NHL Morning Papers: Conference Finals (Friday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for the four remaining playoff teams:

Pittsburgh (2) versus Philadelphia (6):

• The Penguins realized how tough it was to play against a desperate Philadelphia squad last night, writes Dave Molinari. A sloppy first period was the Penguins' downfall last night, writes Gene Collier. It is amazing to think that last night's loss was only Pittsburgh's second since the post-season began in early April. On the injury front, Gary Roberts is out of the Penguins line-up for the next little while with a pneumonia.
• Scott Hartnell was the man last night, writes Sam Donnellon. The Flyers finally just shot the puck on net, writes Phil Sheridan. Rich Hofmann believes the Flyers' best chance for a comeback lies in the crease with Martin Biron. The Flyers played last night's game without the injured Braydon Coburn.

Detroit (1) versus Dallas (5):

• Heading into Game 5, the Red Wings want to improve on the power play. Helene St. James believes the Red Wings will finish the job at home in Game 5. Apparently Gary Bettman agrees with the Tomas Holmstrom call in Game 4.
• The Stars think that Game 5 is the perfect time for Marty Turco to break his Mo-town slump, writes Mike Heika. It would probably be a safe bet to assume that Stars coach Dave Tippett will use the same lines in Game 5 as he did at the end of Game 4. Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News warns Marty Turco that there will be just as much Red Wings traffic as ever in Game 5.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

If you have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions email illegalcurve@gmail.com

NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Tuesday Edition)

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

Montreal versus Boston:

• You can expect to see rookie defenseman Ryan O'Byrne dressed for the Canadiens tonight, writes Pat Hickey. If the Habs want to take control of this series tonight, they are going to have to improve upon their struggling power play. The Bruins love having Milan Lucic on their side, writes Hickey. Amazingly, the last person on the Canadiens who is going to panic is rookie netminder Carey Price.
• The Bruins' penalty killing has been terrific, writes Fluto Shinwaza. "He's been their best player by a long shot," said Habs coach Guy Carbonneau about Bruins rookie Milan Lucic. It appears unlikely that Patrice Bergeron will be able to get into a game if the Bruins do not advance past the first round.

Pittsburgh versus Ottawa:

• The Penguins did not panic at all last night, and it helped them as they cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Senators. Marc-Andre Fleury has matured since last year's playoffs and that has been and will be an important part of the Penguins' success. The Senators pulled out all the stops last night and it still wasn't enough to avoid being in a 3-0 hole in the series, writes Chuck Finder. To their credit, the Penguins have not made a big deal of a picture of their team shaking hands with the Senators from last year's playoffs that happens to be right outside their locker room.
• "We've got to keep our head up. Teams have done it. Nobody has any faith us in any way. We all believe we can still do it," said Cristoph Schubert after his team went down 3-0 to the Penguins last night in their playoff series. Daniel Alfredsson's return to the line up just was not enough last night, writes Chris Stevenson. You cannot question Alfredsson's character.

Washington versus Philadelphia:

• Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau expects Alexander Oveckin to have a bounce back game against the Flyers in Game 3. Corey Masisak tells readers how important Mike Richards is to the Philadelphia cause. "We are looking for a big response here in Game 3, and hopefully we can get it," said Capitals forward Brooks Laich.
• Flyers winger Scott Hartnell knows his job is to go to the net and he does that well, writes Sam Donnellon. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren has been happy to see his old roommate Bruce Boudreau succeed in his NHL pursuits. Meanwhile, the Flyers who remain from the 2006 squad want to make amends for their awful home showing that season.

New Jersey versus New York Rangers:

• The fact of the matter is, Brent Sutter loves John Madden, writes Colin Stephenson. The Devils need not worry about Sean Avery pulling off his Game 3 in front of their net anymore, now that the NHL has amended its rules to hand out penalties for such behavior.
• Jay Greenberg of the NY Post has been awfully impressed with the play of rookie defenseman Marc Staal. The Rangers need to cut down on their penalties, writes John Dellapina. It is safe to say that Sean Avery sure didn't make any friends with his antics on Sunday.

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

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

Fantasy Watch: Scouring the Waiver Wire

F Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia Flyers
Hartnell is enjoying his best month of the season, scoring seven points in his last five games. The forward has registered two three point games this month, including a hattrick this past week. With Lupul still sidelined with several injuries, Hartnell has stepped up his play and has appeared on the power-play, scoring two goals and one assist. Hartnell's season stats aren't anything to get excited over (21 points in 40 games), but he has become a decent fantasy option due to his recent outburst.
Fantasy Take: Hartnell has been inconsistent all year but seems to have gotten into a groove over this past week. Only use him as an injury replacement or a lower end option at forward.

F Marek Svatos, Colorado Avalanche
Svatos has been a disappointment since his breakout year in 2005 where he scored 32 goals and 50 points. Even though Svatos won't hit those numbers this year, he has shown glimpses of his past self scoring six goals in his last five games. With both Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth gone for extended periods of time due to injuries, Svatos has helped fill the void with his superb scoring ability. Scoring 19 goals and two assists this season, Svatos was hardly a factor earlier in the season, but has the opportunity to help lead Colorado with Smyth and Sakic sidelined.
Fantasy Take: Svatos has a natural goal scoring ability that makes him look very appealing as a fantasy forward, but goes through too many stretches without registering a point. With the team counting on its younger stars much more now, Svatos may be in for a big second half.

F Mark Parrish, Minnesota Wild
Parrish was relatively quiet earlier in the season, registering only 18 points in the first three months of the season. He has since come alive, scoring a point in each of his last eight games, including four goals in his past five. The forward has been given significant playing time and has gelled with linemate Eric Belanger, as the two have combined to score seven points in their last two games.
Fantasy Take: Parrish has gone on two other three game point streaks earlier in the season, and has always slumped after they've ended. Try and pick up Parrish while he's still hot, as he tends to disappear for extended periods of time.

D Marek Zidlicky, Nashville Predators
With a big month in December, Zidlicky was able to surpass his point total over the first two months of the season in 15 games. Scoring 11 points last month, Zidlicky raised his season point total to 26, which currently leads all Nashville defenseman. Continuing his hot streak into the new year, Zidlicky has registered five points in his last six games. More impressive is his input on the power-play, having scored all his points this month on the pp. After having an abysmal year last year, Zidlicky has rebounded quite nicely and is slowly making his way into the elite defenseman category.
Fantasy Take: Being Nashville's number one defenseman will yield several opportunities on the power-play, making Zidlicky a good defensive pickup.


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis

NHL Morning Papers (Friday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• William Houston of the Globe & Mail tells readers that there are some signs of life for U.S. hockey viewership.
• Mark Spector of the National Post examines the question of steroids in hockey.
• A.J. Perez of USA Today has the details behind Alexander Ovechkin's new contract extension.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Thrashers blew a late third period lead and ended up losing 3-2 in a shootout; Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the story. Meanwhile, Bill Tiller of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tells readers that he just doesn't like the shootout.
• The Canadiens dominated the Bruins last night, handing them a 5-2 defeat on at Banknorth Garden. Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe tells readers that the Habs' skills were on display last night. While the Bruins are struggling as a team, rookie Milan Lucic has continued to progress nicely all season long.
• After last night's shootout loss, the Sabres have now lost eight games in a row, writes Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. Buffalo was without three of their top players last night as Derek Roy, Maxim Afinogenov, and Tim Connolly missed last night's contest.
• "We were gross," Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette said after his team's 4-1 loss to the Devils on Thursday night. The Canes were without a number of players last night because the team has been bitten hard with the flu.
• Nathan Horton called the result last night, as the Panthers came back to defeat the Thrashers 3-2 in a shootout. Recently acquired Magnus Johansson suited up for his new squad last night.
• As Pat Hickey tells us, the Habs capitalized on the man-advantage last night and easily defeated the Bruins 5-2. In other Habs news, down on the farm, Carey Price is keeping a positive attitude with his demotion to the Hamilton Bulldogs.
• Coach Brent Sutter has been stressing success away from the Prudential Center and last night the Devils satisfied their coach with a 4-1 road victory over Carolina. The fact that the Devils scored four goals last night should be considered a breakout offensive game, writes Mark Everson of the NY Post.
• Henrik Lundqvist continued to struggle last night in his team's 6-2 loss at home to the Flyers; however, don't expect Lundqvist to point any fingers, writes Larry Brooks of the NY Post.
• Mark Herrmann of Newsday gives readers some background information on Islanders prospect Kyle Okposo.
• The Senators defeated the Sabres 3-2 in a shootout last night, gaining some momentum heading into their clash with the NHL leading Red Wings on Saturday night.
• The Flyers demonstrated their depth last night as they defeated the Rangers 6-2 on the backs of Scott Hartnell and Antero Nittymaki.
• Jordan Staal looked like the Jordan Staal of last season on Thursday as the youngster scored twice leading the Penguins to a 4-1 victory over the Lightning.
• The Lightning can't seem to win consecutive games and the team has been struggling so much that coach John Tortorella has limited his defense's aggressiveness in the neutral zone to limit chances against.
• After last night's 5-2 drubbing at the hands' of the Kings, Damien Cox of the Toronto Star is calling this season's version of the Maple Leafs the worst in a decade.
• Tarik El-Bashir provides readers with everything you need to know about Alexander Ovechkin's new contract.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Ryan Getzlaf is on his way to the All-Star Game for the first time later this month in Atlanta, writes Dan Wood of the Orange County Register.
• With Alexander Ovechkin under contract for the next decade and more, Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf is surely seeing dollar signs, writes Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun.
• "There's a strong possibility there will be a trade shortly," Hawks GM Dale Tallon said on Thursday.
• It hasn't taken long for Paul Stastny to follow in his dad's footsteps, writes Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
• Prospect Derick Brassard will make his NHL debut tonight for the Blue Jackets as they take on the Blues. Here are the Columbus line combinations for tonight's game. (Writer's note: Don't expect Brassard to stay on the fourth line for long.)
• The Stars continue to have trouble beating the Blues, as Dallas was defeated 4-2 in the Gateway City on Thursday night.
• Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press thinks the Red Wings are so good that they spoil their fanbase. Rosenberg's colleague George Sipple gives readers the recap of last night's crazy 6-5 shootout loss for the Wings.
• The Oilers made it three in a row last night after they dominated the streaking Coyotes 5-2. Meanwhile, Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal profiles Ilya Brygalov who has almost single-handedly turned around the Coyotes' season.
• Nothing like the Leafs coming to town when you need to cure a losing streak; the Kings learned that lesson last night as they defeated Toronto 5-2.
• Michael Russo of the Star Tribune provides readers with a profile of the new Wild owner.
• John Glennon of the Tennessean gives the Nashville perspective on Craig Leipold becoming the new owner of the Wild.
• Last night was one of those tough nights for the Coyotes, writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.
• Evgeni Nabokov got the better of Roberto Luongo last night as he led his Sharks to an impressive 3-1 victory over the Canucks.
• Since coach Andy Murray called for more scoring earlier this week, the Blues have scored ten goals in two games, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• The Canucks loss to the Sharks last night makes them 0-4 versus Joe Thornton and company on the season, writes Gordon McIntyre of the Vancouver Province.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Nightly Recap - Flyers deliver another punishing blow

Boston 6 - Philadelphia 3 - In the first game between the two teams since the Randy Jones incident there was a bit of deja vu as midway through the second Scott Hartnell gave Andrew Alberts an "unspecified head injury". In actual game news, Boston wins for their fifth time in seven games, Marc Savard lead the way with a goal and three assists. Glen Murray scored two goals and Tukka Rask made 20 saves for his second win in his second NHL start. Someone has lit a spark under Glen Murray, he now has eight points in his past seven games.
Here is a video of the Hartnell on Alberts hit. (hat tip to james mirtle).
At first it was a coincidence that a few illegal hits have come from Flyers players (Boulerice, Jones, Downie), but at four players it's becoming a correlation. Is a team fine in order? Ridiculous.


Dallas 3 - NY Islanders 2 (OT) - Dallas is now 6-0-2 in their past eight, Marty Turco got the call in net tonight making 23 saves in the win. It was only his second start in the past six games. Mike Modano scored his 7th and 8th goals of the season, the 8th being the overtime winner.

Buffalo 3 - Washington 1 - Buffalo...so hot right now, they have a five game win streak under their belt, albeit three wins came vs Montreal, but a win streak is a win streak. Jochen Hecht recorded a goal and two assists and Ryan Miller stopped 30 in the win. Alex Ovechkin scored a highlight reel goal tonight (video up later) and is now riding a 9 game point streak.

Edmonton 3 - Columbus 1 - Dwayne Roloson was big tonight making 30 saves for the Oil. Rookie Andrew Cogliano scored the go ahead goal for Edmonton in the third period, his 5th of the campaign. Ales Hemsky put his 8th goal of the season into the empty net to ice the game for the Oilers. Edmonton has gone 3 - 3 on their season long six game home stand.

Tomorrow's Games (all times Eastern)
7:00pm CGY@DET (VS)
7:30pm MTL@TOR (TSN)
10:00pm ANA@VAN (TSN)