News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Darren Dreger reports that the GM's job in Toronto is Brian Burke's, if he wants it.
2. Pierre Lebrun examines the Carolina Hurricanes' acquisition of Sergei Samsonov.
3. Andy Murray's troubles in St. Louis and Ryan Miller signing with the Red Wings headline the rumours of the week.
4. The Hot or Not list from the CHL.
5. John Paddock says he would have handled the Emery situation differently if he could have a do-over.
6. North Dakota is the new #1 in the INCH Power Rankings.
7. Larry Brooks calls for the NHL to lead the fight against steroids.
8. Check out this video clip on Christian Hanson, son of Dave Hanson. No mention of him bringing toys on roadtrips.
9. Interesting post by Mirtle about the mechanics of the draft lottery.
10. Jeff Bromley posts the Best of the East poll from the WHL.
11. Sean Avery has broken off contract talks with the Rangers, marking the first time he has ever stopped talking.
12. The Penguins are eagerly anticipating seeing their team at full strength.
13. Sweet post at Pensblog with facts and anecdotes about all the NHL arenas.
14. EJ Hradek reminds NHL fans not to overlook the Bruins.
15. Everything you wanted to know about Teemu Selanne but didn't care enough to ask.
16. Scott Burnside wonders how injuries are going to affect the NHL awards.
17. The Boston Globe with a look at the increasing age of incoming college freshman.
18. Bruce Dowbiggin looks at the goalie situation in Calgary.
19. Check out this 5 year old little bugger, who has scored 230 + goals this year. Plus, his name is Jet Lee.
20. Check out Eric Nystrom's homage to Ned Braden. I am sure it comes as no surprise that Nystrom is a Flames prospect.
21. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal provides a cornucopia of information on whats going on around the NHL.
22. Allan Muir of SI previews the race for the final playoff spots in the East.
23. An entry from Milan Lucic's blog.
24. Ken Campbell admires Bob Gainey's decision to go with Carey Price.
25. Spector re-hashes the trade deadline deals.

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Eric Duhatschek and his answerman routine return to examine the NHL post-deadline.
• Brian Milner has an interesting article on the effect that trade deadline day has on the marketing strategy of NHL teams.
• According to William Houston, TSN was the big winner in the trade deadline day television war.
• Bruce Arthur of the National Post thinks a Senators return to the finals is a long-shot.
• If anyone can get the Senators back on track, it is Bryan Murray, writes Kevin Allen of USA Today.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Bill Tiller of the Atlanta Journal Constitution is wondering why the Thrashers didn't address their defensive problems in the Marian Hossa deal.
• Claude Julien wants the Bruins to focus on the entire Penguins team tonight, not just the Marian Hossa and Evgeni Malkin combination. Even with his name floating around in rumors, Bruins winger Phil Kessel didn't sweat the deadline.
• Steve Bernier stole the show last night in his Buffalo debut, leading the Sabres to an 8-4 victory over the Predators. J.P. Dumont made his first appearance in Buffalo last night since being let go by the club in 2006.
• Tuomo Ruutu immediately made an impact with his new club, and has the injury to show for his efforts, writes Luke Decock of the News Observer. Another pick-up by the Canes that has worked out well has been the under the radar pick-up of Sergei Samsonov.
• The Rangers have insulted Henrik Lundqvist with some familiar faces, writes Brett Cyrgalis. "The way we've played lately, I'm not surprised the organization didn't make any (big) moves," said Jaromir Jagr about the Rangers' relatively quiet trade deadline day.
• Vinny Prospal will line-up alongside Daniel Briere for his debut tonight with the Flyers.
• Marian Hossa has been placed on a line with Jordan Staal and Ryan Malone for tonight's game versus the Bruins. "It's not strictly money, but to tell you the truth, right now, I'm not even thinking about it," said Hossa regarding his current contract situation.
• The Capitals introduced Cristobal Huet and Sergei Fedorov to the Washington media yesterday.
• The Panthers blew yet another late-game lead last night and fell 4-3 to the Maple Leafs in a shootout, writes Steve Gorten. Off the ice, newest Panthers forward Chad Kilger has asked the team for a leave of absence.
• Jaroslav Halak has been called up by the Habs to replace Cristobal Huet on the roster, however, he has his sights on more than playing backup minutes. In Washington, Olaf Kolzig is wondering why the Capitals now have three netminders.
• If he was going to be traded, Bryce Salvador was at least happy that he was traded to the Devils, writes Colin Stephenson.
• Bill Guerin throws out the biggest cliche in the book by telling reporters that the Islanders power play needs to more simple.
• Don Brennan gives readers the back-story behind the John Paddock firing. In reality, the Senators just stopped playing for a good man.
• The Lightning may have lost to the Wild last night, but the organization is definitely excited about their newest goaltender, writes Erik Erlendsson.
• Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star doesn't understand why Cliff Fletcher didn't play more hardball with the Leafs players that refused to waive their no-trade clauses. Say what you want about Mats Sundin but he has certainly not quit on the Leafs' season, writes Mike Zeisberger.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks believe you need defensive depth to make a long playoff run and that is the main reason for the acquisition of Marc-Andre Bergeron from the Islanders.
• Flames forward Kristian Huselius continues to work through his goal-scoring drought, writes Jean Lefebvre. Off the ice, Bruce Dowbiggen thinks Darryl Sutter should have paid the price for Olli Jokinen.
• The Blackhawks recorded a big victory at home last night over Phoenix, but it did not come without a price as winger Martin Havlat appeared to have re-injured his shoulder.
• Thanks especially to Joe Sakic, The Avalanche completed their road trip with a triumphant victory over the Canucks last night.
• The Jackets admitted it was difficult to play a game after losing seeing a couple of important teammates traded away.
• It looks like Brad Richards will begin his Dallas career on a line with Ante Miettinen and Niklas Hagman.
• The Wings are looking forward to icing a healthy defense that includes newcomer Brad Stuart, writes Helene St. James
• Joanne Ireland tells readers that Mathieu Garon is just a flat-out good goaltender. On the injury front, it looks like Joni Pitkanen will play through his ankle injury tonight.
• Now that the deadline has passed, the Kings veterans can relax, writes Dan Arritt
• Wild fans can relax, for today at least, as their team ended their four-game losing streak last night over the Lightning. Jim Souhan calls out Doug Risebrough's acquisition of Chris Simon.
• Chris Mason says the Predators got what they deserved last night in their 8-4 loss at Buffalo.
• Brian Campbell already proved his worth last night with a terrific performance in the Sharks' 4-2 victory at Columbus. Meanwhile, newest Shark Brian Boucher is content to back-up Evgeni Nabokov.
• Jeremy Rutherford profiles David Perron in this morning's St. Louis Dispatch.
• Joe Sakic may be a B.C. boy, but he wasn't Vancouver's favorite son last night as he stole a victory right out from under the Canucks.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

Analysis of the Paddock Firing

Just when we thought we’d seen the last of Bryan Murray’s lisp-induced post game press conferences, he fires John Paddock and takes over the reins for the Sens for the remainder of the year. Taking a page out of Lou Lamoriello’s book, who has a track record of firing coaches towards the end of the season, Murray’s hope is that the change of personnel will propel the Sens out of their current slump. The talk around Sens camp was that Paddock lost the Sens’ dressing room, and that the players had given up on their coach. As a result, an early season Jack Adams candidate is now unemployed along with goaltending coach Ron Low.

The Sens’ style of play on the ice shouldn’t be drastically altered with the coaching change, simply because Paddock was an assistant with Murray last season. The Sens’ run and gun style will still be implemented, so no need to worry about going back to the defense-first style, a la Jacques Martin and the Lance Pitlick era. Murray’s presence behind the bench will hopefully provide a sense of comfort and familiarity that the Sens were accustomed to during their glorious run to getting the tar kicked out of them by the Ducks during last year's Cup Finals.

The one element that may be impacted the most will be the goaltending situation. It’s no secret that Murray has a soft spot for Emery, based on his performance during last year’s playoffs. Despite the fact that Emery’s off ice commitment, professionalism, and work ethic has been questioned, a lot of blame has been placed on Paddock and Low for not handling the situation properly. Expect Murray to give Emery the ball for the playoffs. Another element in which Paddock was criticized was that he overplayed the “Money” line during the beginning of the season (Alfredsson played upwards of 25 minutes some nights early in the season), and thus the reason for his late season injuries and struggles. As seen during last year’s playoffs, Murray won’t be afraid to shuffle his lines and move Alfredsson to the 2nd line, this year with Cory Stillman.

BREAKING NEWS

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The Ottawa Senators have fired head coach John Paddock.

Check out the story here: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2008/02/27/john-paddock.html

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

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 (Friday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• With all the young talent on Washington's roster, the future looks bright for NHL in the United States capital.
• Pierre Lebrun of the Canadian Press looks back on Gary Betman's fifteen years of work in the commissioner's office.
• Peter Forsberg is one step closer to returning to the NHL, writes Michael Traikos of the National Post.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today provides readers with ten reasons why the Coyotes should make the playoffs this spring.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers are hoping that Ilya Kovalchuk only misses two games with the knee injury he sustained Wednesday night versus Pittsburgh.
• Even though the Bruins defeated the Eastern Conference leading Senators 4-1 last night, coach Claude Julien wasn't overly happy with their play. The Bruins were lucky that P.J. Axelsson returned from injury a game early last night, because just prior to the contest Marco Sturm came down with the flu and was unable to play.
• The Hurricanes almost gave away a victory last night, but prevailed over the Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime and made it four wins in their past five games.
• The Sabres face-off against an Atlanta team tonight that has revenge on its mind due to the 10-1 loss they suffered at Buffalo in January. In injury news, it looks like Maxim Afinogenov should be able to return to the Sabres line up tonight.
• The Rangers were a different bunch last night in Philly than they have been in a while, as they churned out a dominating 4-0 performance over the first place Flyers. "That was probably one of our best games of the year," said Rangers goaltender Stephen Valiquette who picked up his first career shutout.
• "They were the better team tonight," said Flyers coach John Stevens after his team's 4-0 loss to the Rangers. Meanwhile, the Flyers' managment is shifting their focus to the Peter Forsberg situation.
• Marc-Andre Fleury is going to return to practice today to test out his ailing ankle, writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• "I broke my nose, I have stitches, I score four goals. Everything go to my face. It's the fifth time I broke my nose. It's okay," said Alexander Ovechkin after his ridiculous four goal game in his team's 5-4 overtime victory over Montreal. Mike Wise of the Washington Post says it is going to be hard for the casual fan in Washington to stay away from the newest version of the Capitals.
• Roberto Luongo is returning to Miami for the first time since being traded to Vancouver in the summer of 2006, and he has no clue what the response will be from the fans, writes Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Meanwhile, Panthers captain Olli Jokinen is questionable for tonight's game with the flu. George Richards of the Miami Herald evaluates how the Luongo trade worked out for the Panthers.
• The Canadiens were happy to be able to at least get one point against the Capitals last night as they trailed 3-0 midway through the second period and ended up losing 5-4 in overtime. Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette was very impressed with Alexander Ovechkin's ability to not only score, but give and take in the hit department.
• The Devils are expecting to get Jay Pandolfo back into their line up after the weekend, writes Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger. The Devils are hoping to crack the scoresheet tonight versus the Rangers, as the team has only scored three goals in four games against the Blueshirts this season.
• The struggling Islanders officially dropped out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference last night with a 3-1 home loss to the Kings.
• An angry John Paddock called out Jason Spezza after last night's 4-1 home loss to the Bruins. Sticking to his win and you're in policy, the Senators will be starting Ray Emery on Saturday night after Martin Gerber lost yesterday.
• The Lightning/Canucks game last night was enjoyable for John Tortorella not just because his team was victorious 4-3, but because the game was actually an enjoyable game to watch for the fans, players and coaches alike.
• The Leafs lost their composure last night in Raleigh, as they lost 3-2 in overtime to the Hurricanes. In other Leafs news, Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun tells readers that Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos will not hold back Jim Rutherford from taking the Toronto GM position if offered.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Doug Weight and the Ducks visit St. Louis tonight to take on Andy McDonald and the Blues for the first time since the two players traded places earlier this season.
• The Blue Jackets lost 4-2 last night in Nashville, and Rick Nash believes part of the reason for their struggles against the Predators is that they give the them too much respect. In other Jackets news, GM Scott Howson plans to chat with defenseman Adam Foote today to guage Foote's interest in staying in Columbus past this season.
• Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News has a very interesting piece about the culture of hockey in Edmonton. (Writer's note: I suggest you read this article.)
• Just because of one family faked their children's sickness does not mean the Red Wings are going to scale back their work with sick children, writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.
• The Wild's Nicklas Backstrom is beginning to display his 2007 form, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune.
• With last night's 4-2 victory over Columbus, the Predators now find themselves in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Arnott-Dumont-Radulov line has been leading the Predators as of late, especially last night. (Writer's note: Arnott left last night's game with a charley horse but is expected to be ready to play on Saturday night.)
• Doug Weight is not going to air his dirty laundry in public, but it is fairly evident that he was unhappy with the way his trade went down from St. Louis, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Dispatch.
• Denis Savard says the Blackhawks need to cut down on their turnovers if they expect to turn their fortunes around. "I'm not shopping him at all," Hawks GM Dale Tallon said in reference to the recent Martin Havlat rumors.
• "The wrist is getting worse. I'm just trying to focus on the games," said Oilers winger Ales Hemsky about his injured wrist. Hemsky isn't the only Oilers star with an injury, as Shawn Horcoff is nursing a sore shoulder. John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal thinks something needs to give in this trading gridlock.
• Even though they blew a third period lead on Wednesday at Detroit and lost 3-2, the Coyotes proved they can play with the NHL's top team, writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.
• The new Canucks line combinations didn't work out so well in the team's 4-3 loss at Tampa last night, writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. "We were down by one goal after two. We didn't give them much in the third, but their first chance ended up in the back of the net," said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault after last night's game.
• Peter Budaj will be back in the net for Colorado tonight versus Detroit because Jose Theodore is on the mend with back spasms.

Note: The Calgary and San Jose papers were not updated as of this post. Also, the Kings don't have a beat writer on their current road-trip so that is why their articles have been omitted.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Alan Maki of the Globe & Mail tells readers that there are a lot of positives that could come along with being GM of the Maple Leafs.
• William Houston of the Globe & Mail wonders if Cliff Fletcher is just a puppet for Richard Peddie.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today has a great article on the success of the Detroit Red Wings since the salary-cap was introduced.
• Brett Hull is enjoying his role as co-GM in Dallas, writes Kevin Allen.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Ilya Kovalchuk has been suspended one game by the NHL for his hit-from-behind on
  Michael Roszival and, as a result, the superstar forward will sit out tonight's rematch versus the Rangers at MSG.
• Coming off of an 8-2 drubbing at the hands of the Habs, the Bruins are looking to rebound tonight versus the Islanders. In other Bruins news, Glen Murray has hit a speed-bump in his road to recovery and his return date is still unknown.
• The Sabres still don't have a timetable for the returns of both Maxim Afinogenov and Tim Connolly, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. With the Sabres visiting the Stars tonight, coach Lindy Ruff wants his team to be cognizant of Marty Turco's ability to handle the puck.
• Both Sergei Samsonov and the Hurricanes are happy to have each other, writes Rachel Carter of the News Observer.
• Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says that South Florida is desperate for a winning team; so, now is the time for the Panthers to create a buzz. Nathan Horton hasn't scored a goal in the three weeks, but he has a contributed to the team in a variety of different ways.
• In Montreal, Mathieu Dandenault is not very happy sitting on the sidelines as a healthy scratch. Meanwhile, before the Habs go on vacation over the All-Star break, the team will attempt to solve Martin Brodeur and company at the Prudential Center tonight.
• Michael Fensom of the Newark Star-Ledger details the progress made this season by Devils youngster David Clarkson. The Devils are looking forward to getting a break over the weekend before the playoff-run ramps up.
• Jaromir Jagr hopes to remain a Ranger through this season and beyond, writes Larry Brooks of the NY Post. Jay Greenberg salutes Brian Leetch whose number being raised to the MSG rafters tonight.
• Mike Sillinger says that the Islanders just need to maintain their focus on the teams ahead of them in the standings.
• Eugene Melnyk had breakfast with John Paddock and Bryan Murray yesterday to discuss the current state of the Senators, writes Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun. John Paddock was also busy doing other things on Wednesday as he threw out a challenge to both of his netminders, with the promise that whomever wins will continue starting.
• Flyers coach John Stevens wants his team's penalty-killing to improve.
• Ron Musselman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discusses the unexpected success of Penguins netminder Ty Conklin. The Penguins head into tonight's game versus Philadelphia with the early-season blowout loss to the Flyers on their minds.
• The Lightning have three star players who are not afraid to lay it on the line and lead by example.
• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star discusses the circus that is the new Leafs GM situation. With all the distractions in Toronto, the Leafs relied, as they usually do, on Mats Sundin and the big captain didn't disappoint by scoring with less than one minute remaining in regulation to give the Leafs a 3-2 victory over Washington.
• "We definitely didn't play our best game," Capitals forward Matt Pettinger said after his team's 3-2 loss at Toronto.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Wings got a little bit of payback last night, when they caught a break on the game-winning goal and defeated the Ducks 2-1 at the Honda Center. "They're the best team in the league for a reason," said Ducks coach Randy Carlyle about the Red Wings.
• Jarome Iginla will aim to end his seven game goalless drought when the Flames resume play on Tuesday. Jean Lefebvre of the Calgary Herald provides readers with candid comments from Flames GM Darryl Sutter.
• Martin Lapointe is champing at the bit to get back into action for the Blackhawks having missed four straight games with a bruised kidney.
• Whichever team wins tonight's Wild/Avalanche contest will be in first place in the Northwest Division heading into the All-Star break. Terry Frei correctly points out in this morning's Denver Post that the Avalanche are playing some boring hockey as of late.
• The Blue Jackets have to rely on their veteran players to keep them emotionally in check heading into the chase for a playoff spot, writes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. Blue Jackets rookie Kris Russell was happy to get his first NHL goal out of the way. Here are the Jackets' projected lines for tonight's tilt versus Chicago.
• The Stars will be happy to welcome back Jussi Jokinen to the line up tonight versus the Sabres after the Finnish winger missed the last thirteen games with a knee injury.
• The Wings did not back down from the physically imposing Ducks and defeated Anaheim 2-1 last night.
• According to a University of Alberta business professor, the Oilers have a 1% chance of making the playoffs. (Writer's note: I'm no professor, but I am pegging their chances at 0%.) John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal thinks the time is right for Daryl Katz to be the new owner of the Edmonton Oilers.
• After playing the Red Wings on Tuesday, the Kings' road to the All-Star break doesn't get any easier with a tough contest versus the Ducks tonight.
• Wild rookie James Sheppard has been trying emulate the play of teammate Mikko Koivu and it has served him well, writes Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.
• Jason Arnott of the Predators is from your quintessential hockey family, writes John Glennon of the Tennessean.
• The San Jose Mercury News takes a look at the dangers that come with blocking shots.
• Blues coach Andy Murray was very happy with his team's effort in their 3-2 shootout loss at Vancouver.
• The slumping Canucks were relieved to get a victory heading into the All-Star break after last night's 3-2 shootout win over visiting St. Louis.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• As Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail tells us, Ducks GM Brian Burke wants to see the return of the blockbuster trade.
• Mike Ribiero has found his comfort zone in Dallas, writes Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail.
• John MacKinnon of the National Post tells readers that Wayne Gretzky endorses the sale of the Oilers to Daryl Katz.
• A.J. Perez of USA Today has an interesting article on the increased amount of composite sticks being made in Mexico.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Ilya Kovalchuk has scored a high-percentage of his team's goals this season but it is not as if his team is deferring to him during the course of the game, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Nothing like a practice without pucks to wake up the troops in Boston. “It’s up to those guys to show their character (tonight) and I’ll leave that up to them,” said coach Claude Julien heading into Thursday night's game versus the Habs.
• Jocelyn Thibault will be in between the pipes tonight as the Sabres take on the high-powered Senators. In disappointing news, it does not look Teppo Numminen will return to the Sabres' line-up this season.
• Coming to Carolina, Sergei Samsonov's resolution is to put the puck in the net. With a number of the Hurricanes missing the morning skate, the team has recalled Keith Aucoin and Brandon Nolan for tonight's game.
• Not surprisingly, coach Jacques Martin of the Panthers believes that if his team plays better defensively then more scoring chances will result.
• Habs coach Guy Carbonneau has high expectations for his team's upcoming road trip, writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. Meanwhile, veteran forward Bryan Smolinski is ready to return to the lineup whenever coach Carbonneau feels like making a change to his starting roster.
• Even though Devils coach Brent Sutter called John Madden his most consistent forward of the first-half, Madden believes he can be even better through the rest of the season.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post says the Rangers have reached desperate times. In positive news, injuries to Martin Straka (concussion) and Sean Avery (hand) don't appear to be very serious and the two should return to the lineup fairly soon.
• Miroslav Satan has been moved to the Islanders' first-line alongside Mike Comrie and Bill Guerin.
• With Saturday's game against the Red Wings just around the corner, the Senators have to make sure not to overlook the Sabres tonight, writes Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. Meanwhile, John Paddock doesn't approve of anything Steve Downie has done so far this season, however, he believes that almost every team in the NHL wants a player like that on their own team.
• Simon Gagne will return to the Flyers lineup tonight for the first time since November 7 when he suffered a concussion. Interestingly, Anterro Nittymaki will be the starting netminder for tonight's game, marking the third straight game he has started.
• It is a battle of, arguably, the two best players in the NHL tonight in Tampa Bay as the Penguins visit the Lightning. Sidney Crosby will not only try and outduel Vincent Lecavalier but he will also try to end the Penguins' five year losing streak in Northern Florida tonight.
• You are not going to hear a lack of respect from either Crosby or Lecavalier when talking about each other, writes Carter Gaddis of the Tampa Tribune.
• Damien Cox informs readers that the Leafs are close to rock bottom after last night's 5-0 defeat in Anaheim. In addition, Cox wonders what happened to Nikolai Antropov's career year?
• The Capitals were happy to open their homestand with a victory, writes Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks are really starting to gel together and last night's 5-0 victory over Toronto was an example of the quality of their play recently. While the Leafs enjoy much success off-the-ice, on it they have been struggling for years, writes Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register.
• Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald has a must-read interview with Flames GM Darryl Sutter at the half-way point of the season.
• The Blackhawks are struggling badly right now as they lost last night in Dallas by a score of 3-1, making it seven straight losses for the original six club.
• After losing 2-1 last night to the Capitals, the Avalanche have now lost six of their past seven games and just can't seem to get any of their top scorers onto the scoresheet, writes Adrian Dater of the Denver Post. Although the team is struggling, it did receive some good news when young center Paul Stastny was named to the All-Star team.
• The Blue Jackets have revenge on their minds when they face the Blues on Friday. It is likely that Nikolai Zherdev will miss tomorrow night's game against St. Louis and Saturday's game against Nashville.
• It was like old times last night as Mike Modano had three points and led the Stars to a 3-1 victory over the Blackhawks.
• After signing an extension on Wednesday, Chris Osgood received some more great news on Thursday as he was named to the All-Star team.
• Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal has a great article about coach Wayne Gretzky. (Writer's note: You would have to be a fool to not read a Jim Matheson article about the Great One.) In other Oilers news, coach Craig MacTavish has instructed captain Ethan Moreau to stop dropping the gloves.
• Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times is calling for the Kings to give their youngsters lots of playing time with a chance of a playoff spot too far out of reach.
• As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune tells us, Mikko Koivu is close to returning, but the Wild has not yet made a roster move to clear a spot for him.
• Chris Mason's shutout of the Kings on Tuesday has given the netminder some confidence after he was benched four straight games.
• Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic provides readers with his mid-season report on the Coyotes.
• For all the criticism the team has received, the Sharks are the fourth best team in the NHL, writes David Pollak.
• The mood in St. Louis at mid-season is a lot more positive than it was last season, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• One Sedin brother is leaving the other behind on his way to the All-Star Game, writes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province. In other Canucks news, the team claimed Kris Beech off waivers from Columbus.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.