NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Leafs showed some resilience last night, as they came back from a brutal goal allowed by Vesa Toskala and defeated the Islanders 3-1. On the scouting side of things, Damien Cox says it isn't fun being a Leafs scout. Just when he thought he was going to play more than 20 games in a row, Leafs defenseman Carlo Coliacovo is back on the mend.
• According to Chris Stevenson (and the numbers), referee Bill McCreary does not like the Senators. Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen wonders when the real Senators team will stand up.
• The Blues decided Montreal was the perfect place to end their slide, writes Hurb Zerkowsky.
• Zdeno Chara continues to get better from his "upper-body injury", slowly but surely, writes Fluto Shinwaza. The Bruins are gearing up for their back-to-back match ups with Montreal over the weekend, writes Stephen Harris.
• Teppo Numminen wants to play for the Sabres, and they could sure use his talent on the back-end, writes John Vogl.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• The Rangers played last night's game against Pittsburgh like it was a playoff game, writes Larry Brooks. Meanwhile, Jay Greenberg of the NY Post hopes the Rangers aren't too young and too old at the same time.
• The Flyers need to regain their vision right now, opines Sam Donnellon.
• The Penguins were flawed in almost all aspects of the game last night, writes Dave Molinari. Molinari believes that the Penguins' depth may hinder Evgeni Malkin's ability to win the Art Ross Trophy.
• The announcement that Rick DiPietro is out for the season overshadowed his team's loss last night. Nonetheless, the game was still played and the Islanders put forth a poor performance in Kyle Okposo's NHL debut.
• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger explains how the Devils lay low, but yet always remain ahead of the Rangers.

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• Eric Staal is the prime reason for the Hurricanes' month-long surge, writes Luke Decock.
• "It's probably the most disappointing season in my career," said Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk after his team's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia last night. Things are so bad in Thrasher land that two teammates got into a fight during last night's game.
• Jacques Martin's future with the Panthers is up-in-the-air, writes Steve Gorten.
• New Tampa Bay netminder Mike Smith is a wizard with the puck, writes Erik Erlendsson.
• Alexander Ovechkin set a Capitals record and the Capitals continued their run for the playoffs, with a 4-2 road victory over Nashville.

The Western Conference morning papers will be posted soon...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers (Monday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• As Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail tells us, it didn't take long for the new boss of the NHLPA to have a disagreement with Gary Bettman.
• Shoalts provides readers with a recap of yesterday's All-Star Game.
• Mark Spector of the National Post has an interesting article on the modesty and humbleness of NHL players.
• Mike Brehm of USA Today gives the players' perspective of all these long-term contracts being signed in the NHL.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Bill Tiller of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution gives an Atlanta perspective of All-Star weekend.
• After getting booed all weekend long, Marc Savard was happy to score the winning goal for the Eastern All-Stars and finally hear some cheers in Atlanta, writes Fluto Shinwaza of the Boston Globe. After being scored on twice early in the third period, Tim Thomas made sure to remember that the All-Star Game is supposed to be fun.
• Brian Campbell increased his price tag once again last night, writes Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News.
• Eric Staal is being used to advertise for the NHL and, as a result, he has come to the realization that he is one of the young marketable stars of the NHL.
• Making his second All-Star appearance, Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun wasn't as nervous as he was in his first appearance in the All-Star Game a few years ago and just made sure to enjoy himself over the weekend.
• With the 2009 All-Star Game slated for Montreal, Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette provides readers with the history of the game in Montreal.
• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger wonders what the Devils are going to do for a netminder once Martin Brodeur hangs up his blades.
• Sidney Crosby was clearly missed by both the fans and fellow players in Atlanta this weekend.
• Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star bashes the NHL Skills Competition. (Writer's note: This article raises many of the same points that Illegal Curve's Andrew M. brought up in his Cold Hard Rants yesterday.)
• Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun speculates that the NHL might cancel the All-Star Game altogether after 2009.
• Alexander Ovechkin always enjoys himself playing hockey, writes Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun has an interesting piece on the evolution of Mike Keenan as a NHL coach. Meanwhile, George Johnson of the Calgary Herald provides readers with Jarome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf's perspectives of the All-Star Game.
• Terry Frei of the Denver Post suggests the Avalanche should attempt to make a trade for Thrashers superstar Marian Hossa.
• Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch believes Rick Nash has missed out on the All-Star Game MVP two years in a row because he is playing for the Blue Jackets.
• Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News examines the dynamic between co-GMs Les Jackson and Brett Hull and their possible plan of attack before the upcoming trade deadline.
• After watching yesterday’s NHL All-Star Game, Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times (should demand a pay-raise) thinks the league is in good hands with all its young talent.
• Sharks coach Ron Wilson sees Jacques Lemaire as the perfect tutor for Marian Gaborik even if the speedy Slovak sometimes craves more freedom.
• Ron Wilson was happy to be able to get to know other players around the NHL that he hadn’t had an opportunity to meet throughout the years.
• The Blues still see themselves contending for a playoff spot but the organization is not going to mortgage its future for a short-term fix, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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.

Nightly Recap: 'Canes Returning to Stanley Cup Form

Welcome to the Recap:
In the only game on Tuesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs got absolutely pasted 7 - 1 by the Carolina Hurricanes. Toronto got off to a fast start as Bryan McCabe scored the Leafs lone goal in front of the ACC crowd. Captain Mats Sundin earned the assist, tying him with Darryl Sittler for most points as a Maple Leaf (916). The Carolina offensive attack is the Illegal Curve MONSTER of the night as they scored seven unanswered goals by seven different players.

Carolina is now 2-1-1 to begin the season. Eric Staal is off to a hot start with five points. A much slimmer Cam Ward has allowed only 5 goals in 3 games, proving that his playoff run 2 years ago was not just a hot streak. This type of dominance over the Leafs, shows early signs that the 'Canes are back to Stanley Cup form.

Some news, perhaps:

• Former Hurricane Martin Gerber has done an exceptional job as the Senators starting goaltender. If he continues to play well, there could be a goaltender controversy in Ottawa.
• The Globe and Mail's David Shoalts also agrees that the "'Canes are back".
• Ryan Kesler has alot to prove this season
• The Canadian Press reminisces about previous NHLers battles with cancer
• The Blackhawks await a diagnosis on Martin Havlat. I wouldn't expect him back anytime soon, if they are unable to diagnose it right away, that is definately not a good sign.
• Scott Morrison of the CBC gives his NHL Power Rankings
• James Mirtle wonders what could have been if Bryan Berard had not suffered a near career ending eye injury. (trivia question; which player sticked him in the eye on the follow through? Marian Hossa ) highlight the blank space to reveal the answer
• This years rookie class reviewed by Kevin Dupont of MSNBC

There will be a whopping 12 games tomorrow night. All times Eastern

7:00pm: PHX@CLB, NYR@NYI, OTT@ATL
7:30pm: FLA@TB, CGY@DET, MTL@PIT
8:00pm: EDM@MIN
8:30pm: NSH@STL, LA@DAL, SJ@CHI
10:00pm: BOS@ANA
10:30pm: PHI@VAN

The Rangers/Islanders game will be nationally televised in the U.S. on Versus and the Edmonton/Minnesota match-up will be nationally televised in Canada on TSN. Should be a great night of hockey.

Recap Type Thing

• It appears that the Hurricanes are returning to Stanley Cup form. Eric Staal scores two goals and Cam Ward allows just one late third period goal. They ice the Penguins 4-1.
• Rick Nash is the MONSTER of the night with 4 points. The Blue Jackets shutout the Stanley Cup Ducks 4-0. Goalie Pascal Leclaire puts up 28 saves for the shutout. Are the Ducks experiencing jetlag, or are they missing Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne?
• The New York Islanders "Free Agent Line" of Comrie, Guerin and Fedotenko combines for 10 points in a 6-4 win over the Sabres.
• Offseason accquisitions Michael Nylander and Viktor Kozlov pay immediate dividends for the Islanders, they boink the Thrashers 3-1.
• Dallas defeats Boston 4-1. Mike Modano scores a point, he is now within five of former Jet Phil Housley for most points by an American.
• Jeremy Roenick shows that he still has a pulse. He scores two goals to reach 497 for his career. The San Jose Sharks win 3-1 vs VANCOUVER (as it says on their new jerseys)

More News

• The off season aggressiveness of Kevin Lowe has earned him a multi year extension with the Edmonton Oilers. Could they have done this to spite Brian Burke? He can't be happy about this.
• Here are the top paid players at each position. Offseason signees Danny Briere, Thomas Vanek and Scotty Gomez top the list at $10 million per season each.
• After struggling on the power play versus the Sens, The Maple Leafs have been working on a new strategy