James Sheppard looking to take the next step for the Wild

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

"I can handle it, but it's not going to come in one year," Sheppard said.

"Next year I'm not going to have the best year of my career. It's going to come in little increments. I'm not going to try to be better than Mikko Koivu. I'm not going to try to be better than Marian Gaborik.

"But I'm going to try the best I can to improve and take charge, and I know that's going to create more goals, create more assists and get my ice time up."

Read the entire article here.

The Wild is certainly going to need Sheppard to improve on his 2007/08 campaign. The team is in dire need of production down the middle, so if Sheppard provided them with some unexpected production, the team may not have to look elsewhere during the season for center reinforcements.

Gaborik should expect offer from Wild in near future

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

Before Marian Gaborik returned to Slovakia last weekend, Wild General Manager Doug Risebrough had a conversation with the high-scoring winger in which he informed him that an extension offer would be coming from the Wild later this month.

Gaborik is entering the final year of a three-year, $19 million contract and can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2009.

Read more from Russo here.

The Wild understands Gaborik's importance to the team and this offer should be extremely reasonable. I'd guess the numbers will be something along the lines of 4 year, $29 million.

NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Monday Edition)

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

Detroit versus Nashville:

• Nicklas Lidstrom used his old slapshot trick from 2002 to lead Detroit into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now that the Red Wings defeated the Predators in the first round they can breathe a big sigh of relief, writes Drew Sharp. Chris Osgood is heading into the Red Wings' next series versus either Colorado/Calgary as the team's starter.
• The Predators' storybook season came to an end yesterday afternoon, writes John Glennon. Jason Arnott sat out the Predators' final two games with a concussion he received on a celebratory hit from teammate Alexander Radulov. Even though they were defeated, the Predators sure impressed the Red Wings.

San Jose versus Calgary:

• After last night's performance, it is fair to say the Sharks left their game in San Jose, opines Mark Purdy. The Flames were desperate and the Sharks were not, it is that simple, writes David Pollak. Jeremy Roenick took the news that he was benched last night like a pro.
• The Flames were the dominant team last night, writes Scott Cruickshank. As George Johnson writes, the Sharks themselves admitted that they weren't competing at necessary levels. Bruce Dowbiggen wonders if Mike Keenan can win Game 7 against the Sharks? Give Kristian Huselius credit, he answered the bell.

Minnesota versus Colorado:

• The Wild is going to look a lot different at training camp than the team does now, writes Michael Russo. Jim Souhan thinks it would be foolish for the Wild to trade Marian Gaborik. Sid Hartman provides readers with GM Doug Risebrough's thoughts on the Wild's season.
• The Avalanche's disciplined game was one of the main reasons the team is playing in Round 2. If the Avs want to keep advancing, they will need Jose Theodore to continue playing at this elite level.

Anaheim versus Dallas:

• Dallas was the better team in the Ducks' six-game defeat, writes Dan Wood. It is no surprise what cost the Ducks the game in the third period last night, writes Helene Elliot. The Anaheim players were very impressed with the play of Stephane Robidas.
• The Stars ended their three-game power play drought at just the right time last night. The Stars did this all with three rookies on defense, writes Mike Heika. Stephane Robidas was the best defenseman in the series. Meanwhile, Mike Ribiero is thankful Bob Gainey traded to him to an organization like Dallas.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Friday Edition)

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


Detroit versus Nashville:

• Goaltending switch aside, the Red Wings need to focus on controlling the puck more and winning draws, writes Helene St. James. In between the pipes, Dominik Hasek does not seem to moping around after being benched for tonight's Game 5. Meanwhile, Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press is not a fan of rotating goalies. The Predators have never won a road playoff game, so the Wings are hoping to continue that streak tonight at the Joe.
• The Predators know that if they want to win this series, they will need to win at least one road game, writes John Glennon. The Predators' attitude towards scoring hasn't changed with Chris Osgood being named starter.

San Jose versus Calgary:

• Jonathan Cheechoo has given the Sharks a huge boost the past two games, writes Mark Purdy. Mark Emmons of the San Jose Mercury News was impressed with the Flames' determination last night. (Writer's note: If you are playing a must-win playoff game and you could choose any player in the world, how could you not choose Jarome Iginla right now? He's been that good.) It looks like Kyle McLaren may be lost to the Sharks for Game 6 with a knee injury. (Writer's note: The guys at Battle of California get their wish!)
• "Now we have to win two games in a row and we believe we can do it," said Flames captain Jarome Iginla after last night's tough 4-3 loss at San Jose. The Flames played well but their defenseman made key mistakes and that is why they are heading back to Calgary down 3-2. Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun bluntly states that the Flames' secondary scoring just hasn't been there.

Minnesota versus Colorado:

• Jose Theodore is the main reason the Wild is down 3-2 in the series going back to Colorado, writes Michael Russo. Has anyone seen Marian Gaborik? The slick Slovak has disappeared since the playoffs began, writes Jim Souhan. The Wild is hoping to get a lead in Game 6 as they know it is far easier to play from ahead using their style.
• Adrian Dater predicted the Wild would win Game 5, so it is fair to say Jose Theodore single-handedly spoiled his prediction. Woody Paige agrees that Theodore is the reason the Avalanche is up 3-2. Shockingly Terry Frei makes it a trifecta of Theodore won Game 5 articles.

Anaheim versus Dallas:

• The Ducks took a couple bad penalties and made some inopportune mistakes and that is why they find themselves down 3-1 to Dallas heading back to the Honda Center. The Ducks have to play more simple hockey or they'll be golfing in a week. Are the Ducks going to start Jonas Hiller in Game 5?
• The Stars are getting terrific contributions from their young players, writes Brandon George. Marty Turco has been one of the main reasons that the Ducks have not been able to sustain forechecking pressure. Turco was terrific last night, writes J.J. Taylor.

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 Western Conference playoff match ups:

Detroit versus Nashville:

• After allowing two goals in nine seconds to squander their 3-2 third period lead, the Wings will be looking to cut down on bang-bang goals in Game 4. Darren McCarty has been a presence since his return to the Red Wings, writes Helene St. James. The referees were very liberal in the way they called last night's contest, writes Steve Schrader.
• It took nine seconds for the Predators season to turnaround last night, writes John Glennon. The return of David Legwand was a huge boost for the Predators last night and the speedy center helped out by scoring a goal. Last night's victory was Dan Ellis' first career playoff win.

San Jose versus Calgary:

• Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News says tonight's game against the Flames may set the tone for the Sharks' future. "We have to come out and play a character game and do the right thing at the right time and not to let anybody push us around," said Sharks netminder and Vezina Trophy candidate Evgeni Nabokov. The Sharks may make some line up changes for tonight's game.
• The Flames are sure winning the toughness battle in this series, writes George Johnson. If there was every any doubt, Miikka Kiprusoff will be between the pipes tonight for the Flames. "We have too many back-seat drivers at times, and we need drivers. We've been in this situation before, the last couple of playoff series, and haven't responded well," said Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren heading into tonight's important Game 4.

Minnesota versus Colorado:

• The Wild thought that Jose Theodore may have been cheating on Pierre-Marc Bouchard's overtime winner last night. To quantify Brian Rolston's play in points only would be a disservice to the speedy forward, writes Michael Russo.
• The Avalanche should have had more than a 1-0 lead heading into the third period, writes Adrian Dater. The Avlanche power play is costing them games. By the end of the series, Adam Foote will be sick and tired of seeing Marian Gaborik across the ice. Apparently Mark Kiszla hates the Wild and the State of Minnesota in general.

Anaheim versus Dallas:

• The Ducks know that a comeback against the Stars is feasible, they just have to focus on winning Game 3 tonight and then move forward from there, writes Dan Wood. In injury news, the Ducks may be without Rob Niedermayer (upper-body injury) for Game 3.
• Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News looks at the numbers and realizes that home-ice has not really been that big of an advantage these playoffs. The Ducks are going to bring it full-force tonight, writes Chuck Carlton.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers (Sunday Edition)

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Canucks were able to withstand the Stars' comeback last night and came out of Dallas with an important 4-3 victory, writes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province. Before Vancouver took the ice last night, Trevor Linden addressed the team with a pre-game speech.
• "This was the biggest game of the year for us, and we got outplayed," said Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky after his team's 5-2 home loss to the Oilers last night.
• The Oilers gave Dwayne Roloson his first start in net since February 1st, and the veteran netminder led the team to a 5-2 road victory over the Coyotes. Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun tells readers about Coyotes rookie Peter Mueller.
• Jose Theodore was outplayed by Martin Brodeur yesterday afternoon, and the result was a 4-2 road victory for the Devils, writes Adrian Dater of the Denver Post. Terry Frei of the Denver Post provides readers with a number of tidbits in his Sunday column.
• Niklas Hjalmarsson has been getting a chance to prove his worth on the Chicago blue line, writes Chris Kuc.
• The Ducks stayed disciplined yesterday, and that allowed them to easily defeat the struggling Blues by a score of 5-2 on home ice.
• Jean Lefebvre of the Calgary Herald believes that this season may be Jarome Iginla's last good chance to take home the Hart Trophy. Meanwhile, Flames center Craig Conroy used to play with Chris Pronger in St. Louis, so he knows the big defenseman can snap.
• Tom Reed delves deeper into the significance of Rick Nash being named captain of the Blue Jackets. The Jackets have a tough schedule next week, writes Aaron Portzline. Here are the Jackets' projected lines for today's game versus Detroit.
• The Stars got to experience the goaltending of Johan Holmqvist last night versus Vancouver, and the experience did not last long, writes Mike Heika.
• Dominik Hasek is expected to suit up today against the Blue Jackets. The Red Wings didn't get off to a good start yesterday versus the Predators and it cost them, writes Helene St. James.
• Wild forward Marian Gaborik scored his 200th career goal, and the Wild ended their losing streak at five games yesterday by defeating the Kings 2-0 at the Xcel Energy Center.
• The Predators lost to the worst team in the league on Thursday, then beat the best team in the league on Saturday, writes Jessica Hopp. The Predators killed off a couple big penalties in the third period to secure the victory.
• There is no secret reason for the Sharks' success, writes Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News.

The Eastern Conference morning papers won't be posted today. The regular format will return bright and early tomorrow morning. Have a good Sunday.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

Road Trip to the State of Hockey

On Sunday I drove the eight hours from Winnipeg to Minneapolis-St. Paul for the sole purpose of watching hockey. I attended the February 17th game of the Minnesota Wild vs. the Nashville Predators, and the February 19th game.

Here are some quick notes from my thoughts on attending my first NHL games in a few years.

• The Xcel Energy Center is a beautiful arena to watch a game in. Every seat provides great sightlines and all of the fans are very into the game.


• Minnesota fans are very loud and love their team. Whenever the Wild scored the arena would erupt, whenever Gaborik had the puck in the offensive zone, everybody stood up in anticipation of a goal or a great play.


• Minnesota truly is the State of Hockey.
  

Wild/Predators game highlights/thoughts:
-This goal by Pierre Marc Bouchard.
While he was entering the zone, it really appeared that he had no room and was going to get backed off the puck. As he moved his stick to the side, you got the sense of, oh right, what is he going to do here. And he slipped through 4 defenders. After that everyone stood up and then erupted as he roofed the goal top shelf. Everyone in the arena knew that they had just seen one fantastic goal.


-I don't understand why overtime is only 5 minutes. Make it longer and take out the shooutout. 4 on 4 is such exciting, fast paced, back and forth hockey. It felt like every time either team had the puck in the offensive zone they could score at any minute. I was hoping to see a shootout but when Marian Gaborik sprinted up the ice to join a 2 on 1 with Pavol Demitra and then buried home the winner. Everyone stood up and gave the Wild a standing ovation, and then the team saluted the crowd, which was a nice touch.

-Thanks to the gentleman who bought us mini donuts and told us to walk over to Tom Reid's after the game. Great for some burgers and beers.

Game 2: Vancouver Canucks @ Minnesota Wild:
The last game I had attended at the Xcel Energy Center was during the 2003 playoffs, I wore my Canucks Markus Naslund jersey and was just hated everywhere I walked. Everyone looks at you different when you walk around the arena, kids came up to me and told me the Canucks sucked, we had beer spilled on us and had people get in our face and threaten to shoot us. Brent Sopel won that game in OT for the Canucks and I made it out alive.

Fast forward to 2008 it was just another regular season game between two rivals. I sat with 3 friends and we all wore various Canucks jerseys. We sang the Canadian anthem proudly and cheered loud when the Canucks scored. Unlike the previous game where there were only two Nasvhille fans in the arena, there were many Canucks fans scattered throughout the building. I even saw a guy in a Winnipeg Jets Evgeny Davydov #11 jersey (mint).

We didn't get much heckling in the arena, with exception to the few people in our hotel shuttle bus. One guy came up to me and goes "nice jersey". To which I replied, thanks and then he kept repeating "nice jersey" while proceeding to unzip his jacket revealing a Wild jersey. I could only reply, "uhhh thanks, you have a nice jersey as well..."

The Canucks won in overtime on a goal from the Sedin twins. Unlike when Gaborik scored in overtime, the bulding was silent and the only people were cheering were the various Canucks fans. We walked out of the building high fiving any Canucks fans in sight. What a great game.

I was lucky enough to see two great games at the Xcel Energy Center, would love to go back anytime. Check out my photos from the games on flickr, here

Fantasy Watch: Buy/Sell

BUY

F Slava Kozlov, Atlanta Thrashers
Kozlov had a rough beginning to the season, scoring only two points in his first five games. The rest of the month didn't go much better for the former Red Wing, as he only put up six points in 12 games. Since then, the forward has heated up, already equaling his point total from last month in the past six games. Although Kozlov is far off his point per game pace that he had a year ago, the forward is on the right track. Still receiving over 16 minutes per game, Kozlov still sees time on a line with Kovalchuk, who has been on fire lately. Expect a strong second half for Kozlov, who should continue to creep closer to his point per game average.

F Scott Gomez, New York Rangers
Gomez has had a rough start with New York, as he only managed to score two goals and one assist over the first month of the season. But with a brand new month comes a fresh start, and Gomez has capitalized on that as he is currently riding a six game point streak. With owners frustrated over his production, many may trade Gomez now, with this being the highest his stock has been in a long time. With all the talent in New York, Gomez will most likely turn this season around and could pay dividends over the next few months.

F Pavol Demitra and F Marian Gaborik, Minnesota Wild
Demitra and Gaborik have been explosive together, but unfortunately, neither one can still healthy. With it being unknown when either forward may return, taking a gamble on Demitra or Gaborik posses a big risk, but could earn a very high reward. Demitra has scored 10 points in his first 10 games with Minnesota, while Gaborik has put up 13 points in 12 games. Owners of Demitra or Gaborik may choose to cut their losses now, as both have a history of taking their sweet time getting back to the ice. If so, purchasing either of the two warrants a huge risk, but with it comes a fat reward. It all depends if your willing to take the risk.


SELL

F Jason Williams, Chicago Blackhawks
Williams is having a fantastic start to this season, scoring six goals and 16 points in 17 games played. He has played a crucial role in Chicago's powerplay, netting 11 of his points on the PP. Although it may seem odd to sell Williams, his stock may not get any higher. He has never scored more than 58 points in a season, and with Martin Havlat returning soon from injury, William's role may decrease. It'd be wise to get all that you can for Williams now, as it will be hard to get rid of an unproven player, such as Williams, during a slump.

F Mike Fisher, Ottawa Senators
Fisher has been the beneficiary from Spezza's injury, as the forward has been playing on the top line with Heatley and Alfredsson. Fisher has racked up four assists in his last three games, giving him 13 points on the year. With Spezza returning for Ottawa's next game, Fisher will most likely be moved back to the second line where the opportunities will be limited. Playing with Heatley and Alfredsson increases the value of any player, and it did just that for Fisher, but now is the time to cut him loose.

F Alexander Semin, Washington Capitals
It seems as though Semin's ankle injury is worse than it was once reported. According to the Washington Times, Semin has still yet to skate, making his return further delayed. The forward has only played four games this season, while registering one point. Those who used a high draft pick on Semin may want to cut their losses now, as there are still probably owners around drooling over Semin's potential if he returns.


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis

NHL Morning Papers (Monday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Jim Matheson of the National Post says you would be foolish if you didn't expect a lot of tears tonight when Mark Messier takes the podium for his Hall of Fame induction speech.
• Mike Brehm of USA Today takes a look at each of the four Hall of Fame inductees and their respective qualifications.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• In this morning's Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bill Tiller wonders if Thrashers' GM and coach Don Waddell will have a goaltending controversy on his hands when Kari Lehtonen returns from injury.
• The Bruins were happy to end their four-game losing streak on Saturday and, as a result, were given Sunday off. Bruins' goaltender Tim Thomas has been absolutely tremendous this season writes Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald.
• The Sabres have only scored four goals in their last four games and now sit tied with the Oilers and Capitals for last place in the NHL standings.
• Luke Decock of the News Observer profiles Hall of Fame inductee Ron Francis in this morning's paper. In other Canes' news, injured forward Andrew Ladd is hoping to be able to take part in battle drills and practice by Tuesday.
• The Panthers are hoping to get Bryan Allen back from his concussion for Thursday's game against the Capitals. Meanwhile, Florida forward Brett McLean will be out of the lineup for a while as an Ilya Kovalchuk slapshot broke the metacarpal bone in his right finger.
• Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette details the maturation and progression of Habs' defenseman Mike Komisarek.
• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger provides readers with the Devils' perspective of the Scott Stevens induction to the Hall of Fame tonight. On the ice, Martin Brodeur goes for his 500th career win at home tonight versus the Penguins.
• The Rangers, at least for now, have given up on any Drury or Gomez with Jagr combination, and now have four solid and evenly spread out forward lines.
• Things are looking rosy on the Island right now opines Greg Logan of Newsday.
• Daniel Alfredsson has evolved into quite a leader in the Senators' dressing room writes Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun. Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen tells readers to expect Martin Gerber to start at least three of the Senators' next four games.
• The Flyers' penalty killing has been impressive in the last few weeks. "Our penalty-killing has really been coming," says Flyers' coach John Stevens.
• If the Penguins want to turnaround their season, they have to stop giving up the first goal of the game to their opponent writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. The Pens should be well-rested for tonight's game versus the Devils after coach Michel Therrien gave the team Sunday off.
• Many teams would have panicked, but John Tortorella and Jay Feaster kept their composure during the early season slumping and injuries incurred by the Lightning and it has paid off in the team's recent success.
• Pavel Kubina has been lost to the Leafs indefinitely with a injury to his MCL in his right knee. Leafs' defenseman Wade Belak says that Rangers' forward Sean Avery will get what's coming to him eventually and most players in the NHL won't be sad to see it.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• It took him awhile, but Aaron Miller has finally begun to his his stride, which is just in time to pick up the slack for the other Canucks' injured defensemen. Meanwhile, feisty forward Jeff Cowan is almost ready to return to game-action after missing eleven games with a hip ailment. For all that the veterans contribute to the team, the key for the Canucks is that the Sedin twins have finally found their legs.
• Jeremy Roenick had a rather tame after-party to celebrate his 500th career NHL goal.
• Predators' coach Barry Trotz wants forward Jordin Tootoo to play every game like he played Saturday's game versus Columbus writes John Glennon of the Tennessean. In injury news, coach Trotz said that the earliest Shea Weber could return to the lineup would be Saturday against St. Louis.
• The Wild just didn't have enough firepower to defeat division leading Colorado last night in Denver losing the game 4-2. Injured Wild winger Marian Gaborik is hoping to play on the team's current road trip but doesn't want to comeback too early writes Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.
• After Saturday's win over the Flames, Oilers' coach Craig MacTavish made sure to give his team some much needed rest on Sunday writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun.
• The Hawks continued their role as Wings-killer last night ruining Detroit's chance to win ten games in a row. The Detroit goaltending situation is not as tense as you may think, as both goalies have made it a friendly rotation writes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.
• The Stars will not be forgetting their Saturday night meltdown for a while; "Other than embarrassing, it's a total lack of respect for each other, in my mind," said goaltender Marty Turco.
• Curtis Glencross was a late addition to the lineup on Saturday and maybe Ken Hitchcock should make that more of a ritual with the youngster as he played a great game against the Predators. Here are the Blue Jackets' projected lines for tonight's rematch versus Nashville.
• With last night's 4-2 win over the Wild, the Avs moved to an impressive 9-1 at home this season. However, it wasn't all good news for the Avalanche as they lost the services of checking winger Ian Lapperiere for 2-4 weeks with a sprained right knee.
• The Hawks not only impressed the over 19,000 people who came to the United Center last night with their win over the Red Wings, but they also impressed the television viewers who were able to watch a Hawks home game for the first time in years.
• Randy Sportak of the Calgary Sun still thinks the Flames will make the playoffs even though they have squandered an early-season home-heavy schedule.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Morning Musings: When will players learn to respect each other?

If you haven't seen it already, here is a clip of Randy Jones' hit-from-behind on an unsuspecting Patrice Bergeron. After watching this clip, I don't even know what to say. I mean, this hit was just plain ruthless. Jones followed through on the hit and buried Bergeron's face directly into the end boards. Now, some people have said that this isn't Jones' game; that the defenseman doesn't play this dirty style of play. Even so, that is irrelevant in my opinion. Past history of dirty play or not, this hit deserves a severe suspension. Think about it, Bergeron could have broken his neck. In my opinion, there is no dirtier hit in hockey than a hit-from-behind. It is cowardly, cheap and completely unnecessary. If the NHL wants to put an end to these ridiculous hits, they will give Jones at least a 15+ game suspension and set a strong precedent that would discourage other players from hitting-from-behind.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Fluto Shinwaza of the Boston Globe has an update on Bergeron's injury status in this morning's paper. The hit was a chilling reminder of some of the scary things that can happen when you play a contact sport. As far as the game goes, Bruins' coach Claude Julien thinks the Bruins deserved better than the 2-1 loss they were handed.
• Here is Kevin Paul Dupont's usual Sunday notes piece.
• The Flyers' victory was definitely tainted by the Jones hit writes Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Meanwhile, Panaccio also has a piece this morning on the plans of new NHLPA boss Paul Kelly.
• The Sabres could have packed it in when they fell behind 3-2 in the third period, but instead the team turned it on and wound up coming back and defeating the Bolts 4-3 in overtime. In other Sabres' news, it looks like Nolan Pratt will be joining the team in the next day or two.
• Pens' goaltender Dany Sabourin came into last night's game to replace a struggling Marc-Andre Fleury, after Fleury let in three early goals, and ended up giving the Penguins a chance to win; however, unfortunately for Pens' fans the team lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Habs. Penguins' veteran Gary Roberts missed last night's game because he has the flu and was replaced in the lineup by youngster Tyler Kennedy.
• The Capitals had a twenty minute players-only meeting after their 4-3 loss to the Blues on Saturday night. Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post has the details of the Alexander Semin contract extension.
• Ilya Kovalchuk and Slava Kozlov led the Thrashers to their second victory on their current seven-game road trip last night with a win over the Blackhawks. Coach of the AHL's Chicago Wolves John Anderson has proven he can win in the minors and is being considered for the head coaching position in Atlanta.
• The Hurricanes proved last night that rest is overrated writes Lorenzo Perez of the News Observer. Eric Cole was excited to get back into the Canes' lineup last night after injuring his foot a week earlier while playing soccer during warmups.
• Tomas Vokoun's return to Nashville turned out to be a letdown last night as the the veteran netminder was beat for the game-winning goal in the last minute of action. "We basically give games away, and we do it night after night," said Vokoun after the game.
• As Pat Hickey tells us in this morning's Montreal Gazette, size does matter, especially if you are Habs' rookie netminder Carey Price. Hickey also has an interesting story about the "struggling" Sidney Crosby and the youngster's ability to take criticism in stride.
• Apparently the Devils' new arena was far less disappointing than the team's play on the ice. Here are some sights and sounds from the new Prudential Center. In sad news, Colin White is not sure if he'll be able to play hockey again after sustaining an eye injury 38 days ago.
• The Rangers were awful last night according to Larry Brooks of the NY Post. You can find Larry Brooks' Sunday Slap Shots piece right here.
• Much of the Islanders' impressive statistics went out the window after being blown out by the Hurricanes last night writes John Jeansonne of Newsday.
• Lightning coach John Tortorella had "no complaints" about the way his team played last night in their 4-3 overtime loss to the Sabres. The coach also had no complaints about his team's disallowed goal late in the third period.
• It is fair to say that the Senators are home wreckers writes Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun. Here is Bruce Garrioch's Sunday rumors piece.
• The Leafs proved they can hold a third period lead last night on Broadway writes Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star. Darcy Tucker has denied reports that his ACL is torn writes Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. Meanwhile, Mark Bell is looking forward to finally returning to the Leafs' lineup.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Alex Tanguay is heeding the advice of all the people around him and has decided to shoot the puck more often.
• The Blackhawks fell to below .500 last night after losing 3-2 to the Thrashers; Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune has the story. Winger Sergei Samsonov was a healthy scratch for last night's game.
• Terry Frei of the Denver Post profiles new NHLPA boss Paul Kelly and the promise that goes along with his hiring. Frei's colleague at the Post, Adrian Dater has the story of Jeff Jillson and the possibility that he will get into some NHL game action today for the Avalanche.
• Looks like a move to the fourth line was just what was needed to motivate a struggling Mike Modano opines Mike Heika in the Dallas Morning News.
• George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press has the story of Andres Lilja's 11th career goal. (Writer's note: You know it is a slow news day when...)
• If the Oilers want to start winning games they have to eliminate their bad giveaways. The team just committed too many errors to have a chance to win writes Jim Matheson in this morning's Edmonton Journal.
• Once again, the Jackets stifled an opponent going into the third period protecting a lead writes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. The team's successful penalty kill has been one of the reasons that the Jackets are three games above .500 for the first time in franchise history.
• The Kings' impressive backstop Jason LaBarbera turned aside 34 of 35 shots to give the Kings the W over the Oilers.
• Didn't take too long did it? Wild winger Marian Gaborik hurt his groin in practice and will miss tonight's game versus Colorado. In other injury news for the Wild, Niklas Backstrom also was injured in practice and will miss tonight's contests.
• Predators' new goaltender Dan Ellis out-dueled the Predators' former netminder Tomas Vokoun for a 4-3 victory last night.
• The Coyotes were defeated by the Stars, but Shane Doan reached a milestone with his 200th career goal.
• Craig Rivet says the Sharks have "far too many passengers" on their team right now, as the Sharks were defeated 2-1 by the Blue Jackets yesterday afternoon.
• Brad Boyes continued his offensive tear last night with two goals as the Blues upended the Capitals 4-3.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.