the Canadiens.
• Panthers' defenseman Mike Van Ryn says his team needs to demonstrate "a sense of urgency." Florida coach Jacques Martin says you will continue to see different line combinations until one of the team's lines can demonstrate some good chemistry.
• Hurricanes' forward Andrew Ladd could be sidelined another week with his lingering ankle injury.
• Patrice Bergeron has been released from hospital but he is still experiencing headaches and substantial neck pain writes Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald. Apparently the youngster is expected to be out of the lineup for a month or more.
• Over in Atlanta, it looks like Thrashers' general manager Don Waddell is in no rush to hand-over his interim coaching duties.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Steve Macfarlane of the Calgary Sun has all the details surrounding the Miikka Kiprusoff contract extension. With Kiprusoff done, it didn't take long for the Calgary media to start discussing the other Flames' players coming up on free agency. In other Flames' news, defenseman Dion Phaneuf has no problems with his increased workload this season under new coach Mike Keenan.
• Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Blackhawks are finally going to show a regular season home game on television in Chicago.
• The line of Chimera-Malhotra-Fritsche has been terrific for the Blue Jackets since being reunited by coach Ken Hitchcock a few games ago. Meanwhile, it looks like Fredrik Modin is ready to return to action tomorrow night, however, his teammate Duvie Westcott is not.
• The Stars gave away their 2-1 third period lead to the Sharks last night and were defeated 4-2. Stars' legend Mike Modano is now one point away from becoming the all-time leading United States born NHL scorer.
• The Oilers' trade of Tommy Salo for Tom Gilbert is sure looking like a winner now writes Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. With Gilbert and his fellow youngsters playing well along the Oilers' blueline, it looks like Dick Tarnstrom is the odd man out. The Oilers face quite the challenge tonight, as the powerhouse Red Wings are in town.
• Wings' forward Johan Franzen is expected to return to the lineup tonight in Edmonton after injuring his knee in the team's first game of the year. Wings' netminder Dominik Hasek hopes to be back on the ice in the next few days.
• Jason LaBarbera of the Kings gives the NHL just another reason to get rid of these awful new jerseys.
• With the Penguins in town, Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune profiles Sidney Crosby in this morning's paper. The Wild will be without all three of Demitra, Gaborik and Backstrom for tonight's game versus the Pens.
• Predators' forward Martin Gelinas is expected to miss the team's next three games with a shoulder injury.
• It looks like Blues' defenseman Erik Johnson will be back in the lineup for the Blues' game versus the Wild on Thursday.
• Radim Vrbata is doing his best to stay positive during his early season offensive struggles writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.
• Sharks' rookie Devon Setoguchi was the star of the night for San Jose, scoring two goals to lead his team to a 4-2 comeback victory over Dallas.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.