NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Saturday Edition)

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

Note: I am going to continue including teams that were eliminated from the first round under this post until the second round begins.

Montreal versus Boston:

• All eyes will be on Carey Price tonight in Boston, writes Herb Zurkowsky. It looks like Saku Koivu may dress for tonight's Game 6. With Passover beginning tonight, if the Habs would have just finished off the Bruins in Game 5 they would have made it a lot easier on their Jewish fans. It looks like Claude Julien's special teams adjustments have paid off.
• Give Claude Julien credit, his recent rosters decisions have paid off. Bruins fans should not expect to see Patrice Bergeron suit up tonight for the Bruins. The play of Shane Hnidy has impressed Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. It is fair to say that coach Julien has the Bruins believing in themselves.

Pittsburgh versus Ottawa:

• Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette takes a closer look at the Penguins' Jordan Staal. Are the Rangers up next for the Penguins? If you wanted to buy second round tickets for the Penguins, it is too late.
• Apparently the Senators are interested in bringing back Wade Redden if the price is right. (Writer's note: Why would Redden re-sign in Ottawa? Seriously, this team has treated him like garbage for two years now.) While they have interest in retaining Redden, the Senators also have interest in ridding themselves of the distraction that is Ray Emery. Scott Morrison of Sun Media wonders if the Senators should rebuild?

Washington versus Philadelphia:

• Just like at the end of the regular season, the Capitals are back in must-win territory, writes Tarik El-Bashir. Forget lessons, the Capitals just want to win. Regardless of what happens in their first round series, the Capitals can take solace in the fact that the organization has a bright future, writes Bob Cohn.
• If the Flyers want to finish off the Capitals today, they could use some help from their struggling power play. Jimmy Dowd has been a very productive fourth line player for the Flyers.

New Jersey versus New York Rangers:

• "Of all the playoff series I've been in and all the early exits, this one hurts the most, for sure," said Devils center John Madden after last night's elimination loss to the Rangers. Losing in the first round hurts, losing in the first round to the Rangers hurts more. Here is a review of Game 5. Martin Brodeur snubbed Sean Avery during the post-game handshake.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post thinks that losing Scott Gomez last summer has stung the Devils more than any other free agent loss they've had. (Writer's note: Scott Niedermayer's loss to the Devils was FAR more important than Gomez's loss but thanks Larry.) Jay Greenberg of the Post says that Sean Avery did a better job of keeping his focus than the Devils did. The Rangers can thank Henrik Lundqvist for saving the game with his penalty shot stop on John Madden. (Writer's note: I love how the NY press always finds reasons for the Devils' loss and the Rangers' victory. Here is the reason: The Rangers are the BETTER team. They are significantly better on paper and have dominated the Devils all season. Sometimes the answer is that simple.)

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 T.J. Hensick, Colorado Avalanche
During his first two months with Colorado, Hensick failed to be a consistent scorer, only totaling one goal and three assists. Since then, Hensick has heated up, scoring five goals and one assist over his last four games. The forward is currently riding a four game point streak and has been a valuable asset on the power-play. Although Hensick has been only averaging around 10 minutes per game, his ice time should continue to rise due to his recent scoring outbursts.
Fantasy Take: Hensick will continue to get his opportunities with Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic still sideliend. Showing that he can score in the NHL, Hensick makes for a good injury replacement if needed.

D Joe Corvo, Ottawa Senators
Corvo had an off month in January going on several scoreless streaks while only ending up with three points. Determined to make an impact on the scoresheet again, Corvo has shown some offensive touch this month, scoring one goal and three assists in his last three games. The former Los Angeles King is also firing away, already having 15 SOG this month (Corvo only had 28 SOG in all of January). Look for Corvo to forget all about his horrid January and once again be a dominant defenseman.
Fantasy Take: Corvo endured an awful January but has shown signs of life this month and is worthy of a spot on your roster.
Illegal Curve correspondant Richy P's take: "it only enhances his value to have been traded and to be on [Carolina's] top pp unit".

F John Madden, New Jersey Devils
Clearly having a much more productive year than last year, Madden has put up 14 goals to go along with 32 points in 54 games played. The forward has struggled to score recently, but has made up for it by registering six assists in his last seven games. Although the forward is already 34 years old, he has shown that he can still be a decent fantasy producer. Currently fourth on the Devils in team scoring, Madden is enjoying a rebound year from last year, where it took him 74 games to reach the 32 points that he has now.
Fantasy Take: Madden isn't going to give you much, but he has produced well enough to be a decent lower end option at forward.

F Richard Zednik, Florida Panthers
After going scoreless throughout the month of January, Zednik has re-found his scoring touch, registering nine points in his last four games. His highest output came earlier this week when he notched a hattrick, as well as one assist in Florida's 8-0 win over Ottawa. Receiving time on the power-play, Zednik has totaled three pp goals and one pp assist in his last three games. Currently, the forward has 15 goals and 26 points on the year.
Fantasy Take: Zednik's recent outburst has made him a popular pickup lately, but don't expect it to last. The forward is too inconsistent and fails to get on the scoresheet too often. Only use Zednik as a lower-end option at forward.
(Note: Although Zednik may be out for awhile, remember he went out on top!)


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis

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 Eastern Conference morning papers:

• If the Thrashers don't get Marian Hossa signed to a contract extension prior to the trade deadline, the big winger may be put on the trade market, writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Bruins star center Marc Savard misses his two regular linemates, as they been out of the lineup with injuries, writes Fluto Shinwaza of the Boston Globe.
• John Vogl of the Buffalo News provides readers with a feature on Jhonas Enroth, the young Swedish netminder who impressed at the World Junior Championship earlier this month.
• Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford tells Luke Decock of the News Observer that he is not opposed to making a trade to shake-up his current roster.
• "We worked extremely hard. It was just one of those games that was decided in the shootout," said Panthers coach Jacques Martin after his team's 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Avalanche. Florida was not afraid to drop the gloves last night, writes Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
• As Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette tells us, Les Habitants will be looking to rebound at Long Island tomorrow night after a terrible performance at Madison Square Garden versus the Rangers on Saturday.
• Devils center John Madden received good news yesterday when doctors determined the tendons in his right ankle were not damaged after he was cut by a skate in his team's game versus Buffalo on Saturday.
• The Rangers are looking to put together their first winning streak of 2008 tonight as they face the Penguins, writes Tim Bontemps of the NY Post. Meanwhile, Rangers defenseman Marek Malik has successfully returned to the team's lineup after being a healthy scratch last week.
• The Islanders took advantage of a wounded Ottawa team and defeated the top team in the conference by a score of 3-1 on Sunday.
• Playing their third game in four days, the Senators looked to be out of gas yesterday in their loss to the Islanders, writes Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun. With the injury to his shoulder, it looks like Dany Heatley's streak of 50 goal seasons in a row will stop at two.
• Flyers winger Mike Knuble had two goals yesterday afternoon leading his team to a 6-4 victory over Washington. Meanwhile, Flyers coach John Stevens says there is no goalie controversy in Philadelphia, writes Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Even though the Penguins have been winning games as of late, so have the rest of their rivals, writes Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Injured goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury skated hard yesterday for the first time since sustaining a high-ankle sprain on December 6th.
• Whatever they decide to do, the Leafs directors need to act now, writes Damien Cox of the Toronto Star. If any decisions are made by the board, they apparently won't be made with Larry Tannenbaum of the MLSE Board who will be out-of-town this week.
• The Capitals came up just a little bit short yesterday afternoon against the Flyers, writes Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks had luck on their side last night, as Doug Weight scored with 27 seconds left in regulation and then Francois Beauchemin scored less then a minute into overtime to give Anaheim a 4-3 victory over the division-rival Sharks.
• The Flames lost 2-1 at Edmonton last night, squaring the season series between the two teams at two wins apiece. Since reaching first place in the Northwest Division the Flames have lost three straight games, writes Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun. Even with their current losing streak, don't attribute the Flames' recent struggles to the all the talk of possibly signing Curtis Joseph.
• The Blackhawks finally ended their eight-game losing skid last night with an important 3-2 shootout victory at Nashville.
• The Avalanche pulled out a 4-3 shootout victory in Florida on Sunday and will look to make it a winning road trip when they play at Tampa on Tuesday.
• With David Vyborny starting to look like his old-self, and the possible return of Fredrik Modin on Tuesday, the Blue Jackets are starting to gain more confidence about their ability to score.
• The Stars' rookies are a little lighter in the pocket today, after last night's team dinner, writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press tells readers that Scotty Bowman has no plans to leave the Red Wings for Toronto.
• The streaky Oilers made it four wins in a row last night with a 2-1 victory over the division-rival Flames. The Oilers' best players were better than the Flames' best players last night, writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun.
• There has been no sophomore slump for the Kings' Anze Kopitar this season, writes Dan Arritt of the L.A. Times.
• The Wild defeated Phoenix last night by a score of 4-1 and did so by getting back to their roots, and that is defense-first hockey; Michael Russo of the Star Tribune has the story.
• The Predators dropped to 2-4 in the shootout this season after last night's loss to Chicago, writes Jessica Hopp of the Tennessean. In positive news, it appears Predators defenseman Shea Weber is close to returning to the lineup.
• After last night's 4-1 loss at Minnesota, it very apparent that the Wild has the Coyotes' number.
• "We had them tonight," said Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick after his team blew a late third period lead and eventually lost 4-3 in overtime at Anaheim
• Blues forward Keith Tkachuk seemed to call out his younger teammates after the Blues' 4-3 shootout loss to Vancouver on Sunday.
• Alain Vigneault let the Sedin twins play a ton last night at St. Louis and it paid off with a 4-3 shootut victory, writes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Fantasy Watch: Scouring the Waiver Wire

F John Madden, New Jersey Devils
Madden has never been known as an offensive guy, but things have changed this season. Immediately gelling with off-season acquisition Dainius Zubrus, Madden has scored six goals and dished out five assists. With four points this past week, Madden has given New Jersey another scoring option that it desperately needs with the loss of Scott Gomez.
Fantasy Take: Madden is currently second on the team in scoring with 11 points and has averaged well over 16 minutes a game for the past four contests. Although his stats look nice, Madden has never shown much offensive production during his career so unless this keeps up, try and look for other options.

F Richard Zednik, Florida Panthers
A disappointment in his return to Washington last year, Zednik only managed to play in 32 games while scoring 18 points. Entering this season, Zednik was pretty much off the fantasy radar, but has regained his status as a decent option, scoring six goals and eight points in 12 games. The former Montreal Canadien is currently riding a three game point streak, scoring four points during that span.
Fantasy Take: If your desperate for a forward option, Zednik may be able to fill that void. Although he probably won't be a great long term option, Zednik is a good injury replacement that can give your team a boost if he's hot.

F Alexei Ponikarovsky, Toronto Maple Leafs
Ponikarovsky enjoyed his best year as a pro last season, scoring 45 points in 71 games with the Leafs. He surpassed the 20 goal mark yet again, giving him two consecutive seasons with 20 goals or more. Scoring two goals in one game early on in the season, Ponikarovsky has only been able to notch two more, but has still contributed scoring three assists. Spending time on the power-play as well as playing with captain Mats Sundin, the Leafs are giving Ponikarovsky every chance to succeed which could lead to a career year for the former fourth round draft pick.
Fantasy Take: Ponikarovsky has heated up recently, but hasn't put up enough offense to warrant a starting spot on your fantasy squad. The forward may heat up, but as of now, look for other options.

D Brent Burns, Minnesota Wild
Entering his fourth year as a pro, the Ontario native has improved his point total over the past four seasons. Scoring two goals in Minnesota's first three games, Burns is turning into the star player that Minnesota hoped for when they drafted him 20th overall back in 2003. Currently riding a three game point streak, Burns has eight points on the year and a +8 rating.
Fantasy Take: Burns has received several minutes on the power-play, which can only help his fantasy value. With scoring defenseman so hard to find, Burns becomes a reliable start in most leagues.


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis