Not starting DiPietro cost Nolan in the end

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

TED Nolan fired himself the first week of March when he picked against Rick DiPietro for both ends of a home-and-home series against the New York Rangers .

Forget any and all of the mitigating circumstances existing at the time that might have made backup Wade Dubielewicz the rational choice for either or both of the matches, for the moment the head coach crossed the franchise goaltender, he crossed the line.

Read the entire article here.

I have to say, I did think about that decision when I heard of his firing on Monday. That's not to say that was the straw that broke the camel's back, however, it sure didn't help his cause within the organization. Regardless, Nolan and Snow had two different visions of where the Islanders were headed and you cannot have that kind of discord between a coach and GM.

Fantasy Watch: Goalie Starts

Feb 4th - 10th

Anaheim Ducks (4) – Giguere has been struggling lately and should give a start up to Hiller

Atlanta Thrashers (3) – Hedberg should get one start this week.

Boston Bruins (3) – Look for Thomas to start all three games this week.

Buffalo Sabres (4) – With four games on the schedule expect Thibault to steal a start.

Carolina Hurricanes (3) – Ward should receive all three starts this week.

Calgary Flames (4) – Kiprusoff has a busy week ahead of him but don't be surprised to see him in all four games.

Chicago Blackhawks (3) – Expect Lalime to steal a start this week.

Columbus Blue Jackets (4) – Norrena should make an appearance this week with four games on the schedule

Colorado Avalanche (3) – Theodore is day-to-day, making Budaj the undisputed starter.

Dallas Stars (3) – Turco should get all three starts this week.

Detroit Red Wings (4) – Expect Osgood and Hasek to split the starts this week.

Edmonton Oilers (3) – Roloson has been awful in the games he's played in, so look for a steady dose of Garon this week.

Florida Panthers (4) – Vokoun should get all four starts this week.

Los Angeles Kings (4) – With a busy schedule Aubin may make an appearance this week.

Minnesota Wild (4) – Backstrom has gotten hot and will continue to start on a regular basis until he falters.

Montreal Canadiens (3) – Huet should get all three starts this week.

Nashville Predators (4) – Look for Ellis to receive at least one start during this busy week.

New Jersey Devils (4) – Brodeur rarely gets a rest and should be ready to go for all four games this week.

New York Islanders (3) – Expect DiPietro to start all three games this week.

New York Rangers (4) – Valiquette recently gave Lundqvist a rest, so expect Lundqvist to start all four games this week.

Ottawa Senators (3) – Emery has struggled recently and will probably get one start this week.

Philadelphia Flyers (4) – Biron and Nittymaki have been splitting time.

Phoenix Coyotes (4) – Tellqvist may steal a start during this busy week.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) – Sabourin and Conklin will continue to split starts while Fleury remains
sidelined.

San Jose Sharks (3) – Nabokov should get all three starts this week.

St. Louis Blues (3) – Look for Legace to start all the games this week.

Tampa Bay Lightining (3) – Ramo and Holmqvist will continue to split the starts.

Toronto Maple Leafs (3) – Expect to see Toskala in net for all three games this week.

Vancouver Canucks (4) – Luongo is back and should get all four starts this week.

Washington Capitals – Johnson may steal a start with four games this week.


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail provides readers with the apparent conditions under which Cliff Fletcher would agree to accept the Leafs' GM position.
• Kevin Allen attributes much of the Thrashers' recent success to the play of Kari Lehtonen in this morning's USA Today.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• According to Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Marian Hossa hopes he can agree to an extension with Atlanta but realizes that may not happen. Thrashers associate coach Brad McCrimmon believes he is ready for a head coaching job in the NHL if he is called upon.
• The Bruins may have a number of their AHL players in the lineup tonight to fill-in for a couple of their players who have gotten a bad case of the flu, writes Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. Luckily for the Bruins, they get to face the Leafs, a team that is facing as much pressure from its fans and the media as you can possibly imagine.
• Last night's loss at New York made it ten straight games without a win for the struggling Sabres, writes Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. Frustrated coach Lindy Ruff thinks Brendan Shanahan should be suspended for his cross-check on Clarke MacArthur in the last minute of the last night's game. (Writer's note: To Shanahan's credit, he was remorseful after the game and took full responsibility for the play.)
• With a couple of important players returning from injury tonight, the excuses will no longer be available for the struggling Hurricanes. The team needs Cam Ward to step up and look like the goaltender he did in October.
• The Panthers lost last night's game to the Flyers in the first period, writes Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Steve Downie struck again last night with a late hit on Panthers forward Rostislav Olesz after the whistle.
• Pat Hickey profiles the underrated Tomas Plekanec in this morning's Montreal Gazette.
• The Islanders continued their domination of the Devils last night with a 3-1 victory in Newark. The Devils outplayed the Isles last night, but the play of Rick DiPietro was the difference according to Islanders coach Ted Nolan.
• Larry Brooks didn't see much good in the Rangers' 2-1 home victory over the Sabres on Wednesday night.
• With last night's victory over the Devils, the Islanders are now only four points back of the division lead, writes Mark Herrmann of Newsday. (Writer's note: Ted Nolan has to be up there with Wayne Gretzky when it comes to Coach of the Year talk.)
• Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun believes the Senators would be interested in Marian Hossa if he were to become available before the trade deadline. (Writer's note: I think Hossa will become available before the deadline, but there is no way Waddell deals him back to Ottawa. Why would he? Not only are they in the same conference but the team would have both Dany Heatley and Hossa on the same team, making Waddell look bad for making the trade in the first place.)
• The Hartnell-Downie-Richards line caused havoc for the Flyers last night in their 5-3 home victory over the Panthers.
• It appears that Marc-Andre Fleury's ankle injury is taking longer to heal than anticipated, writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Penguins forward Erik Christensen will not dress for tomorrow's contest against the Lightning because of a viral infection.
• You can't say Lightning GM Jay Feaster is not a stand-up guy after reading this piece in the Tampa Tribune.
• Apparently the Leafs are allowed to smile, writes Rick Matsumoto of the Toronto Star. Youngster Anton Stralman has impressed in his recent stint with the Leafs, writes Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun.
• The Capitals are calling upon Boyd Gordon, among others, to replace the scoring of the injured Michael Nylander.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• After having their work ethic questioned on Tuesday by coach Mike Keenan the Flames played with far more intensity in their 3-2 shootout victory at Minnesota last night, writes Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald.
• The Blackhawks took advantage of Blues backup goaltender Marek Schwarz last night by scoring six goals on the AHL call-up after Blues starter Manny Legace left the game after the first period with a wrist injury.
• Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch has an interesting article on the benefits and risks of blocked shots. Reed's colleague Michael Arace has been impressed with the Blue Jackets organization so far this season. Here are the Jackets' probable lines for tonight's game versus the Coyotes.
• It is "gut check" time for the Stars tonight as they roll into San Jose and attempt to put their struggles behind them.
• Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press has some suggestions for the Wings if they want to keep their fan-base strong and prosperous.
• With a five-game road trip on the horizon, the Oilers are shooting to finish the trip above .500, writes Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal. Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun believes the team's upcoming road trip may decide whether the Oilers make the playoffs or not.
• The Wild had trouble stopping Flames superstar Jarome Iginla last night in their 3-2 home shootout loss to Calgary, writes Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. (Writer's note: Join the club Minnesota.)
• Jessica Hopp of the Tennessean has a feature on quiet leader Dan Hamhuis in this morning's paper.
• Radim Vrbata will not suit up for the Coyotes tonight after suffering a groin injury on Tuesday night.
• The Blues chances of winning last night went down with Manny Legace as their number one netminder couldn't play the final two periods of his team's 6-1 loss after being runover by Hawks forward Patrick Sharp. (Writer's note: Coach Andy Murray said it was just a bruise and Legace will play on Saturday.)
• The Sharks are classifying their next four games at home as crucial, writes Mark Emmons of the San Jose Mercury News.
• Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province says the Canucks should seriously consider acquiring Mats Sundin from the Maple Leafs.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers

Here are the national morning papers:

• Tim Wharnsby of the Globe & Mail tells us that it appears likely Eric Lindros will officially announce his retirement from the NHL later this week.
• Kevin Allen has the story of the total transformation of Ilya Kovalchuk as a player and as a teammate in this morning's USA Today.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Things only seem to be getting worse for Glen Hanlon and his Washington Capitals as they were blown out 5-0 yesterday by the Hurricanes in the first game of an important road trip.
• With both Mark Bell and Kyle Wellwood making their season debuts tonight there is finally some good news in Leafland.
• The Lightning just can't catch a break right now and now have a seven game road losing streak after last night's 4-3 loss to the Panthers.
• Michel Therrien switched around all of his lines except for the Malkin-Crosby-Malone line and it worked out well as Pittsburgh got one goal from each of the team's four lines on their way to defeating the Devils 5-0. Meanwhile, Penguins' fans who are critics of Marc-Andre Fleury should read the comments that Martin Brodeur has about the young netminder.
• The score may have looked close but the Flyers were outplayed and outshot 45-30 in their 2-0 loss to the Rangers last night.
• If the Senators defeat the Leafs tonight then they will have recorded the most points in NHL history after fourteen regular season games. After hearing Wade Redden say yesterday that he'd consider taking a paycut to stay with the Senators, you can't help but appreciate his loyalty to the city of Ottawa and desire to win the Stanley Cup.
• Rick DiPietro is no worse for wear after the eye injury he suffered this weekend and the netminder may be in between the pipes tonight for the battle of New York.
• The Rangers have had a very successful homestand, moving from last to one point out of first after last night's 2-0 victory over the first place Flyers. Due to the fact he is returning from a serious shoulder problem, Larry Brooks of the NY Post suggests that Sean Avery use more discretion when he plays.
• After being pasted 5-0 by the Penguins, Devils' coach Brent Sutter regretted giving the Devils the day off on Sunday. "It was a total lack of professionalism and commitment as individuals and as a group," said Sutter after the game.
• Habs' coach Guy Carbonneau surprisingly tapped Cristobal Huet to start last night's game against the Sabres and the French netminder made his coach look like a genius with a 2-0 shutout.
• The Panthers got a late goal from David Booth to defeat the Lightning 4-3 at home last night. Mike Van Ryn doesn't have a point this season, and he attributes that lack of production to his increased focus on the defensive side of the game.
• The Hurricanes' Cory Stillman led his team to a dominating 5-0 victory over Washington with a hat trick in the first ten minutes last night's game. Stillman may have gotten the headlines, but had it not been for Cam Ward's play early in the first period, the Canes may not have had such a successful night.
• The Sabres weren't overly displeased with their game as much as they were impressed by the play of Cristobal Huet writes Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News. In other Sabres' news, the team has re-arranged its first line.
• It doesn't look like Don Waddell is going to hire a coach anytime soon writes Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Rookie Onrej Pavelec appears to be the favorite to get the start tonight for the Thrashers.
• Even though the Bruins lost both games to Ottawa over the weekend, they are taking solace in the fact that they were in both games against arguably the best team in the NHL.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Prior to last night's game, it looked like the Ducks were turning their season around, however, Anaheim was dominated by the Stars and were defeated 5-0 on home ice.
• The Flames didn't have an urgency to their game according to coach Mike Keenan and were easily defeated 4-1 last night by the Avalanche. "It's disappointing, and I expected, quite frankly, our team to be a lot more passionate about the game," said Keenan after the contest.
• The Hawks are beginning a television era by announcing their new home television schedule. (Writer's note: Reading this article is kind of like being in the twilight zone. You would think it was 1978 with all the passion the organization has about broadcasting home hockey games on television.)
• Had it not been for Miikka Kiprusoff's play in the first two periods, the Avs would have dominated the scoreboard even more writes Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
• The Columbus Dispatch provides readers with a couple of National analysts' thoughts on the Blue Jackets so far this season. With the recent play of Pascal Leclaire, Jackets' goaltending coach Clint Malarchuk says he has it easy.
• Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press profiles the Zetterberg-Holmstrom-Datsyuk line and opines that it may be the best unit in the NHL.
• The Stars put forth their best effort of the season last night writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.
• The Oilers' finally beat goaltender Niklas Backstrom, however, they couldn't stay out of the penalty box and it cost them in their 5-2 loss to the Wild. With all the injuries the Oilers have encountered, at least they can count on Raffi Torres who played his 201st consecutive game last night.
• With the way the Wild's powerplay was clicking last night, who needs Gaborik and Demitra asks Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.
• Dustin Brown of the Kings tells Lonnie White of the L.A. Times that he is unhappy about the team's long layoff.
• Martin Gelinas has no problems with players wearing visors, he just chooses not to wear one himself.
• Coyotes' coach Wayne Gretzky has some tough lineup decisions on his hands with his team exhibiting surprising depth.
• Jeremy Roenick wants people to forget about him scoring 500 goals and focus on the Sharks getting far above the .500 level of play.
• The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has five questions with Blues' GM John Davidson.
• Canucks' coach Alain Vigneault is sticking with having his eggs all in one basket on the top line writes Gordon McIntyre of the Vancouver Province.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.