Hockey News names John Stevens coach of the year

From Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Daily News:

But Stevens stood behind his team and his staff, and yesterday, Stevens was honored by The Hockey News, which named him coach of the year for leading the Flyers from the bottom of the league to the Eastern Conference finals in one season.

"[Stevens] is the coach that we deemed did the best job in the regular season and postseason," Hockey News editor Jason Kay said yesterday. "John did a great job in leading a great turnaround, but also the style that he employs, such a calm demeanor behind the bench, is an example of his leadership.

Read the entire article here.

Stevens did a tremendous job behind the Flyers' bench this season and Stevens was definitely a deserving recipient of this award.

Eric Desjardins hired by Flyers

From Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Eric Desjardins, one of the best defensemen in the Flyers' history, was named the club's player-development coach yesterday.

"Eric will be a great asset to the organization as he works with our young drafted players, helping them to prepare their game for the next level," general manager Paul Holmgren said. "Eric was a great Flyer, and his experience will be invaluable to the young players in our system."

Read the entire article here.

Not much analysis needed her, just thought I'd let you know of this hire.

NHL Morning Papers: Conference Finals (Monday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for the Conference Finals:

Pittsburgh (2) versus Philadelphia (6):

• With the Cup Finals in sight, the Penguins demolished the Flyers on Sunday afternoon. With their trip to the Finals set in stone, the Penguins are hoping the Western Conference Finals goes seven games. Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells readers that Marc-Andre Fleury has been terrific this post-season.
• The Philadelphia fans have now gone 100 seasons without a championship. Throughout the whole season, Flyers coach John Stevens never lost confidence in himself. Daniel Briere just cannot seem to crack the Stanley Cup Finals.

Detroit (1) versus Dallas (5):

• Johan Franzen is feeling better but is still out of the line-up indefinitely. The Wings aren't panicking even though they have lost two games in a row. Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press wonders if the Red Wings have lost their mojo? The Wings have to make sure they aren't tight, writes Mitch Albom.
• The Stars gave the Red Wings too much credit to start the series, writes J.J. Taylor. The Stars just have to take it one game at a time, writes Brandon George. Meanwhile, it seems the Stars are getting under the Wings' skin.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• The Senators never seem to be able to beat the Leafs when it matters most, so they will try and conquer those demons tonight, writes Roy MacGregor of the Globe & Mail.
• The Leafs are looking forward to playing spoiler tonight, writes Dave Shoalts.
• If the Canucks are going to make the playoffs, they need the real Roberto Luongo to show up between the pipes, writes Cam Cole of the National Post.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today breaks down all the games that have playoff ramifications this weekend.
• Allen also details who is in the running for Steve Stamkos in Monday's upcoming draft lottery.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• Special teams was the difference last night as the Penguins defeated the Flyers 5-2. Meanwhile, if it comes down to a shootout on Sunday, coach John Stevens isn't sure who he would tap to play goal.
• The Penguins got great performances from their superstar players and defeated the Flyers 5-2 to capture the Atlantic Division crown. In other news, the Penguins named Evgeni Malkin team MVP for the season.
• If the Rangers win tonight versus the Islanders then they will clinch a playoff spot, and as a result, will be able to give their top ailing players some much-needed rest. The Rangers three remaining games will determine the team's playoff seeding.
• With a 3-2 shootout win over the Bruins last night, the Devils moved closer to securing home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Lou Lamoriello is allowed to get nostalgic every once in a while.

**There were no Islanders articles this morning**

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• The Lightning were disposed of quite easily last night by the Carolina Hurricanes, writes Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune.
• Olli Jokinen has played more regular season games than any other current NHL player without playing in a playoff game, but that does not mean he wants out of Florida, writes Steve Gorten. Meanwhile, a number of Panthers players are going to suit up for their respective countries at this year's World Championships.
• The Hurricanes moved that much closer to clinching a playoff birth last night with a 6-2 victory over the lowly Lightning.
• The Capitals organization are not alone in hoping their team makes the playoffs, writes Tarik El-Bashir. On the injury front, defenseman Shaone Morrisonn will not suit up tonight due to an upper-body injury.
• Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if Thrashers fans should be hoping against their favorite squad come Saturday.

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Bruins recorded one point yesterday versus New Jersey, but the good news is that they still control their own fate. The Bruins were not unhappy with the way they played last night, writes Stephen Harris.
• The Sabres were ecstatic with the results of last night's games because it means they still have a chance to make the playoffs. Jaroslav Spacek will be in the line up tonight for Buffalo.
• The Canadiens penalty kill has improved tremendously over the past month.
• If the Senators miss the playoffs, they will set a record for futility, writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. "I'm confident we are going to win," said Senators superstar Jason Spezza heading into tonight's game versus the Leafs.
• Mats Sundin told Toronto reporters he will take some time after the season to decide whether he wants to return next season. The Leafs are definitely looking forward to ruining Ottawa's season tonight, writes Kevin McGran.

The Western Conference morning papers 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 (Tuesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• The Leafs are only three points ahead of the NHL draft lottery right now, writes Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail.
• Under the radar, the Florida Panthers have moved into playoff contention, writes Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today wonders if Alexander Ovechkin can win the MVP without making the playoffs.

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• Apparently Zdeno Chara's injury status is improving, writes Fluto Shinwaza of the Boston Globe. That being said, more improvement is most likely needed for Chara to return to the lineup.
• The Sabres have some young talent in the NCAA that will be ready to step into the lineup next season, writes Mike Harrington.
• In Montreal, Jaroslav Halak will get the start tonight versus the Blues. Meanwhile, Halak's counterpart Carey Price tells Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette that the NHL should not cut down goaltender padding anymore.
• Chris Neil could return to the Senators lineup as early as next week, according to Bruce Garrioch. As Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen tells us, the referees have sure noticed the change behind the Ottawa bench.
• The Leafs are hoping that Mats Sundin and Nik Antropov will be able to return to the lineup for Friday's game versus the Sabres. While Leafs fans are still hoping for Steve Stamkos, the current Leafs coaches and players are not going to throw in the towel.

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• The Thrashers have lost Erik Christensen to a knee injury, even though the play on which he got hurt looked very innocuous.
• Jeff Hamilton has returned to the NHL, and the Hurricanes are hoping he can replace some of the offense they have lost to injury.
• It looks like Jacques Martin's decision to not play Tomas Vokoun at the start of March has paid dividends, writes Steve Gorten. In other Panthers news, Pete Pellegrin of the Miami Herald profiles David Booth.
• Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post commends Capitals GM George McPhee on his trade deadline acquisitions.
• Andre Roy is happy to be back with his teammates in Tampa, writes Erik Erlendsson.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• John Jeansonne of Newsday previews the debut of Kyle Okposo for Islanders fans.
• Long time Devils forward Sergei Brylin is unsure of his future with the Devils, writes Rich Chere.
• The Rangers need to shoot more when they are on the power play, writes Jay Greenbeg of the NY Post.
• The Flyers locker room was given a little makeover yesterday, according to Bob Cooney. As Tim Panaccio explains, the pressure is clearly on John Stevens to turn the Flyers around.
• The Penguins are focusing on winning the Atlantic Division, writes Shelly Anderson. If the Malkin line continues its tremendous play, the division crown will be easier to obtain.

The Western Conference post is 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:

• The Maple Leafs had an impressive comeback last night, but in the big scheme of things, the win doesn't really get them much closer to the playoffs, writes Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail.
• By the third period last night, the Senators looked supremely confident, writes Roy MacGregor of the Globe & Mail.
• Mark Spector of the National Post tells readers that the Oilers organization is a model for teams looking to rebuild their rosters.
• Ted Montgomery breaks down the oddest couples in the NHL in this special to USA Today.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Leafs pulled off an amazing comeback last night, but still sit seven points out a playoff spot with eleven games to go, writes Paul Hunter. Even though they allowed the Flyers to record one point in the standings yesterday, the Leafs played a game worth remembering, writes Damien Cox. Off the ice, the Leafs have decided to not raise ticket prices for next season.
• Last night's 8-4 victory over the Islanders was a record breaking win for Lightning coach John Tortorella, as he became the winningest US born coach of all-time. Just because the Bolts acquired Mike Smith, doesn't mean that youngster Karri Ramo is going to back down and be satisfied with the back up goaltender role.
• Martin Gerber continued his terrific play yesterday in leading the Senators to a 4-1 victory over the slumping Bruins. Dany Heatley was equally as terrific last night, writes Don Brennan.
• The Islanders had an embarrassing loss to the Bolts last night, but more important to Isles fans may be the internal squabble between coach Ted Nolan and star netminder Rick DiPietro.
• "They dominated us from end to end," captain of the Devils b said after last night's 4-0 loss at Montreal. Here is a funny story about the Devils youngsters out on an adventure trying to pick up some coffees.
• The Habs were terrific in all aspects of the game yesterday, as they defeated the Devils 4-0 and took over first place in the Eastern Conference.
• Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun Sentinel has a nice feature on the smiling Brett McLean. In a bit of weird news, apparently the BankAtlantic Center doesn't have an out-of-town scoreboard.
• "It was the worst game we've played in a long time," said Thrashers coach/GM Don Waddell after last night's 5-2 home loss to the Avalanche. However, the news wasn't all bad yesterday for Waddell as the team announced he will be back for next season.
• The Bruins have scored only seven games in their past six games and continued their slump last night in Ottawa, writes Fluto Shinwaza. Make no mistake, the Senators top players would not have had as much success as they did if the Bruins had Zdeno Chara in the lineup last night.
• Ryan Miller is having a hard time figuring out why he has struggled so much in shootouts lately, writes Mike Harrington. The Sabres get Henrik Tallinder back in the lineup tonight, but will be without both Jaroslav Spacek and Dmitri Kalinin.
• The Hurricanes visit the Blackhawks tonight, which means a reunion of sorts for a number of players involved in tonight's game.
• The Rangers are rolling, but they still must address their power play, writes Larry Brooks. The Rangers have been on fire since Tom Renney tried three new line combinations on February 20, writes John Dellapina.
• Flyers coach John Stevens was furious after his team blew a 3-0 lead on the road to the Maple Leafs. Steve Downie was back in the lineup last night after being a healthy scratch.
• Marian Hossa surely wasn't complaining about lining up alongside Sidney Crosby at practice. Meanwhile, the Penguins still need to improve on their faceoff efficiency, writes Dave Molinari.
• They are still talking about Nicklas Backstrom's own goal in Washington.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks lost 3-2 in a shootout last night to Phoenix, and beat writer Dan Wood thinks their chance to win the Pacific Division title have fallen by the wayside.
• George Johnson of the Calgary Herald has a great article on Jarome Iginla and the early signs of his stardom.
• The Blackhawks played the Red Wings tough last night, but there are no moral victories this late in the season, writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• With last night's 5-2 victory over lowly Atlanta, the Avalanche moved into a tie for top spot in the Northwest Division. Ruslan Salei sure earned the respect of his teammates, but it didn't come without a cost, writes Adrian Dater. On the injury front, it appears that Peter Forsberg and Ryan Smyth aren't too far from a return to the lineup.
• Andrew Cogliano scored his third straight overtime winner last night to lead the Oilers to a 4-3 victory over the slumping Blues. The Oilers have not been giving Mathieu Garon any time off, writes Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun.
• The Coyotes recorded a giant victory last night, after trailing 2-0 at home to the Ducks, writes Jim Gintonio. Gintonio also has a story about Craig Weller whose perseverance and work ethic have taken him farther than most anyone thought he could go.
• Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province tells readers about the burgeoning chemistry between Ryan Kesler and Alexander Burrows. Meantime, Cam Cole of the Vancouver Sun tells readers that the Canucks' loss in the broadcast booth will be Canada's gain.
• According to Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch, the Blue Jackets are expected to name Rick Nash team captain today. Apparently Ken Hitchcock is ready to unveil his secret weapon tonight.
• The Stars are being cautious with both Sergei Zubov and Phillipe Boucher when it comes to their return from IR. In other Stars news, winger Steve Ott has been suspended by the NHL for three games.
• The Wings dominated the Hawks yesterday on their way to a 3-1 victory. Off the ice, the team has signed Dan Cleary to a five year contract extension.
• While the Wild have been slipping in the standings as of late, the player and management have not lost confidence in the team's abilities.
• The Predators ran into a streaking Sharks team last night, writes John Glennon of the Tennessean. New Predators owner David Freeman was unhappy with the officiating on Tuesday night.
• The Sharks made it ten victories in a row last night, with a win over the Predators. The team's recent success has brought about compliments from Sharks coach Ron Wilson.
• The Blues didn't lay down after trailing the Oilers 3-0 last night, but their comeback fell short as they were defeated 4-3 in overtime.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

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 (Friday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• William Houston of the Globe & Mail wonders what the NHL would be like with two Canadian divisions and a European division.
• Jim Matheson examines the obstacles that the city of Buffalo faces in preparing for its outdoor game versus Pittsburgh on New Year's day.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today uses numbers to give fans some tidbits about the 2007/08 NHL season.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• After defeating the Flames 3-2 last night at the Saddledome, the Canucks are now a perfect 5-0 versus Northwest division foes. Prior to the game last night Mike Keenan warned his team about facing teams with a lot of injuries being dangerous and boy was he right as the Canucks dominated the first two periods of action and just hung on in the third.
• Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Central Division has become one of the more competitive divisions in the NHL.
• Ryan Clowe of the Sharks is not going to let his knee injury take him away from conversing with his teammates and being apart of the total team atmosphere as he rehabs for his return.
• The Coyotes won their first game at home in 36 days last night as they defeated the Stars 5-2.
• John Glennon has an interesting piece on the maturation of Jason Arnott as a leader in Nashville.
• Wes Walz has not yet decided whether he wants to keep playing in the NHL, but the Wild is being a classy organization by not suspending him without pay while he takes time away from the rink to make his decision.
• Michal Handzus may not be posting high point totals to start the season, but he is helping the Kings out in a variety of different ways writes Lonnie White of the L.A. Times.
• Craig MacTavish defended his choice of Marty Reasoner for the shootout on Wednesday night when the Oilers were in a must-score situation. As Joanne Ireland writes in this morning's Edmonton Journal, the next six games for the Oilers are within their division, and are crucial if the Oilers want to get back into playoff consideration.
• Both Niklas Kronwall and Dominik Hasek will return to the Red Wings' lineup tonight as they face the Columbus Blue Jackets.
• After defeating the Sharks the on Wednesday night, the Stars were beat by the Coyotes last night by a score of 5-2. "They just outworked us; it's as simple as that," said Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas.
• If the Blue Jackets think they can simply out-muscle the Red Wings they are wrong writes Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch. Here are the probable Blue Jackets' lines for tonight's contest.
• Jose Theodore is slated to get the start tonight for the Avs, as coach Joel Quenville continues to swap him and Peter Budaj every other start.
• Once the injured Martin Havlat is ready to return to the lineup, he will be placed on a line with Jason Williams and Robert Lang writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• The Flames have now last four in a row, after last night's 3-2 loss to the Canucks, and are now a below .500 team. When asked why the team can't put together a full 60 minute effort, Mike Keenan said, "I have some ideas, but I'm not prepared to share them right now."
• Dan Wood of the Orange County Register touches on the rumors of a Scott Niedermayer return to the Ducks mid-season.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• It looks like Ilya Kovalchuk will be suiting up for the Thrashers tonight after leaving Tuesday's game with back spasms. Additionally, rookie Ondrej Pavelec will get his second consecutive start between the pipes.
• The Bruins hardly took advantage of a long third period 5-on-3 opportunity and ended up only getting one more shot on net during the penalties than did the Habs, as they were defeated by Montreal 2-1. Glen Murray's slump is partially due to the lack of shots he's getting on net. Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald has a very well-written piece about having to see Patrice Bergeron struggle at the most basic things during yesterday's press conference in Boston. The Bruins lost yet another player to a concussion last night as Aaron Ward collided with Francis Bouillon during last night's contest.
• Thomas Vanek believes that his offensive and defensive struggles are one of the main reasons that the Sabres are below .500 at the moment.
• The Hurricanes got into a hole last night and then couldn't get out of it due to the terrific play of goaltender Johan Holmqvist for the Lightning. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have not yet set up a timeline for Andrew Ladd's return to the lineup.
• Jacques Martin questioned the Panthers intensity yesterday writes Jackie Friedman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Defenseman Bryan Allen not only have a facial injury, but he also sustained a concussion against the Lightning earlier this week and is listed as day-to-day.
• Carey Price is seemingly unfazed by everything around him, as the rookie netminder exhibited that trait again last night, turning aside 28 of the 29 shots he faced.
• The Devils dominated the Flyers last night in a 4-1 victory, and let's just say it had something to do with the talking to and hard practices dished out by coach Brent Sutter earlier this week.
• The Rangers were able to put together a solid defensive contest that included a significant offensive output in their 4-2 win over Pittsburgh last night writes Larry Brooks of the NY Post. Sean Avery scored his first goal of the season and got under the opponent's skin as per usual.
• Mark Hermmann of Newsday has an interesting piece about the maturation of Charles Wang as owner of the NY Islanders.
• In a battle of two teams heading in opposite directions, the trends stopped last night as the slumping Capitals defeated the streaking Senators 4-1. The Senators were poor in all aspects of the game writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. The Senators sure could have used Jason Spezza versus the Capitals writes Chris Stevenson of the Sun.
• "They were quicker to the puck, stronger around our net," said Flyers' coach John Stevens about is team's loss to the Devils on Thursday night. Simon Gagne was held out of last night's game after it appears like he suffered another concussion.
• The Penguins just can't seem to get their offense going as they lost to the Rangers 4-2 last night at MSG.
• The Lightning eliminated all the talk about their road struggles last night with a 5-1 victory at the division leading Hurricanes. It looks like Ryan Craig is ready to return to the lineup for the Bolts.
• The Maple Leafs will have a new look, yet familiar, first powerplay unit in place for tonight's game versus the Sabres writes Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star.
• The Capitals finally got a victory last night, and boy was it impressive, as they knocked off the top team in the NHL 4-1 on the road.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Morning Musings

Here are the morning papers:

• Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun is reporting that Peter Forsberg may make a decision on his future by November 15 and that the Senators are one of the teams that the superstar is interested in coming to.


• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star tells readers which people are really to blame for the Leafs' seemingly endless struggles. In other Leafs' news, coach Paul Maurice appeared to have a heart-to-heart with a number of Leaf veterans at center ice after practice on Monday.


• The Bruins were riding high until they played in Montreal last night and got humbled by a score of 6-1. Marc Savard only lost two draws last night, unfortunately for the Bruins, both lost draws resulted in immediate goals for the Habs. While, Manny Fernandez was given the opportunity to start back-to-back games and flopped.


• In Detroit, Igor Grigorenko was recalled from the AHL because Dallas Drake is currently injured, however, Ken Holland said it is unlikely that the youngster wins a roster spot because, "he hasn't wowed us."


• Kings' coach Marc Crawford says there is nothing to the rumors that L.A. is looking to trade either Alexander Frolov or Dustin Brown for a netminder.


• It is unclear whether Wild winger Pavol Demitra will be healthy enough to dress in the team's first game of a three game road trip Wednesday at Calgary.


• The struggling Predators are going to attempt to end their losing skid by trying new line combinations tonight. Michael Cass of the Tennessean has more news on the sale of the Predators.


• Flyers' winger Scottie Upshall thinks he is about 9-10 days away from returning to the lineup from a wrist injury suffered in the preseason. Coach John Stevens was happy with the results of his Mike Knuble/Joffrey Lupul line swap.


• The Penguins are looking to make it three wins in a row tonight on national television versus the high-powered Rangers. After yesterday's practice in which he took a high stick to the face, Jordan Staal now looks like a real hockey player.


• Chris Pronger hardly has any ties to the St. Louis area anymore writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.


• As Tarik El-Bashir tells us, Chris Clark will be returning to Alexander Ovechkin's line for tonight's game and maybe beyond.


• Ducks' coach Randy Carlyle doesn't want to hear any more excuses because he knows his team can succeed on the road. Meanwhile, Dan Wood of the Orange County Register informs us that former Duck Paul Kariya has no hard feelings towards his former organization.


• It looks like the Thrashers are going to split up the combination of Slava Kozlov and Marian Hossa for tonight's game.


• Flames' coach Mike Keenan gave Miikka Kiprusoff the hook near the end of the second period of last night's game 4-1 loss to San Jose. It wasn't all bad news for the Flames last night as veteran Owen Nolan played in his 1,000th NHL game. Forward David Moss did not play in last night's contest due to a concussion he suffered at the hands of Raffi Torres on Saturday night.


• The Hurricanes were impressive in their 3-1 victory over the visiting Canucks last night.


• Brad Zeimer of the Vancouver Sun opines that the Canucks need to stay out of the penalty box if they want to turn their ship around and get above the .500 level. Markus Naslund was visibly frustrated after last night's game, so much so that he questioned the Canucks' offensive system.


• Rocky Wirtz is doing what his dad refused to do and that is putting home games on television in the Chicago market. (Writer's note: It's about time!)


• Ryan Smyth admits he will probably breakdown tonight in his return to Edmonton, the only place he knew as home in the NHL until the end of last season.


• Smyth told the Edmonton media yesterday that are no hard feelings against his former club. Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal says the team has yet to replace Smyth with a new face of the franchise. The Oilers are going to try to avoid distraction tonight and keep their attention on the task at hand and that's maintaining a winning record at home.


• The Blue Jackets need to improve their five-on-five goal output writes Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch. Here are the Blue Jackets' line combinations for tonight's contest versus Chicago.


• The new NHL crackdown has significantly benefited Stars' center Mike Ribiero; Bill Nichols of the Dallas Morning News has the story.


• With injuries abound in Florida, expect a lot of lineup shuffling come game time tonight says Panthers' coach Jacques Martin


• Although the 6-1 score was lopsided for the Habs, it may not have been so had Cristobal Huet not turned aside all the Bruins' chances in the first period writes Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette. Owen Nolan wasn't the only NHL player to play in his 1000th game last night as Bryan Smolinski joined him in achieving this relatively rare feat.


• Brent Sutter has challenged his two big star forwards , Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta, to up the quality of their play writes Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger.


• Rangers' superstar Jaromir Jagr is not sure why his team is struggling. Jagr's teammate Brendan Shanahan thinks he has the answer to the Rangers' problems so far this season and that's that the team is too selfless.


• Islanders' captain Bill Guerin thinks Long Island is a perfect fit for him writes Mark Herrmann of Newsday.


• According to coach Wayne Gretzky, Derek Morris has been "unreal" for the Coyotes this season.


• Coach John Tortorella doesn't think Vinny Prospal's upcoming free agency has anything to do with his production so far this season. Carter Gaddis of the Tampa Tribune profiles the Bolts' equipment manager Ray Thill.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.