Jason Williams signs with Thrashers

From TSN:

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed forward Jason Williams to a 1-year, $2.2 million contract, reports A-Channel in London.

The unrestricted free agent spent last season with the Chicago Blackhawks and scored 13 goals, with 23 assists over his 43 games.

Read the short report here.

Good pick up for the Thrashers. The team could certainly use more speed and scoring and Williams should provide just that. Additionally, he can play the point on the power play which would allow Ilya Kovalchuk and Tobias Enstrom to either get a short break (instead of playing the entire two minutes) or move down to the half boards.

Don't read too much into Kovalchuk's minus rating says Anderson

From Do Thrashers Have Talons?:

When a questioner criticized Ilya Kovalchuk for being a minus player, Anderson interjected. He said that plus/minus was very much affected by the quality of the team and that best way to interpret plus/minus is look at players at the extremes. "If someone is way ahead or behind the team average that tells you something about that particular player." He pointed that Kovalchuk was on a team were most players were minus and he was pretty close to average in that respect.

Read the entire post here.

This interview of Anderson makes you think Atlanta made the right decision when it decided to hire the veteran AHL coach.

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Leafs showed some resilience last night, as they came back from a brutal goal allowed by Vesa Toskala and defeated the Islanders 3-1. On the scouting side of things, Damien Cox says it isn't fun being a Leafs scout. Just when he thought he was going to play more than 20 games in a row, Leafs defenseman Carlo Coliacovo is back on the mend.
• According to Chris Stevenson (and the numbers), referee Bill McCreary does not like the Senators. Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen wonders when the real Senators team will stand up.
• The Blues decided Montreal was the perfect place to end their slide, writes Hurb Zerkowsky.
• Zdeno Chara continues to get better from his "upper-body injury", slowly but surely, writes Fluto Shinwaza. The Bruins are gearing up for their back-to-back match ups with Montreal over the weekend, writes Stephen Harris.
• Teppo Numminen wants to play for the Sabres, and they could sure use his talent on the back-end, writes John Vogl.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• The Rangers played last night's game against Pittsburgh like it was a playoff game, writes Larry Brooks. Meanwhile, Jay Greenberg of the NY Post hopes the Rangers aren't too young and too old at the same time.
• The Flyers need to regain their vision right now, opines Sam Donnellon.
• The Penguins were flawed in almost all aspects of the game last night, writes Dave Molinari. Molinari believes that the Penguins' depth may hinder Evgeni Malkin's ability to win the Art Ross Trophy.
• The announcement that Rick DiPietro is out for the season overshadowed his team's loss last night. Nonetheless, the game was still played and the Islanders put forth a poor performance in Kyle Okposo's NHL debut.
• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger explains how the Devils lay low, but yet always remain ahead of the Rangers.

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• Eric Staal is the prime reason for the Hurricanes' month-long surge, writes Luke Decock.
• "It's probably the most disappointing season in my career," said Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk after his team's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia last night. Things are so bad in Thrasher land that two teammates got into a fight during last night's game.
• Jacques Martin's future with the Panthers is up-in-the-air, writes Steve Gorten.
• New Tampa Bay netminder Mike Smith is a wizard with the puck, writes Erik Erlendsson.
• Alexander Ovechkin set a Capitals record and the Capitals continued their run for the playoffs, with a 4-2 road victory over Nashville.

The Western Conference morning papers will be posted soon...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers (Friday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Roy MacGregor of the Globe & Mail would love to see the Habs play the Senators in the playoffs.
• Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail reviews Richard Peddie's interview with Gary Bettman on XM Satellite Radio yesterday.
• Bruce Arthur of the National Post has an entertaining article about the Leafs' conquest for the playoffs.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today takes a closer look at the teams chasing playoff spots in both conferences.
• Allen also has a very interesting article about the possibility of huge salaries being throw around in the free agent market this off-season.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Leafs are hoping Mats Sundin can suit up for tomorrow night's game versus Buffalo, writes Mark Zwolinski. Here is the Leafs' schedule for the remainder of the season.
• Newly acquired Mike Smith was terrific last night for the Lightning, as he led the team to a 3-1 victory over the Bruins. Smith is also looking sharper these days with his new pads and helmet.
• The Senators looked a lot like last season's team in their 3-0 road victory at Montreal last night. Jason Spezza has the Habs' number, writes Allen Panzeri.
• Greg Logan of Newsday says it is time for the Islanders to call up Kyle Okposo from Bridgeport of the AHL.
• Jamie Langenbrunner scored the only goal in the shootout last night to cap the Devils' comeback victory over the Wild, writes Rich Chere. A couple of Devils made their homecoming last night.
• "We won't get out of the east until we find a way to beat these guys," said Habs forward Christopher Higgins after his team's 3-0 loss to Ottawa last night.
• The Panthers have some high praise for their backup goalie Craig Anderson in this morning's South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Panthers have less than 1,000 tickets available for their upcoming home game versus the Rangers.
• Since he decided to start skipping morning skates, Capitals netminder Olaf Kolzig has been playing a lot better, writes Tarik El-Bashir.
• With the Flyers set to face-off against the Penguins on Sunday, Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a feature on Flyers forward R.J. Umberger who grew up close to Pittsburgh.
• Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines the playoff possibilities and what the Flyers need to do to make it in. The Flyers will get a lot of help this weekend, when it is expected that Mike Richards will return to the lineup.
• With the way the team has been playing the past month, the Rangers feel very confident moving forward, writes Mike Puma. John Dellapina tells readers that Jaromir Jagr has yet to decide on his future.
• Luke Decock of the News Observer is sure to cause some controversy with his claim that Canadian teams get a break when it comes to suspensions. Here is the injury report for the Canes tonight.
• The Sabres' young players are not accustomed to losing, writes John Vogl.
• The Bruins continued their free-fall last night, with a 3-1 loss to the Lightning. The Bruins had some of their long-time injured players on the ice yesterday, but that doesn't mean they are close to returning to the lineup.
• Ilya Kovalchuk told his team before yesterday's game that he wants them to play for pride, and then he went out and led by example. Last night's match up versus Calgary was Mark Recchi's 1400th career game.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province is wondering where the Sedin brothers have disappeared to. Botchford's colleague Tony Gallagher thinks the reason for their struggles may be the fact that they are being physically punished by opponents.
• The Coyotes penalty killing and goaltending was terrific last night in their 2-0 home victory over the Canucks, writes Jim Gintonio.
• Any chance the Oilers had at making the playoffs probably fell by the wayside last night, writes Jim Matheson. The Oilers' youngsters made a number of important mistakes last night, writes Derek Van Diest.
• The Avalanche have played very well in March over the past two seasons, writes Adrian Dater. The Avs got a strong performance last night from Peter Budaj, in their 5-1 home victory over Edmonton.
• The Blackhawks still don't believe they are out of the playoffs, writes Chris Kuc.
• The Calgary Herald has a short review of the Flames' 6-4 loss at Atlanta last night. (Writer's note: The Herald didn't send a beat writer to last night's game.)
• This season has proved to be a coming out party for Pascal Leclaire, writes Aaron Portzline. The Columbus Dispatch has five questions with Rick Nash. Here are the Jackets' probable lines for tonight's contest.
• The Stars collapsed down the stretch last night to lose 5-3 to the Red Wings, writes Mike Heika. The Stars will certainly be helped by the return of Sergei Zubov once he is healthy enough to return to the lineup.
• The Red Wings came back from down 3-1 last night, to record a victory over Dallas and, in turn, be the first team to qualify for the playoffs.
• The Kings upset the Predators last night by a score of 4-1.
• The Wild couldn't hold a couple of leads last night, and then lost, of course, in the shootout, writes Michael Russo.
• If the Predators don't make the playoffs, they will probably look back to last night's game, writes John Glennon. On the injury front, David Legwand still hasn't skated on his injured foot.
• Even though they have won ten straight games, the Sharks still don't have much room to relax atop the Pacific Division, writes Mark Emmons.
• Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch discusses the improved play of Blues rookie Erik Johnson.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers (Sunday Edition)

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers are getting close to must-win territory right now, which is why Saturday's shootout loss to the Bruins hurts that much more. Todd White missed yesterday's game to the Bruins with an elbow injury.
• Bruins netminder Tim Thomas was not going to allow Ilya Kovalchuk to beat him on two penalty shots yesterday, as he turned aside the sniper in the shootout to capture a 3-2 win. Meanwhile, Fluto Shinwaza tells us that Phil Kessel is a dominant shootout force. Kevin Paul Dupont's usual Sunday column in the Boston Globe takes a look at the Marian Hossa trade and the risks that come along with it.
• Expect Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller to play every game the rest of the way, writes Mike Harrington. Miller will be facing off against former Sabres netminder Dominik Hasek tonight as the Red Wings come to town.
• After leading the Hurricanes to a 5-1 victory over Tampa, it is fair to say that Sergei Samsonov has been nothing short of a revelation in Carolina, writes Luke Decock of the News Observer. On the injury front, the Hurricanes were happy to have Tim Gleason back in the lineup last night, after he finally passed the post-concussion test.
• Henrik Lundqvist will be starting in net versus the Flyers this afternoon, even though backup Steve Valiquette has had great success against him. In his Sunday Slap Shots column, Larry Brooks of the NY Post opines that the NHL should lead the fight against drugs in professional sports.
• Mike Knuble's mistake turned into a goal last night, leading the Flyers to a 4-1 victory at Long Island.
• Sergei Gonchar took a bad penalty yesterday afternoon and it cost the Penguins against the Senators as they lost 5-4 in Kanata. In positive injury news for the Pens, Marc-Andre Fleury will start today against the Thrashers.
• The Capitals were "outworked" by the visiting Maple Leafs last night, writes Tarik El-Bashir. George Solomon of the Washington Post takes a look at the Capitals overcrowded goaltending situation.
• The Leafs continued to ride the strong play of Mats Sundin last night, as the team's captain led the Leafs to a 3-2 road victory at Washington. It is apparent by their comments that the other Leafs really look up to Mats Sundin.
• The Lightning were not impressed with the amount of diving that was part of the Hurricanes' game last night, writes Erik Erlendsson. In other Tampa news, Brad Richards holds no ill will towards his former organization.
• The Senators took care of the Penguins at home on Saturday, in what was an encouraging win before the team heads out on its west-coast road trip. Here are more news and notes from yesterday's contest. Bruce Garrioch provides you with rumors and more rumors.
• Mike Knuble's short-handed goal was the turning point in the Islanders/Flyers game, writes Greg Logan of Newsday.
• Apparently the Devils didn't have a beat writer in Montreal last night, so here is the AP story.
• Carey Price took on Martin Brodeur last night and got the victory, writes Pat Hickey. Meanwhile, Josh Gorges has really become comfortable with the Habs, writes Kevin Mio.
• If the Panthers are to have a shot at making the playoffs they have to continue the strong March play that they have displayed the past two seasons.

For the third time in two months, Microsoft Vista has cost me the Western Conference morning papers. For some reason the autosave function on Blogger also hasn't been working. The regular format will return tomorrow morning.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Heading into the 2008 Entry Draft, Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty are the two top North American skaters according to the NHL Central Scouting Service.
• Mark Spector of the National Post suggests now is the right time for Mats Sundin to be traded.
• USA Today's Kevin Allen believes Nicklas Lidstrom should be considered for the NHL MVP award.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• "We didn't show up," said Thrashers captain Bobby Holik after his team's 4-1 loss at home to the Flyers. Off the ice, the Thrashers are shocked that Ilya Kovalchuk will not be one of the starters in next month's All-Star Game in Atlanta.
• "When you don't work, you don't win," said Bruins coach Claude Julien after his team was defeated 1-0 by an ailing Hurricanes squad on Tuesday night. Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald says the Bruins were given a taste of their own medicine last night as the Hurricanes played the trap to perfection.
• Both Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller were angry that the Sabres only mustered one and not two points in their team's 2-1 shootout loss to New Jersey last night.
• Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward admitted after last night's 1-0 shutout victory over Boston that the past week and a half had been difficult watching other goalies start for the Hurricanes. Carolina wasted no time getting Sergei Samsonov into the lineup, as the former Blackhawk dressed for last night's contest.
• "I don't think there's any spark around here right now," said a very disappointed Olli Jokinen after the Panthers' 3-1 loss at home to Pittsburgh last night. The Panthers have now lost eight of their last ten home games.
• The Habs were victorious 4-3 over the Blackhawks last night in what was a very entertaining game writes Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette.
• After last night's 2-1 shootout win over Buffalo, judging by the post-game comments, it appears that Patrik Elias and coach Brent Sutter have ironed out many of the early season differences. Meanwhile, Martin Brodeur wants the NHL to award Newark the All Star Game in the near future.
• “We've put ourselves in the position where every second of hockey is crucial to us," said Rangers coach Tom Renney after his team's disastrous 5-3 loss to the Lightning on Tuesday night.
• The Islanders gave a valiant effort last night but were finally defeated in the sixth shootout round in their 3-2 loss at Vancouver.
• Not surprisingly, the very humble Daniel Alfredsson is honored to be starting for the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
• The Flyers were without five key players last night in Atlanta, but that didn't stop the Broadstreet Bullies from outworking the Thrashers en route to a 4-1 road victory.
• "The streak continues," said Penguins goalie Ty Conklin after his team defeated the Panthers 3-1 on the road, thus giving him a perfect 8-0 record since being recalled from the AHL.
• The Lightning are heading home on a high-note after defeating the Rangers 5-3 at MSG to end a four-game road trip.
• Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star has an interesting article evaluating Mats Sundin's worth. (Writer's note: While some of these trades seem unrealistic. If I were JFJ I would look into a deal like the one suggested by Craig Button.)
• Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post tells readers that Alexander Ovechkin will not be starting this year's All-Star game.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks are looking forward to playing against the Maple Leafs in a rare match-up between the two teams tonight in Southern California.
• A lackadaisical second period cost the Flames last night as they were defeated at home by the streaking Coyotes by a score of 3-1. Meanwhile, Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald tells readers what fuels Flames leaders Jarome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf.
• The Blackhawks were defeated 4-3 in overtime last night at Montreal but they took many positives from the game, most importantly the fact that they left Montreal with one point in the standings.
• The Avalanche lost 1-0 to the Red Wings last night at Joe Louis Arena but the defeat was not from a lack of effort writes Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
• "This was a good old-fashioned butt-kicking," said unhappy Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock after his team's 6-1 loss to the Blues on Wednesday. In other Blue Jackets news, young netminder Steve Mason has been through a whirlwind few days.
• Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has an interesting piece about the new role Mike Modano has taken since Mike Ribiero established himself as the team's number one center.
• Not only did the Red Wings defeat the Avalanche last night but Chris Chelios became the second oldest player to ever play in the NHL. In other Wings news, Chris Osgood has signed a three-year extension with the Red Wings.
• Jarret Stoll is finally starting to regain his old form writes Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal. In positive injury news, Oilers defenseman Matt Greene has started to skate on his own.
• It keeps getting worse for the Kings as they were hammered 7-0 on home-ice by the Predators last night.
• Michael Russo of the Star Tribune examines the possibility that Wild forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard will receive an offer-sheet this off-season.
• Everything went right for the Predators at Los Angeles on Tuesday writes John Glennon of the Tennessean.
• The Coyotes continued their streaking ways last night in Calgary writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.
• There were no Sharks named to start the All-Star Game but that doesn't mean a couple of team members won't be added as reserves.
• Blues coach Andy Murray called for more offense on Tuesday and he got it as the Blues handed the Jackets a 6-1 defeat last night.
• It was a weird one, but the Canucks will take every win they can get writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

With the holiday season having come and gone, Illegal Curve is looking forward to providing you with as much hockey information as you can handle in the upcoming year. Before we return to our regular posting schedule, I would like to wish a Happy New Year to all our readers.

Here are the national morning papers:

• The NHL is ecstatic with the ratings that the outdoor-game garnered this weekend writes William Houston of the Globe & Mail.
• Rangers winger Brendan Shanahan is happy with the changes the NHL has made post-lockout writes Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail.
• According to Mark Spector of the National Post, finding a balance between experience and skill has been a difficult task for Canada's World Juniors coach Craig Hartsburg.
• The USA's path to the World Juniors gold medal is unsurprisingly going through Canada writes Kevin Allen of the USA Today.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers gained some ground on the Hurricanes last night with an important 5-4 overtime victory in Carolina. (Writer's note: If you missed Ilya Kovalchuk's goal last night please see this link. It will be worth your while.)
• Barbara Matson of the Boston Globe has the details behind the Brandon Bochenski trade from Boston to Anaheim. Here are some notes about the Capitals/Bruins heading into tonight's game at the Banknorth Garden. Meanwhile, the return of David Krejci to the Bruins lineup is a testament to the youngster's work ethic.
• With the distraction of the outdoor game in the rear-view mirror, the Sabres will now shift their focus to the Ottawa Senators writes Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. In positive news, things are looking up for Sabres forward Drew Stafford after he missed the team's past three games with a concussion problem.
• The Hurricanes felt like they missed out on too many opportunities before losing in overtime to the division-rival Thrashers. (Writer's note: The Hurricanes need to get their goaltending in order. I mean, this team seems to be letting in five goals every time they play.)
• In typical Devils fashion, they feasted on the Panthers' mistakes and came away with a 3-2 victory on home-ice. Florida's hopes of having Cory Murphy return to the lineup appear to be a ways away.
• Habs coach Guy Carbonneau was very impressed with the play of his youngsters on the team's most recent road trip writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette.
• Devils coach Brent Sutter had a talk with team captain Jamie Langenbrunner and it seemed to pay immediate dividends after he scored a goal to lead the Devils to a 3-2 home victory over the Panthers.
• Jay Greenberg of the NY Post was unimpressed with the Rangers' performance in the team's 4-3 loss at Calgary last night. "At the end of the day, with all due respect to our opponent, I think we beat ourselves," coach Tom Renney said.
• Over on Long Island, the Islanders players believe that the outdoor game was good for the sport of hockey.
• After missing fifteen games with a broken finger, the Senators can't wait to see Anton Volchenkov return to their lineup tonight versus the Sabres.
• According to Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Flyers winger Simon Gagne will not return to the team's lineup until next week.
• The Penguins have the second most shootout wins in the NHL this season writes Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Apparently the outdoor game outdrew Wayne Gretzky's last NHL game. (Writer's note: I still cant believe the game outdrew Gretzky's last NHL game. That is ridiculous. How does a mediocre mid-season game outdraw the last game of the greatest hockey player of all time? )
• Lightning coach John Tortorella is unsure of his team's mental toughness right now writes Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune.
• Rosie Dimanno of the Toronto Star says that it is time for the Leafs' youngsters to act like men.
• The injuries to Alexander Semin and Tom Poti do not look to be overly serious writes Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• As Dan Wood tells us, it wasn't pretty but the Ducks pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Blue Jackets on home-ice last night.
• After last night's 4-3 victory over the Broadway Blueshirts, the Flames are now only one point out of first spot in the Northwest Division standings.
• It looks like the Blackhawks will be without rookie phenom Jonathan Toews for approximately 2-4 weeks as the former UND Fighting Sioux forward injured his knee in Tuesday night's 9-2 loss at Los Angeles.
• The Avalanche lost for the fourth straight time last night at home to the up-and-coming Coyotes. (Writer's note: With Joe Sakic on the mend, the Avs need Paul Stastny to turn it up a notch and lead them through the next portion of the schedule.)
• The Ducks' experience came in handy on Wednesday night as they defeated the young Blue Jackets 2-1. Meanwhile, the Jackets are hoping a demotion to Syracuse will get Gilbert Brule turned around. Here are the Jackets' projected lines for tonight's contest versus the Kings.
• The Stars needed a better performance from their top players last night as they were defeated by the powerful Red Wings 4-1 at the Joe Louis Arena.
• With last night's victory, the Red Wings officially completed the most successful first-half of the season in franchise history. Even though Chris Osgood played well versus the Stars on Wednesday, Dominik Hasek is slated to get the start in net for the Wings on Saturday when they take on Dallas, once again. In other Wings news, winger Kirk Maltby is shooting for a return to the lineup within the next ten days.
• The Oilers pulled out an important 3-2 overtime victory over the Blues last night writes Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal. Off the ice, the Oilers' board of directors voted against selling the team to Edmonton billionaire Daryl Katz.
• Lost in Ladislav Nagy's five-point effort on Tuesday night, was the play of Kings forward Alexander Frolov writes Dan Arritt of the L.A. Times.
• You can't say Jacques Lemaire doesn't back up his players, after the veteran coach defended the struggling Martin Skoula to the Minnesota media on Wednesday.
• Predators defenseman Shea Weber had a setback in his rehab and will be out of the team's lineup for at least another week writes Jessica Hopp of the Tennessean.
• Former Colorado forward Steven Reinprecht had four points on Wednesday to lead the Coyotes to a 5-2 victory over the struggling Avalanche.
• The Sharks have no problem winning on the road (they are currently on a ten-game road win streak) and will try and use that road success to turnaround their suspect home record.
• The Blues outshot the Oilers 33-24 on Wednesday, but their powerplay did them in writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Note: For those of you looking for Vancouver Canucks stories, I encourage you to email the Vancouver Province and Vancouver Sun and tell them to post their articles at an earlier time. Both of these sites consistently don't have the day's articles up by around 8am/9am CST.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

Note: News You Can Use will be updated in stages today

1. Brian Burke has called a press conference for this evening, where he is expected to announce the return of Scott Niedermayer.
2. The Leafs have demoted Stefan Kronwall and Jiri Tlusty.
3. The USA has announced their World Junior team.
4. Bob McKenzie blogs on the Team Canada and Team USA world junior teams.
5. The CHL Hot List.
6. Worcester, MA will host the 2009 AHL All-Star Game.
7. Mike Chen discusses the NHL's involvement in the Olympics.
8. The NHL Hot List.
9. The contestants for the Contintenal Cup have been announced.
10. Eric Duhatschek writes that the Flames won because they played simple hockey.
11. Want more Sam Gagner? Here you go.
12. Allan Maki details the diverging career paths of Sidney Crosby and former linemante Dany Roussin.
13. In an end to the most boring and drawn out saga of this NHL season, Scott Niedermayer is indeed returning.
14. The New Jersey Devils are going to name Jamie Langenbrunner as their captain.
15. The Canadiens have recalled Maxim Laperriere and Ryan O'Byrne.
16. The National Post's NHL Notebook observes that Todd Marchant was not happy to be a healthy scratch this past weekend.
17. Darryl Dobbs answers your Fantasy Hockey questions.
18. The Hockey News Blog notes that Ilya Kovalchuk is on pace for 69 goals, which would be the most since 1992-93.
19. Philippe Boucher will be sidelined for 4 weeks with shoulder surgery.
20. The Ottawa Senators have ended their skid by beating the Panthers 5-4.
21. The Hockey News Insider previews the projected top picks for the 2008 draft. Prospect Pulse feature has slipped to 8th on their list.
22. An update on the prospects playing in the Russian Super League.
23. Interesting article on the parallels between the Tigers and the Red Wings.
24. The Score looks at the top RFA's for this summer.
25. Scott Morrison feels that the continued whining about the state of the game is unwarranted.

Nightly Recap

Montreal 4 - NY Islanders 1: Chris Higgins, a native of Long Island had a goal and an assist and Steve Begin had 2 goals. Cris Huet stopped 44 of 45 shots in the win. (Wow!)

Philadelphia 6 - Carolina 3: Danny Briere had three goals and one assist, and Mike Knuble had one goal and two assists. Marty Biron stopped 32 of 35 in the win. Matt Cullen had 3 points for the Hurricanes, who now have lost three of their past four.

Florida 5 - Columbus 2 - Rosti Olesz had two goals and an assist, Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss each had two assists for the Panthers. Tomas Vokoun made 34 saves in the win. The Blue Jackets have now won one in their last eight games.

Atlanta 5 - Washington 1 - Ilya Kovalchuk continues to be a monster for the Thrashers, he put up two goals and two assists tonight, he has 11 points in his past four games. Rookie Tobias Endstrom had three assists and Marian Hossa had two. Washington has now lost five consecutive games.

Buffalo 4 - Ottawa 1 - Buffalo got three first period goals from Michael Ryan, Ales Kotalik and Derek Roy, and that was it . Roy and Thomas Vanek each had two points on the night for the Sabres. It was Ottawa's fourth loss on the season.

NY Rangers 2 - Tampa Bay 1 - Henrik Lundqvist was 16 seconds away from his fifth shutout but it was spoiled by Michel Ouellet. Vinny Lecavaliers eight game streak of multi point games was snapped tonight. Fedor Tyutin and Colton Orr scored for the Rangers.

New Jersey 2 - Pittsburgh 1 - Zach Parise scored two powerplay goals for the Devils, while Martin Brodeur earned his 501st career win . Pittsburgh has now lost six of their past seven. New Jersey leads the season series against Pittsburgh 3 - 1.

Detroit 3 - St Louis 0 - Chris Osgood made a whopping 12 saves to earn his 44th career shutout. Henrik Zetterberg scored his 15th of the year. The Blues snapped their 4 game win streak.

Vancouver 4 - Minnesota 2 - Markus Naslund was in top form tonight, netting a hat-trick. The Sedin Twins had two assists each. Marian Gaborik scored both goals for the Wild, fantasy owners rejoiced.

Dallas 2 - Anaheim 1 - Mike Smith stopped 17 of 18 for the Stars in the win. Mike Modano was honoured in pre-game ceremonies for passing Phil Housley for most points by a US born player. He responded by scoring his 513th career goal, also a record for American born players.

Phoenix 4 - Los Angeles 1 - Mike York scored two goals for the 'Yoters. Ilya Bryzgalov won his second game in a Phoenix uniform, defeating the Kings for the second time.

Tomorrow's Games (all times Eastern)
7:30pm PIT@OTT
8:00pm DET@NSH
9:00pm CHI@CGY, COL@EDM

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American readers.

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)

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Eric Duhatshek and Alan Maki of the Globe & Mail examine the affect of the soaring Canadian dollar on small-market U.S. clubs.
• With Eric Lindros scheduled to retire this afternoon, Stephen Brunt of the Globe & Mail reviews his controversial career.
• Hockey Night in Canada fans will enjoy this week's Hot Stove as it will include journalists for this weekend's Hall-of-Fame game broadcast between the Rangers and Leafs.
• Mark Messier believes that leaders aren't born, rather, they are made.
• Damien Cox argues both sides of the Eric Lindros Hall-of-Fame debate in this morning's Toronto Star.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• It is easy to detect the excitement in the voice of Chris Bourque (son of Ray) heading into the second game of his NHL career.
• With the struggling play of the Leafs so far this season, frustration has begun to set-in for Jason Blake. With the expected return of Bryan McCabe and Darcy Tucker this weekend, the Leafs' roster could be near 100% healthy.
• The Bolts finally got a 3-1 victory over the Panthers last night and one of the reasons for their victory was their ability to keep things in perspective during the team's recent struggles.
• The Penguins found out this year's version of the Flyers is far more difficult to play against than last year's team as they were defeated by Philadelphia 3-1 on home ice last night. Expect Marc-Andre Fleury to get the start in net tonight as the Penguins take on the Rangers. Pens' defenseman Ryan Whitney hopes to be back in the lineup for tonight's game.
• Flyers' center Daniel Briere says last night' s victory was a big confidence boost for Philadelphia. It looks like coach John Stevens made the right line changes last night as both Mike Richards' line and Daniel Briere' line tallied markers.
• Ray Emery will get the start tonight against Washington, however, John Paddock has been very displeased with the goaltender's work ethic in practice. Jason Spezza won't be in the lineup tonight versus the Capitals, but the center is shooting for a return this weekend.
• Even though he hasn't been scoring goals lately, Mike Comrie has still made quite an impact for the Islanders writes Greg Logan of Newsday.
• Tom Renney wants to get his team out of its scoring slump and is stressing more shots on net in the process. Henrik Lundqvist will get his 16th straight start in net tonight when the Rangers host the Penguins. (Writer's note: I understand the schedule has been quite spread out during the early part of the season, but 16 games in a row is far too many. Renney, and a number of other coaches who are overplaying their top players, will regret their decisions come April or May.)
• Patrik Elias initiated a talk with Devils' coach Brent Sutter to make sure the coach knew he wasn't slacking off. Martin Brodeur says he has to adjust to the Devils' new style of play.
• Rookie goalies will be the story in Boston tonight as the Bruins give Tuukka Rask his first NHL start versus fellow rookie Carey Price of the Habs.
• Tomas Vokoun's frustration was boiling over after last night's loss to the Lightning; the veteran netminder can't help but stress the importance of these early-season intra-division contests. "You can't tell me we were ready to play," Vokoun said.
• The Hurricanes scoring depth is one of the main reasons for the team's early season success writes Lorenzo Perez of the News Observer. The Canes hope to add to the Lightning's road struggles when they host them tonight.
• Clarke MacArthur made the coaches decision to put him on the ice in overtime look great, as the winger converted on a pass from Drew Stafford to give the Sabres a 2-1 victory over the Bruins.
• The Bruins are working hard they just can't seem to catch a break writes Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald. Bruins' rookie Milan Lucic was right back in the lineup last night after being a healthy scratch over the weekend.
• The status of sniper Ilya Kovalchuk is up in the air for Friday night's game versus Florida after the winger left Tuesday's game against Washington with back spasms. Meanwhile, former Thrashers' winger Scott Mellanby thinks that the team should already have named current assistant coach Brad McCrimmon the team's new head coach.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Even though the Ducks lost to the Coyotes in overtime last night, goaltender J.S. Giguere wants the team to focus on the fact they came back from a 4-2 deficit and salvaged a point. The Ducks really miss Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer writes Mark Whicker in the morning's Orange County Register.
• Dion Phaneuf's leg injury will not force him to miss any time so the workhorse defenseman will be in the lineup tonight as the Flames take on the Canucks.
• The Blackhawks impressive 5-2 victory over the Blue Jackets was overshadowed by the loss of Kevyn Adams to what looks like a season ending injury. Patrick Lalime picked up the victory last night for the Hawks, and coach Denis Savard said after the game, "Whoever's hot is going to play."
• The Avalanche demonstrated their great depth last night as neither of their first two lines could create offense, so their third line accounted for all three goals the team scored in its 4-3 shootout win over Edmonton. Terry Frei reminds Avs fans that impressive youngster Tom Gilbert was once property of their favorite franchise before being traded for Tommy Salo in 2004.
• Nevermind their impressive 3-1 victory over the Stars, Mike Modano became the all-time leading U.S. born scorer last night with two goals in San Jose. (Writer's note: While there, arguably, may have been better American players than Modano, there were none more exciting to watch as a fan of the game.)
• While they didn't register a victory last night against the Avs, the Oilers played a spirited hard fought game. "Our effort was outstanding I thought, we worked our tails off tonight and played a real good game," said coach Craig MacTavish after the contest.
• Red Wings' winger Henrik Zetterberg broke the team record for consecutive games with a point to start the season in the Wings' 3-2 shootout victory over Nashville on Wednesday night.
• The Predators were happy that they were able to comeback from two goals down in the third period against one of the best teams in the league and salvage a point. The Predators wouldn't even have had a chance to comeback if not for the stellar play of goaltender Chris Mason who turned aside 43 of the 45 shots he faced.
• Wild coach Jacques Lemaire is hoping to have Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra back for the team's next game Sunday at Colorado but he isn't getting his hopes up.
• Kings' coach Marc Crawford has been happy with the team's goaltender play as of late.
• Coyotes' coach Wayne Gretzky was very happy with the team effort he received last night as his young Phoenix team knocked off the defending Stanley Cup Champions on the road in overtime.
• Mike Modano stole the show last night in San Jose writes David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News.
• In an attempt to spread out his team's offense, Blues' coach Andy Murray has swapped centers Keith Tkachuk and Jay McClement.
• The Canucks' penalty killing, which was so good last season, is hurting the team's performance this year writes Elliot Pap of the Vancouver Sun. Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province chronicles the similarities between the Canucks' start last season and this season.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.