Bruce Boudreau on Jose Theodore

From Katie Carrera of the Washington Post:

He's looking forward to having Jose Theodore, who's expected in Arlington sometime this week, join the team. "He had a great year in Colorado. If you look what he did, they had so many injuries to top-notch players and still made the playoffs and to still play as well as he did. I wish Cris the best of luck in the world... but he's on a different team now, so we're not worried about him."

Read more on the Capitals here.

I'm not so sure Boudreau will love Theodore when he stops 60 shots one night and then can't stop a beachball the next night. The Capitals are a fairly young squad, so the netminder's inconsistency could be an issue next season.

Is John Anderson the next Bruce Boudreau?

From Mike Brophy of the Hockey News:

John Anderson just may want to send his old pal Bruce Boudreau a thank-you card.

Given Boudreau’s success this season – he was named NHL coach of the year after a lengthy coaching stint in the minors – it made it easy for the Atlanta Thrashers to sign Anderson as their new coach.

Like Boudreau, Anderson has been a great success story in the minors, winning five championships including the American League crown this year with the Chicago Wolves.

Read Brophy's entire entry here.

It is nice to see Anderson get his shot in the NHL, as he has paid his dues for many years. However, we have to remember that Boudreau's team has a heck of a lot more talent than Anderson's does.

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 (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail doesn't necessarily believe that the Senators' Stanley Cup chances depend entirely on goaltending.
• Cliff Fletcher says it is "very premature" to talk of any Mats Sundin trade, writes Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail.
• You are wrong if you think that NHL players are averse to playing in the cold.
• Winnipeg is bidding for the World Junior Hockey Championships for either 2010 or 2012.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today breaks down the NHL scoring race; evaluating which players have a realistic chance at winning the title.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• With six of their next seven games at home, the Atlanta Thrashers realize that this upcoming stretch of schedule may determine their playoff fate.
• The Bruins came out on top 3-1 over the Predators, in a feisty affair at the TD Banknorth Garden. Meanwhile, injured Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron saw a neurologist yesterday.
• With all the stars on the ice in Tampa Bay last night, it was the Sabres' unheralded line of MacArthur-Pominville-Hecht that stole the show. Yesterday's game was Nolan Pratt's first game back at Tampa since playing for the Lightning for five seasons.
• The Hurricanes exacted revenge in more ways than one last night, with a 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers.
• "We have to play with some urgency and desperation and get different people to raise their game up," said Panthers coach Jacques Martin, as his team starts its drive for a playoff spot. In other Panthers news, Olli Jokinen was questioned as part of the Jere Karalahti drug ring case in Finland.
• The Canadiens were impressive in all aspects of the game, especially special teams, in their 4-0 victory at home over Washington last night. Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette profiles new Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau.
• The Devils squandered a 2-1 lead on home-ice and lost 4-2 to division-rival Pittsburgh last night at the Prudential Center. Brent Sutter called out his best players yesterday, telling reporters that his top players need to start playing like they are top players.
• The Rangers demonstrated a lack of patience last night in their 3-1 road loss at Carolina, writes Larry Brooks of the NY Post. John Dellapina of the NY Daily News says that the reffing in last night's contest sure didn't help the Rangers.
• Mark Herrmann of Newsday tells readers that the only way the Islanders usually beat the Senators is if they play flawless hockey, and the Islanders play was quite flawed last night in their 5-2 loss to Ottawa.
• Brian Murray has been honest with Ray Emery, telling the netminder there is no market for his services at this point in time. Even though they defeated the Islanders 5-2, the Senators are more concerned with Daniel Alfredsson's hip injury, writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
• Getting a 3-2 overtime win over the Kings, was a nice way for the Flyers to start off their post All-Star break run to the playoffs. The Flyers are on a roll right now, and when you are on a roll, you seem to get all the bounces, writes Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• The Penguins defeated the Devils 4-2 last night and clearly are not using injuries as an excuse right now. Brooks Orpik the winger? Apparently so.
• With a 4-2 loss at home to the Sabres on Wednesday, the Lightning may have to realistically consider becoming sellers prior to the trade deadline.
• Forget the fact that they lost 3-2 to the Blues, the talk around the Leafs surrounds the high number of scouts watching their games from now until the trade deadline.
• "When you start thinking you are better than you are, and forget what got you there, then usually the result is what happened tonight," said coach Bruce Boudreau after his Capitals were defeated 4-0 at Montreal.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• With all the hype around the return of Teemu Selanne, the Ducks still have to focus on their upcoming eight game road trip, which is the longest in team history.
• Jarome Iginla is looking forward to ending his seven-game goalless drought tonight when the Sharks come to town. Meanwhile, with a fairly healthy roster on his hands, coach Mike Keenan has some decisions to make.
• The Hawks are downplaying a comment by Denis Savard in regard to the crest on the team`s jersey. In other Blackhawks news, Tuomo Ruutu may be the only person in the hockey world who didn`t hear about Denis Savard`s rant last Thursday.
• Jose Theodore will be in net tonight for the Avs when they face-off versus the Blackhawks.
• Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch says that not only will teammates miss the recently traded Jody Shelley but so will the fans. Even though the Jackets were defeated 4-2 by Phoenix last night, the entire team`s focus was on the leadership void created by the Shelley trade.
• The Stars caught a break last night by visiting Vancouver and not having to face Roberto Luongo, and took advantage of that opportunity by recording a 4-3 road victory at GM Place.
• The Red Wings will be without defenseman Brett Lebda for tonight's game because he is nursing a sore wrist.
• The Oilers were outshot 39-13 on home-ice last night, and were handily defeated 3-0 by the powerful Sharks. "I like our team overall, and we're not trading any of our good players," said Oilers GM Kevin Lowe on Wednesday about the upcoming trade deadline.
• "I really thought we played a solid game, a road game, and coming into a building where they had won six in a row," said Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky after his team's impressive 4-2 road victory at Columbus. Meanwhile, the Coyotes were excited to get Daniel Carcillo the NHL penalty minutes leader back into their lineup last night.
• With the Sharks dominating performance over Edmonton last night, David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News shifts his focus to the beyond cold temperatures in Northern Alberta.
• Tim Thomas proved to the Predators why he was on the All-Star team last night in Boston's 3-1 victory.
• The Blues, led by Keith Tkachuk, looked rejuvenated last night in their 3-2 victory over the Maple Leafs at the ACC.
• Vancouver made a late push, but was defeated 4-3 by the Stars at GM Place last night. The Canucks can't seem to start off a game with a lead, and it is coming back to haunt them, writes Gordon McIntyre of the Vancouver Province.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.