NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Thursday Edition)

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

Montreal versus Boston

• Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau is not apologizing for his team's 3-1 series lead, writes Herb Zurkowsky. The Habs have more information about the Bruins than they had on Tuesday thanks to Harry Sinden who outed Zdeno Chara's rib injury to the press.
• The Bruins are down 3-1 because they just cannot score, writes Fluto Shinwaza. According to coach Claude Julien, don't expect Boston to adjust their power play plan. Don't count out the Bruins just yet, writes Stephen Harris.

Pittsburgh versus Ottawa:

• Penguins coach Michel Therien was satisfied with all aspects of the Penguins' game in the Ottawa series, writes Ron Cook. Forget all the goaltending questions, Marc-Andre Fleury has been terrific since the playoffs began. The Penguins have been making a concerted effort to get more pucks on net in the post-season. It is not yet known who the Pens will face in the second round.
• "We lost four straight. We got outplayed," said Senators coach and GM Bryan Murray after last night's season-ending 3-1 loss. Last night was almost assuredly Wade Redden's final game in an Ottawa uniform. "There was a lot of negativity around this team, from the outside, from inside the room," said Senators center Jason Spezza when trying to sum up the team's disappointing season.

Washington versus Philadelphia:

• With back-to-back losses, Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau has experimented with putting Sergei Fedorov on the team's top line to replace Nicklas Backstrom. The Capitals' best line has been outplayed by the Flyers' top line.
• Rich Hofmann of the Philadelphia Daily News warns Flyers fans to expect a big game from Alexander Ovechkin tonight. Flyers netminder Martin Biron was happy he was okay after taking a shot to the mask in Game 3. Boy are the Flyers relieved that Kimmo Timonen will be in the line up for Game 4.

New Jersey versus New York Rangers:

• "Everybody believes we can come back," said Devils leader Jamie Langenbrunner after his team fell behind the Rangers 3-1 in their playoff series. The Devils know the key to getting back into this series is returning to their defensive ways. Here is a game review by Lisa Kennedy of the Newark Star-Ledger.
• The Rangers' young talent are really proving their worth in the playoffs thus far, writes Jay Greenberg. Everyone around the Rangers has been impressed with the play of Marc Staal. If they didn't already know the fourth game of a series is the hardest to win, Rangers GM Glen Sather came into the locker room after the game to remind the team of just that. (Writer's note: Man, how low profile has Slats been in NYC????)

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

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

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Sunday Edition)

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• The Rangers got great news yesterday, when they found out that Scott Gomez's ribs were only bruised and not broken. Even so, Gomez is still unlikely to play Tuesday against the Flyers.
• Kimmo Timonen will be in the line up today as his Flyers take on the Islanders.
• The Penguins pasted the Devils and Evgeni Malkin eclipsed the 100 point mark in a great day for Penguin hockey. Even better, Sidney Crosby may return to the line up tomorrow. Meanwhile, apparently Max Talbot does not mind giving his opinion.
• The Islanders have yet to speak to Ted Nolan about a contract extension, writes Greg Logan.
• "The reality is in the last dozen games or so we're a .500 hockey team," said Devils coach Brent Sutter after his team's 7-1 loss to the Penguins last night. Andy Greene had some trouble in his return to the line up.

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• The Panthers know every game is must-win from here on out and they played that way in their 4-2 victory last night over Tampa Bay.
• After last night's loss, the Lightning are now tied for last overall in the NHL with the Kings. In injury news, Vincent Lecavalier is not overly concerned with his sore wrist.
• As Luke Decock tells us, both Justin Williams and Chad Larose took part in an optional practice yesterday.
• Alexander Ovechkin reflects on reaching the 60 goal mark in this morning's Washington Post.

**There were no Thrashers articles this morning**

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Bruins were disappointed they didn't win the shootout last night in Montreal, but at least they earned one point, writes Fluto Shinwaza. In positive news, Patrice Bergeron foresees a return to the line up, whether it be this season or next. P.J. Axelsson proved a lot to his teammates last night, writes Steve Conroy.
• Here are some details behind the Sabres and Rochester Americans relationship. The Sabres' power play has been awful lately, writes John Vogl.
• With last night's 3-2 shootout victory, the Habs went a shocking 8-0 versus the Bruins this season.
• The Senators blew a two-goal lead at home and lost to the rival Maple Leafs 5-4. After last night's loss, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests Ray Emery is a candidate to start the Senators' next game.
• With last night's impressive comeback victory, and Boston's shootout loss to the Habs, the Leafs are only four points back of the playoffs right now. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun says the odds were against the Leafs last night, but they still overcame them to come out on top.

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 (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail says that most of what John Ferguson Jr. did during his stint in Toronto was unsuccessful.
• Cliff Fletcher does not have very much time before the trade deadline arrives, writes Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail.
• The NHL and Versus have agreed to extend their television contract for another three years.
• Mark Spector of the National Post tells readers that Cliff Fletcher has a big mess to clean up.
• Mike Brehm of USA Today providers readers with some news and notes from around the NHL.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Ilya Kovalchuk was ejected late in the first period as the Thrashers went on to lose their fourth straight game last night with a 4-0 loss to the Rangers. Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the details behind the confusing Thrashers and Hawks ownership situation.
• The Bruins were defeated 8-2 by the Canadiens last night, making that six losses to the Habs this season. Even with the drubbing handed to them by the Habs, the Bruins did get some good news on Tuesday with the announcement that Tim Thomas had been named to the All-Star team. Also, injured center Patrice Bergeron has returned from a club-ordered vacation to Aruba.
• Sabres coach Lindy Ruff accepts responsibility for his club's recent struggles, writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News.
• The Hurricanes gave up a shocking three short-handed goals yesterday in their 6-3 home loss to the Islanders, writes Luke Decock of the News Observer.
• With last night's 5-3 victory over the Senators, the Panthers moved within four points of the Southeast Division lead.
• The Canadiens were about as impressive as you can get last night in their dominant 8-2 victory over the division-rival Bruins.
• The Devils tied a franchise record with five power play goals last night in their 7-3 victory at Philadelphia yesterday. Meanwhile, both Martin Brodeur and Brent Sutter have pulled out of All-Star weekend.
• The Rangers finally looked like the team that everyone expected in the off-season, with a 4-0 dominating performance over the Thrashers last night. "We were a relentless team tonight," said coach Tom Renney after last night's game.
• The Islanders were 3 for 8 last night scoring on Carolina's power play, as they defeated the Hurricanes 6-3 at the RBC Center last night.
• The Senators were defeated 5-3 at Florida last night, and have only 15 wins registered in their last 32 games played. The return of Daniel Alfredsson to the Senators line up didn't help the team keep the puck out of their own net, which seems to be their biggest problem as of late.
• "We had a total letdown," Flyers coach John Stevens said after his team's embarrassing 7-3 home loss to the Devils. Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News wonders if the Flyers fear the Devils.
• The Lightning recorded a 4-3 victory over visiting Edmonton yesterday to make it three straight wins, which has vaulted the Bolts back into playoff consideration. Bolts coach John Tortorella has been very impressed with the play of his team's fourth line.
• David Templeton of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at the positive side of things when it comes to Sidney Crosby's ankle.
• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star wonders if Cliff Fletcher can save the Maple Leafs. Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun lists possible GM candidates for the Leafs. It shouldn't take John Ferguson Jr. too long to find work, writes Mike Zeisberger of the Sun.
• Bruce Boudreau will be making his first coaching experience in his home-town Toronto tonight as the Capitals visit the Leafs.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Both Corey Perry and Scott Niedermayer have been named to the All-Star team, writes Dan Wood of the Orange County Register. (Writer's note: How can anyone take the game seriously when Niedermayer is named to the team? While he is one of the top three defensemen in the game today, he has hardly played this season! C'mon NHL, give someone else the opportunity.)
• The Flames are now in first place in the Northwest Division, for the time being, after defeating division-rival Minnesota last night in a closely contested 2-1 game.
• The Blackhawks had their four-game winning streak snapped last night as they lost 3-2 in San Jose, writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. (Injury news: Jonathan Toews is expected to be out for three more weeks.)
• "The desperation wasn't there for us tonight. Right from the get-go, you could tell," said Avalanche winger Ian Lapperierre after last night's 4-0 loss at home to Nashville. Meanwhile, Woody Paige of the Denver Post thinks that Colorado should host an outdoor game. For those who love rumors, both the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs have had scouts following the Avalanche.
• "To win a game like this, down and coming back with such a big effort by so many guys, it's a turning point for our organization," said an excited Ken Hitchcock after his Blue Jackets came back from a third period deficit to defeat the Stars 4-2. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch provides readers with the details of the minor swap between Colorado and Columbus. (Writer's note: Ken Hitchcock and Scott Howson have this club moving in the right direction. They may not generate much attention from the casual fan, but the Jackets should not be overlooked.)
• The Stars feel like they let two point slip away last night versus the Blue Jackets, writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• Chris Osgood started his first game since being pulled from a game last week by coach Mike Babcock and was tremendous shutting out the Kings by a score of 3-0. Red Wings star Henrik Zetterberg has decided to take a week off to rest his ailing back.
• "Every single game is vital for us moving forward," said Oilers forward Marty Reasoner after his team's 4-3 loss at Tampa Bay last night. Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun wonders how the Oilers can expect to make the playoffs by losing games to the 29th and 30th ranked teams in the NHL.
• The best in the West defeated the worst in the West last night, as the Kings were beaten 3-0 by the powerful Red Wings.
• The Wild suffered a letdown last night after their inspiring victory over Vancouver on Monday and were defeated 2-1 by the Flames at the Saddledome. The Wild top forwards asked Jacques Lemaire for more ice-time and their wish has been granted, writes Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.
• The Predators separated themselves from the Avalanche at the beginning of the third period last night and cruised to a 4-0 victory. In the process, J.P. Dumont extended his point streak to thirteen games.
• Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic provides readers with the details behind the Ilya Brygalov contract extension.
• The Sharks ended their four-game winless streak last night with a 3-2 home victory over the Blackhawks.
• "We haven't paid as much attention to detail," said Blues coach Andy Murray in reference to his team's current five-game losing streak.
• In Vancouver, coach Alain Vigneault has challenged Roberto Luongo to play better. The Canucks have lost Kris Beech on waivers to the Capitals.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers (Saturday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• The NHL on NBC has implemented a flex schedule option this season akin to the NFL on NBC, writes William Houston of the Globe & Mail.
• Even with all the humiliation he has had to deal with, don't expect John Ferguson Jr. to resign from his post as GM of the Maple Leafs.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• "I think everyone in this room should be embarrassed," said Thrashers defenseman Garnet Exelby after last night 10-1 loss at Buffalo.
• The Bruins have been very happy with the play of Zdeno Chara this season, writes Fluto Shinwaza of the Boston Globe. "I don't think he will be back this season," Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said about injured forward Patrice Bergeron.
• The Sabres snapped a ten-game losing streak last night by scoring ten goals in their dominant victory over the Thrashers. The Sabres' top-line was reunited last night with the return of Derek Roy and the unit impressed with a combined twelve point effort.
• Eric Staal led the Hurricanes to a convincing 7-2 victory over the Oilers last night, writes Luke Decock of the News Observer. Meanwhile, after being written off by almost every team in the NHL, Sergei Samsonov has impressed in his short stint in Carolina.
• The Panthers defeated the Devils 2-1 last night and, in the process, gave Jacques Martin his 500th career coaching victory. "I've been real fortunate to work in this league,'' said Martin after the contest.
• Here is Red Fisher's Notebook from this morning's Montreal Gazette.
• "You're up 1-0 in your own building going into the third period. You've got to win the hockey game," Devils coach Brent Sutter said after his team blew a third period lead to the Panthers and lost 2-1. Devils forward John Madden is unsure of whether he will be ready for his team's next game tomorrow against the Leafs.
• If the Ranger want to improve on their recent struggles, they need to improve the 20th ranked powerplay in the NHL, writes Brett Cyrgalis of the NY Post.
• It looks like Senators winger Daniel Alfredsson will miss both his team's games this weekend, writes Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun.
• Scott Hartnell loves playing with Mike Richards and Steve Downie, writes Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Only a week before the All-Star Game, Sidney Crosby has been lost to the Penguins for at least four weeks. A lot of streaks came to an end last night in Pittsburgh as the Penguins were defeated 3-0 by the Lightning. In other Penguins news, rookie defenseman Kris Letang is looking forward to playing his first game in his home province tonight at Montreal.
• The Lightning got scoring from unexpected sources last night in their 3-0 road victory at Pittsburgh. In positive news, it appears that Dan Boyle could return from his wrist injury prior to next week's All-Star break.
• A new Leafs line combination has been one of the keys to the team's modest two-game winning streak, writes Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.
• Alexander Semin finally feels healthy and that is the main reason why the sniper has gotten back on the scoring track in the new year.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks' top line of Bertuzzi-Perry-Getzlaf has been on fire as of late, and that success did not slow down last night as the trio combined for nine points to defeat the Wild 4-2.
• Miikka Kiprusoff doesn't seem overly worried about the Flames picking up Curtis Joseph earlier this week.
• Not surprisingly, the Blackhawks game versus the scoring-deprived Avalanche was low scoring with the Hawks winning the game 2-1 in a shootout.
• "It's a good chance for a lot of our young guys to get a chance to play and prove themselves in this league," said Avalanche forward Andrew Brunette about his team's recent string of injuries to its top players.
• Stars winger Loui Eriksson has been a different player since around Christmas time, writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press thinks Henrik Zetterberg would have been a far bigger star if he had played in Detroit ten years ago.
• "I want this hanging over us for a while -- until we can come up with a better consistent effort. I'm in no mood to brush this under the carpet," Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish said after last night's 7-2 loss at Carolina. The Oilers haven't forgotten their playoff loss to the Hurricanes in 2006 and some of the memories of that series were re-hashed yesterday.
• The Blues have recalled Mike Glumac from Peoria of the AHL so they can have some extra depth at forward.
• John Glennon of the Tennessean tells readers that the Predators are falling short of their attendance goals.
• The Sharks can measure themselves tonight when they host the conference-leading Red Wings, writes David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News.
• Wayne Gretzky is not concerned about his team's bounce-back ability tonight when they host Chicago.
• The Wild didn't get off to a good start last night at home versus Anaheim and it cost them, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune. The Wild is hoping the ice surface at the Xcel Center will be back to normal when they return from their upcoming road trip.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers (Monday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail says there is very little chance that the Maple Leafs will be purchased by billionaire Alex Shnaider.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today details which draft entry players really impressed at this year's World Juniors Championship.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Marian Hossa broke out of his slump with two goals on Sunday afternoon to lead the Thrashers to a 5-2 victory over the Sabres.
• Since losing six games in a row late in December, the Bruins have racked up three straight victories and are now ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Boston held their 18th annual carnival at the Garden yesterday, where they were able to give something back to the fans.
• The Sabres are winless in their last six contests and the schedule doesn't get any easier moving forward writes John Vogl of the Buffalo News. Sabres center Derek Roy left yesterday's contest with a shoulder injury and is listed as day-to-day.
• The Panthers have been battling inconsistency all season long, so if they want to make the playoffs, they probably need to win 26 of their last 40 games.
• The Canadiens are rolling out the red carpet for tomorrow's game versus their original-six rival Chicago Blackhawks writes Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette. Meanwhile, Pat Hickey of the Gazette wonders whether the Habs are expecting too much from rookie netminder Carey Price.
• Mark Everson of the NY Post believes that Brent Sutter and the Devils deserve a lot of credit for how far they've come along.
• Hockey is probably the last thing on Henrik Lundqvist's mind with his dad back in his home country of Sweden recovering from brain surgery.
• Tonight's Oilers/Islanders game includes a number of players who have played on the opponent's team at some point in their careers and that should make the game that much more interesting writes Greg Logan of Newsday.
• Teammates Ray Emery and Brian McGrattan dropped the gloves this morning at practice but luckily the two are good friends and were joking about it after.
• Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Daily News says that Joffrey Lupul will be lost to the Flyers for quite a while with a slight concussion and a spinal cord contusion.
• The Penguins are hoping they catch fire in the second-half just as they did last season writes Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• Vincent Lecavalier proves that he's quite modest even with all the praise he has been receiving in hockey circles.
• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star says the Leafs must either trade Mats Sundin or sign him to a contract extension.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks' Samuel Pahlsson has missed his team's past six games and is expected to miss tonight's game versus the Predators with back and abdominal issues.
• Since the beginning of December, the Flames have played tremendous hockey and that has lead them to the third seed in the Western Conference. One thing new coach Mike Keenan has stressed to the Flames is for the players to enjoy victories.
• The Hawks finally lost to the Red Wings for the first time this season writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• Avalanche forward and Michigan native T.J. Hensick is really looking forward to taking part in his first Avalanche/Red Wings contest.
• The only way to gain experience chasing down a playoff spot is to go through it yourself and the Blue Jackets have many players who will be going through the process for the first time.
• Brenden Morrow has been playing on the periphery too much and wants to make a point of returning to his second-home which is in front of the opposing team's netminder writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• Last night's victory over Chicago was Chris Osgood's 355th of his career which makes him the 15th winningest goaltender of all-time.
• As Jim Matheson tells us, former Oiler Mike Comrie does not expect fans to stop booing him when he returns to Rexall Place with the Islanders tonight. Meanwhile, Raffi Torres will be lost to the Oilers for the remainder of the season after he undergoes knee surgery later this week.
• Mikko Koivu is getting closer to a return to the Wild lineup but he will not dress tonight when Minnesota visits Dallas.
• Predators defenseman Kevin Klein wants to impress coach Barry Trotz whenever he checks into the lineup writes Jessica Hopp of the Tennessean.
• The Coyotes have been very good at limiting their penalties taken and limiting their goals against and coach Wayne Gretzky believes those are the two keys to the Coyotes turnaround this season.
• Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an interesting piece on the evolution of Brad Boyes.
• It is a slow recovery process, but Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa is hoping to return to the lineup for the playoffs writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers (Sunday Edition)

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun says John Ferguson Jr.'s days as Leafs' GM are numbered.
• You can find Bruce Garrioch's Sunday rumors column here.
• Although his overall numbers aren't overly impressive, Thrashers' goalie Johan Hedberg has turned his game up a notch as of late.
• "This is a game of mistakes, but when you have 4-5 huge mistakes in a game, you’re not going to win," said Bruins' winger Glen Murray after the Bruins were defeated 7-4 by the Habs on Saturday night. Bruins' coach Claude Julien and Habs' coach Guy Carbonneau were going at it late in last night's game. Aaron Ward returned to the Bruins' lineup last night after missing a couple games due to a concussion. Here is Kevin Paul Dupont's usual Sunday morning notes column in the Boston Globe.
• Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News says he expects Brett Hull to turn the Stars around.
• The Hurricanes just held on for a 2-1 victory over the Panthers on Saturday, in what was Glen Wesley's 1400th game in the NHL.
• The Panthers were unable to score on a number of late 5-on-3 chances that would have sent the game to an extra frame. Amid speculation that he may be on the trading block, Panthers' forward Olli Jokinen has become a bit frustrated with all the rumors. George Richards of the Miami Herald has an interesting take on all the Jokinen rumors.
• Jack Todd of the Montreal Gazette commends Steve Begin on his mastery of the pest role. Here are some notes from around the NHL courtesy of legendary Gazette writer Red Fisher.
• It took him four tries but Martin Brodeur finally got that elusive 500th career victory last night in his team's 6-2 win over Philadelphia. As Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger explains, if you think Brent Sutter has become discouraged by his team's play, then you don't know Brent Sutter.
• If you picked one player to score the overtime winner between the Rangers and Penguins, Jason Strudwick would have been your last choice writes John Dellapina of the NY Daily News. Larry Brooks of the NY Post is critical of Brent Sutter's "calling out" tactics in his Sunday Slap Shots column. (Writer's note: What's wrong with Sutter calling out his veterans whose performances are making them vastly overpaid? All Sutter wants is consistent hard work and production. His expectations are not unreasonable, and it will benefit Jersey in the long haul to no longer have the inmates running the asylum.)
• Greg Logan of Newsday says that Josef Vasicek has been a very pleasant surprise for the Islanders so far this season. Logan also has an interesting piece on the leadership that Bill Guerin has added to the Islanders both on and off the ice.
• Last night's embarrassing 3-0 loss to the Maple Leafs was the first loss on the road for the Senators. Ray Emery says he if he were the coach he'd be sticking with Martin Gerber too right now.
• It wasn't one of the Flyers best games last night, as they lacked solid performances in all aspects of the game.
• The Penguins couldn't capitalize on their two-goal lead and ended up losing to the division-leading Rangers in overtime. The Penguins better turn it around soon if they wish to duplicate last season's point total writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• The Lightning defensemen have been responsible for a lot of the team's offense, and coach John Tortorella says that is partly due to the added responsibility of Lightning players (both forwards and defensemen) to play the other side of the puck.
• It has been a long time since somebody shutout the Senators, and that made Vesa Toskala's performance an even bigger story on Saturday night after the Leafs handled the Senators 3-0 on home-ice. "Bryan McCabe was a horse out there," said an impressed Mats Sundin after last night's shutout.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Last night's shootout victory over the rival Sharks made it four wins in a row for the now-streaking Ducks writes Dan Wood of the Orange County Register.
• It took the Flames a while, but they finally cracked the Garon Code and defeated the struggling (or maybe just plain bad) Oilers 3-1 at Rexall Place. Owen Nolan is hoping to build on his one goal and one assist performance from last night and turn his game up to another level.
• The Blackhawks just flat-out own the Red Wings this season after defeating them for a fourth straight time on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Hawks youngsters have played so well that they are now being matched up against opposing team's top checking lines and top defensemen.
• Terry Frei of the Denver Post gives you his take on a number of current NHL issues in this morning's paper.
• The Blue Jackets have to make sure their penalty killing is in top form tonight as they face the Red Wings. Here are the Jackets' projected lines for tonight's contest.
• Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News says the Stars' number one goal is to wins the fans back.
• The Red Wings were playing in front of their first home sell-out of the season, but the fans took to booing after watching the Wings give up three short-handed markers and lose to the Hawks for the fourth time this season. "I don't have any explanation -- I don't know what to say about it. It was same situation in St. Louis and today it was a similar situation -- not too many saves; however, they score four goals on 15 shots, whatever. Very disappointed," said Wings' netminder Dominik Hasek after last night's performance.
• The Oilers could only muster 16 shots on Miikka Kiprusoff last night and were defeated by the Flames 3-1 on home-ice. (Writer's note: You will read this column and come across the many reasons why the Oilers' players believe they can't score. Unfortunately, the main reason is because they just aren't a talented enough team to generate consistent offensive opportunities). As John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal explains, the Flames have been lacking consistent goaltending all season, but when you only get eight shots on goal through two periods, that goaltending doesn't even become an issue. In other Oilers related news, Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun provides readers with the story of Liam Reddox.
• The Kings faced Ilya Brygalov yesterday afternoon and they were shutout by the newest Coyote 1-0.
• Mikko Koivu will be lost to the Wild lineup for one week and maybe more after taking an inexplicable two-hand slash to the leg on Friday night.
• The Predators were not unhappy with the way they played last night, they just couldn't capitalize on their scoring chances and ended up losing to the Blues 3-2 in a shootout. "It was nice to get one point tonight, but we should have had two," said Predators' defenseman Shea Weber who returned from injury last night.
• The Coyotes responded well to their closed-door meeting on Thursday night with a solid, hard-working performance that led to a 1-0 victory over the Kings.
• It as a playoff atmosphere last night in the Shark Tank as the Ducks defeated San Jose in a shootout 2-1 write David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News.
• The Blues were very impressed with the play of Hannu Toivonen on Saturday, as the youngster turned aside 35 of the 37 shots he faced.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.