SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF

NHL 11/28/2011

Anaheim Ducks
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Red Wings Continued

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Edmonton Oilers
Struggling Oiler Paajarvi may have another shot with Hall injured Oilers Hall to be 'evaluated' Oilers Smid snaps drought

Boston Bruins
Pouliot lends helping hand Rest day for Bruins Flames sting sloppy Wild, 5-2 Pouliot finally shows Bruins value

Florida Panthers
Kris Versteeg calls Florida Panthers schedule garbage Florida Panthers come out flat against Tampa Bay Lightning Panthers Try to Avoid Being Road Weary as 'Garbage' Schedule Gets Tougher Panthers gear up for rugged road trip

Buffalo Sabres
Season for Sabres' Stafford not going as planned Ex-Sabres help youth concussion cause

Calgary Flames
Game Story: Calgary 5 Minnesota 2 Sutters shuffle sparks Flames to win over Wild

Los Angeles Kings

Up next for the Kings: Monday vs. San Jose Trent Hunter gets promotion as Kings revamp top three lines In some ways, Brown prefers move to left Penner cleared, close to return Shift to the right for Stoll Murray discusses line changes Sunday practice update Sunday practice; new lines

Carolina Hurricanes
Spezza, Senators top Hurricanes 4-3 Canes blow 2-goal lead, game after shootout shutout

Chicago Blackhawks
Hawks' circus trip ends on happy note Corey Crawfords confidence boosted by strong game against Kings Andrew Brunette highlights Blackhawks depth Toews gets Blackhawks home in good shape Blackhawks road trip roundup

Minnesota Wild
Wild-Calgary game recap Game Day: Tampa Bay at Wild Wild says bye to Boogaard one more time Wild's low-energy output leaves it with sick feeling Tanguay, Iginla lead Flames past sloppy Wild 5-2 Bad night all around: Wild goaltending, defense struggle in loss to Calgary Minnesotan Mike Lundin expected to make Wild debut tonight Flames 5, Wild 2:

Colorado Avalanche
Avalanche's talented class of 2009 flexing its muscles Avs' Duchene, Landeskog miss practice, but likely vs. Dallas

Columbus Blue Jackets

Blues 2, Blue Jackets 1: Hitch in the road Michael Arace commentary: Return of Hitchcock, Russell adds spice Blue Jackets notebook: Russell, Nikitin fitting in well with new teams Season status report Trending up Hitchcock returns, directing Blues to 2-1 win over Blue Jackets

Montreal Canadiens
Habs' Pacioretty faces hearing for head shot Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price lets it rip over Penguins' 43 win Montreal Canadiens: Goal by Letang, with a broken nose, gives Penguins come-from behind victory Montreal Canadiens fans greet Sidney Crosby with roars Montreal Canadiens' Yannick Webber's inattention sent Habs into OT Pacioretty facing hearing for head hit

Dallas Stars
590954 590955 590956 590957 590958 590959 590960 590961 590962 Could Stars be looking to add Calgary's Jarome Iginla? Heika: Losing goalie Kari Lehtonen to injury further tests Stars' depth Stars place starting goaltender on IR, fear it could be longterm injury GameDay: Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche

Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators forwards aren't producing Game preview: Predators at Edmonton Oilers Rinne's run of regular appearances for Predators nearing an end

Detroit Red Wings

Patrick Eaves to have surgery on broken jaw, expected to miss 6-8 weeks Wings' Patrick Eaves to be sidelined for 6-8 weeks Red Wings' Patrick Eaves to have surgery on fractured jaw, out 6-to-8 weeks Red Wings reassign Fabian Brunnstrom to Grand Rapids Detroit Red Wing Patrick Eaves out indefinitely with fractured jaw 590998 590999 591000 591001

New Jersey Devils

To be a playoff team, Devils need to work out the kinks

New York Islanders

Devils lose to Islanders after last-second video review Islanders take step in right direction

New York Rangers

Del Zotto stands out in Rangers' surge

NHL

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Recovery Doesn't Stop After Injuries Heal

Websites
591045 591046 591047 591048 591049 FOXSports.com / Bruins reach new low against crosstown rival NBCSports.com / Is Bruce Boudreau about to be fired? NBCSports.com / Ottawa GM blasts Crosby, Bylsma NBCSports.com / Nieuwendyk putting faith in Stars goaltending depth NBCSports.com / Filatov recalled, will play in Ottawas top six

Ottawa Senators
Penalty kill secures Senators' win over Hurricanes Ken Warren: Dear Mr. Shanahan, please get tough on head shots Scanlan: Filly does road trips Filatov gets another chance GM Murray refuses to coddle Filatov Sens' Anderson stares down shot at redemption Smith sweats out Sens win Sens GM warns Crosby, Pens Sens eye Jackets' Brassard

Winnipeg Jets
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Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers' Bobrovsky goes back-to-back Back in shape, Scott Hartnell is producing for the Flyers Briere lays a big hit on ... teammate Nodl

Time to make homestand hay Highlight reel / Bruins 4 Jets 2 Jets set to 'make hay'
Anaheim Ducks

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Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes' Daymond Langkow makes valuable contribution

Ducks' downward spiral continues in loss to Maple Leafs

Pittsburgh Penguins
591016 591017 591018 591019 591020 591021 Discipline hearing set for Letang aggressor Penguins not satisfied with play this season Phone hearing Monday for Canadiens' Pacioretty Penguins: Letang, team's core survive blow to nose

Helene Elliott

Less is more for the Ducks these days: hapless, rudderless, clueless, and now winless in seven games. Their 5-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday at Honda Center was as confounding as any of their 16 defeats in their last 18 games. "We just seem to be dead between the ears," Coach Randy Carlyle said. The Ducks scored first, on a power-play blast by Francois Beauchemin, but Toronto scored the next four, striking twice in 19 seconds in the first period on a poorly defended power play and a deflection off the stick of Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa. As Toronto piled it on a deflection by Joey Crabb at 2:36 of the second period, a rebound by Tyler Bozak of a Phil Kessel shot 47 seconds into the third period the Ducks sagged. Corey Perry scored for the third straight game on a close-in shot at 5:38 of the third period, but the Ducks exerted little pressure after that and Luke Schenn capped the scoring with an empty-netter at 19:48. The Maple Leafs, rebuilt nicely by General Manager Brian Burke who scripted the Ducks' 2007 Stanley Cup championship passed Boston to sit atop the Northeast Division. The Ducks continued to spiral downward. "It's very obvious that we're not playing the way we have to as a team. We're not executing," veteran center Saku Koivu said. Even the usually upbeat Teemu Selanne couldn't hide his frustration. "There's no mental toughness right now," he said, and he was right. "There's been a lot of talking. A lot of meetings. There's really no answer. It seems to me that nothing works. When things go bad they really go bad. "You try to stay positive and find some bright sides, but I don't really see any bright sides. It's unbelievable. I have no answers." Selanne insisted Carlyle has 100% support in the locker room, but there's a gap between what players hear and what they do on the ice. Team captain Ryan Getzlaf should be the primary link between Carlyle and the team and should lead by example if not by words, but he has been so consumed by his own struggles that Carlyle told him to step back and take less responsibility for now. "He's trying to wear the weight of that captaincy. These are the times when it becomes very, very heavy," Carlyle said of Getzlaf, who is minus-13 defensively and has only four goals and 16 points in 23 games. "And my conversations with him are based upon [that] we as a coaching staff think he should just focus on playing hockey. Anything else should be a sidebar, be it any little integral part that the captain is normally responsible for, leave that up to us. Focus totally on what you can control, and can control his level of play, his work ethic and get back to the player we know he can be."

San Jose Sharks

San Jose Sharks' Dan Boyle is trying to snap his slump San Jose Sharks facts for Monday's game at Los Angeles Kings

St Louis Blues
591022 591023 591024 591025 591026 591027 591028 Elliott wins again, but Halak gets next start Backes' goal lifts Blues to another win Third Period Update: Blues 2, Jackets 1 Blues' Sobotka to miss tonight's game Hockey Guy: Thinning the Western Conference herd

Tampa Bay Lightning

Bolts' Tyrell provides quick dividends in return Ex-Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mike Lundin has frustrating start to first season with Minnesota Wild

Toronto Maple Leafs

591029 591030 591031 591032 591033 591034 591035 591036 591037 591038 591039 591040 591041 Red-hot Leafs shoot down Ducks Feschuk: Speedy Leafs cap successful trip Five questions for the Leafs against the Ducks Leafs now tormentors Leafs steamroll dead Ducks Sunny days for Aulie Bozak scores 2 goals in Leafs' 5-2 win over Ducks

Vancouver Canucks
A lot to like about Canucks backup Luongo

Washington Capitals
On Hockey: For Capitals, staying the course is no longer an option Boudreau: Youve gotta believe that theres more to give Caps Alex Ovechkin gives uninspired effort against Sabres Capitals sinking after being outmuscled, outscored in lost weekend Caps Postgame - 5-1 loss to Buffalo

Getzlaf is far from the dominant center who scored 91 points in 2008-09. Or 76 points in 67 games last season. "He's not the player and he shows it and demonstrates it and he's very frustrated with himself," Carlyle said. General Manager Bob Murray hasn't panicked. He has said he won't dismiss Carlyle and he hasn't traded any of his big three forwards Getzlaf, Perry or Bobby Ryan though he has had offers. "Management has been so patient and that's what a team hopes. It's tough for everybody," Selanne said. "The leaders try to do as good job as we can. And still the leadership in this room has to do that out there," he said, pointing to the ice. "I hate to say this, but they should not be talking anymore here. We all know what to do. Just show it there. It's very simple." Talk less, win more. LA Times: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590926 Anaheim Ducks

Quick fix for Ducks? Don't hold your breath

By MARK WHICKER

ANAHEIM The rubble of this Ducks season mounts before their disbelieving eyes. The latest brick fell out of the wall Sunday night, when the Toronto Maple Leafs skated in and skated out with a 5-2 victory, as coldly and clinically as jewel thieves. The Leafs were fast and creative and aggressive. The Ducks were again frozen. The act of moving the puck out of their own zone became as spinetingling as mine sweeping. On Toronto's third goal, Toni Lydman and Cam Fowler took turns coughing it up, and the rest of the Ducks stood observantly as rookie Joey Crabb scored off Luke Schenn's point shot. On Toronto's fourth goal, the No. 1 line of Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul seized upon a chance when the Ducks' No. 1 line got caught below the circles, and Bozak scored on Kessel's feed. Hockey clubs are strolling into Honda Center like kids invading a game room. There is no fear and little hesitation. When the Ducks can't score they lose, and when they do score and get a lead, they also lose. They have injuries. Lubomir Visnovsky's speed and stick handling are chronically missed. But, with all the respect to the thoroughly professional Jason Blake, when did he become Peyton Manning? The Ducks who are supposed to win games, or at least influence them, are healthy. "We've talked about it every day," Saku Koivu said, "about how we can play so well for 15 minutes or a period and a half, and then we don't execute for three or four shifts, and the other team takes advantage. "When adversity happens we haven't bounced back from it. We're not executing the way we're not supposed to. We're not on the same page." A somber Teemu Selanne said he was up-to-here with all the discussions, that the leaders in the room "have to lead out there," meaning the ice. Coach Randy Carlyle said the doomed plays the Ducks make at center ice are "mind-boggling" and the whole approach has been "dead between the ears. We're not thinking, we're not reading, and we find ourselves in defensive zone coverage for 30, 35 seconds a shift." He also said Ryan Getzlaf must quit worrying about the trappings of captaincy and simply play the same game that made Canada rejoice to learn he was healthy enough to play on its Olympic team. When pro teams are so futile for so long, something dark and stormy usually happens. But it's just as possible that nothing will happen. Change coaches? Well, it's tempting to note that UCLA is firing its football coach, who has won three games since Oct. 17. Carlyle has won two. But Carlyle got an extension in August that takes him through the 2013-14 season. Bob Murray, his general manager, has backed him without fail. The Ducks have consistently driven hard to regular season's end, which disproves the theory that Carlyle's demands wear them out. Besides, Scotty Bowman is unavailable. A slap-your-forehead trade? In a fantasy league, maybe. In the real world, there are salaries to balance and a franchise blueprint to follow. The Ducks would have to trade a headline player to really show progress, and who would that be? They're not dealing Corey Perry or Jonas Hiller or Fowler. The thought of dealing Getzlaf to Nashville for incipient free-agent defenseman Shea Weber is a great conversation-starter. The Ducks would have to sign Weber long-term, of course, but he would wear the cloak of Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger very comfortably,

Frustration mounts as Ducks lose seventh in a row

By ERIC STEPHENS

ANAHEIM Teemu Selanne leaned against a wall in the Ducks dressing room and took deep breath after deep breath before firing off shot after shot of the verbal kind. "A lot of talking. A lot of meetings. Really no answers," Selanne said Sunday night after the Ducks dropped their seventh consecutive game, a 52 decision to the Toronto Maple Leafs before a sparse 13,685 at Honda Center. "It seems to me that nothing works," Selanne continued. "When things go bad, they really go bad. We try to stay positive and try to find some bright sides. I don't really see any bright sides. It's just unbelievable." The Ducks (6-13-4) stayed out of the Western Conference basement because of a Columbus loss to St. Louis, but they're about as low as a team can get. They have won once in their past 14 games and twice in the past 18. This loss had the usual marks. Goals scored by Toronto's Tyler Bozak and Clarke MacArthur in a 19-second span after Francois Beauchemin gave the Ducks a first-period lead. Bozak making it 4-1 just 47 seconds into the third. Selanne appeared to be flabbergasted at the same mistakes occurring, saying: "There's no mental toughness right now." Corey Perry got his team-leading 10th goal later in the third, but the defeat again had the appearance of a paralyzed squad that's playing with a sense of dread. "We have to be concerned with what is going on," Ducks center Saku Koivu said. "At this point, we can't think for a second that there are enough games to get back." Coach Randy Carlyle scoffed at the notion that his team is beginning to accept losing. "This is not something that's going to be accepted," Carlyle said. "This organization, as long as the people here representing the ownership group and what not, that will never happen as far as acceptance with what's going on right now." As he spoke calmly but pointedly, Selanne was fuming more with each syllable. "There's no excuses," he said. "I just hate excuses. Everybody has a job to do and it starts from there. Do your job. Not talking. It should be simple but I guess it's not. "We shouldn't even talk about anything. Enough talking." Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590927 Anaheim Ducks

But let's take several steps back. Getzlaf is 26. Bobby Ryan is 24. This is their prime time. People in San Jose have complained about Joe Thornton, too, but eventually they were converted. Patrick Marleau was also stripped of the "C" after one Sharks playoff exit and responded accordingly. Whether Getzlaf is the official captain is not the issue. The issue is whether you want to play with him or against him. Split up the lines? If Carlyle spaced them over three lines and stuck with that plan, well, the obvious answer is that things couldn't be worse. . The real answer is that, oh, yes, they could. At least the big line is theoretically dangerous. Putting Getzlaf, Perry or Ryan with inferior players would weaken the strong, not fortify the weak. This is an all-access meltdown. It defies prescriptions. Maybe the answers lie with Peter Holland and Kyle Palmieri in Syracuse and Emerson Etem in Medicine Hat. Maybe Hiller and the defensemen have to learn to trust each other again. And maybe the Ducks should keep "putting the work boots on," as Selanne said, until the trade deadline comes and the real contenders arrive at Murray's door with bouquets, coupons and defensemen. Before they hit the panic button, they should try the on/off. Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590928 Anaheim Ducks

GOALIE CALLED UP The Ducks recalled Jeff Deslauriers from Syracuse of the American Hockey League to serve as Jonas Hiller's backup as Dan Ellis was unavailable because of a problematic groin muscle that has bothered him for a couple of weeks. Deslauriers, 27, has struggled mightily with the Crunch as he has a 3-4-0 record with a grisly 4.75 goals-against average and .854 save percentage as Iiro Tarkki has beaten him out for the No. 1 job there. Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590929 Anaheim Ducks

Final: Maple Leafs 5, Ducks 2

posted by JEFF MILLER

Another game, another loss. The Ducks fell again Sunday, this time to Toronto, this time by a score of 52. Theyve now won just twice in their past 18 games and have dropped eight of their past nine at Honda Center. For the third consecutive game, the Ducks (6-13-4) lost despite scoring first. Francois Beauchemin made it 1-0 on the power play at the 9:51 mark of the first period. Teemu Selanne and Luca Sbisa picked up the assists. The advantage lasted fewer than five minutes, however, when Tyler Bozak scored for the Maple Leafs. Just 19 seconds later, Clarke MacArthur scored, and the punchless Ducks were done. Joey Crabb added Torontos third goal early in the second period, and Bozak made it 4-1 only 47 seconds into the third period.

Has the pressure gotten to Getzlaf?

By ERIC STEPHENS

ANAHEIM The numbers aren't there and the impact he has made in games appears to decrease with every Ducks loss in a deep freeze that has lasted for six weeks. Is the pressure of being the Ducks' captain getting to Ryan Getzlaf? "With Getzy, he's trying to wear the weight of that captaincy," Coach Randy Carlyle said. "These are the times when it becomes very, very heavy." Getzlaf hasn't made much of an impact at either end of the ice. And the big center has looked particularly ineffective in the most recent two losses. Even though he got two assists Friday, Getzlaf was thoroughly outplayed by Chicago's Jonathan Toews as the Blackhawks captain scored twice and had a career-high five points in a 6-5 victory. And in Sunday's 5-2 loss to Toronto, Getzlaf was quiet with just one assist and had a minus-2 rating that pushed his season total to a minus-13. "Everyone who knows me knows that I'm competitive and want to win," Getzlaf told the Register on Saturday. "I'm never happy when we're doing anything like we're doing right now." Carlyle said that it is time for Getzlaf to simplify his responsibilities away from the ice. "We think, as a coaching staff, that he should just focus on playing hockey. Anything else should be a sidebar," the coach said. "Be it any little integral part that the captain is normally responsible for. Leave that up to us. "Focus totally on what you can control and he can control his level of play, his work ethic and get back to the player that we know he can be." Leadership among the Ducks has become a major question in a freefall that's seen them lose 16 of their past 18 games. "The leadership in this room has to do it out there," Teemu Selanne said. "I hate to say this. They should not be talking anymore. We all know what to do. Just show it there. It's very simple." Selanne said Carlyle isn't the problem and maintained that there is "100 percent" support within the room. "It's not about the coach, I'm telling you," he insisted.

Corey Perry scored for the Ducks from Ryan Getzlaf and Cam Fowler at 5:38 of the third, but that was all the offensive production the fading Ducks could manage. The Leafs added an empty net goal by Luke Schenn in the closing seconds. Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590930 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks still have `no answers'

By Elliott Teaford

ANAHEIM - The Ducks' losing streak reached seven games with a 5-2 loss Sunday to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Honda Center, one shy of the franchise record. They have one victory in their past 14 games and two wins in their past 18 contests. "A lot of talking, a lot of meetings, no answers," a downcast Teemu Selanne said. "It seems to me that nothing works. When things go bad they really go bad. You try to stay positive and find some bright sides, but I don't really see any. It's unbelievable. "Enough talking. Out there is where the answers are." Selanne, standing in an empty dressing room, motioned toward the ice. "Night after night we do the same mistakes," he continued in a measured tone after the Ducks scored first on Francois Beauchemin's power-play goal midway through the opening period only to give up the next four goals to the Maple Leafs. "We came out with a lot of energy then, boom, one bad play and it's like a sinking boat. There's no mental toughness right now. It's unbelievable. I

think the only thing you can do is everybody has to do his job and believe in the guy next to you. "This team is only as good as its weakest link and it's pretty bad right now. I can't say one guy (is playing well) right now. It's unbelievable. Night after night it's the same mistakes. We watch the video all the time. We still make the same mistakes. "You almost expect the worst to happen. Mentally you've got to be tougher." Selanne said the team supports coach Randy Carlyle "100 percent. It's not about the coach." The 41-year-old right wing said it was time for the Ducks to "put the work boots on and forget the fancy stuff. There's no excuses, I hate excuses, just do your job." Said Carlyle: "I think we just seem dead between the ears. We pile on extra work for ourselves because of lack of execution. We're forced to play in the defensive zone way too much. It's mind-boggling some of the plays we are trying to make." As has become their custom, the Ducks had their moments of excellence Sunday. Selanne slipped a pretty pass from behind the goal line to Beauchemin in the high slot to set up the Ducks' first goal, giving them a lead 9 minutes, 51 seconds into the game. The Ducks also had moments of utter incompetence, as when they gave up the tying and go-ahead goals in a 19-second span less than five minutes after taking the lead. Tyler Bozak and Clarke MacArthur scored to put Toronto ahead for good. After Joey Crabb made it 3-1 early in the second period, Bozak scored his second of the game only 47 seconds into the third. In three of their past four games, the Ducks have given up a goal within the first 1:04 of a period, hardly a winning formula. Corey Perry scored to cut the Ducks' deficit to 4-2, but their comeback stalled and Toronto's Luke Schenn scored into an empty net with 12 seconds left. Schenn fired the puck off Ryan Getzlaf and it trickled the length of ice, a fitting conclusion. "When you look at the way we've played and the results of the last three weeks to a month, it's very obvious that we're not playing the way we have to as a team," veteran center Saku Koivu said. "We're not on the same page." The Ducks recalled goaltender Jeff Deslauriers from Syracuse of the American Hockey League to serve as Jonas Hiller's backup Sunday. Dan Ellis was scratched from the game against the Maple Leafs because of a lingering groin injury. LA Daily News: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590931 Boston Bruins

Wings Dan Cleary, Henrik Zetterberg, and Valtteri Filppula often were matched against Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Tyler Seguin. In theory, Bostons No. 3 line of Pouliot, Kelly, and Rich Peverley should see more bottom-six forwards and third-pairing defensemen. Saturday night, before Kellys game-winning goal, thats exactly how it unfolded. When Kelly slapped a one-timer past Pavelec at 16:26 of the second, Mark Flood and Arturs Kulda were the defensemen trying to fend off the third line. Because of Peverleys speed through center ice, Flood and Kulda had sagged back, which gave Pouliot the space to find Kelly for the winner. Between the two of them, Flood and Kulda have 29 games of NHL experience. That line is starting to give us some real good shifts, said Bruins coach Claude Julien. I like it because theres times where you dont always want a hard match. When they put their top lines on and weve come off a power play, you can feel comfortable about putting that line out there and them still doing the job. Had Julien not been so patient, Pouliot might not have been in position to set up Kellys goal. As in previous stops in Minnesota and Montreal, Pouliot has displayed bursts of good play. He is a good skater. Hes willing to slam bodies along the boards. He has an above-average shot. But Pouliot has offset those qualities with untimely penalties and an absence of hockey sense. Pouliots game imploded last Monday against Montreal. In the second period, he retaliated for a hard Alexei Emelin hit by taking a hooking penalty. Later in the second, Pouliot clipped P.K. Subban with a high stick, giving Montreal a four-minute power play. Pouliot was benched for most of the third period. From the instant Bruins forward Benoit Pouliot corralled the puck in the second period Saturday night, he was thinking pass first, even though his first motions indicated otherwise. With a slight fake, Pouliot tried to sell Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec on a shot. But the entire time, Pouliot saw Chris Kelly on the opposite side of the ice with his stick ready for a one-timer. The whole way I was thinking to go to Kells over there, Pouliot said after what ended up a 4-2 win over Winnipeg. He opened up well and got a great one-timer on it. It was Pouliots first assist as a Bruin. The way Pouliot and his linemates are playing, the left wing is due for many more helpers. Opposing coaches are training their sights on the Bruins top two lines. Saturday night, Mark Stuart and Dustin Byfuglien saw plenty of ice time against Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and Nathan Horton. The day before, Red Wings Dan Cleary, Henrik Zetterberg, and Valtteri Filppula often were matched against Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Tyler Seguin. In theory, Bostons No. 3 line of Pouliot, Kelly, and Rich Peverley should see more bottom-six forwards and third-pairing defensemen. Saturday night, before Kellys game-winning goal, thats exactly how it unfolded. When Kelly slapped a one-timer past Pavelec at 16:26 of the second, Mark Flood and Arturs Kulda were the defensemen trying to fend off the third line. Because of Peverleys speed through center ice, Flood and Kulda had sagged back, which gave Pouliot the space to find Kelly for the winner. Between the two of them, Flood and Kulda have 29 games of NHL experience. That line is starting to give us some real good shifts, said Bruins coach Claude Julien. I like it because theres times where you dont always want a hard match. When they put their top lines on and weve come off a power play, you can feel comfortable about putting that line out there and them still doing the job. Had Julien not been so patient, Pouliot might not have been in position to set up Kellys goal. As in previous stops in Minnesota and Montreal, Pouliot has displayed bursts of good play. He is a good skater. Hes willing to slam bodies along the boards. He has an above-average shot. But Pouliot has offset those qualities with untimely penalties and an absence of hockey sense. Pouliots game imploded last Monday against Montreal. In the second period, he retaliated for a hard Alexei Emelin hit by taking a hooking penalty. Later in the second, Pouliot clipped P.K. Subban with a high stick, giving Montreal a four-minute power play. Pouliot was benched for most of the third period.

Pouliot lends helping hand

By Fluto Shinzawa

From the instant Bruins forward Benoit Pouliot corralled the puck in the second period Saturday night, he was thinking pass first, even though his first motions indicated otherwise. With a slight fake, Pouliot tried to sell Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec on a shot. But the entire time, Pouliot saw Chris Kelly on the opposite side of the ice with his stick ready for a one-timer. The whole way I was thinking to go to Kells over there, Pouliot said after what ended up a 4-2 win over Winnipeg. He opened up well and got a great one-timer on it. It was Pouliots first assist as a Bruin. The way Pouliot and his linemates are playing, the left wing is due for many more helpers. Opposing coaches are training their sights on the Bruins top two lines. Saturday night, Mark Stuart and Dustin Byfuglien saw plenty of ice time against Milan Lucic, David Krejci, and Nathan Horton. The day before, Red

Julien could have turned to Jordan Caron to replace Pouliot. Caron may not have Pouliots wheels or finishing touch, but he is a responsible two-way forward who can kill penalties and play a heavy game. Instead, Julien stuck with Pouliot. In turn, Pouliot rewarded his coach. The following game, against the Sabres, Pouliot gave the Bruins a 4-3 win by beating Jhonas Enroth high glove in the shootout. Im just trying to stay in the lineup and work hard, Pouliot said. Pevs and Kells make my job a lot easier. I try to make their job easy, too. But theyre doing a great job for me. I cant say anything bad. Things are going great right now. Its a matter of just being consistent every night. Power outage The power line of Lucic, Krejci, and Horton has lost its finishing touch. Krejci hasnt potted a goal in the last nine games. Lucic has gone eight straight games without a goal. Horton hasnt found the back of the net in the last four games. Saturday night, the line had its chances. Their best opportunity was early in the second when they had a three-on-one rush against Zach Bogosian. Krejci dished to Horton. But Horton couldnt get a good piece of the puck on the shot. Horton and Lucic combined for five of the teams 10 missed shots. We had some great opportunities, Julien said. We didnt finish as well as we would have liked to. But at least we created those opportunities. Rise and shine The Bruins had yesterday off. They will practice this morning at Ristuccia Arena. Once the Celtics resume play at TD Garden, the Bruins will have more Ristuccia sessions. Wilmington practices are free and open to the public . . . The Celtics are scheduled to play their first home game Dec. 30 while the Bruins are on a swing to Phoenix and Dallas. During the NBA lockout, the Bruins were pleased with the Garden ice, which benefited from the absence of changeovers. The sheet may not be as good once basketball resumes . . . Andrew Ference broke a skate blade in the third period Saturday. It was the second time in four games Ference has had a skate malfunction. He needed in-game blade maintenance last Monday at the Bell Centre. Boston Globe LOADED: 11.28.2011 590932 Boston Bruins

against New Jersey, then seeing the agitator score on his first third-period shift. Last nights timeout after Winnipeg scored two quick goals. Julien should be writing the first draft of his Jack Adams acceptance speech today. Minus - A high-risk, high-reward night from Joe Corvo. Not the smoothest game for the teams second-pairing defenseman against the Jets. Corvo made the wrong move to engage in a puck race instead of staying at home prior to Winnipegs first goal. Corvo made several defensive-zone turnovers. Corvo needs to flush last night from his system quickly. - David Krejcis cold streak. In the last eight games, Krejci has zero goals and two assists. Not the production of a top-two center. If anything, the first quarter of 2011-12 has set the market for Krejcis next deal. Krejci should not earn more than Patrice Bergerons $5 million annual payday. - Absence of styling from Adam McQuaid. The stay-at-home defenseman made a highlight play last night. McQuaid left his skates and grabbed a midair puck in last nights third when Thomas was out of the net. But no Air Jordan pose? Not even a wagging tongue? Amateur. Boston Globe LOADED: 11.28.2011 590933 Boston Bruins

Flames sting sloppy Wild, 5-2

By Michael Russo

ST. PAUL, Minn. Turkey comas usually subside the day after Thanksgiving, but the Wilds lasted through the weekend. In a startlingly sloppy, lethargic performance, the Wild got run over and run around by the Calgary Flames during an ugly 5-2 home loss. "The good news is I dont think we can play worse than that," said coach Mike Yeo. After a spine-tingling tribute to the late Derek Boogaard before the game that captured the fans collective heart, the same crowd turned understandably restless and spent much of Sundays game booing the Wild after turnovers, shoddy power plays and extended shifts in their own end. The Wild, which has lost two in a row since winning 10 of 12, was that bad in every area. "I dont think we even got started. They were going the whole game and we were watching," winger Devin Setoguchi said. "We didnt even dip the toe in the water. We just kind of sat outside of it." Niklas Backstrom was pulled by the 9-minute mark. By 20 minutes, Yeo had shuffled all three defense pairs after a careless first period with the puck. A Setoguchi dribbler was the Wilds first shot of the third period. The first, third and fourth lines spent many shifts pinned. It was so bad, the Cal Clutterbuck-Matt Cullen-Pierre-Marc Bouchard line was the best in terms of creating offense, yet finished a combined minus-8. There was little speed, little urgency, and things unraveled early in the third when the Wild didnt come close to tying on a power play. Moments later, it was 4-2 when Josh Harding couldnt retreat fast enough after he rimmed the puck to Alex Tanguay. "Our battle level wasnt where it needs to be," Cullen said. "Were not the kind of team that can come out and hope it goes one way or the other, just play and let things happen. Weve got to go make it happen." The blue line particularly struggled. Marco Scandella got walked around by Lee Stempniak on the second goal. Jared Spurgeon had trouble holding the blue line and was allergic to shooting. Nate Prosser fell, swung and missed on one shot and fanned on another and that was on one shift. Clayton Stoner turned the puck over twice on one shift and Justin Falk repeatedly turned it over. Yeo said theres "definitely a good chance" Mike Lundin, whos missed all season with a back injury, makes his Wild debut Monday night against his

Rest day for Bruins

Fluto Shinzawa

The Bruins have been given today off. They will practice tomorrow at Ristuccia Arena at 10:30 a.m. Because of the return of the NBA, there will be more practices in Wilmington once the Celtics resume games at TD Garden. Ristuccia practices are free and open to the public. With no media availability today, heres the latest version of Plus/Minus: Plus + The consistency of the No. 3 line. Opposing coaches will send out their top defensive pairings and matchup threesomes against the Bruins first two lines. In theory, Benoit Pouliot, Chris Kelly, and Rich Peverley should skate most of their shifts against depth players. On Kellys second goal, Winnipeg had two defensemen named Mark Flood and Arturs Kulda on the ice. Between those two gentlemen, they have 29 combined games of NHL experience. The third line should do further damage if playing against such opponents. +Timely goaltending by Tim Thomas. For the bulk of their 10-game winning streak, the Bruins didnt need perfect netminding from Thomas or Tuukka Rask. Lately (think last night and Montreal), theyve required seamless play from their puckstoppers. Thomass best work last night came when he booted out Bryan Little and Evander Kane late in the third. Thomas acknowledged he wasnt at his sharpest early. But Thomas stood tall when his team needed him the most. + Claude Juliens performance. Just about every move has worked. Pouliot in the shootout. Benching Brad Marchand for most of the second period

former team, Tampa Bay, and the coaching staff will discuss whether veteran Greg Zanon returns after missing 16 games with a torn groin. "Bad breaks, left and right. Bad decisions, left and right," Falk said. "Were young back there, were trying to learn." Clutterbuck scored first on a power-play beauty before Mark Giordano scored from a bad angle. Trailing 2-1, Nick Johnson tied it after a series of strong plays by Kyle Brodziak, but Backstrom was pulled 8:45 in after TJ Brodie scored a soft one. Backstrom had a .960 save percentage in his previous six games but was starting for the first time since Nov. 17. "Hes been really good. He had an off night," Yeo said. He also had quite the week, becoming a father, then sitting through the emotional tribute of his close friend, Boogaard. Backstrom said it was tough to play after the tribute, but "three goals go through me, you have to find a way to stop them one way or another." Boston Herald LOADED: 11.28.2011 590934 Boston Bruins

going pretty well for our line. And its fun. Every day is fun coming here and we just have to keep it going. Julien lauded the Pouliot pass on Saturday, but he also feels Pouliot can create his own offense more. Im encouraging him to take the puck himself and take it to the net, said Julien. He works a lot to make plays and hes actually pretty good at it. But there are times where he could definitely bring it to the net himself and reward himself with that part of his game, because hes got the speed and hes pretty good at cutting in. You would have to think Pouliot is still on a rather short leash. The organization has a lot invested in Caron. He too is a former first-rounder and didnt do a whole lot to get himself bumped up to the press box. The Bruins also have enough cap space to add a player or two at the trade deadline should general manager Peter Chiarelli deem it necessary. But for now, Pouliot is only concerned with what he can control. Im just trying to play hard and stay in the lineup every night, said Pouliot. (Kelly) and (Peverley) make my job a lot easier, too. Im trying to make their job easy, too, but theyre doing a great job for me. I cant say anything bad and things are going great right now. Its just a matter of being consistent every night. Boston Herald LOADED: 11.28.2011 590935 Buffalo Sabres

Pouliot finally shows Bruins value

By Steve Conroy Season for Sabres' Stafford not going as planned When the Bruins signed Benoit Pouliot last summer, he didnt arrive with a lot of high expectations attached to him. The Montreal Canadiens benched him during their playoff series against the Bruins, then did not tender him a qualifying offer, making him a free agent. Hired on a one-year contract ($1.1 million) ostensibly as a replacement for departed free agent Michael Ryder, the 25-year-old former No. 4 overall pick in the NHL draft came to the Bruins eager to prove himself with his third NHL organization. Pouliot has skated hard, hustled and flashed a strong skill level, but sometimes that has been undercut by lapses of discipline, often with stick control. Two weeks ago, Pouliot found himself a healthy scratch so Zach Hamill cold get another game in the bigs before returning to AHL Providence. Can it be that now, 22 games into the season, the Pouliot experiment is beginning to work? The jury is still out on the long-term answer to that question, but things certainly have trended positively for Pouliot and the Bruins in recent games. Pouliot was benched in the third period in Montreal last Monday for taking a double minor, high-sticking penalty, but coach Claude Julien went right back to him the next game for the grudge match against Buffalo and after another high-sticking penalty Pouliot won the game in the shootout. Playing on the left wing with conscientious linemates Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley, Pouliot followed with solid games against Detroit and Winnipeg. Against the Jets, he made a terrific cross-ice pass to Kelly for what turned out to be the game-winning goal. The line appears to be jelling and making Juliens job a little easier. I like what I see. They seem to be working well together, said Julien. Benoits got a good skill level that we think we can tap into and maybe even improve with the way we play. Its been a slow start for him, but hes starting to come around. That line is starting to give us some real good shifts and I like it because there are times where you dont always want a hard match, so when they put their top lines on and weve come off a power play, you can feel comfortable about putting that line out there and still doing the job. After the Montreal game, Julien easily could have gone back with Jordan Caron, a strong, young player with skills the coach likes. In fact, it was a bit of a surprise to see No. 67 back in there against Buffalo. But Pouliot said it meant a lot for Julien to go back with him. Yeah, it feels good, said Pouliot. I wasnt worried about (the benching) too much because I knew it was coming and it was the right decision. Then he put me right back out there. Ive played hard ever since and things are

By Mike Harrington

The Buffalo Sabres have no problems with the numbers being put up by Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. They need more from Derek Roy, who has been battling injuries since training camp, and from struggling freeagent signee Ville Leino. And they certainly need more from winger Drew Stafford, who was coming off a 31-goal season and figured to be one of their major core players after signing a four-year, $16 million contract in June. Stafford missed Saturday's 5-1 win over Washington with what's believed to be a minor groin injury and is listed as day to day. The Sabres were off Sunday and return to practice today. They host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night in First Niagara Center. When he gets back on the ice, Stafford has plenty of work to do. The calendar is nearly at December and he has only four goals. "The last few games I've been trying to get the puck to the net a little bit more and keep getting shots," Stafford said. "I know that's been the answer for a while pretty much. Keep getting shots and getting to the net and one will eventually go in but it's true." Stafford had career highs of 31 goals and 52 points last year in 62 games and he had a shooting percentage of 17.3, tied for sixth in the league. Things are just a little different this year: He entered Sunday tied for 251st at just 6.7 percent (four goals on 60 shots). "He's had those Grade A scoring chances he was converting into goals last year and some games into hat tricks even," said coach Lindy Ruff. "This year, it's been a matter of 6 inches here, 4 inches there where he's had the goalie beat. He just hasn't been in the right spot." As Ruff noted, one of the things Stafford did last year was score goals in bunches. He had four hat tricks -- and combined for 17 of his 31 goals in only seven games. Stafford has definitely been getting closer in recent games. He's had at least five shots on goal three times in his last six outings. And he had a season-high seven in Wednesday's shootout loss to Boston, a game that saw him driving the net as hard as he had all season. "He's had some really good games in between, some ones we haven't liked," Ruff said. "The Boston game was probably the best game he played and he didn't get rewarded for it. He's just been a little bit off his mark when it comes to shooting."

"It starts with that," Stafford said when asked about driving the net. "When I'm playing well, I'm skating and I'm getting there. I felt good skating-wise. It's one of those things you have to make sure you keep at it. "I'm trying to make plays out there. When things aren't going well and frustration starts creeping into your game, if you stop working and let that get to you, it's only going to get worse." Captain Jason Pominville on the Sabres overcoming injuries to nine players Saturday night: "At times, you're like, 'Oh my God, not another guy going down.' But our coaching staff and the staff down in Rochester have done a tremendous job getting those players prepared to come in and step in and play the way they did." Paul Szczechura's two assists Saturday night were his first NHL points since he scored two goals for Tampa Bay in a 5-3 win at Boston on March 25, 2010. Szczechura had nine goals and seven assists for the Lightning in 83 games from 2008 to 2010. Szczechura and South Buffalo native Tim Kennedy are the only players in franchise history to wear number 58. Jochen Hecht's short-handed goal in the third period Saturday was his first goal since March 12 at Toronto and his first at home since Feb. 25 against Ottawa. Hecht is plus-3 in his first three games after returning from a long battle with a concussion. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff played a season-high 27 minutes, 32 seconds in Saturday's game and is averaging 26 1/2 minutes in his last four. The Sabres are 4-0 in the second half of back-to-backs this season. They are 2-2 in the first half. Their task this weekend is Friday night's visit by Detroit and Saturday's trip to Nashville. When suburban Rochester native Derek Whitmore scored four goals for the Amerks in Saturday's 5-3 win over Hamilton, it was the first four-goal game by an Amerk since Pominville scored five times against Cleveland on Oct. 21, 2005. Whitmore, in his fourth year in the AHL, pushed his team-leading total to 10 goals. Buffalo News LOADED: 11.28.2011 590936 Buffalo Sabres

"It touches close to my heart, because I have a 13-year-old boy, and I see kids that go down all the time and parents that maybe don't treat it well," Barnaby said. "There's a big difference now, and I think it's been brought to the forefront with a guy like Sidney Crosby getting hurt and being out the amount of time that he was. It was something that probably we didn't even think it was that big of a deal at the time, and if it was 15 years ago, he would have been back in one day." A concussion put Crosby, a hockey superstar, out of the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup for 10 months before he returned to play Nov. 21. "I think there is a big change of awareness now, and I think there will continue to be," Peters said, before going with the other Sabres alumni to play Team HPHD. "I think [the new organization] is fabulous and has been a long time coming. I'm glad it starts here in Buffalo." Also playing for the Sabres team were Richie Dunn, Grant Ledyard, Greg Muni, Darryl Shannon, Morris Titanic, Mike Boland, Yuri Khmylev, Ric Seiling, Derek Smith and Mark Laforest, the latter of whom played in the NHL but not with the Sabres. Sabres announcer Harry Neale called the game. Levy said the group is encouraging youth organizations to get "baseline concussion testing" before the season. That way, he said, if a child suffers a head injury, there is a baseline of information. The organization is trying to educate coaches on the signs and symptoms of concussion -- headache, nausea, dizziness and amnesia, among others - and the importance of not letting kids play until cleared by a medical professional. Debbie Izatt, who works in marketing at Dent Neurological Institute, said she knew the potential dangers of youth hockey and the importance of safety. "I had a good friend in high school who was injured in a hockey game and was paralyzed by it, so it touched me at an early age," Izatt said. Levy said the organization has raised $110,000 in the past three months. "There has been a tremendous outpouring from the community," Levy said. "They've been extremely generous." Buffalo News LOADED: 11.28.2011 590937 Calgary Flames

Ex-Sabres help youth concussion cause

By Mark Sommer Game Story: Calgary 5 Minnesota 2 Matthew Barnaby, Andrew Peters and Rob Ray were among 13 Sabres alumni who suited up Sunday to play in a hockey tournament and help raise funds for research into head injuries sustained by youth. Hundreds watched throughout the day as six teams competed at Holiday Twin Rinks in Cheektowaga in a benefit for the new, not-for-profit Program for Understanding Childhood Concussion & Stroke, a project of University at Buffalo Neurosurgery and Dent Neurological Institute. "We've been seeing an epidemic of concussion-related injuries in youth," said Dr. Elad Levy, a neurosurgeon and the organization's president. "We've seen people who can't finish high school, or can't finish college, because of repeated concussions that went untreated or undiagnosed." Levy, who is also co-director of the Gates Stroke Center at Kaleida Health and a member of UB's neurosurgery department, said many youth athletes are bigger, faster and stronger now and play their sports year-round, all factors in the increase of head injuries doctors are seeing. Levy, who has a son playing youth hockey, said more needs to be understood about brain injuries in youth. "There had to be a tipping point. I think enough was enough, and we just said we have to increase the awareness, develop a charity and help fund research," Levy said. Barnaby is an enthusiastic supporter of the organization. He estimates that in his 15 years in the NHL he suffered 11 to 15 concussions in a culture that ignored the dangers.

By Scott Cruickshank,

Calgary Flames 5 Minnesota Wild 2 The Heralds Three Stars 1. Calgary RW Lee Stempniak: Becoming trademark undressing backpedalling defender, beating goalie with wrister. 2. Calgary D T.J. Brodie: Growing by leaps and bounds. Ahead in Detroit, back in St. Louis, ahead again Sunday. 3. Calgary RW Jarome Iginla: Stymied by Wild goalies, captain perseveres, finally cashes in late. Plus-three, too. Why the Flames won: Because they take immediate advantage of crummy goaltending, scoring three times in the opening nine minutes. Because they turn in a dominating third period, scoring twice before hosts can register even a single shot. In fact, when the Wild finally gets a shot on net, only 3:38 remains in the period. Because nearly everyone contributes. Only two minus players. Flames Lines C.Glencross O.Jokinen J.Iginla

B.Comeau M.Backlund L.Stempniak A.Tanguay R.Horak R.Bourque T.Kostopoulos M.Stajan T.Jackman Flames Pairings C.Butler J.Bouwmeester M.Giordano S.Hannan D.Smith T.J. Brodie Flames Goalies M.Kiprusoff H.Karlsson Wild Lines D.Heatley M.Koivu D.Setoguchi C.Clutterbuck M.Cullen P.Bouchard D.Powe K.Brodziak N.Johnson C.Gillies W.Peters B.Staubitz Wild Pairings M.Scandella J.Spurgeon C.Stoner N.Schultz J.Falk N.Prosser Wild Goalies N.Backstrom J.Harding The Rosters Calgary scratches D Cory Sarich, C Brendan Morrison, RW Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, D Brett Carson (back), D Anton Babchuk (hand), RW David Moss (foot). Man-games lost: 66 Minnesota scratches D Greg Zanon (groin), D Marek Zidlicky (concussion), D Mike Lundin (back), LW Guillaume Latendresse (concussion). Man-games lost: 76 The Summary First Period 1. Minnesota, C Clutterbuck 6 (pp) (M Koivu, D Heatley) 1:57. 2. Calgary, M Giordano 4 (unassisted) 4:37. 3. Calgary, L Stempniak 5 (M Backlund, C Butler) 6:54. 4. Minnesota, N Johnson 3 (K Brodziak) 8:06. 5. Calgary, T Brodie 1 (M Stajan, T Jackman) 8:45. Penalties M Giordano Cgy (High-sticking) 0:28; C Clutterbuck Min (Highsticking) 8:53; C Glencross Cgy (Cross-checking) 12:50; C Stoner Min (Roughing) 12:50. Second Period No Scoring Penalties W Peters Min (Slashing) 2:02; R Bourque Cgy (Tripping) 10:48; D Smith Cgy (Holding) 16:12; L Stempniak Cgy (Holding) 19:28. Third Period 6. Calgary, A Tanguay 4 (unassisted) 1:39. 7. Calgary, J Iginla 7 (C Glencross, O Jokinen) 8:26. Penalties Team Min (Objects on ice) 8:26; M Stajan Cgy (Goaltender Interference) 18:38. Shots on goal by Calgary 15 11 9 35

Minnesota 7 10 4 21 Power plays (goals-chances) Calgary: 0-3, Minnesota: 1-5. Goal (shots-saves) Calgary: M Kiprusoff (21-19, W, 9-9-0). Minnesota: N Backstrom (8-5, L, 7-5-2), J Harding (27-25). Referees: Dean Morton, Paul Devorski. Linesmen: Dan Schachte, Pierre Champoux. Att. at St. Paul, Minn. 16,864. Up Next The Flames charter home to brace for Tuesdays visit from Mike Fisher and the Nashville Predators (7:30 p.m., SN 960, TSN). Calgary Herald: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590938 Calgary Flames

Sutters shuffle sparks Flames to win over Wild

By Scott Cruickshank,

Its a little like re-arranging the cows in the barn and expecting more milk, isnt it? Cows produce what they produce no matter whos beside them. Just like players. Nevertheless, who could blame Calgary Flames coach Brent Sutter for having itchy fingers? For wanting a shake-up? For changing all four of his lines? The hunch paid off. The Flames, with their hastily realigned forwards, rattled off three goals in the opening nine minutes and cruised to a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild in National Hockey League action Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center. That was definitely a spark for us, Lee Stempniak said of the up-front reconfiguration. It seems like guys played well together. The biggest thing for me, it seemed like we were moving in five-man units. We brought the forwards back (into the defensive zone) more, moved the puck more, and had a lot more speed attacking. Especially off the rush, we were able to push their defencemen back. Results speak volumes. This marked only the second time they had compiled five tallies in a single night. (Perspective in the other three games of the road trip, the Flames had scored four goals. Total.) That must mean the line-juggling coach is a genius, suggested one reporter. Well, I know thats not the truth, said Sutter, cackling. You know what? I think it helped, kind of a refocus for the guys . . . giving them something different to look at. There seemed to be more communication on the bench, guys talking talking about plays, talking about coverage, stuff like that. That happens when youre playing with some different guys. (Sunday) it worked for us. Representatives from three lines Alex Tanguay, Jarome Iginla, Stempniak scored. From the blueline, too, the Flames got a welcome boost. In the travellers opening three-goal outburst, two of the goals were authored by defencemen. Mark Giordano, in deep, buried one from an impossible angle. Then T.J. Brodie, jumping in from the right point, took a feed from Matt Stajan and sliced his first NHL goal between goalie Niklas Backstroms pads.

I was actually trying to pass it to (Tim) Jackman, admitted Brodie. It wasnt pretty. After Brodies goal, though, Backstrom was excused. Josh Harding, in relief, looked sharp. He blocked, sometimes in spectacular fashion, the first 18 shots he saw. But the 19th shot his first of the third period got past him. The goalie, pressured by Stempniak, cleared the puck directly to Tanguay, who rattled it home at 1:39. I thought Tangs goal . . . was probably the biggest, said Iginla. Especially after having so many good chances and not being able to get one by him, it was a good break. But as impressive as the Flames offence was, defensively they were solid, too, allowing only first-period markers to Cal Clutterbuck (on the power play) and Nick Johnson (on a Rene Bourque giveaway). And they didnt permit a third-period puck on Miikka Kiprusoff till there was less than four minutes to go. I thought we were quicker, we were moving our feet, said Iginla. We did have good position in our zone, we were skating through the neutral zone, we were creative in the offensive zone a nice combination all the way through. Of course, few nights are without their wrinkles. And this one had a pair of curious moments. After Iginla scored, hed glided past the Wilds bench. Suddenly, a spurt of water hit the Flames captain in the face. The officials didnt miss the wet attack, handing the hosts a minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. Iginla explained (sort of). I honestly didnt see (who did it), he claimed. Someone was yelling at me the whole time. I was fortunate to be able to score on the same shift. So it was just one of those fun moments. I dont know, I think I gave him a wink or something. And he didnt like it. No hard feelings. Iginla had more to say about Giordanos graceful first-period exit. The Flames defender had lost a skate blade in Wild territory, a development that left him awkwardly marooned. First, Giordano lurched awkwardly towards the bench. Then he stopped. Then he tried again. He came to the bench, everyones laughing, said Iginla, grinning. He didnt find it funny at all. He was grouchy. But we enjoyed that one. Calgary Herald: LOADED: 11.28.2011

which closed out a six-game trip Friday with a 6-3 loss in Pittsburgh, begins a three-game trip Tuesday in Winnipeg. Eric Staal and Alexei Ponikarovsky scored in the third as Carolina twice closed to within one in the final period. Patrick Dwyer also scored for the Hurricanes, who are on a 0-2-1 skid. "Other than that first minute in the first period, I thought we took it to them and overall played a pretty sound game," said Cam Ward, who made 21 saves. "It's frustrating when wins aren't coming easy and you feel like you played a good game and didn't get rewarded for it." Carolina, which went 1 for 8 on the power play, has won just three of its last 13 (3-9-1). "We played a good game," coach Paul Maurice said. "We didn't get a handle on enough pucks around their net on the power play." Held without a goal since Oct. 29, Spezza took no time ending his drought with a sensational individual effort in the game's opening minute. The Ottawa center drove past Hurricanes defenseman Tim Gleason and cut across the goalmouth to stuff the puck past Ward's left pad and into the right side of the net for his first goal in 12 games. Dwyer drew Carolina even with 4:57 to go in the first, beating Anderson over the left shoulder with a tight-angle shot from the right side for his third goal. Spezza's 200th goal, his second of the period and eighth of the season, came off a fine setup by Sergei Gonchar. Spezza took the veteran defenseman's pass and fired into an open side before skating to the boards to pound his fist against the glass. "I was just excited to score," Spezza said. "I actually didn't even think about it at the time that it was 200 until after somebody mentioned it. I thought about it a few games ago and it's been so long since I've scored that you lose track of that kind of stuff." Anderson made a lunging glove save to deny Jeff Skinner and protect Ottawa's 2-1 lead midway through the second. Rundblad got his first goal in 14 games when he beat Ward with a shot from the point with 14 seconds left in the second to make it 3-1. Milan Michalek put a shot off the post on an Ottawa power play in the third. Staal drew the Hurricanes within 3-2 moments later with his fifth goal at 6:46. Smith put Ottawa up 4-2 with his fourth goal at 12:35. Ponikarovksy cut the lead to one again with a power-play goal at 16:49. The Senators killed a high-sticking penalty to Smith for the final 1:44.

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Carolina Hurricanes

Spezza, Senators top Hurricanes 4-3

"I was in that situation last year where I was sitting in the box and we were up one goal," Smith said. "I took a penalty with a minute and a half to go as well and they ended up scoring, so I was hoping it wasn't deja vu but I had lots of faith in the guys. They, along with Andy, did a great job of killing (penalties) tonight." Notes: Hurricanes D Derek Joslin fought with Ottawa's Colin Greening with 2:46 left in the first. ... D Tomas Kaberle was left out of Carolina's lineup. ... RW Nikita Filatov played his seventh game for the Senators. He was recalled from Binghamtom earlier in the day and RW Stephane Da Costa was sent down to the Senators' AHL affiliate. ... Ottawa, which will host the 2012 All-Star Game, has another stretch of nine of 10 games on the road in January, including its second six-game trip of the season from Jan. 17-31. News Observer LOADED: 11.28.2011

The Associated Press

OTTAWA Jason Spezza was overdue for a goal outburst and he timed it just right to record a milestone in the midst of the Ottawa Senators' only stop at Scotiabank Place in a span of 10 games. Spezza scored twice, including his 200th regular-season goal, to lead Ottawa to a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night. The 28-year-old center reached the milestone with his second goal of the game on a power play late in the first period. His first tally, a highlight-reel effort 55 seconds in, ended a personal 11-game goal drought. "It's been a while since I scored so they usually come in bunches for me," Spezza said. "It was nice to get my 200th out of the way. It's obviously a big accomplishment and something to be proud of, so hopefully there's more to come." Erik Karlsson and Sergei Gonchar assisted on both goals. David Rundblad got his first NHL goal, Zack Smith also scored and Craig Anderson made 34 saves for the Senators, who are on a 4-1-1 run. Ottawa,

590940

Carolina Hurricanes

Canes blow 2-goal lead, game after shootout shutout

Associated Press

RALEIGH Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens got the better of the Carolina Hurricanes for the second time this month.

Price fended off Carolina early before Montreal rallied for a 4-3 shootout win on Wednesday night. Brian Gionta scored the lone goal in the shootout and Price stopped all three Carolina shooters as Montreal picked up its third win in five games. The Canadiens improved to 10-9-3 and snapped Carolina's two-game winning streak. The Canadiens also beat the Hurricanes 4-0 on Nov. 16 at the Bell Centre "They were definitely thinking about the last time we played them," said Price, who finished with 31 saves. "They were probably looking for a little bit of retribution and we knew they would come out hard and play well." Carolina took a 2-0 first-period lead after Jiri Tlusty and Anthony Stewart tallied for the Hurricanes. Tlusty's goal came 34 seconds into the game after his shot near the blue line glanced off the left post and skidded along the goal line behind Price. The puck almost went all the way through, but Price fell backward and knocked the puck into his own net. "It rolled right along the goal line and I saw their guy charging the net so I tried to lay out and I knocked it in with my stick," Price said. When Stewart made a one-timer from the slot to give Carolina a two-goal cushion at the 6-minute mark, the Hurricanes seemed to have all the momentum. Montreal fought back to tie the game by getting a short-handed goal from Lars Eller at 9:06 of the second and then the Canadiens knotted the score at 2-2 when Michael Cammalleri tipped in a pass from Josh Gorges 27 seconds into the third period. "In the first period we weren't good," Montreal coach Jacques Martin said. "They won more battles and were on the puck. They were more determined. After that we came back strong in the second, created several good chances, capitalized and persisted as we should have." Brandon Sutter's goal at 3:18 of the third gave Carolina a brief 3-2 lead, but Travis Moen evened the score again when picked up his 100th career point. In overtime, Carolina captain Eric Staal had a solid shot bounce off the post with 1:30 left. The Canadiens also had a pair of chances in the extra period that Carolina's Cam Ward, who had 30 saves, stopped with stellar goaltending. NOTES: Montreal D Hal Gill returned to the lineup after missing the past five games with an infection. ... With cousins Brandon and Brett Sutter picking up assists for Carolina, it marked the first time since March 3, 1994, that two Sutter teammates registered points when Brent had two and Rich got one for Chicago against Calgary. ... Montreal got its second shorthanded goal of the season on Eller's tally in the second period. Montreal 0 1 2 04 Carolina 2 0 1 03 Montreal won shootout 1-0 First Period_1, Carolina, Tlusty 3 (Bra.Sutter, Faulk), :34. 2, Carolina, Stewart 4 (Brent, Bre.Sutter), 6:00. Second Period_3, Montreal, Eller 2 (Diaz), 9:06 (sh). Third Period_4, Montreal, Cammalleri 5 (Gorges, Subban), :27. 5, Carolina, Bra.Sutter 5 (Dwyer, Tlusty), 3:18. 6, Montreal, Moen 7 (Weber, Eller), 4:37. Overtime_None. Shootout_Montreal 1 (Cammalleri NG, Pacioretty NG, Gionta G), Carolina 0 (LaRose NG, Skinner NG, Jokinen NG). Shots on Goal_Montreal 7-12-12-3_34. Carolina 5-13-13-2_33. Goalies_Montreal, Price. Carolina, Ward. A_14,862 (18,680). T_2:38. Herald-Sun LOADED: 11.28.2011 590941 Chicago Blackhawks

By Chris Kuc,

As their equipment bags were being hauled out of the visitors' dressing room for the sixth and final time during a grueling 13-day trip, the Blackhawks talked about lessons learned during the journey through western Canada and California. "What we learned about ourselves is we have a good team here," defenseman Duncan Keith said before departing Los Angeles. "It's a fight every night. We're a confident team when we play a good team game and we play the right way and everybody's on the same page. When we play that way, it's a lot easier to have that success." The Hawks considered their 3-3-0 record while the circus invaded the United Center a success, especially after coming together as a team to shake off a three-game skid that included blowout losses in Calgary and Edmonton. They rallied to finish with solid efforts in California, starting with a 1-0 loss to the Sharks on Wednesday and continuing with back-to-back wins over the Ducks and Kings over the weekend. The Hawks began the trek with an impressive victory over the Canucks. "We know how good we can be if we go out there and work," captain Jonathan Toews said. "Without that work ethic, without sticking to our game plan and playing the way we expect each other to play, there's not much there. "We know that teams will raise their game against us, and we have to be ready for that. There aren't going to be any easy ones. We just have to work for it, and if we do that, we'll be fine." Most encouraging for the Hawks is they finished the trip where they started it: at the top of the Western Conference standings. When they left for Vancouver on Nov. 21, the Hawks were 11-4-3 with a league- and conference-high 25 points. Upon arriving back in Chicago in the wee hours Sunday, they led the West with 31 points. Stopping the bleeding after losing by a combined 10 goals against the Flames and Oilers gave the Hawks an opportunity to come home even on the trip. "Going into the trip, we were looking to finish .500 or above," winger Viktor Stalberg said. "There was some pressure on us after losing those two games, but we found a way to come back and win two huge games. The last three games were a step forward." With one of their two extended trips behind them, the Hawks have an opportunity to separate themselves from the pack with 18 of their next 25 games at the United Center, where they are 7-1-2. Coach Joel Quenneville said his team can't drop its guard even though the bulk of the games the next two months will be at home. "As soon as you think it's going to be easy, it gets worse," Quenneville said. "So let's make sure we're hungry at home and that we prioritize each and every game and play hard." Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.28.2011 590942 Chicago Blackhawks

Corey Crawfords confidence boosted by strong game against Kings

By Adam L. Jahns

Corey Crawford admitted that things were starting to get to him. Even in victories, he was seeing too many goals slip behind him including some on shots he knows he should save and he was beginning to dwell on it. So he needed a game like his 26-save performance in the Blackhawks 2-1 victory Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings. It helped restore some confidence. I havent been getting the results that I wanted. I feel like I need to give a little bit more, Crawford said.

Hawks' circus trip ends on happy note

I just felt like I was giving up a lot of goals. Maybe I was just letting it get to me. The team has been playing well the last three games. Were giving up less chances. Its definitely a factor. The best thing about Crawfords victory is that he allowed another tough goal to Kings forward Jarret Stoll on an odd fluttering shot, but then shut them out after that. He played big and kept out second chances. He needed to be strong, coach Joel Quenneville said. They were around the net. They crashed the net for second opportunities. They seemed to find pucks. He was very quick, very sharp. Looking back In hindsight, was getting routed by the Edmonton Oilers 9-2 the wake-up call the Hawks needed to get some players going and their checking game back on track? You dont want to go through that again, but certainly you learn from that, Quenneville said. There are certain ways you can get guys attention none better than that way, but I dont recommend it. Winning two straight to finish .500 on the six-game trip is definitely a morale-booster, too. We know how good we can be if we go out there and work, center Jonathan Toews said. But without that work ethic and without sticking to our game plan and playing the way we expect each other to play, theres not much there. Oh, Danny boy Quenneville expects Daniel Carcillo to respond after being a healthy scratch for the first time Saturday. John Scott was moved to the fourth line in Los Angeles. I thought [Carcillo] had a great start, Quenneville said. He hasnt been at that same pace, but hes still going to be a big part of this team. Hes competitive. Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 11.28.2011 590943 Chicago Blackhawks

and eventually moved up to the third as Quenneville altered his bottom two lines often. Obviously, you expect an adjustment, said Brunette, who also found chemistry with Marcus Kruger. I feel as I start to get more adjusted and up to speed as we go along here, my game will start to elevate. Quenneville already thinks it has. Not only has he been better at even strength, but Brunettes experience and good hands have been a key component to the recent success of the second power-play unit. He leads the Hawks with four power-play goals. His play has been very good, Quenneville said. He really gives that second power-play unit a nice look to it. It seems like there are a lot of plays around the net that he seems to relish and recognize. Its one of his strengths. Youre seeing a lot more as hes progressing here. Hell get more and more comfortable with his surroundings and his linemates as well. [Brunette] is useful in a lot of ways. I think he had a slow beginning, but hes up to speed now. Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 11.28.2011 590944 Chicago Blackhawks

Toews gets Blackhawks home in good shape

By Tim Sassone

Its always team first with Jonathan Toews. Forget the fact that Toews saved the Blackhawks circus road trip with his performances in wins at Anaheim and Los Angeles. The captain was talking team following the 2-1 victory at the Staples Center on Saturday that enabled the Hawks to come home from the trip .500 at 33. We learned a lot, Toews said. We know how good we can be if we go out there and work, but without that work ethic and sticking with the game plan and how weve got to play, theres not much there. But heres something we didnt need to learn on the road trip: Toews is truly something special. He finished the trip with 4 goals and 6 assists and was plus-2. He had 5 points in Fridays win at Anaheim, 4 of them in the third period when the Hawks roared from behind to win 6-5. Toews then scored the winning goal at Los Angeles late in the second period to snap a 1-1 tie. Toews has 13 goals to rank tied for third in the NHL. His 25 points rank sixth, and he is first in the league at winning faceoffs at 61.5 percent. Every game he does things that show the kind of character he has and the leadership that he provides, Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said following the win in Anaheim. Led by Toews, the Hawks picked themselves off the floor following disastrous losses at Calgary (5-2) and Edmonton (9-2) to come home still in first place in the Central Division. Quenneville thought last Wednesdays 1-0 loss at San Jose was the turning point on the trip from a team perspective after what happened in Alberta. That game got us back on track, Quenneville said. We lost 1-0, but we played probably our best road game. We got rewarded the next two nights. The game in San Jose came after the Hawks spent two days relaxing in Las Vegas, a side trip Quenneville admitted he considered canceling after the 7-goal loss in Edmonton. We went into Vegas on the worst possible note, but it turned out maybe to be productive with guys getting together and focusing on the rest of the trip, Quenneville said. The play of Toews wasnt the only highlight of the trip. Patrick Sharp had 5 goals in the six games and was plus-2.

Andrew Brunette highlights Blackhawks depth

By Adam L. Jahns

Few teams have the luxury of using a player with a rsum similar to Andrew Brunettes on their third line and second power-play unit. But the Blackhawks are able to reap the benefits. Its evidence of the Hawks improved depth and a sign of Brunettes willingness to help out in any situation. Ive been bounced around all over the place, but I just try to play my game, Brunette told the Sun-Times. Its whatever I can do to help the team. Im just happy to be in a position where were one of the top teams in the league right now. Well continue to build on that, and whatever the role, Ill play. Being part of Dave Bollands line usually means getting tough defensive assignments, while also playing less than when among the top-six forwards. But it also means using offense to negate offensive players. Brunette, who has scored 261 goals over his 16-year career, has done well recently with Bolland as coach Joel Quenneville searches for the right combinations among his bottom-six forwards. Brunette scored his first nonpower-play goal of the season against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. He did it with Bolland creating problems around goalie Jonathan Quick and some of the Kings best forwards Anze Kopitar, Simon Gagne and Justin Williams on the ice. [Bolland] can be a top-two-line center anywhere in the league, Brunette said. Similar things can be said about Brunette, who has 10 points. He would be the first to tell you he had a slow start, failing to get results with Jonathan Toews and others despite good looks. He was dropped to the fourth line

Duncan Keith had 6 assists and shook off his rough games in Calgary and Edmonton with three strong efforts. Viktor Stalberg had a goal and 4 assists. Marcus Kruger had 3 assists and was a spark plug on the power play. And Corey Crawford picked up his play in the final three games. He was at his best in the loss at San Jose and in Saturdays win at Los Angeles. I havent been getting the results I wanted, Crawford said. I just felt like Ive been giving up a lot of goals, but maybe I was just letting it get to me. The Hawks now have a most favorable schedule awaiting them with 10 of the next 14 games at the United Center, where they are 7-1-2. As soon as you think its easy, it gets worse, Quenneville said. Lets get hungry at home, prioritize every game and play hard. Added Keith: For some of the guys who have been around here, were used to this trip. Obviously it was a long road trip and were excited to go home now. Were happy with the way we played the last three games, and its nice to finish the trip with a couple of wins and use that momentum and excitement when we get home. Daily Herald Times LOADED: 11.28.2011 590945 Chicago Blackhawks

It now looks like Ray Emerys next chance in net after the nightmare in Edmonton will come either next Friday at home against the Islanders, or Saturday in St. Louis against the resurgent Blues. Speaking of the Oilers... Yes, the Hawks were terrible that night. That was their wakeup call against this Edmonton team they previously caught at home at the end of an Oilers five-game road trip. Their boatload of young speed and skill is still looking for consistency while having perfect veteran complements now in Ryan Smyth, Eric Belanger and Andy Sutton. But did you see what they did on the road against two other very good defensive teams after that rout of the Hawks? They won 6-2 at Nashville, then 5-2 at Minnesota. Those were sandwiched between losses in Dallas and Colorado. So theyre still learning, but they shouldnt be counted out of the top-8 in the West when all is said and done if they keep growing at their current pace. The Oilers await Monday's MRI results on Taylor Halls left shoulder injury suffered Saturday against the Avalanche. Speaking of Dallas... The biggest reason for their fast start goalie Kari Lehtonen was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury that caused him to leave Saturdays game early. The Stars didnt provide further details as of Sunday evening. Interesting tidbits

Blackhawks road trip roundup

The Blackhawks are now 9-0-1 when scoring first. The only time they did that on the entire Circus trip was Saturday. Daniel Carcillos all but admitted hes still kind of stuck between styles, resulting in being a healthy scratch Saturday. Thereve been times where you can almost see him thinking on the ice how to play a certain situation, since he has an ability to skate and make some plays. But the past several years have been spent doing one thing: raising hell. Its a fast game as it is, and finding the right balance at the right time has to be a challenge. Then theres how far he takes a physical message, since this has not been a strong month for the teams penalty killing. And so 18 of the next 24 games are back at the United Center - before a stretch where they sandwich nine straight road games between Jan. 24 and Feb. 19. The Hawks are 7-1-2 at home. It's time to fatten up over the holidays. The always-dangerous first game back comes against Phoenix, who are 9-4-1 over the past month. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.28.2011

CHRIS BODEN

Got these 2011-12 Blackhawks figured out yet? Weve already seen a lot of looks now that theyre through the Circus Trip grind. Like last year, they finished with back-to-back wins in Anaheim and Los Angeles. Unlike the last two years, they had to settle for a 3-3-0 record, short of last Novembers 4-2 mark, and going 4-1-1 as part of their Stanley Cup season. The team says its still figuring things out about itself, and talked of taking lessons learned and putting them to use between now and the second week of April. For those who debate whether this is Jonathan Toews team, or cant decide whether the captain, Patrick Kane or Marian Hossa has the greatest impact on their fortunes, this road trip might be evidence that Duncan Keith is really the straw that stirs the Blackhawks drink. Of course, its not that cut-and-dried, but when hes playing well and in that Norris trophy-winning area code of two years ago, the team usually plays well. When he doesnt, it struggles. This teams good enough where it shouldnt be that way if Keith has a bad game. As much as people want to point a finger when he goes a combined minus-8 in back-to-back games, give him a thumbs-up when hes even over the last three contests, with four assists over the final two. Toews has played his best, for whatever reason, in the month of February during his four-year career. But this has been a "November to Remember" for the center with the C. With one game left this month, hes scored nine goals and set up nine others in 13 contests, and is a plus-7. Hes grabbed control of the teams goals and points lead, and he erupted to wind up the trip without Hossa as one of his wingers. Whatever line Hossas been on has been the Hawks best to this point, but it was a rather quiet finish to the trip for him and Kane -- who has 10 points in 14 road games, and 13 points in 10 home games. Q makes correct Crow call For the first time since the opening weekend, Joel Quenneville (with a couple of extra hours of rest in-between due to Fridays afternoon game) decided to start Corey Crawford in back-to-back games. It turned out to be the right call. He finished the Anaheim game strong, had success against the Kings last season and was sharp in the finale. And now he hates knuckleballs, thanks to the lone one that got past him Saturday.

590946

Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche's talented class of 2009 flexing its muscles

By Mike Chambers

Before becoming the top three picks in a 2009 Avalanche draft class that is shaping up to be one of the best in franchise history, centers Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly and defenseman Stefan Elliott already had something in common. They were teammates on Canada's gold medal-winning squad at the 2008 Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Slovakia. A year later, they reconvened in Denver as Colorado's top draft picks. The three 20-year-olds, along with 2011 first-round draft pick Gabriel Landeskog, 19, are why Colorado has great potential to grow. Elliott made an extraordinary NHL debut Saturday night, producing the game-winning goal and playing superbly at both ends of the ice in a 5-2 comeback victory over the similarly young Edmonton Oilers. "It was pretty storybook for me, a pretty special moment," Elliott said Sunday after logging 19:36 of ice time Saturday night. "Not many guys from the same (2009) class are playing right now, being so young. It's a testament to the scouting staff. And it's nice to have people around you that are your own age."

Duchene and O'Reilly made Colorado's roster as 18-year-olds in 2009 and never have played in the minor leagues. Duchene became the youngest player in franchise history to lead the team in scoring, collecting 67 points (27) goals in 80 games last season and is on pace to exceed those numbers this season. O'Reilly began his NHL career as a defensive specialist but has grown into one of the Avs' top two-way forwards. He leads the team with 12 assists. Given the way Elliott played Saturday, his 18-game stint for the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League is over. "It really does look good, obviously, for the present and the future when you have those three guys," Avs coach Joe Sacco said Sunday. "Elliott is going to certainly be a strong power-play guy in this league for a long time. That's obviously the strength of his game, his ability to make plays and show poise with the puck. "His poise defensively is really impressive too. You go back to his junior stats, and he led the Western League every year in plus-minus. So he obviously knows how to play the game at both ends at the ice." Duchene has seven goals in his past 11 games, after producing only two in his first 12. He struck just twice in his first 18 games last season, then got hot. "My game is coming as we go here," Duchene said. "The first six, seven games of the season I just couldn't get into any games. I didn't feel like I was a part of it sometimes. In the last probably 12 games I feel like I can get more into the game. The game I'm playing now was established in the summer. Obviously I've made some changes to be more effective, but at the same time I knew it was there the whole time." O'Reilly's game is based on little things, such as faceoff percentage, plusminus and takeaways. He entered Saturday second in the league with 28 takeaways, behind Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk (31). "Ryan O'Reilly obviously started out in the league as more of a defender, a checking centerman, but he's trying to evolve his game into a better twoway player, as far as putting the puck in the back of the net," Sacco said. "He needs more of a shooting mentality, because he does have a good shot. He tends to overpass." O'Reilly, who shows significant leadership qualities, still has a hard time calling himself an NHL veteran. He never expected to make the team three months after being drafted. "It happened so quick. It's amazing. I didn't expect to make the team," O'Reilly said. "I just came in, there was no pressure, which was nice, and I made the team and got to go through everything with Dutchy. That was pretty cool, and now having another good friend like Ellie come up, it's really cool. "It's good to be reunited." Denver Post: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590947 Colorado Avalanche

Sacco said goalie Seymon Varlamov will start against Dallas, which serves as Colorado's fifth opponent in an eight-game homestand. "I thought he played well (Saturday) night, the two games," Sacco said of Varlamov. "He certainly gave us a chance to win. He held us in there." Denver Post: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590948 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blues 2, Blue Jackets 1: Hitch in the road

By Aaron Portzline

The Blue Jackets recent success has been rooted in their switch to a moredefensive style. The St. Louis Blues approach needs no explanation beyond the fact that Ken Hitchcock is now their coach. It was no surprise, then, that last nights game was both surgical in it precision and bludgeoning in its brutality. The Blue Jackets blinked twice in the latter half of the game and lost 2-1 before 14,151 in Nationwide Arena, a game that would have delighted Detroit Pistons fans from the late 1980s. That was a 200-foot game out there, Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel said, where you just had to battle for every inch. Hitchcock, meanwhile, spoke with a glint in his eye about grinding down the game. This was pretty much a chess match, a matter of who was going to blink first, Blue Jackets goaltender Curtis Sanford said. These types of games usually come down to special teams, and thats what happened tonight. The Jackets third line accounted for their only goal. Derek Dorsett, sprung by a pass from Sammy Pahlsson out of the neutral zone, beat Blues goaltender Brian Elliott for a 1-0 lead at 5:06 of the second period. They clog the middle, Dorsett said. Theyre a big team. They block a lot of shots and surround their goalie well. We did a good job early in the game getting pucks to the net, but they kind of shut it down as the game went along. Down 1-0, the Blues showed no panic. When we get pushed, we dont get big-eyed, Hitchcock said. I like what our team does. We dont get discouraged. We dont hang our head. The Blues tied the score with 7.1 seconds left in the second period when former Jackets defenseman Kris Russell benefitting from the extra space of 4-on-4 play crept in through the left circle and buried a rebound off Sanfords left pad. The Blues snapped an 0-for-22 slump on the power play when David Backes scored at 7:49 of the third.

Avs' Duchene, Landeskog miss practice, but likely vs. Dallas Backes easy finish was made possible by T.J. Oshies spectacular backhand pass through Jackets defenseman Grant Clitsome and across the slot, leaving Sanford little chance to go post-to-post. It almost seemed like it must have been a set play, Sanford said, because Backes kind of got lost in traffic and found a way to get open. Adrian Dater takes readers' questions about the Colorado Avalanche and NHL. Young Avalanche forwards Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog missed practice Sunday but both are expected to play in Monday's game against the Dallas Stars at the Pepsi Center. Duchene, 20, is nursing a minor illness, Colorado coach Joe Sacco said, and the 19-year-old Landeskog is recovering from minor bumps and bruises from Saturday night's 5-2 comeback victory over the visiting Edmonton Oilers. "He had eight hits last night; he goes in the traffic areas. That's what happens when you play hard," Sacco said of Landeskog. Defenseman Erik Johnson and winger Peter Mueller also didn't practice. They both are on injured reserve with groin injuries. It was 2-1 Blues, and the grinding commenced. The Blue Jackets No.?1 line, on a torrid pace the past five games, was held in check. Rick Nash, Jeff Carter and Vinny Prospal combined for eight shots on goal, while three others were blocked, including an unintentional derriere block by Blues defenseman Roman Polak to turn away a 3-on-1 rush late in the second period. We had tons of chances to get the lead, and we couldnt finish, Nash said. Me and Carter could have both had about three goals each. Id say it was more about us not burying our chances than (them stopping us). The Blue Jackets, who had earned a point in five straight games (3-0-2), leave today on a four-game, nine-day trip through Canada.

By Mike Chambers

We said a couple of weeks ago that we have to put streaks together, Arniel said. Well, when you lose one, you have to start over and start a new streak. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011 590949 Columbus Blue Jackets

In any case, it was grand to see Hitchcock back in the friendly confines, behind one bench or another. He will do something with these Blues. He already has. Victory brought a measure of relief and closure for Hitchcock, and for Russell and, one must think, for Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel. While Hitchcock was out of work and still under contract here, his presence hung over Arniel. It was a squirrelly situation, made worse by the Jackets 2-11-1 start their record before Hitchcock headed down I-70 earlier this month. It all made for a good show last night. Two of the hottest teams in the league met, with subplots shooting off in all directions. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011 590950 Columbus Blue Jackets

Michael Arace commentary: Return of Hitchcock, Russell adds spice

Michael Arace

Nationwide Arena presented some inviting theater last night. Ken Hitchcock returned to his old haunt with a new team, the St. Louis Blues, and they defeated the Blue Jackets 2-1. Given the final score, everyone knew the first words that were to come from Hitchs mouth after the game. Well, we really ground it down in the third period, he said. Hitchcock is in his element. He has inherited a team that somehow was custom-built for him. The face of the team is David Backes, who is Chewbacca on skates. If he could, Hitchcock would strap an oxygen tank on the young Wookiee and play him 60 minutes. Hitchcock went on about the third period grind-down. After he quieted down, someone threw a couple more questions at him. Did this not feel good? Seriously, did it not? You have to remember, two things happened tonight, he said. One, the way (the Blue Jackets) were playing got our attention. We saw how they took apart Buffalo the other night and what they did to New Jersey in the third period before that. The second thing is, this was not just about Ken Hitchcock, but also a young lad by the name of Russell. Ah, yes, Kris Russell. Hitchcock was hired by the Blues on Nov.?6. Since, the Blues are 7-1-2. Russell was traded to the Blues, for defenseman Nikita Nikitin, on Nov.?10. Since, Russell has scored three goals. Last night, Russell struck 4-on-4. He snuck behind everybody and scored on a back-door redirection to tie the score at 1 with 7.1 seconds remaining in the second period. The goal was a game-changer. Did this not feel good? Seriously, did it not? Felt pretty good, Russell said. Russell did not want to get traded. He was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the third round in 2005. He was on the Hitchcock team that made it to the playoffs in 2008-09. He has fast friends here. He knows the names of the arena security guards. The trade caught me off-guard a bit, Russell said. It was pretty tough when it went down. I wanted to be part of the solution here. We have heard many players say such a thing, that they wanted to be part of the solution. Of course they do. When will Blue Jackets fans see a solution? We shall let that dangle and move along. Russell has, and he is quite happy. He is winning. Hitchcock, too, is thrilled. You can just tell. He is worried about the power play, and the push-back, and the odd-man rushes against. Hitchcock spent 21 months in a personal Siberia after the Blue Jackets fired him. The first season he spent reconnecting to his junior roots in western Canada. The second year he worked with coaches and players with the Blue Jackets minor-league affiliate in Springfield, Mass., an experience he said he valued. There is no reason not to believe him, but coaching is what he does. He downplayed his return, and so did the Jackets who, on the face of things, treated him like Leon Trotsky. He deserved a tad more than the regular acknowledgement as the visiting coach. Did he not get this club to the playoffs once? Sure, the team imploded, and he was ultimately fired the right call at the time but a slight tip of the cap was in order. A few words from the PA announcer would have sufficed.

Blue Jackets notebook: Russell, Nikitin fitting in well with new teams

By Shawn Mitchell

The trade of Blue Jackets defenseman Kris Russell to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Nikita Nikitin earlier this month has been mutually beneficial. Nikitin, an afterthought in St. Louis, has gobbled up ice time and has five assists with the Blue Jackets. Russell has been energized by his move to St. Louis he has three goals and one assist in eight games with the Blues. Goal No.?3 was a back-door rebound with eight seconds remaining in the second period last night that tied the score during a 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets in Nationwide Arena. Russell, who had been with the Blue Jackets since 2007, said the move was difficult. But it was made smoother by the presence of former Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock, who was hired by the Blues five days before Russell arrived on Nov.?11. You never expect it, said Russell, who did not know any Blues players before he was traded. It was tough to leave the guys and the community. But it was pretty cool that I actually knew Hitch. He was a friendly face. Nikitin, meanwhile, played fewer than 23 minutes last night (22:43) for the first time since joining the Blue Jackets. He had one goal and eight assists and reached the 23-minute mark in only two of 41 games last season, his first in the NHL. Nikitin had no points with the Blues this season and was scratched in eight of his final nine games before the trade. But he quickly developed a chemistry with Blue Jackets defensive partner Fedor Tyutin, a fellow Russian. Two countrymen who are speaking the same language on the ice, Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel said. That has been a real nice surprise for us. We (the coaching staff) didnt know a lot about (Nikitin). Obviously, someone upstairs did. They did their homework. Complimentary coach Hitchcock stopped short of wiping his brow after the one-goal win ended a five-game Blue Jackets point streak, but he had plenty of praise for his former team. Theyre playing as good as anybody in the (Western Conference) right now, Hitchcock said. They give you nothing easy. We never had a 2-on-1. (They) never had any breakdowns. Theyre competing at a very high level. To play like theyre playing right now, theyre going to win a lot of hockey games. They have something that other teams dont: They have four lines that can play. Slap shots The Blue Jackets will leave today for a nine-day, four-game swing through Canada. It is their longest trip of the season. Blue Jackets goaltender Curtis Sanford played 73 games for St. Louis from 2002 to 2007. Tyutin was whistled for three minor penalties. Blues forward David Backes scored

the winner while Tyutin was in the penalty box after one of two hooking infractions in the third period. Blue Jackets forward Cody Bass fought with hulking Blues forward Ryan Reaves early in the third period. Bass landed a flurry of right hands, including one that connected as he fell to the ice at bouts end. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011 590951 Columbus Blue Jackets

The Jackets third line accounted for their only goal. Derek Dorsett, sprung by a pass from Sammy Pahlsson out of the neutral zone, beat Blues goaltender Brian Elliott for a 1-0 lead at 5:06 of the second period. They clog the middle, Dorsett said. Theyre a big team. They block a lot of shots and surround their goalie well. We did a good job early in the game getting pucks to the net, but they kind of shut it down as the game went along. Down 1-0, the Blues showed no panic.

Season status report

When we get pushed, we dont get big-eyed, Hitchcock said. I like what our team does. We dont get discouraged. We dont hang our head. The Blues tied the score with 7.1 seconds left in the second period when former Jackets defenseman Kris Russell benefitting from the extra space of 4-on-4 play crept in through the left circle and buried a rebound off Sanfords left pad. The Blues snapped an 0-for-22 slump on the power play when David Backes scored at 7:49 of the third. Backes easy finish was made possible by T.J. Oshies spectacular backhand pass through Jackets defenseman Grant Clitsome and across the slot, leaving Sanford little chance to go post-to-post. It almost seemed like it must have been a set play, Sanford said, because Backes kind of got lost in traffic and found a way to get open. It was 2-1 Blues, and the grinding commenced. The Blue Jackets No.1 line, on a torrid pace the past five games, was held in check. Rick Nash, Jeff Carter and Vinny Prospal combined for eight shots on goal, while three others were blocked, including an unintentional derriere block by Blues defenseman Roman Polak to turn away a 3-on-1 rush late in the second period. We had tons of chances to get the lead, and we couldnt finish, Nash said. Me and Carter could have both had about three goals each. Id say it was more about us not burying our chances than (them stopping us). The Blue Jackets, who had earned a point in five straight games (3-0-2), leave today on a four-game, nine-day trip through Canada. We said a couple of weeks ago that we have to put streaks together, Arniel said. Well, when you lose one, you have to start over and start a new streak. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011

Staff

Dispatch staffers sound off on the Jackets and the NHL Birth of the Devils The New Jersey Devils, who host the Jackets tonight, have their roots in Missouri, where the Kansas City Scouts were an NHL expansion team in 1974. The team also spent time in Colorado before moving to New Jersey in 1982. 300: Games played by forward Jared Boll, who was drafted by the Blue Jackets in 2005 and made his NHL debut in 2007. Boll has 21 goals and 764 penalty minutes in his career. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011 590952 Columbus Blue Jackets

Trending up

Staff

The St. Louis Blues were in 14th place in the Western Conference on Nov.?7 but currently are fifth. The Blues have earned at least a point in nine of the first 10 games (7-1-2) coached by Ken Hitchcock. He coached his first game on Nov.?8. Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011 590953 Columbus Blue Jackets

Hitchcock returns, directing Blues to 2-1 win over Blue Jackets

590954

Dallas Stars

By Aaron Portzline

Could Stars be looking to add Calgary's Jarome Iginla?

The Blue Jackets recent success has been rooted in their switch to a moredefensive style. The St. Louis Blues approach needs no explanation beyond the fact that Ken Hitchcock is now their coach. It was no surprise, then, that tonights game was both surgical in it precision and bludgeoning in its brutality. The Blue Jackets blinked twice in the latter half of the game and lost 2-1 before 14,151 in Nationwide Arena, a game that would have delighted Detroit Pistons fans from the late 1980s. That was a 200-foot game out there, Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel said, where you just had to battle for every inch. Hitchcock, meanwhile, spoke with a glint in his eye about grinding down the game. This was pretty much a chess match, a matter of who was going to blink first, Blue Jackets goaltender Curtis Sanford said. These types of games usually come down to special teams, and thats what happened tonight.

SportsDayDFW.com

New Stars owner Tom Gaglardi is a person to watch as the team coming courting Calgary Flames star Jarome Iginla. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun feels that the Stars will likely look to trade for the 34-year-old winger who was originally drafted by Dallas in 1995. For a transaction to happen, Iginla would have to agree to waive his nomovement clause, but Garrioch doesn't think that will be a problem. According to Garrioch, Iginla has ties with Gaglardi. "Not only would Iginla help put the Stars back on the map, it just so happens Gaglardi is partners with Iginla, Mark Recchi, Darryl Sydor and Phoenix captain Shane Doan in the ownership group of the WHL's Kamloops Blazers." Most people believe Gaglardi will give Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk the ability to add to the team's payroll, currently at $51 million, and Garrioch adds:

"they can afford to take on the salary of a superstar after allowing Brad Richards to walk last summer." The question is would the Flames trade the face of their franchise? Garrioch writes: "The possibility of the Flames trading Iginla has always been scoffed at, but if they decide to go that route by doing a complete rebuild, there are going to be a lot of suitors and you can expect Dallas to at least be in the middle of those sweepstakes." Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.28.2011 590955 Dallas Stars

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.28.2011 590956 Dallas Stars

Stars place starting goaltender on IR, fear it could be long-term injury

Staff

The Stars don't know for sure until they get an MRI on Kari Lehtonen's groin, but I fear it could be a long-term injury. Heika: Losing goalie Kari Lehtonen to injury further tests Stars' depth Lehtonen has a history with groin injuries. He missed 35 games in 2005-06 with a groin injury and then missed 16 games in 2007-08 with what was called a different groin injury. They placed him on IR today (meaning he is out at least a week) and recalled goalie Richard Bachman from the Texas Stars. They also recalled forward Francis Wathier, which makes you think Vernon Fiddler will miss Monday's game. They did not recall a defenseman, and Trevor Daley is out for sure on Monday against Colorado, so they will move Adam Pardy into the lineup and go with their six healthy defensemen. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.28.2011 590957 Dallas Stars

By MIKE HEIKA

DENVER When the Stars bolted out to a quick start with a new coach and seven new players, the cautiously-optimistic phrase often heard when asked to assess their season-long chances was, Theyll be in great shape as long as the goalie doesnt get hurt. That has happened. Now what? Kari Lehtonen stretched out to make a save Saturday night and injured his groin. He had to be helped from the ice and flew back to Dallas on Sunday. Lehtonen, who is tied for the NHL lead in wins at 13, is expected to get a full assessment Monday, and while nobody is quite sure how long the teams best player might be out, the Stars have to be prepared for the worst. It is a lot like the quarterback position, general manager Joe Nieuwendyk said. Nobody wants to see it, but these things happen and you just have to deal with it. I think you make a commitment to team play and to playing even harder in front of the goalie who is there. Funny things happen at a time like this, and while your mind can have the tendency to have bad thoughts because your quarterback has gone out, you have to fight through that and you have to draw together closer as a team. Dallas has solid depth in the organization at the goaltending position. Andrew Raycroft, 31, has 275 games of NHL experience, and prospect Richard Bachman, 24, was one of the top goalies in the AHL last season. We have Razor here for a reason, and Bachs has played well in the American Hockey league, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. Obviously, its a big blow, but its not one where were all doom and gloom about it. We just hope [Lehtonen] gets better quick. We need our No. 1 guy back, but thats why we have other goalies. Raycroft has struggled this season at 0-5-0, but all of his performances have come on the second night of back-to-back games. Last season, when Lehtonen was injured in December, Raycroft posted a 5-2-0 record with a 2.54 GAA and .920 save percentage. He said he feels better when he is getting consecutive starts. I feel if I get the chance to play more consistently and get into a routine, the wins will come, Raycroft said. You go through it long enough, and you understand that the process will work. If you work hard and you prepare, the rest will take care of itself. That said, the team also has other injuries. Trevor Daley (back), Brenden Morrow (back), Alex Goligoski (thumb) and Adam Burish (hand) are out Monday against the Colorado Avalanche. Morrow could come back as soon as Thursday against Ottawa, but the Stars clearly are testing their depth right now. Still, Gulutzan said the test will be a good thing. He said there are no plans to go into a shell or get conservative. Dallas has called up Bachman and forward Francis Wathier from the AHL to join recent call-ups Tomas Vincour and Philip Larsen, and the team will move forward with confidence, Gulutzan said. Were playing the same game. Were not going to do anything different, the first-year coach said. We get a little rest here [Sunday], so we can come out with some energy. Most of our forward lines should be intact, so we need to come out with a little juice.

GameDay: Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche

Staff

Stars at Avalanche 8 tonight, Pepsi Center, Denver Records: Dallas 13-9-1, 27 points; Colorado 10-12-1, 21. TV/Radio: FSSW, KTCK/1310 AM Notable: The Stars have lost consecutive games, including a 3-0 defeat at Phoenix on Saturday. Starting goalie Kari Lehtonen left Saturday's game with a lower body injury and Sunday was put on injured reserve (out at least seven days). Richard Bachman was called up. Brenden Morrow is also on IR. Colorado has lost two of three after beating Dallas on Nov. 18. Star-Telegram LOADED: 11.28.2011 590958 Detroit Red Wings

Patrick Eaves to have surgery on broken jaw, expected to miss 6-8 weeks

By Helene St. James

Red Wings forward Patrick Eaves is to have surgery on his broken jaw, sidelining him through mid-January. General manager Ken Holland said this afternoon he expects Eaves to miss 6-to-8 weeks, though "we'll know more after he's had the surgery. But Danny Cleary had a broken jaw, Brad Stuart, and that's about the time they missed." Eaves was injured during Saturday's 4-1 victory over Nashville when he was struck by a puck. Holland said the Wings aren't planning any personnel moves right away, as they don't play again until Wednesday, when they host Tampa Bay, and still have 12 healthy forwards. Eaves wasn't a regular in the rotation - Saturday was just his 10th game of the season, as he's had a hard time cracking the lineup.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.28.2011 590959 Detroit Red Wings

590960

Detroit Red Wings

Wings' Patrick Eaves to be sidelined for 6-8 weeks

Red Wings' Patrick Eaves to have surgery on fractured jaw, out 6-to-8 weeks

Ted Kulfan

Ansar Khan

Detroit A difficult season for Patrick Eaves has become more difficult. Eaves suffered a broken jaw during Saturday's game against Nashville and will miss six to eight weeks after having surgery this evening. Eaves was hit around the ear off a shot by Nashville defenseman Roman Josi in the third period. Eaves lay motionless on the ice while being worked on by doctors and other medical assistants, but never lost consciousness, general manager Ken Holland said. Eaves spent the night at Detroit Medical Center and passed several neurological tests. "Talking to Patrick, he remembered everything," Holland said. "Obviously it's a significant injury and he's going to need time to heal. Fortunately, there were no other injuries." Comparable injuries to Brad Stuart and Danny Cleary the past few seasons kept those players out of the lineup up to two months. It's expected Eaves' timeframe will be similar, Holland said. Eaves began training camp on the top line but injured his foot late in the exhibition season and had a sore back earlier in the month that caused him to miss three games. In all, Eaves has played in 10 of the Wings' 22 games with zero goals and one assist. Holland said he's not planning any immediate personnel moves. The Wings assigned Fabian Brunnstrom to Grand Rapids but could recall him before Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Brunnstrom's wife is scheduled to give birth any day. Holland said the Wings want him to remain close to Detroit for the birth, while playing games in Grand Rapids. Cory Emmerton was a healthy scratch Saturday, but will return to the lineup with Eaves unavailable. Along with Brunnstrom, Gustav Nyquist and Westland native Chris Conner are potential forwards who could be promoted from Grand Rapids. Ramping it up Also expected to be available by the end of December is Jan Mursak , who suffered a broken right ankle during the exhibition season. Mursak has begun light skating on his own, Holland said. "He's going to ramp things up this week," Holland said. "If all goes well, he could be ready by mid-December. Things are looking good." Mursak was penciled to play on either the third or fourth lines, providing speed and checking, before getting hurt the last week of the pre-season. Filppula emerging Before the season began coach Mike Babcock cited Valtteri Filppula as one of the players the Wings needed to rebound this season. Filppula is doing so, the latest outburst coming Saturday, with two goals and an assist in the 4-1 victory over Nashville. Filppula has seven goals and 12 assists. He had 16 goals and 39 points all of last season. "He's worked hard," Pavel Datsyuk said. "He just attacks. I'm happy (for him)." Detroit News LOADED: 11.28.2011

DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Eaves will have surgery on Monday to repair his fractured jaw and is expected to be out for six-to-eight weeks, general manager Ken Holland said on Sunday. "I talked to him, I don't think he ever lost consciousness,'' Holland said. "They did a CAT scan. Everything else is OK. "Once they get in for the surgery, they'll decide exactly what they need to do.'' Eaves was hit in the ear with a slap shot from Nashville rookie Roman Josi with 2:14 remaining in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Predators at Joe Louis Arena. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher and taken to the Detroit Medical Center, where he remained on Sunday. "When you get a direct blow to the head and there's no helmet to soften the blow it's not surprising he's got a broken jaw,'' Holland said. "That's significant enough, but the good news is there are no injuries beyond the broken jaw.'' The Red Wings have 12 healthy forwards after assigning Fabian Brunnstrom to the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday. His wife is expecting their first child any day now. "We wanted him to play in Grand Rapids and practice with the Red Wings,'' Holland said. "I'll talk to (coach) Mike Babcock and see if we want to call him up for Wednesday (vs. Tampa Bay at Joe Louis Arena) or go with (Cory) Emmerton (a healthy scratch on Saturday). "I'm not going to call up anybody from Grand Rapids just to have as an extra forward.'' Holland said right wing Jan Mursak, who suffered a broken ankle on Sept. 25, has starting skating a little bit on his own and will ramp it up this week. He's on schedule to return either shortly before or after Christmas. Michigan Live LOADED: 11.28.2011 590961 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings reassign Fabian Brunnstrom to Grand Rapids

The Grand Rapids Press

DETROIT -- You might have lost track by now, but for the record, the Detroit Red Wings announced today that forward Fabian Brunnstrom has been reassigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins. That's three times past week that he's been sent back and forth from the NHL to the AHL. It leaves Detroit with 12 healthy forwards, as Patrick Eaves is out indefinitely with a fractured jaw. Detroit hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.). Michigan Live LOADED: 11.28.2011 590962 Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wing Patrick Eaves out indefinitely with fractured jaw

By Chuck Pleiness

DETROIT -- The Wings learned the extent of Patrick Eaves' injury when he was struck with a puck in the right ear late in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators ... a fractured jaw. Eaves was killing a penalty when he was struck with a puck with 2:14 left in the game. Eaves was transported to the Detroit Medical Center where he will remain overnight. No timetable has been set for Eaves return to the lineup. Eaves was conscious when he was taken off the ice on a stretcher, bleeding from his right ear. Macomb Daily LOADED: 11.28.2011 590963 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings first quarter grades

By Chuck Pleiness

The Wings want to get off this rollercoaster-of-a-ride that has been the first quarter of the 2011-12 season. After opening the year with five straight wins, the Wings went winless in their next six, losing five of those games. They went on to put another fourgame winning streak before dropping their next two, which made it five straight losses on the road. Detroit ended its four-game road trip with two straight wins, which has grown to five straight after a convincing three wins in four nights highlighted by a shootout win over the defending Stanley Cup champs. "I'd rather not think about that one because after that we all know what happened," said Henrik Zetterberg, when asked about what happened the last time the Wings won five straight this season. "We'll live in the moment. We are happy with how we're playing now." It has been a rollercoaster if you look at the five-game segments, Nicklas Lidstrom. We won five, we lost five, then we were 5-1 or 4-1 or something, so we've been kind of up and down." Despite that the Wings sit just two points behind Chicago for the top spot in the Western Conference. However, the eighth, ninth and 10th seeds St. Louis, Edmonton and Los Angeles are just three points behind Detroit in the standings. It has been weird, definitely, Niklas Kronwall said. Not the way we want to be, obviously. Winning and losing every once in a while, that's not what we do in here. We always have more consistency than we've had. I don't think we've played that many really bad games. All in all we've been OK, but not good enough to win on some nights." The Wings rank eighth in goals scored and fifth in goals against. The power play is seventh, but the penalty kill as struggled sitting at 19th in the league. Here are individual grades at the first quarter of the season. Forwards Justin Abdelkader (C+): 2 goals, 3 assists, +1 As interchangeable of a forward the Wings have; can play in the top six, grind things out and throws his body around. Todd Bertuzzi (C): 1 goal, 4 assists, +4 If his line of Franzen and Datsyuk remains intact his offensive numbers will improve as will his time on the power play. Fabian Brunnstrom (Inc.): 0 goals, 1 assist, -2 Wings coach Mike Babcock said he sees him as a top six forward one day. Danny Cleary (C-): 4 goals, 3 assists, -3 After a career-high 26 goals last season the start to this year has been quite disappointing as far as offensive numbers go. Pavel Datsyuk (B): 6 goals, 13 assists, +1 After a slow start to the year he seems to heating up with four goals and five assists in his last six games. Patrick Eaves (C): 0 goals, 1 assist, 0 Could not find his way back in the lineup after missing some time with a bad back; fractured his jaw on Saturday. Cory Emmerton (C-): 1 goal, 1 assist, +4 Has been held pointless after a goal and an assist in the season opener, but has been a reliable center on the fourth line. Johan Franzen (B+): 10 goals, 12 assists, +10 In 12 of the Wings' 14 wins he has 22 points. In the eight other games (0-7-1) he's been held pointless. Valtteri Filppula (A-): 7 goals, 12 assists, +8 He's nearly halfway to his career high in points (40) for a season and we're just a quarter of the way through. Darren Helm (B): 2 goals, 2 assists, +1 Continues to show signs that the Wings have another Kris Draper type player on their hands. Tomas Holmstrom (B): 3 goals, 6 assists, 0 He continues to dazzle us with how he's the best in the league when it comes to net-front-presence. All three of his goals have come on the power play.

Detroit Red Wing Patrick Eaves out 6-8 weeks with broken jaw

By Chuck Pleiness

DETROIT A player suffering a broken jaw is nothing new to the Wings' locker room. Patrick Eaves is the latest casualty. Eaves will have surgery Monday to repair his fractured jaw and is expected to be out six-to-eight weeks according to general manager Ken Holland. Eaves was taken off on a stretcher after being hit on the right-side of his face with a puck off the stick of Nashville defenseman Roman Josi with 2:14 left in third period in the Wings' 4-1 win over the Predators. Eaves was conscious when he was taken off and was bleeding from his right ear. Holland said he didn't think Eaves ever lost consciousness. "They did a CAT scan and everything else is OK," Holland said. "When you get a direct blow to the head and there's a helmet to soften the blow it's not surprising he's got a broken jaw. That's bad enough, but the good news is there are no injuries beyond the broken jaw." Defenseman Brad Stuart broke his jaw last season when he was blindsided by Calgary's Tom Kostopoulos. In 2008, forward Danny Cleary suffered the same injury. Both were given the six-to-eight week timetables to returning to the lineup. Recently, defenseman Ian White returned from a fractured cheek bone that only sidelined him four games. "If you think about it, what if its his jaw? I was out for seven weeks," Cleary said after White got injured. "Its terrible. You dont want a broken jaw, ever." Holland said he's going to talk to coach Mike Babcock before deciding what to do with the open spot on the roster. The Wings have 12 healthy forwards after assigning Fabian Brunnstrom, whose wife is expecting the birth of their first child any day now, back to Grand Rapids on Sunday. Cory Emmerton was a healthy scratch Saturday. "I'm not going to call up anybody from Grand Rapids just to have as an extra forward," Holland said. "We're also about a month away from (Jan) Mursak coming back. He's started skating a little bit." Mursak broke his ankle on Sept. 25 and is expected back before or just after Christmas. Holland expects him to ramp up his skating this week. "It looks like he's on schedule," Holland said. Macomb Daily LOADED: 11.28.2011 590964 Detroit Red Wings

Jiri Hudler (B-): 2 goals, 10 assists, +4 After a fast start he cooled down, got benched and know he's chipping in every now and then, which is already ahead of last year's numbers. Drew Miller (C+): 2 goals, 4 assists, +7 No longer in a rotation to get playing time on the fourth line. Gustav Nyquist (Inc.): 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 Showed signs he's for real in the preseason. Henrik Zetterberg (B): 5 goals, 8 assists, +1 Just like his one-time linemate, it's been a slow start to the season, but he's got two goals and four assists in his last four games. Defensemen Mike Commodore (Inc.): 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 A sprained MCL didnt help his bid at winning a job on the blue line; he's played in just three games. Jonathan Ericsson (C): 0 goals, 2 assists, +2 Hasn't been an offensive threat like the Wings had hoped so therefore hasn't seen much if any power-play time. Jakub Kindl (B-): 0 goals, 4 assists, +2 As been as solid as any sixth man on the blue-line's depth chart could be and has shown a nice physical upside. Niklas Kronwall (B): 6 goals, 4 assists, 0 The Wings were smart locking him up with a long-term deal early in the season and making him an alternate captain. Nicklas Lidstrom (A+): 6 goals, 10 assists, +8 He's playing like he's got another year in him. Brendan Smith (Inc.): 0 goals, 2 assists, -1 In his brief time in Detroit showed he's an NHL defenseman; Wings want him to play minutes so that's why he's in Grand Rapids. Brad Stuart (B-): 3 goals, 1 assist, +4 Already a goal behind trying is season high output with the Wings; had a career-high 10 goals his rookie season in San Jose. Ian White (B): 4 goals, 7 assists, +11 Has been everything the Wings were looking for when they needed to replace Brian Rafalski, he's already matched his goal output from a year ago. Goalies Jimmy Howard (A+): 13-5-1, 1.87 GAA, .930 SV% Has been the Wings' best player night after night with 19 starts in 22 games; he leads the league in wins and shutouts. Ty Conklin (D): 1-2-0, 3.33 GAA, .880 SV% After a 29-save shutout in his first game he imploded with seven goals against in his next start and hasnt found his way back into the lineup. Macomb Daily LOADED: 11.28.2011 590965 Detroit Red Wings

Danny Cleary also scored for Detroit, which has now won six straight on home ice and host Tampa Bay on Wednesday. Jack Hillen scored the Predators' lone goal and Pekka Rinne made 33 saves. "I thought we played real well," Nicklas Lidstrom said. "We played well offensively and played real well without the puck in our own zone. Jimmy came up big for us tonight again. "I think we were able to role four lines most of the game," Lidstrom added. "There weren't a whole lot of penalties. That really helped out team. It was important to get off to a good start. Once we got our first goal I thought we established our game. We had a lot of puck possession out there." The mood in the locker room was tempered a bit after Patrick Eaves was taken off on a stretcher after being hit in the right ear with a puck off the stick of Nashville defenseman Roman Josi with 2:14 left in third period. "Eaves took a shot directly in the ear," Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "Really scary play, I mean hes too close to the guy to get hit in the ear. I dont know (how it happened) the puck elevated obviously. The guy isnt trying to shoot it that high from that close, so I dont know what happened." Eaves, who was conscious when he was taken off, was bleeding from his right ear. "We don't know if the helmet helped out a little bit," Zetterberg said. "He was moving, but of course he's in a lot of pain. Hopefully he'll be OK." Filppula, who has yet to record a hat trick, seems to have found his scoring touch with four goals in his last three games. "He's skating very well," Zetterberg said. "He can make good plays. He's fun to play with. He's easy to play with. It's nice he's getting rewarded with some nice goals." The Wings' red-hot power play got them on the board first just past the midway point of the opening period. After feeding a puck down low to Zetterberg, Filppula skated through the crease. Zetterberg then sent a pass to Todd Bertuzzi, whose redirect went from post to post, shooting out on the ride side of Rinne. After over skating the puck, Filppula wheeled around and backhanded the puck top shelf. The Wings know have eight power play goals in their last six games. Nashville nearly got the equalizer a few minutes later. Matt Halischuk had two whacks at the puck down low, the second time getting it to glance of Howard's glove and over his shoulder. However, an alert Brad Stuart came from behind to bat the puck off the goal line and Howard flung his body back around to put his glove on it and stop play. Zetterberg made it 2-0 less than two minutes into the second period. After taking a pass from behind the net from Jiri Hudler, Zetterberg skated out and was going to try a back-hand shot on Rinne, but had Hillen draped on his back. After freeing himself of the Predators defenseman, Zetterberg spun and fired a shot over Rinne, who was down on the ice. Filppula netted his second goal with a nifty tip in front of Rinne. Jakub Kindl started the play with a wrist shot from just inside the blue line. Jiri Hudler gave it a little redirect with his stick before Filppula did the rest deflecting in between Rinee's pads. Cleary made it 4-0 just four minutes into the third period.

Red Wings win fifth in row

By Chuck Pleiness

DETROIT We all remember what happened the last time the Wings had a five-game winning streak this season. And the players don't want to be reminded of it. Behind a pair of goals from Valtteri Filppula and an 18-save effort from Jimmy Howard, Detroit cruised to its fifth straight win, 4-1 over the Nashville Predators, Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena. The Wings, who were playing their third game in four nights, began the season with five straight wins and then went winless in their next six, 0-5-1. "I'd rather not think about that one because after that we all know what happened," said Henrik Zetterberg, who had a goal and an assist in the win to extend his point streak to four games. "We'll live in the moment. We are happy with how we're playing now. We have a few days off before our next game and we'll go from there."

The goal was setup after Darren Helm stripped the puck away from the Predators as they tried to clear the zone. Helm quickly spotted Cleary in the faceoff dot to the left or Rinne and he one-timed a shot past the Nashville goalie. Hillen spoiled Howard's bid for his fourth shutout of the season moments later, redirecting in a pass from Colin Wilson. Howard was making his 15th straight start. Nashville is winless in its last four, 0-3-1. Pavel Datsyuk (five games) and Johan Franzen (four games) each had their points streaks snapped. Macomb Daily LOADED: 11.28.2011 590966 Edmonton Oilers

Struggling Oiler Paajarvi may have another shot with Hall injured

5 in a 4-2 loss. He fired 14 of his 31 shots on net this season in the first six games. Since then, the puck has seemed like kryptonite on his stick. If Paajarvi can't get the job done playing alongside Horcoff or Hemsky, or even playing 15 to 18 minutes with Sam Gagner and Eric Belanger on a third line, maybe with second unit power-play time, then maybe he does belong in the AHL - at least for a while. Renney admitted a trip to Oklahoma City "has been discussed." The Oilers could send Paajarvi down and bring up Teemu Hartikainen, for example, for a look. In the first few games of the season, Paajarvi had a shot with the penaltykill unit. There was some power-play work. But he's getting just 12 shifts a game now. Not all first-round draft picks travel the same career path, of course. Nugent-Hopkins, Hall and Eberle are all high-end young players who've had very few missteps. Paajarvi has been a work in progress for the first two months of this season. It's time to put him to work. ON THE BENCH: The Oilers sent defenceman Alex Plante back to the Barons after Saturday's game. Andy Sutton has been on the 23-man roster and not on injured reserve, even though he's missed the last six games with a groin problem ... There are no plans to call up a forward because Lennart Petrell and Ben Eager are extras for now ... The Predators have dropped four straight games, flying here from Detroit where they were bounced 4-1 Saturday by the Red Wings ... The Oilers have beat Nashville 3-1 and 6-2 already this season, with Nikolai Khabibulin expected to start in net for the Oilers on Monday. Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590967 Edmonton Oilers

By Jim Matheson

EDMONTON - After the Edmonton Oilers had a Rocky Mountain low in Denver on Saturday, tumbling to the Colorado Avalanche, coach Tom Renney offered up some whimsical wisdom. "You know what they say ... Romania wasn't built in a day," Renney said jokingly. Win big, lose big seems to be the modus operandi of the Oilers in the last few weeks. The lost 5-2 to the Ottawa Senators at Rexall Place on Nov. 17, blew out the Chicago Blackhawks 9-2 two days later, suffered a 4-1 loss to the Stars in Dallas, conquered the Nashville Predators 6-2 on the road, triumphed over the Wild 5-2 in Minnesota, and fell 5-2 to the Avalanche in The Mile High City. But as Hall of Famer Michel Goulet, who used to work for the Avs and now is a Calgary Flames pro scout, said on Saturday, "Yeah, but the Oilers are fun to watch, aren't they?" However, it was no fun watching sophomore forward Taylor Hall getting tattooed into the boards and hurting his left shoulder on Saturday. Maybe we'll find out Monday before the Oilers host the Predators what Hall's MRI shows - a shoulder separation, dislocation, something else? And how long the 20-year-old former No. 1 draft pick be out of the lineup? But if Hall does miss a fair bit of time, have we seen what Magnus Paajarvi can do? Is it time he got a legitimate shot in the top six? How much longer can the Swedish left-winger be an after-thought on one of the NHL's youngest teams before he's sent to the Oklahoma City Barons, the Oilers' American Hockey League affiliate, to get some minutes? If Hall's out for a while, maybe the Oilers should move Paajarvi up with captain Shawn Horcoff and veteran winger Ales Hemsky, not just for a period or a game, but several games to find out if he can play. There's a reason why Paajarvi has just one assist in 19 games. A big part of his anemic offence is his own doing - he's not using his size or speed like he did last season. Let's see what he can do with more work. If Paajarvi can't cut it with Horcoff and Hemsky, on what is the No. 1 or No. 1a line - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan Smyth and Jordan Eberle are on the other one - then the Oilers can tell him to pack a bag and head to Oklahoma City for a few weeks. Hockey's not meant to be a democracy for coaches. Not everybody can play 15 minutes or more a game. But Paajarvi has had a tough time gaining any traction for weeks now. He has sat out four of the last 10 games. In three of the six he played, he had 7:05 of ice time against the Red Wings in Detroit, 8:36 in Chicago and 8:32 in Nashville. His average ice time is about 11 minutes a game, far below Nugent-Hopkins (16:51), Hall (17:17) and Eberle (16:33). Paajarvi played 18:40 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011-12 season opener on Oct. 9. In the first three games, he played at least 17minutes a game. Since then, he has often been a fourth-liner, or an observer in the press box. It's never a good thing to be a healthy scratch, especially when you're just 20 and playing game after game is how you learn and progress. "He's got his legs under him," Renney said on Saturday. But when Hall was hurt after a big belt from Avalanche defenceman Ryan Wilson four minutes into Saturday's game, Renney shuffled his lineup, with Hemsky, Horcoff and Anton Lander, Paajarvi's buddy, who got an awful lot of ice time on the left side. It's a catch-22 with ice time and coaches, of course. If you're going to get precious few minutes, you have to find some way to catch the coach's eye to get more. Paajarvi's confidence with the puck, frankly, looks about .08 on a scale of 1 to 10 right now. His one point came against the Coyotes in Phoenix on Nov.

Oilers Hall to be 'evaluated'

By DEREK VAN DIEST

For months, Oilers' head coach Tom Renney has been fielding questions about Taylor Hall and the reckless abandon he plays with. As effective as it's been for the former first overall pick, it seemed only a matter of time before he was knocked out of the lineup. It was as inevitable as squatters posing as protesters eventually being forcibly removed from a private park. Prior to it happening Saturday in Denver, Renney was asked time and time again if there was any way to rein in the talented sophomore and get him to take a more cautious approach on the ice. The subject came up when Hall went crashing headfirst into the net in a blowout-victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 20, prior to departing on a four-game road trip. It'll come up again Monday before the Oilers take to the ice against the Nashville Predators after Hall injured his shoulder in Colorado Saturday. He'll undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the damage and the length of time he'll be out. "If I held my breath every time Taylor Hall went flying into the net, I'd have brain problems," said Renney, after the victory over the Blackhawks. "He's relentless and he's a reckless type of player and those are hard people to defend. As long as he keeps missing those posts, then I'm OK with that." Unfortunately for the Oilers, it wasn't a post that eventually took out Hall, but a thunderous body check from Ryan Wilson. The Avalanche defenceman sent Hall flying into the boards, damaging his left shoulder. At first glance, the way Hall's arm hung down his side, it appeared as though his shoulder may have been dislocated. He returned later in the contest, possibly having it popped back into place, only to be knocked out for good when Kyle Quincey crosschecked him on the same shoulder.

"The first one was a take-out, it was a fair, clean hit," said Renney. "The second one I did not see because it was down to my left by the net." Regardless how long Hall is out, there will questions as to whether he should have returned at all. Considering there is still nearly three-quarters of the season left to play, perhaps the Oilers medical staff would have been better served to wait to do a thorough evaluation of the injury before sending him back out to the wolves. "In fairness to (head athletic therapist) T.D. (Forss), you ask the right questions, you do the proper things, he's the medical guy and the player is going to tell you 'yes' or 'no' and we all know how competitive (Hall) is," said Renney. " T.D. is a pretty prudent guy, and I have 100% faith in the decision for Taylor to come back and play based on that." A year ago, Hall's season came to a premature end after injuring an ankle in a fight against Columbus Blue Jackets forward Derek Dorsett. It was a battle Hall probably should not have been fighting, going up against a much more experienced pugilist. This time around, Hall could not do much about getting plastered into the boards by Wilson, other than perhaps not putting himself in a vulnerable position. It's not the first time Hall has taken a big hit in his career and it probably won't be the last. Yet, the injury may go a long way in determining the Oilers immediate future. Hall was fourth in team scoring with seven goals and 11 assists. "It's always tough when you lose a player like that," said captain Shawn Horcoff. "He came back and it looked like he was going to be OK. We'll see how bad he is, but it's never a situation that you want to see happen." Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590968 Edmonton Oilers

the line. Some guys find themselves in harm's way and some guys put themselves in harms way and we know exactly how Ladi plays." Sam I Am hot Sam Gagner's two assists Saturday in Denver give him four points in the last three games as he slowly starts to find his A game. "I'm starting to feel better and better," he said, adding he dearly wants to be a factor in where this team is going. "You want to be a big part of wins. I've been here for way too much losing. You want to help the team turn it around. "And I feel like my game is coming. I just want to continue to improve and hopefully contribute to some wins here." After a couple of setbacks because of injury it seems like he's finally getting some traction. "He's able to play regularly now and he's a proud kid, he wants to play and make a difference and that's a good starting point," said Renney. "The bottom line is he has to continue to get opportunities from me and if he keeps playing like this he will." Saved by the Oil The Avs were in a major free fall (2-8-1 in their last 11) before righting themselves Saturday against the Oilers. "We needed a win (Saturday night) no matter how we did it," said defenceman Shane O'Brien. "There were some veteran players in here who were saying in here between the second and third period that we would get it done and we did. "You have to score goals to win in this league and we haven't been doing enough of that lately. It's only one win, but it was much needed." After a 6-2 start they were 9-12-1 when they faced the Oilers, so everyone was exhaling after the victory. "In the third period we had the power play, we wanted the momentum and we just got back to our game," said Ryan O'Reilly. "We had our chances and we buried them." LATE HITS: Magnus Paajarvi drew in, at the expense of Lennart Petrell and Ben Eager sat out his second game in a row and third in the last four ... Avalanche defenceman Erik Johnson did not practice because of a groin injury and did not play. The Avs hope he'll be back Sunday ... Colorado, at an average age of 26.6 was actually the younger of the two teams Saturday night. The Oilers average age is 26.7 ... D Alex Plante was recalled from Oklahoma a day after being sent down. Jeff Petry was feeling under the weather and they didn't want to get caught with only five healthy defencemen again ... The Avs are on an eight-game homestand, the longest in franchise history ... Milan Hejduk's streak of 11-straight years with 20 goals or more is the second longest active streak in the NHL, behind Jarome Iginla (12 years and counting). Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 11.28.2011

Oilers Smid snaps drought

By Robert Tychkowski, QMI Agency

Avs down Oilers 5-2 It only stood to reason that if the Edmonton Oilers could snap a six-year, 17-game losing streak in Minnesota on Friday, Ladislav Smid could score a goal on Saturday. Sure enough, he did. And the goal that put an end to his 124-game scoring drought was a beauty, too. Smid stepped in from the point, took a pass from Sam Gagner and buried a bullet at 2:59 of the first period for his first in almost two years (over 3,000 shifts). "Obviously it was great, it felt amazing but you can't be really happy about it when you lose 5-2," he said. Smid has two points on the season, with a goal and an assist in the last three games. That's white hot by his standards. "I was getting more involved offensively and guys were telling me they were feeling (a goal coming) and it finally happened," he said. "It was a great pass by Gags. It was basically his play, I just finished it." The bench erupted after the goal, as the players on the ice swarmed Smid in the corner. "You would have thought that goal was an overtime winner the way they reacted on the bench," said head coach Tom Renney. "Unfortunately we had a lot of hockey to play after that. "But the camaraderie in the room and desire to see each other have success is pretty special this year. They love the guy, they love the character he plays with and how much of a teammate he is. He lays it on

590969

Florida Panthers

Kris Versteeg calls Florida Panthers schedule garbage

By GEORGE RICHARDS

Whomever came up with the Panthers schedule this season should probably steer clear of their locker room. Its a garbage schedule, said Kris Versteeg, shaking his head. But you cant complain about it; you just have to go out there and play hard every night and not worry about that. Its been pretty tough though with the games so far and the travel. I think weve done great with what weve been given. Said Stephen Weiss: I dont even try and figure it out. I dont try to look too far down the schedule. It gets to be too much, a little too annoying. Only five teams Winnipeg, Vancouver, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Edmonton have played more road games than the Panthers. Florida is in

the middle of a strange trip, one that started Saturday in Tampa and brought it home for a Monday practice before resuming in Raleigh, N.C. From there, the Panthers fly cross-country to play in Los Angeles on Thursday and San Jose on Saturday. The Panthers then fly all the way back home to play one game against Washington before hitting the road again. Its a stretch of games that is reminiscent of Floridas old preseason schedule, where the Panthers would seemingly travel anywhere for a paycheck. Almost. Well, at least they arent back-to-back-to-back, Weiss joked. Its another tough stretch. Carolina is always tough at home, then we head west with no time to recover. We have to be sharp. Coach Kevin Dineen knows this is a crucial stretch of games, and managing the schedule is something that has weighed on his mind. Florida will fly through the night to Los Angeles after playing Carolina on Tuesday; with a game Thursday, there is no way around that. But Dineen decided, after consulting with his players, that the team will stay over in San Jose after Saturdays game and fly home Sunday. With a game that following Monday against the Capitals, its really a no-win proposition. The Capitals, meanwhile, likely will hold a practice in South Florida while the Panthers make the five-plus-hour flight home from Northern California. Its a tough road trip. A really tough road trip, Dineen said. I spent way too much time this summer wondering what we were going to do after the game in San Jose. I went back and forth between flying home right after the game, wait until the morning, fly halfway. You can analyze it until the cows come home. Its going to be tough playing that Washington game. Its a lot of action in a short period of time. In Saturdays 5-1 loss to the Lightning, the Panthers definitely looked like a tired bunch, one that had played five games in a span of eight nights. Things arent going to get any easier. Starting in Carolina on Tuesday, the Panthers will play seven games in 13 nights. Only one of those games comes on home ice. Dineen gave the team Sunday off so the players could relax with their families. They arent going to see them for a while. When you are tired, you have to play smarter than we did [Saturday], Sean Bergenheim said. We have Sunday off to spend time with the family, and thats a time to recharge yourself. We need to have more energy in the games coming up. Thats the plan. Look at the big picture. Weve played good but looked a little tired in the past two games. That happens to everyone. Well get over it. Saturdays game was the fifth of six meetings this season between Florida and Tampa Bay, meaning 22 percent of the Panthers games this season have been against the Lightning. Aside from games against the Lightning, the Panthers havent seen much of their divisional brethren this season, playing Winnipeg twice and Washington once. Tuesdays game will be Floridas first of the season against Carolina. You have to get points where you can, and were going to see those teams a lot in a short period of time, Dineen said. Miami Herald LOADED: 11.28.2011 590970 Florida Panthers

their lead remains three points over Washington after the Capitals lost for the second night in a row as well. Florida got only one of four available points in the weekend series against Tampa Bay after losing 2-1 in overtime Friday night. The Panthers have lost their past three games to the Lightning after winning four of six last season. We have lots of excuses, but we just got outplayed, Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. The score shows how the game played out. These were four-point games. The last time Florida played here, its power play scored a franchise-tying five goals. On Saturday, the Panthers had plenty of opportunities with the man advantage but had just piddling chances as they struggled to keep the puck in the Lightnings zone. Martin St. Louis scored the opening goal after Brett Clarks initial shot bounced off of goalie Jacob Markstroms pad; Brett Connolly quickly passed the loose puck to St. Louis, who easily knocked it in. The Panthers then had two power-play chances before the first period ended but failed to get anything past Mathieu Garon. The Panthers had three power-play chances in the second, but the Lightning opened things up with three goals on seven shots to open the period. Florida got shut out on all of the power plays. The power play, ranked ninth in the league coming in, was 0 for 6 on Saturday and has just one goal in the past 19 chances. In Floridas past eight games, it has just three power-play goals. We have to put it behind us but learn from it as well, Stephen Weiss said. We had no juice, no jam. We got beat to every puck. We didnt generate much. Markstrom, making his first start since losing to Chicago in a Nov.?3 shootout, was pelted by the Lightning in the second. Tyler Pyatt got his first goal of the season, making it 2-0 early in the second after picking off a loose puck and sweeping past rookie Erik Gudbranson. Ed Jovanovski went down on the ice to try and play blocker, but Pyatt threw the puck high over Markstroms shoulder. Less than three minutes later, Teddy Purcell made it 3-0 by throwing up a prayer while sliding backward, the awkward shot clipping Steven Stamkos who scored Fridays overtime winner and finding its way past Markstrom. Ryan Malone essentially ended it with 9:25 left in the second when he scored his fifth of the season. Florida finally scored late when Shawn Matthias knocked in a rebound from Jack Skille. But moments later, Stamkos got another goal to pad the large lead with less than a minute left. The power play was a pretty good example of our overall game, Dineen said. We didnt have much jump out there. Dineen put three of his AHL call-ups on the same line Saturday, as he wants to see which of those players remain with the Panthers after some of Floridas forwards start making it back to the lineup. Dineen called the trio of Evgenii Dadonov, Tim Kennedy and Michal Repik the San Antonio Express line and added they would bring a bucketload of energy. He was pleased with their effort afterward. I thought those guys played pretty well, Dineen said. There was a mistake on the second goal and it ended up in our net. But otherwise, they brought a lot of energy. Tomas Kopecky was back in the lineup after missing Fridays game with back spasms. Keaton Ellerby was the healthy scratch Saturday. Dineen said he thinks Scott Clemmensen will participate in Mondays practice in Coral Springs and should travel with the team on its three-game trip that goes from North Carolina to Los Angeles to San Jose, Calif. Clemmensen has been out with what is thought to be a groin injury since shutting out Dallas 6-0 in his only start of the season on Nov.?15. Miami Herald LOADED: 11.28.2011 590971 Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers come out flat against Tampa Bay Lightning

By George Richards

The Lightning sure looks a lot healthier than it did on Thanksgiving. All it took was a not-so-strong dose of the Florida Panthers. Tampa Bay came into the weekend series with Florida with losses in four of five games, and it was looking at a big deficit in chasing down the Panthers in the Southeast Division. Two wins over its rival from Sunrise and the Lightning is right back in the thick of things. The Lightning now trails Florida by four points after Saturday nights 5-1 dismantling at the St. Pete Times Forum. The good news for the Panthers is they go into Sunday leading the division for the ninth consecutive day and

Panthers Try to Avoid Being Road Weary as 'Garbage' Schedule Gets Tougher

George Richards

Panthers gear up for rugged road trip

TAMPA Whomever came up with the Panthers schedule this season should probably steer clear of their locker room. It's a garbage schedule,'' Kris Versteeg said shaking his head. But you can't complain about it, you just have to go out there and play hard every night and not worry about that. It's been pretty tough though with the games so far and the travel. I think we've done great with what we've been given.'' Said Stephen Weiss: I don't even try and figure it out. I don't try to look too far down the schedule. It gets to be too much, a little too annoying.'' Only five teams Winnipeg, Vancouver, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Edmonton have played more road games than the Panthers. InnoutFlorida is in the middle of a strange road trip, one that started Saturday in Tampa, brought them home for a Monday practice before resuming in Raleigh, N.C. From there, the Panthers fly cross-country to play in Los Angeles on Thursday and San Jose on Saturday. The Panthers then fly all the way back home to play one game against Washington before hitting the road again. It's a stretch of games that is almost reminiscent of Florida's old preseason schedule where the Panthers would seemingly travel anywhere for a paycheck. Almost. PlanestrainsWell, at least they aren't back-to-back-to-back,'' Weiss joked. It's another tough stretch. Carolina is always tough at home then we head west with no time to recover. We have to be sharp.'' Coach Kevin Dineen knows this is a crucial stretch of games and managing the schedule is something that has weighed on his mind. Florida will fly through the night to Los Angeles after playing Carolina on Tuesday; with a game Thursday, there's no way around that. But Dineen decided, after consulting with his players, that the team will stay over in San Jose after Saturday's game and fly home Lucyon Sunday. With a game that following Monday against the Capitals, it's really a no-win proposition. The Capitals, meanwhile, will likely hold a practice in South Florida while the Panthers make the five-plus hour flight home from northern California. It's a tough road trip. A really tough road trip,'' Dineen said. I spent way too much time this summer wondering what we were going to do after the game San Jose. I went back and forth between flying home right after the game, wait until the morning, fly halfway. You can analyze it until the cows come home. It's going to be tough playing that Washington game. It's a lot of action in a short period of time.'' In Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Lightning, the Panthers definitely looked like a tired bunch one that had played five games in a span of eight nights. Things aren't going to get any easier. Starting in Carolina on Tuesday, the Panthers will play seven games in 13 nights. Only one of those comes on home ice. Dineen gave the team Sunday off so they could relax with their families. They aren't going to see them for a while. DuedateWhen you are tired, you have to play smarter than we did [Saturday],'' Sean Bergenheim said. We have Sunday off to spend time with the family and that's a time to recharge yourself. We need to have more energy in the games coming up. That's the plan. Look at the big picture. We've played good, but looked a little tired in the past two games. That happens to everyone. We'll get over it.'' () Saturday's game was the fifth of six meetings Stormybetween Florida and Tampa Bay, meaning 22 percent of the Panthers games this season have been against the Lightning. Aside from games against the Lightning, the Panthers haven't seen much of their divisional brethren this season playing Winnipeg twice and Washington once. Tuesday's game will be Florida's first of the season against Carolina. You have to get points where you can and we're going to see those teams a lot in a short period of time,'' Dineen said. Miami Herald LOADED: 11.28.2011 590972 Florida Panthers

By Harvey Fialkov,

While the revamped, suddenly skilled Panthers may have caught the NHL napping in the first quarter of the season, they better be prepared for the hits to keep on coming during a grueling road trip. It seems teams are starting to catch on that one way to slow down the speedy Panthers, particularly the torrid top line of Stephen Weiss, Kris Versteeg and Tomas Fleischmann, is to repeatedly pound them with checks before they can set up. Although the 1-3-1 zone-conscious Lightning aren't known for their physical style, they clearly came into this past weekend's sweep with a game plan to hit every Panthers forward in sight to disrupt their rhythm. The Lightning outhit the Panthers 39-15 in Friday's 2-1 overtime victory and 32-19 in Saturday's 5-1 rout. "We played physical and our system was pretty much perfect,'' said Lightning goalie Mathieu Garon. "I think we executed the game plan that was asked by our coach and that's how we're going to be successful." While the "hits" statistic is often subjective and embellished by the home team's friendly statistician, it can't be overlooked that the Panthers have been badly outhit in their last 11 games (345-187), including six games at BankAtlantic Center. Of course, they're also 6-4-1 in those 11 games and off to their best start in 11 years. So losing the "hits" column doesn't necessarily translate to losses, but it is a disturbing trend to keep tabs on. The Panthers are ranked 23rd in the NHL with 435 hits and their next two games are against the Hurricanes and Kings, who are ranked second and fifth in hits. The glaring negative disparity in checks of late, including 50-19 in Wednesday's win over the Rangers, 25-9 in a recent win over the Jets or 24-10 in the 4-1 loss to the Blues on Nov. 17, may be taking its toll on the players' bodies. "When you play against a team that just runs around and hits guys, you have to have poise with the puck and not worry about it,'' Versteeg said following the loss to the Blues. Since Nov. 10, the Panthers have lost the long-term services of three starting forwards, including Scottie Upshall (hip), Matt Bradley (upper-body injury) and Marcel Goc (concussion symptoms). Although neither the 6-foot, 200-pound Upshall nor 6-3, 200-pound Bradley are physically imposing, they still are tied for second on the team in hits with 31 (behind Jack Skille's 39), despite missing the last eight and six games, respectively. Their absences forced the Panthers to call up AHL forwards Evgenii Dadonov, Tim Kennedy and Michal Repik, who Dineen put together Saturday while playfully dubbing them the "San Antonio Express" line because of their speed. Perhaps "San Antonio Expresso Lite" would be more appropriate. While all three possess finesse with the puck, they're all sub-6-foot lightweights. Dineen complimented the trio for bringing energy to the ice, and then adamantly shot down the notion that his team is getting pushed around. "I don't know about that,'' Dineen said. "It's more our energy level. We're not worried about the physical part. I think we can play with anybody. We need to have more jump than we had.'' Is it too late to bring back enforcer Darcy Hordichuk? Road ahead Including Saturday's game in Tampa, the first-place Panthers are in the midst of arguably the toughest road stretch of the season with seven of eight games away from BankAtlantic Center. After playing the Hurricanes on Tuesday, the Panthers head to the West Coast to face the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday and San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

They then return home for the Capitals, before embarking on a Northeastern swing to Boston, Buffalo and New York (Rangers). "Every team goes through tough parts of the schedule,'' Weiss said. "We've done a really good job of it up to [Saturday]. Every team gets tired. I don't really look far down the schedule because it's annoying.'' On the bright side, the Panthers are 7-5 on the road and 5-2-4 at home. Sun Sentinel LOADED: 11.28.2011 590973 Los Angeles Kings

from the right circle that sailed over Corey Crawford's left arm at 12:02 of the second period. That matched the wraparound goal Andrew Brunette scored in the first period. However, the Blackhawks regained the lead at 16:38 of the second period. Jonathan Toews won a faceoff in the Kings' zone and got the puck back to the point to Duncan Keith, whose shot was deflected by Viktor Stalberg. The puck caromed off the boards to Toews, who easily beat Jonathan Quick for the winner. "Obviously it's not going our way right now. We've got to fight through it," Kopitar said Saturday. "You've got to work harder to get it back on track. There's only one way to turn it around, and that's with hard work." LA Times: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590975 Los Angeles Kings

Up next for the Kings: Monday vs. San Jose

Helene Elliott In some ways, Brown prefers move to left When: 7:30. Where: Staples Center On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 11-8-4, Sharks 13-6-1. Record vs. Sharks: 0-1. Update: The Kings opened a four-game homestand Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Chicago, leaving them with only one victory in their last four games. They've scored only seven goals in that span and are one for 16 on the power play in those games. Jonathan Quick is scheduled to start in goal for the Kings. Left wing Dustin Penner, who has missed seven games because of a hand injury, was cleared for full practice but isn't expected to play. The Sharks have won seven of their last 10 games but most recently lost to Vancouver, 3-2, on Saturday. LA Times: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590974 Los Angeles Kings An earlier post touched on Jarret Stolls move from center to right wing. The other big change for the Kings will come with Dustin Browns move from right wing to left wing. Its something Brown has done in the past for handfuls of games at a time. Coincidentally, Browns most notable stint as a left winger arguably came during the 2010 Olympics, when he won a silver medal for the United States. Now, Brown also goes back to a line with center Anze Kopitar they were regular linemates a couple years back and they pick up winger Trent Hunter, who has been in and out of the lineup this season. How will the move to the left side impact Brown? After practice, he talked about the difference, his preference and the line-combination changes in general BROWN: Its a double-edged sword. Its much more difficult making plays coming out of your own end. But making plays, just crossing the blue line on the offensive side, you can cut, you can do the slant pass onto the guys stick, and its a lot easier to drive wide. Last night, I had a couple chances where I got a step on a guy they made good plays and I didnt get to the net but on the right side its much more difficult to get around the guy wide. When Im on my backhand, I can protect the puck a lot better. Theres a lot more options on the offensive side of the puck. I just have to take more reps in practice. If you look, even this year, my best chances are when I get the puck coming off my left side. Like I said, its more difficult making plays out of my zone, but thats just a matter of getting reps and working on it. Its just like anything else. Pulling pucks off the walls as a right winger, Im used to it because Ive been doing it for an extended period of time. Its just a matter of adjusting. Question: Were you surprised to see the big changes this morning? BROWN: Weve been pretty consistent with our lines. This is the first real big jumble that weve had. I mean, we havent scored a lot of goals, we havent produced a lot of chances for, so sometimes if you jumble the lines it will spark some new chemistry with some players. Thats for the coaches to decide, and players play. Weve all played with each other, for the most part, so its just a matter of finding ways to get more opportunities offensively. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590976 Los Angeles Kings Posted by Rich Hammond

Trent Hunter gets promotion as Kings revamp top three lines

By Helene Elliott

A few good shifts and missing an open net in the third period of the Kings' 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday apparently earned winger Trent Hunter a spot on the first line Monday against San Jose. Coach Terry Murray, whose team has scored seven goals in the last four games, revamped his top three lines in practice Sunday to promote Hunter. Although the veteran has no goals and two assists in 11 games and has averaged only 11 minutes and nine seconds' ice time, he's expected to play on Anze Kopitar's right. Dustin Brown, a right-handed shooter, will move from the right side to the left, where he has played before. Murray also reunited former Flyers teammates Simon Gagne and Mike Richards and shifted Jarret Stoll from center to right wing to skate alongside them. Rookie Andrei Loktionov, who had no goals in six games at left wing, will return to his natural center spot with Kyle Clifford on his left and Justin Williams on the right. Williams has not scored in 14 games. Only the fourth line of Colin Fraser between Ethan Moreau and Kevin Westgarth is expected to remain the same against the Pacific divisionleading Sharks. Even for Murray, who constantly reconfigures his lines, these were dramatic changes. But Murray was unwilling to continue with lines he thought should have been shooting more. "We have to score some greasy, ugly goals as they say, and that might be the crack in the door that we can kick open and start to feel more comfortable scoring goals," he said Saturday. Stoll scored Saturday for the first time in 18 games. Stoll, Hunter and Clifford forced the Blackhawks into a turnover and Stoll took a fluttering shot

Penner cleared, close to return

Posted by Rich Hammond

In the background of todays line-change talk is where Dustin Penner might fit into the equation. Thats a question that will have to be answered sooner rather than later. Penner, out since Nov. 10 with a hand injury, got clearance last night to resume full activity, meaning he will be able to play whenever he and the coaching/medical staffs decide the right is proper.

Penner went through a full practice today, but Terry Murray said Penner will not play tomorrow against San Jose. MURRAY: Hes doing all the drills, hes got a normal-colored sweater on, part of a line. So its a matter, now, of getting into that compete, getting through a few days of that, and then well make a decision. The clearance by the doctor yesterday is very encouraging, and now its getting into the compete drills, the battle drills, and see how he comes out of the day. Then weve got to make a decision. Given Penners imminent return. who will be watched most closely in the next couple games? Andrei Loktionov and Trent Hunter would have to be at the top of the list. Incidentally, Murray was asked about the status of Scott Parse, and his first comment was, Who? It was, apparently, a matter of Murray not hearing the question. At least I think so. Regardless, theres no update. Parse hasnt participated in any on-ice activities in almost three weeks, and theres no indication that he will any time soon. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590977 Los Angeles Kings

window today. With the exception of the fourth line, everything got shuffled. Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Andrei Loktionov each get two net linemates. It goes without saying, of course, that the point is to shake things up offensively. Heres what Murray said today about the changes, first in general and then more specifically MURRAY: We need something going on the offensive part of it. It starts with shots. I look at a team like Chicago. Theyre leading the conference in goals for, and in fact they lead it by a wide margin. You end up watching them, and watch the game over this morning, and they shoot the puck from everywhere. Theyre getting pucks to the net from the neutral zone. A guy like Patrick Sharp is, I would consider a pretty good goal scorer in the league, and hes putting pucks to the net from outside the circle on a consistent basis. All theyre looking for is to bring people to the net for second and third opportunities. Thats an attitude that we have to get settled on, on a consistent basis, is to simplify the game. Stop trying to do the extra pass, the extra pretty play, trying to beat guys. More pucks to the net. That will get their D turned around, and that brings us in there and hopefully we can feed off it. Question: Youll be getting Loktionov back to center then? MURRAY: Im going to try him in the middle. The game starts off last night, the first shift, and he comes down the left-wing side with a perfect opportunity to get the puck to the net and he looks for a pass. I think hes a little hesitant right now on that left-wing side, so Im making the move to get him back to the middle. He had a smile on his face in practice today, and hopefully well start to see the play that we need from him. Question: What is your read on Trent Hunter? Hes had a few games back in the lineup and hes certainly had a couple scoring chances MURRAY: Some grade-A chances, triple-A chances. But you know what? Last night was his best game. His intensity, his pursuit of the puck, puck on his stick, making plays, he came alive last night and thats encouraging. I want to take a look at him with Kopitar now, and see if we can build off of that game last night. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590979 Los Angeles Kings

Shift to the right for Stoll

Posted by Rich Hammond

Three players switched positions in practice today, but only one was relatively dramatic. Andrei Loktionov is a natural center and Dustin Brown has played left wing in the past and, in some ways, feels more comfortable there (more on that later). Then theres Jarret Stoll, a center for most of his eight-year NHL career who will now move to right wing alongside left winger Simon Gagne and center Mike Richards. After practice today, Stoll talked about the move and about the Kings need to get things going offensively STOLL: I played it a couple times last year. I think, with Zeus [Michal Handzus] I played it a couple games. Me and Rick [Mike Richards] talked about it. It doesnt really change too, too much. Ill take the faceoffs on the strong side and he will take them on his side. Then well interchange a lot and read off each other. I thought we read off each other last night pretty well. Gags, he likes to go up and down the wing. So well just get more shots, shoot the puck more down the wing. I think that was obviously the emphasis in practice today, was to get more shots from everywhere, and find those loose pucks and go to the net and get rebounds. So hopefully we can get the puck to the net a little bit more from the right side too, off the wing, and go from there. Question: How do you consistently get that mentality in place? STOLL: Some games we do it, and its pretty obvious, either on the power play or 5-on-5, and were just firing from everywhere. Then theres some games when we just try to pass it into the net and get way too fancy, some between-the-leg passes and too many passes. Weve had a lot of those games. Youve just got to get those out of your system and just concentrate on shooting the puck. So many good things can happen from it, obviously. We just have to get that mindset and actually do it. Question: Were you surprised to come in today and see the changes? STOLL: Usually when we have a big shuffle like this, it means that things have gone stale, to the point where our offense is struggling pretty bad. Get something going, kick-start the offense somehow. Maybe some guys find chemistry together, that havent played together. So, you never know. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590978 Los Angeles Kings

Sunday practice update

Posted by Rich Hammond

Lots of talk, of course, about the new-look lines after practice today. Not surprisingly, the idea is to shake things up, and the moves were motivated in part to get Andrei Loktionov back to his more familiar position at center. In other news, Dustin Penner has been cleared for action but isnt expected to play tomorrow. Jonathan Quick will start against San Jose. More on all this to come LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.28.2011 590980 Los Angeles Kings

Sunday practice; new lines

Posted by Rich Hammond

Murray discusses line changes

Well, The Great Lineup Shakeup of 2011 has taken place, with Andrei Loktionov moving to center, Jarret Stoll to wing and only the fourth line remaining intact. Heres how the forwards and defensemen are lined up early in practice Brown-Kopitar-Hunter Gagne-Richards-Stoll

Posted by Rich Hammond

Even when he makes significant line changes, Terry Murray typically keeps two players on a line together and changes one. Its a change but, at the same time, a way to maintain a bit of consistency. Well, all that went out the

Clifford-Loktionov-Williams Moreau-Fraser-Westgarth

Penner/Richardson/Lewis Scuderi-Doughty Mitchell-Voynov Johnson-Greene Drewiske-Martinez (no-contact) LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.28.2011

590983

Minnesota Wild

Wild says bye to Boogaard one more time

MICHAEL RUSSO

His family was on hand for a moving tribute at the X more than six months after his death. 590981 Minnesota Wild Tears began flowing from Joanne Boogaard's cheeks two hours before Sunday's game. Derek Boogaard's mother stood somberly in front of Gate 1 at Xcel Energy Center -- the same spot where hundreds of fans showed up to memorialize the Wild player and pay their respects to his family mere days after Boogaard died May 13. "Coming into this, I didn't think it was going to be this hard," said Boogaard's youngest brother, Aaron. "But seeing Mom -- Mom's already breaking down. That's what I'm not ready for." In a special gesture that displayed wonderfully what Derek Boogaard meant to the Wild and its fans, the franchise paid tribute to him before Sunday's game against the Calgary Flames. His family -- which included Joanne, Aaron, father Len, brothers Ryan and Curtis, sister Krysten, grandparents Peter and Nancy and stepmother Jody -- was on hand. "I remember the first game that I was here. It was against Calgary [Oct. 5, 2005]," Len Boogaard said before his eyes turned moist. "And this will probably be the last game I'll see here. And it's against Calgary." Boogaard quickly became a fan favorite after that NHL debut, which was apparent Sunday when fans stood, cheered, laughed and cried during a five-minute video tribute that included comments from Wild players Nick Schultz and Josh Harding, former Wild players Marian Gaborik, Andrew Brunette and Brent Burns and ex-Rangers teammates Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. The Wild presented the Boogaards with a painting, added a Boogaard memorial to the main concourse of the arena and donated $10,000 to Boogaard's favorite charity, Defending the Blue Line. "Anybody who knew Derek knew what he was like as a person," said Aaron Boogaard, who was signed by the Wild in September to a minor league contract and is playing for Rio Grande Valley in the Central Hockey League. "The fans only got to see him on the ice. On the ice and off the ice, he was completely different, and you loved him for both. "Minnesota's showing a really good side of him that wasn't really shown this summer as much. It's just to see the better parts of Derek -- the real parts." Boogaard died in his Minneapolis apartment from a toxic mix of alcohol and painkillers. He long battled addiction and tried to beat it unsuccessfully in rehab. "It's a disease, and sometimes it just gets a hold of you," Aaron Boogaard said. "Some of the best people out there can't beat it. It's a shame." The Boogaards were appreciative of the Wild putting the tribute together. "There's nothing I can say, nothing I can do to express my gratitude for what they've done for us as a family since Derek died and during Derek's time here," said Len Boogaard, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer who hasn't worked since the day Derek died. "This brings everything flooding back in terms of emotion. It's still hard to believe it's a little more than six months that have gone by. I still find it hard to wrap my hands around this." Star Tribune LOADED: 11.28.2011 590984 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Calgary game recap

MICHAEL RUSSO

GAME RECAP STAR TRIBUNE'S THREE STARS 1. Jarome Iginla, Flames: Hasn't lit up the Wild the way he used to, but he scored a goal and was plus-3. 2. Mark Giordano, Flames: Redeemed himself for an early penalty that led to a goal with the tying goal and was plus-2. 3. Lee Stempniak, Flames: Wheeled around Marco Scandella for a goal. By THE NUMBERS 162 minutes, 12 seconds Niklas Backstrom's shutout streak vs. Calgary, broken early in the first period. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.28.2011 590982 Minnesota Wild

Game Day: Tampa Bay at Wild

MICHAEL RUSSO

Preview: The Wild wraps up its six-game homestand against the Lightning before a heavy schedule that includes six of its next seven on the road. The Wild is 8-3-2 all-time against last year's Eastern Conference finalists, including 4-2 at home. The Lightning has been a Jekyll & Hyde team: 7-3 at home but 4-6-2 on road, having been outscored 19-8 in road first periods. Tampa Bay is coming off consecutive victories over Florida. Players to watch: Lightning C Steven Stamkos has three goals in the past two games and ranks second in the NHL with 14 goals and tied for 10th with 24 points. C Vincent Lecavalier is tied for 15th in the NHL with 10 goals. RW Martin St. Louis is tied for 35th with 19 points. Former Wild Marc-Andre Bergeron is tied for the league lead among defensemen with 19 points. Wild RW Dany Heatley has 14 goals and 31 points in 29 career games vs. the Lightning. C Matt Cullen has 23 points in 49 games. G Niklas Backstrom is 4-1-1 against the Lightning with a 1.79 goals-against average, while G Josh Harding has never played Tampa Bay. Numbers: The Wild is 1-0-1 in the back end of back-to-backs this season. ... The Wild is 0-2-1 against the Eastern Conference this season. ... The Lightning, known for its defensive alignment in the neutral zone, has given up 3.04 goals per game (ninth highest in the NHL). ... Tampa Bay's road power play ranks 27th (11.6 percent); its road penalty kill ranks fourth (89.1 percent). Injuries: Wild D Mike Lundin (back) and D Greg Zanon (groin) are questionable. D Marek Zidlicky (concussion) and LW Guillaume Latendresse (concussion) are out. Lightning D Mattias Ohlund (knee) is out and RW Steve Downie (upper body) is questionable. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.28.2011

Wild's low-energy output leaves it with sick feeling

MICHAEL RUSSO

The Flames came out in charge and in sync and stayed there, as the deadlegged Wild wasn't up to the challenge. Turkey comas usually subside the day after Thanksgiving, but the Wild's lasted through the weekend. In a startlingly sloppy, lethargic performance, the Wild got run over and run around by the Calgary Flames during an ugly 5-2 home loss. "The good news is I don't think we can play worse than that," said coach Mike Yeo. Added captain Mikko Koivu, "This can't happen again." After a spine-tingling tribute to the late Derek Boogaard before the game that captured the fans' collective heart, the same crowd turned understandably restless and spent much of Sunday's game booing the Wild after turnovers, shoddy power plays and extended shifts in their own end. The Wild, which has lost two in a row since winning 10 of 12, was that bad in every area. "I don't think we even got started. They were going the whole game and we were watching," winger Devin Setoguchi said. "We didn't even dip the toe in the water. We just kind of sat outside of it." Niklas Backstrom was pulled by the 9-minute mark. By 20 minutes, Yeo had shuffled all three defense pairs after a careless first period with the puck. A Setoguchi dribbler was the Wild's first shot of the third period. The first, third and fourth lines spent many shifts pinned. It was so bad, the Cal Clutterbuck-Matt Cullen-Pierre-Marc Bouchard line was the best in terms of creating offense, yet finished a combined minus-8. There was little speed, little urgency, and things unraveled early in the third when the Wild didn't come close to tying on a power play. Moments later, it was 4-2 when Josh Harding couldn't retreat fast enough after he rimmed the puck to Alex Tanguay. "Our battle level wasn't where it needs to be," Cullen said. "We're not the kind of team that can come out and hope it goes one way or the other, just play and let things happen. We've got to go make it happen." The blue line particularly struggled. Marco Scandella got walked around by Lee Stempniak on the second goal. Jared Spurgeon had trouble holding the blue line and was allergic to shooting. Nate Prosser fell, swung and missed on one shot and fanned on another -- and that was on one shift. Clayton Stoner turned the puck over twice on one shift and Justin Falk repeatedly turned it over. Yeo said there's "definitely a good chance" Mike Lundin, who has missed all season because of a back injury, makes his Wild debut Monday night against his former team, Tampa Bay, and the coaching staff will discuss whether veteran Greg Zanon returns after missing 16 games because of a torn groin. "Bad breaks, left and right. Bad decisions, left and right," Falk said. "We're young back there, we're trying to learn." Clutterbuck scored first on a power-play beauty before Mark Giordano scored from a bad angle. Trailing 2-1, Nick Johnson tied it after a series of strong plays by Kyle Brodziak, but Backstrom was pulled 8:45 in after TJ Brodie scored a soft one. Backstrom had a .960 save percentage in his previous six games but was starting for the first time since Nov. 17. "He's been really good. He had an off night," Yeo said. He also had quite the week, becoming a father, then sitting through the emotional tribute of his close friend, Boogaard. Backstrom said it was tough to play after the tribute, but "three goals go through me, you have to find a way to stop them one way or another." Note Jarome Iginla, the all-time leading scorer against the Wild, got an early shower when somebody from the Wild bench sprayed the Calgary captain with a water bottle after he scored in the third period. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.28.2011 590985 Minnesota Wild

Tanguay, Iginla lead Flames past sloppy Wild 5-2

Article by: DAVE CAMPBELL , Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Calgary Flames haven't conceded anything. The calendar, after all, is still on November. Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla had third-period goals to pad Calgary's lead and help stop a three-game losing streak for the Flames with a 5-2 win on Sunday night over the Minnesota Wild. The Flames wrapped up this four-game road trip the right way, controlling the pace and flow from start to finish against the Northwest Division-leading Wild. The Flames had fallen to 13th place in the Western Conference with seven losses in 10 games. "People think it's over after 22 games, and we don't believe it is," Iginla said. "So this is definitely a big boost, to be able to break out goals against this team." It was a badly-needed performance - against a division rival no less. "If anything it reaffirms that we can do it. That's one of the best teams in the NHL, and for the most part I think we took the game to them all night," Stempniak said. "I think it's sort of a stepping stone." Matt Giordano, Lee Stempniak and T.J. Brodie scored during a furious first period, and Mikka Kiprusoff steadied himself after the early barrage to make 19 saves for the Flames. He improved to 26-15-5 in his career against the Wild. "Nobody's happy with where we're at in the standings, but nobody's giving up," Iginla said. Cal Clutterbuck and Nick Johnson had goals in that first half of the first period for the Wild, but goalie Niklas Backstrom was pulled for Josh Harding after the Flames took a 3-2 lead. "The good news is I don't think we can play worse than that. That's something to fall back on," Minnesota coach Mike Yeo said. After a scoreless second period, Harding skated out to grab the puck and clear it behind the net, but Stempniak pressured him - like a quarterback hurry in football - into a sloppy pass. Tanguay was waiting on the other side to shoot it in. Then Iginla, who was recently separated from Tanguay in an attempt by coach Brent Sutter to mix up his lines and re-ignite the attack, muscled inside of Justin Falk to tip in a pass from Curtis Glencross. "We've worked hard at getting our game in order," Sutter said. Iginla, the all-time leading scorer against the Wild with 32 goals in 63 games, jawed at the home team on his way off the ice and got doused with some water. Minnesota got a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. Iginla said he was yelled at his entire shift but that he had "no hard feelings." Backstrom was in the net for the first time in four games - he was tending to a personal matter this week - and faced only eight shots before his removal. His streak of 162-plus minutes without allowing a goal against the Flames ended, and he was yanked from a home game for the first time in nearly two years. Former Wild enforcer, the late Derek Boogaard, was honored with a highlight video of his best hits. His ex-teammates gave flowers, hugs and handshakes to his family on the ice before the game. But the emotion of the moment was difficult to turn off. "You have to find a way to play, one way or another," Backstrom said. "But I have to say it was tough. Really tough." After losing at home to the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 on Friday, this was not the response Yeo was looking for from a team that boasted the NHL's best record earlier this week before dropping the last two games. The Wild had won 10 of their previous 12 going into Thanksgiving Day. At the tail end of a power play that started 28 seconds into the game, Mikko Koivu notched his team-leading 14th assist with a touch pass to

Clutterbuck, who was alone on the wing and made a slick left-right move on Kiprusoff for a backhanded tuck. But Giordano struck back for Calgary, stealing the puck by the boards from Pierre-Marc Bouchard and sneaking a bad-angle shot past Backstrom. Stempniak followed with a highlight-reel fake to skate past Marco Scandella and send a shot straight between Backstrom's pads. After Johnson tied the score, Backstrom let in another five-hole goal 39 seconds later when Brodie's backhander for his first NHL score - he said he was trying to send a backdoor pass to Tim Jackman - slipped through for a 3-2 lead. "This can't happen again. It's about our effort and the way we should play the game and support each other out here," Koivu said, "and it's something we need to learn from." Notes: Backstrom was 5-0-1 with an 0.88 goals against average in his last seven starts against the Flames. ... The Flames are 8-0 when leading after two periods. ... The Wild didn't register a shot on net in the third period until the final 3 1/2 minutes. Star Tribune LOADED: 11.28.2011 590986 Minnesota Wild

left, for the Wild's second goal past Calgary netminder Miikka Kiprusoff in the first period. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi) Calgary had lost its previous three games and coach Brent Sutter gave the Flames a pretty good talking-to after a 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. "Nobody's happy with where we're at in the standings, but nobody's giving up," Flames captain Jarome Iginla said. "The Wild have had a great first 20 games and it feels good to come in here and beat them when they're playing well." The Flames took this game over, holding Minnesota without a shot on goal through the first 16 minutes of the third period. "It's a pretty good indication that we're not there yet as far as understanding what our game is, how we have to play the game, how we have to prepare before we go into a game," Yeo said. "We went into this game thinking about the result, thinking about the outcome....We played like we were afraid to lose, we were afraid to make a play." The Wild trailed 3-2 after one period and again after two, but a bad break made it a 4-2 game early in the third period and they never recovered. Minnesota was on a power play to start the third, but when Lee Stempniak came out of the box as the puck was tossed down the ice, Harding had to leave his net to prevent a breakaway. Harding shoved the puck to the sideboards, but Calgary's Alex Tanguay beat the slow-moving Wild defense to that spot and scored as Harding scrambled back into the net. It was one of 35 shots for the Flames to just 21 for the Wild. "The good news is, I don't think we can play worse than that," Yeo said. "That's something to fall back on." Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.28.2011 590987 Minnesota Wild

Bad night all around: Wild goaltending, defense struggle in loss to Calgary

By Bruce Brothers

It's not a good sign for the home team when the biggest cheers of the night at the Xcel Energy Center occur before the opening faceoff. The Wild paid tribute to late forward Derek Boogaard before their game Sunday, then took a 1-0 lead less than two minutes in against the Calgary Flames. After that, Minnesota did very little right. Shots were off target, passes went astray and the Flames capitalized by taking control with three first-period goals en route to a 5-2 win in front of 16,864 fans who were booing by the end of the evening. The goaltending wasn't great. And the defense, which had led the Wild to the top of the Western Conference just days before, looked so dodgy that coach Mike Yeo changed his pairings at the start of the second period. "It just wasn't good all around," rookie defenseman Justin Falk said. "Bad breaks left and right, bad decisions left and right." Despite its second straight loss, Minnesota stayed atop the Northwest Division going into tonight's home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. But a second consecutive 5-2 defeat left players at a loss for answers. "This can't happen again," captain Mikko Koivu said. Teams have ups and downs, Koivu added, but what's more important than the result is the way the team plays. Forward Matt Cullen concurred. The Wild came out acting as if they were good enough to shift into gear when necessary, Cullen said, forgetting that work is required to set that up. The problem, Yeo said, "was between the ears." Goaltender Niklas Backstrom, who started his first game since becoming a father last week, yielded three goals on the Flames' first eight shots and was replaced by Josh Harding just 8:45 into the first period. "I'm a goalie; I have to stop the puck," Backstrom said. "Three goals go through, and I have to find a way to stop them one way or another." It was an interesting result for division rivals separated by 12 points in the standings at the start. Calgary defender Scott Hannan, center, drives Wild center Darroll Powe, bottom, to the ice as the puck leaves the stick of Minnesota's Nick Johnson,

Minnesotan Mike Lundin expected to make Wild debut tonight

By Bruce Brothers

Wild report Expect native Minnesotan Mike Lundin to make his first appearance wearing a Wild sweater tonight, stepping in on the blue line against his former team, Tampa Bay. Lundin, who played high school hockey in Apple Valley, left the Lightning after last season and signed as a free agent with the Wild in July. He suffered back problems at the beginning of training camp, however, and has yet to play in a game this season. Coach Mike Yeo said Lundin likely would have been in the lineup tonight no matter what, but defenseman Justin Falk suffered back spasms in the Wild' 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Sunday night. Yeo said the coaching staff would discuss who's in and who's out against the Lightning after the Wild produced one of their poorest performances of the season Sunday. Falk was in obvious pain after the game, but his status for tonight's game was uncertain. Boogaard remembered: Minnesota's and Calgary's players watched an emotional pregame video saluting former Wild forward Derek Boogaard, who died this past summer, and featuring comments from former Wild players Marian Gaborik, Brent Burns and Andrew Brunette and the Wild's Josh Harding, Nick Schultz and equipment man Tony DaCosta as well as a few others. Boogaard was one of the Wild's most popular players among both teammates and fans. Yeo said he didn't believe the video affected his players adversely. Goaltender Niklas Backstrom, who was taken out after allowing

three goals on Calgary's first eight shots, was a good friend of Boogaard's. Asked if the video tribute caused a problem, he said, "It was tough." Captain Mikko Koivu said the pregame ceremony was a nice honor to Boogaard and a first-class effort by the organization but admitted it most likely had an impact on the players, especially those who had played with Boogaard as a teammate. "It was an emotional moment, and kind of tough for all of us," Koivu said. Boogaard's family was on hand for the ceremony, at which Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher and Koivu unveiled a painting of Boogaard. Fletcher also presented a check from the team for $10,000 to Boogaard's favorite charity, Defending the Blue Line, which supports hockey for youngsters of military members. Iginla has last laugh: Jarome Iginla scored Calgary's fifth goal in the third period, then skated past the Minnesota bench and was rewarded by getting sprayed by a water bottle. He said he did not see who did it. But he was smiling widely. "Someone was saying something to me the whole shift," Iginla said, "and I was fortunate to be able to score on the same shift. It was kind of one of those fun moments where I think I gave 'em a wink or something and they didn't like it. "No hard feelings; it's all part of the game." Briefly: Defenseman Greg Zanon has been getting closer to coming back from a pulled groin muscle, Yeo said, and might be in the lineup against the Lightning. -- Guillaume Latendresse and Marek Zidlicky, both sidelined by concussions, have begun skating on their own but have yet to return to practice. -- The Wild's past three losses all have been by scores of 5-2. -- Iginla's goal was his 32nd in 63 career games against Minnesota, ranking No. 1 among Wild opponents. Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.28.2011 590988 Minnesota Wild

Habs' Pacioretty faces hearing for head shot

sean gordon

Max Pacioretty admits he should have known better, given the horrors he has experienced, but sometimes life on an NHL rink moves faster than one's judgment. And so it is that the Montreal Canadiens forward will find himself on the phone with league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan on Monday after a head shot he doled out to Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Kristopher Letang this past weekend. After the game Pacioretty, whose 2010-11 season was abruptly ended by a nasty hit from Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara, recognized the irony of the onetime victim now standing accused. "It's a tough decision for me, it's a tough decision for [Letang] too. He's coming across the middle, unfortunately his head is down, I feel terrible about what happened. I didn't see the replays, so I don't know what the league will think of it," he said of the sequence where he came in from the side and crunched Letang's head with his shoulder late in the third period of Pittsburgh's 4-3 overtime win Saturday. "But if I let him take that shot it could be in the back of our net. ... I tried to keep it within the rules." That Letang quickly recovered - he was back on the ice within 10 minutes and later scored the winning goal may be a mitigating factor. So too may Pacioretty apologizing to Letang before overtime. "I've been down that road, it's a terrible feeling, I know [the Penguins] are probably going to want something to be done," said the 22-year-old Pacioretty, who can expect a suspension if Shanahan concludes it was a blind-side hit. Letang said after the game that team doctors gave him an oral test to make sure he hadn't suffered a concussion. "It's just a broken nose," said the Montreal native, who added he appreciated Pacioretty's commiserations. "I told him there was no problem. I haven't seen the replay, but it was a nice gesture on his part." The game Saturday was eventful on several other levels as well.

Flames 5, Wild 2:

Habs goalie Carey Price smashed and hurled his stick and later went on a profane tirade over the winning tally, which came after he appeared to have frozen the puck. Then there were postgame comments from Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, whose first-period assist in his first Canadian appearance took his points haul to eight in four games since returning from a concussion. After finding himself painted as a hypocrite for elbowing Ottawa Senators forward Nick Foligno in the head Friday, Crosby shot back. "I think he's blown it totally out of proportion. Two nights before that, I go in a scrum and I get punched in the head. I accept that. I'm going into a scrum. ... That's totally different from putting an elbow in a guy's face coming across the middle. They're totally different circumstances. He's known for being a chippy player and trying to be an agitator and that's what comes with the territory if you're going to play that way," said Crosby, whose reputation for purposeful public blandness made his sortie all the more surprising. Toronto Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.28.2011 590990 Montreal Canadiens

Bruce Brothers

RECAP: Calgary scored three goals within 4 minutes, 8 seconds of the first period and snapped a three-game losing streak, defeating the Wild in front of 16,864 on Sunday night at the Xcel Energy Center. The first period featured five goals within 6:48, but three came from the Flames and chased Minnesota goaltender Nik Backstrom. Cal Clutterbuck got the Wild started at the 1:57 mark, but Mark Giordano tied the score three minutes later. Lee Stempniak of Calgary and Minnesota's Nick Johnson exchanged goals 72 seconds apart before T.J. Brodie gave the Flames the lead 39 seconds after Johnson's goal. Alex Tanguay's sharp-angle goal 1:39 into the third period made it 4-2, and Jarome Iginla upped it to 5-2 after 8:26. MEANING: The Wild had won 10 of their previous 12 games before losing 5-2 to Edmonton on Friday, but they continue to lead the Northwest Division with a 13-7-3 record. ETC.: Wild coach Mike Yeo shook up his defensive pairings after an ineffective first period, putting Clayton Stoner with Marco Scandella, Nick Schultz with Nate Prosser and Jared Spurgeon with Justin Falk. UP NEXT: vs. Lightning, 6:30 tonight at Xcel Energy Center, VERSUS, KFXN-FM 100.3 Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.28.2011 590989 Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price lets it rip over Penguins' 4-3 win

By PAT HICKEY,

MONTREAL - As he stripped off each piece of his equipment and shoved it into a duffel bag, Canadiens goaltender Carey Price went through a litany of words which aren't fit for the public print.

Price was upset because there was no whistle after he covered the puck following a shot by James Neal in overtime of Saturday night's game against Pittsburgh. While Price was waiting for the referee to stop play, Kris Letang knocked the puck loose and scored to give the Penguins a 4-3 victory. "We worked our asses off for 60-plus minutes and that's the way it ends. It's really frustrating," said Price. "I had my hand on the puck until he jammed it out.. You can clearly see it." "It was clearly tied up,"said defenceman Hal Gill. :"The referee said he didn't see it. He's human, I guess." "You all saw the play and I'm really disappointed for our players," said coach Jacques Martin. "We just played nine games in 15 days and were playing against the best team in the league.(which had) no injuries and it's disappointing we had to lose that way." Price also had reason to be upset with the way his teammates played after they took a 3-1 lead at 7:37 of the second period. The Canadiens were outshot 30-16 over the final two periods and the overtime. "They're a good hockey team and if you sit back, they're going to pick you apart," said Price. "We slugged it away with the best team in the NHL for 60-plus minutes but it's really frustrating to lose that way." The Canadiens might have avoided overtime if they had (a) taken advantage of their power-play opportunities or (b) not allowed Jordan Staal to score the tying goal on a breakaway with 4:30 to play in regulation. "They're a quick transition team out there and if you're sleeping out there, you're going to get burned," said Price. Price didn't mention any names and coach Jacques Martin simply referred to "one mistake too many" in the third period but the guilty party was Yannick Weber, who was slow reacting when Staal took a pass from Evgeni Malkin at the blueline. "He came off the bench and he was coming with speed," said Weber although the replay told a different story. Staal had to wait the blueline for the pass and took two strides toward the crease before the defence reacted. There was another controversy in the third period when Max Pacioretty leveled Letang with his shoulder. There was no penalty called on the hit which left Letang lying on the ice and bleeding from a broken nose but NHL vice president Brendan Shanahan will conduct a phone hearing with Pacioretty prior to the Canadiens' departure to California Monday morning. Pacioretty had a brief conversation with Letang when the Pittsburgh player returned for the overtime. "I told him I was sorry and I'm glad he was back," said Pacioretty. "I've been down that road and it's a terrible feeling. I know (the Penguins) are going to want something to be done. He came across the middle and he was getting ready to shoot the puck. I wish I wasn't put in a position to make a decision there but I know I had to hit him and I hope I kept within the rules there." Price noted that special teams made the difference. The Canadiens' penalty-killing unit stymied the Penguins on three power plays and haven't given up a goal in 11 games. But the power play ranks 27th in the NHL after going 0-for-4. "We have to work it out in practice," said Price. "We have to figure out how to take advantage of having an extra guy on the ice because it's going to cost us if we don't work it out." Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.28.2011 590991 Montreal Canadiens

The Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman returned to action after having been violently hit late in the third period by Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty, helped off the ice with a broken nose and his white, black and gold jersey a crimson mess. Then 2:09 into overtime, free of any concussion symptoms and cleared to return by a doctor who had helpfully rearranged his nose, Letang mined the puck out from beneath the glove of Habs goalie Carey Price and stuffed it home. The goal, which shouldn't have counted, gave the visitors an entertaining 43 come-from-behind victory and handed the Canadiens their second loss in as many days. Pacioretty will learn his fate Monday after a telephone hearing with National Hockey League disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan. It's possible Pacioretty will miss at least part of his team's three-game West Coast swing this week, the Habs chartering to Anaheim early Monday afternoon. Pacioretty took no pride in the devastating hit. He's been on the receiving end, of course, and he immediately apologized to Letang, a gesture the victim appreciated. The Penguin, meanwhile, now slips in behind Maurice Richard for famous face-bloodied comeback goals. In Game 7 of the 1952 semifinal playoff against Boston, the Rocket returned to the Habs bench late in the game stitched up and probably badly concussed after a second-period collision with the Bruins' Bill Quackenbush had knocked him "colder than a bailiff's heart," as Elmer Ferguson wrote in the Montreal Herald. With less than four minutes left in a 1-1 game, Richard went end to end without a pass because, he later said, he was too foggy to recognize linemates Elmer Lach and Toe Blake, then scored what would be the series winner on Sugar Jim Henry. Letang's goal was a little less dramatic. And had referee Dan O'Rourke done his job, it wouldn't have counted at all. Price clearly had the puck frozen beneath his trapper against his left pad. It wasn't a matter of O'Rourke letting the play continue because he had not lost sight of the puck; he couldn't ever have had it in view, standing back of the goal line and in a direct line behind the kneeling Price. Only after much trowelling by Letang and James Neal had dislodged the puck did O'Rourke move out from behind the net to the edge of the crease, from where he saw Letang jam it in. Not surprisingly, Letang later said that he and Neal always had the puck in sight and they simply kept digging, the play still alive according to the officials. An animated Habs defenceman Hal Gill argued the goal in vain, and Price, who'd had a stellar 38-save night, disgustedly hurled his broken stick down the ice as he skated off, soon cursing to reporters about the play. You could argue that the Penguins had a break coming their way, forward Chris Kunitz having not one but two apparent goals called back earlier in the game. One puck was ruled to have been gloved behind Price, a second was refused when Kunitz crashed into the goalie and pushed him into the net. "It made for a good story, (Letang) coming back after the hit and scoring the goal," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said later, adding that he was surprised Pacioretty hadn't been penalized. "(Letang) is shooting the puck. It was from a bad angle, the blind side, and certainly I think it's a hit (the NHL is) going to look at." The game began with Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby returning to Montreal for the first time in more than 18 months, not having played here since Game 6 of the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinal. Crosby, who was given a rousing Bell Centre welcome when introduced as a Penguins starter then pretty much ignored by fans the rest of the night, had spent 10 months nursing hockey's most famous concussion. He returned to action last Monday for his first of four games this past week. "It was way longer than anyone should have to go through," Crosby said Saturday of his recovery, adding it's "awesome" to be back. "You just appreciate (playing) that much more."

Montreal Canadiens: Goal by Letang, with a broken nose, gives Penguins come-from behind victory

By DAVE STUBBS,

MONTREAL - As gory-to-glory game-winning goals go on Montreal ice, Kris Letang's game-winner Saturday is only the second-most famous.

Habs fans seeking a silver lining will note that Crosby still has just two regular-season goals in his dozen lifetime Bell Centre games, both coming in his Montreal debut on Jan. 3, 2006. He played 20:55 on Saturday, his busiest night since his return, taking three shots and registering three hits. He was only 28 per cent on faceoffs, his timing clearly still off, and was plus-2. Crosby admitted post-game to being a little fatigued, and spent a good part of his five-minute dressing-room interview defending the elbowing penalty he'd taken against Ottawa's Nick Foligno the night before in Pittsburgh. On Friday, Foligno suggested Crosby was a hypocrite, the Penguin having thrown an elbow after speaking out against head shots since being sidelined. Crosby argued that his action wasn't a full-speed elbow to the chops, but rather an in-scrum defence of Marc-Andr Fleury, his often-steamrollered goalie. "I don't know what he's talking about," Crosby said of Foligno's remarks. "I was preaching about the hits like (Pacioretty's on Letang), not a scrum. I don't know what (Foligno) expects after he runs a goalie three times. "He's probably lucky it was me that was handling it and not someone else. If he's going to do that, he should be ready to expect a response. ... "He's blowing it totally out of proportion," Crosby continued. "Two nights before that (vs. St. Louis), I go into a scrum and get punched in the head. I accept that going into a scrum. It's part of playing the game. (Foligno) is known for being a chippy player, of being an agitator. That's what comes with the territory, if you're going to play that way." If Crosby's Gordie Howe-ing of Foligno was a Saturday subplot, Pacioretty's hit on Letang was the big story, an ice-scraper needed to clean up the aftermath of the high, dangerous check. "I have no clue, I didn't see it," Letang said of the hit, still towelling blood from his nose 15 minutes after the game. "I was taking a shot and had my head down. I guess (Pacioretty) was coming across to finish his hit. But he apologized on the ice. He came over and we kind of skated around. He apologized, which was a great gesture by him." Which won't - nor should it - buy Pacioretty even a long-distance cup of coffee with Shanahan. So while Letang's comeback goal might have been the headline of the night, the return of Crosby remains the bigger story for hockey. "He was dynamic, winning battles," Bylsma said of his electrifying centreman. "A lot of that game, whether he ends up on the scoresheet or not, is some pretty incredible hockey." Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.28.2011 590992 Montreal Canadiens

However, 21 seconds into the game, there was little more than a subdued, almost anxious buzz following a Malkin goal, even though Crosby earned an assist on it - his eighth point in the four games he's played this season. That, too, was expected, and so was the celebration when the Canadiens scored the next three goals from Travis Moen, Max Pacioretty and Erik Cole. Call this one a strange game in so many ways. For example, there was the matter of a Kunitz goal disallowed early in the second period that would have tied the game 2-2. It was allowed by the onice officials after a Crosby pass bounced off P.K. Subban onto the Pittsburgh player's hand and, from there, beyond Price. It appeared that even the Bell crowd expected it to count. Instead, there was roar of approval when the hanging judges in Toronto ruled otherwise. Another time, in the third period, Kunitz swept in on Price on a short-handed breakaway, but his original shot was stopped by Price. Kunitz then came into contact with Price's leg, forcing the latter and the puck in the net. This time, officials promptly waved it off. No surprise there. There was no review, however, on the overtime winner by Letang, who was left bloodied with 3:14 left in the third period after being struck on the head by Max Pacioretty. There was no penalty on the play, but Pacioretty will have a hearing Monday with disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan to determine whether a suspension is merited. Price clearly felt he had the puck covered against the post for several seconds, but Letang poked it loose for the winner. Price was so incensed with this wrong call that he smashed his stick against the goalpost. Go figure. Needless to say, Canadiens coach Jacques Martin also was an unhappy camper. "You saw what happened," he muttered in reply to a question about the winning goal. That reminds me of the night when, after the Canadiens had been blitzed 70 at the Forum, coach Toe Blake was asked by a reporter: "Who was your best man out there?" The colour rose in Toe's cheeks. "What kind of a stupid question is that?" he said. "You saw the damned game!" "Okay," the writer promptly replied, "who was your worst?" The bottom line, however, is that when a team takes a 3-1 lead at home and can't protect it, the players have only themselves to blame for losing a game during which they were outshot 42-27. In other words, there's no point complaining about it. There were none from the Penguins when the Kunitz goals were disallowed, none after the hit to Letang's head by Pacioretty. What the Penguins did do was try harder, resulting in a Jordan Staal breakaway goal that tied the game with fewer than five minutes remaining in regulation. They also worked harder in overtime, outshooting the Canadiens 3-0. If there was anything good to come out of this loss, it's that Erik Cole, who struggled during the first few weeks of the season, continues to be the best player on this team. It was his goal at the 11:09 mark of the second period that provided his colleagues with a two-goal lead. On most nights, that should be enough for a team playing at home, particularly since the Penguins had two goals disallowed. Cole had a goal and an assist, five shots and a plus-2. It doesn't get better than that against a team that shows signs of going deep in the playoffs and, perhaps, winning it all. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.28.2011 590993 Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens fans greet Sidney Crosby with roars

By RED FISHER

MONTREAL - It was what you'd expect from most Canadiens fans, who respect excellence from visiting players, as they do from their own. In the moments before Saturday's 4-3 overtime victory by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the public-address announcer was reading off the names of the visitors' starting lineup. Chris Kunitz ... Brooks Orpik ... Kris Letang ... Evgeni Malkin ... Marc Andr Fleury - all attracting boos no louder than soft murmurs. Finally, Sidney Crosby's name was read - and now there was no longer a noise in the Bell, but thunder engulfing it. Louder than when the Canadiens' starting lineup was announced. Louder even than the one that greeted Carey Price's 21st appearance in the Canadiens' 24 games. Nice.

Montreal Canadiens' Yannick Webber's inattention sent Habs into OT

By Pat Hickey

The skinny: The Canadiens let a point slip away as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 in overtime Saturday night at the Bell Centre. Referee Dan O'Rourke's failure to blow the whistle when Carey Price covered the puck with his hand allowed Kris Letang to poke the puck loose for the winning goal. But there wouldn't have been overtime if Canadiens defenceman Yannick Weber had been more alert when Jordan Staal had a breakaway to tie the game with 4:30 remaining in regulation time. Evgeni Malkin and Pascal Dupuis scored the other Pittsburgh goals, while Travis Moen, Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty scored for the Canadiens. The turning point: Montreal was clinging to a 3-2 lead when Staal scored on a breakaway. Weber was slow reacting at the blue line and said later that Staal had come off the bench with speed. Staal did come off the bench, but he stopped at the blue line to take a pass from Malkin. Pacioretty faces hearing: NHL vice-president Brendan Shanahan wants to talk to Max Pacioretty about his third-period hit on Letang. There was no penalty on the play, which left Letang with a broken nose. This won't be an easy decision. Replays support the Penguins' argument it was a blindside hit, but there's also a case to be made that Pacioretty was playing the puck, didn't target the head and didn't attempt to raise his elbow. The bottom line: The Canadiens had two productive lines but, unfortunately, the trio of Michael Cammaleri, Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta wasn't one of them. The trio combined for only three shots on goal and were a combined minus-9. Gionta is minus-9 over the last three games, and Cammalleri has been going out of his way to avoid traffic jams. On the plus side, linemates Max Pacioretty and Erik Cole each had a goal and an assist and combined with centre David Desharnais for 15 of the Canadiens' 27 shots. This was also a big night for the No. 3 line of Moen, Lars Eller and Andrei Kostitsyn. Moen scored his eighth goal of the season, while Eller won 15 of his 21 faceoffs. The Kid: Sidney Crosby picked up an assist on the first Pittsburgh goal, but fell short of his billing as the best player in the world. He had three shots on goal, three hits, and won only seven of 25 faceoffs for a 28-per-cent success rate. Block that shot: The Canadiens blocked 26 shots and are No. 1 in the NHL with 391 blocks for the season. Josh Gorges is the NHL's individual leader with 65. Specialty items: The Penguins' power play went 0-for-3 against a Montreal penalty-killing unit that hasn't allowed a goal since the New York Rangers scored on a 5-on-3 situation on Nov. 5. But the Canadiens power play was 0-for-4 against a Pittsburgh penalty-killing unit that ranks second in the NHL, one spot above the Canadiens. Montreal's power play ranks 27th. What's next: The Canadiens are off to sunny California for games Wednesday in Anaheim, Thursday in San Jose and Saturday in Los Angeles. Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.28.2011 590994 Montreal Canadiens

"I was taking a shot and had my head down. I guess (Pacioretty) was coming across to finish his hit," said Letang. "But he apologized on the ice. He came over and we kind of skated around. He apologized, which was a great gesture by him." A doctor popped Letang's broken beak back into place and he wound up scoring the winner after the Penguins raked the puck out from under the glove of Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who was livid the play had not been whistled dead. Price smashed his stick and hurled it across the ice as the refs "ran away," as he put it. It wound up being a wild finish strange night at the Bell Centre with the victims of the most memorable brain trauma of last season -- Pacioretty and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby -- both trying to explain hits to the head of opponents. Crosby had been accused of being a hypocrite by Ottawa Senators forward Nick Foligno -- speaking out against headshots after he missed the last 10 months with a concussion -- and then elbowing Foligno in the head Friday night as they jostled after he made with Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Crosby explained his preaching was about hits like Pacioretty's on Letang, not what happens in a scrum. Pacioretty was contrite and apologetic after the game, but the videotape will speak for itself. Montreal Sun LOADED: 11.28.2011

590995

Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators forwards aren't producing

Josh Cooper

As a group that's supposed to pressure the opposing team in a wave of four lines, the Predators forwards often take pride in being hard to play against. But when the effort lessens ever so slightly, the group doesn't have nearly the same effectiveness. "We're an easy team to play against right now," forward Patric Hornqvist said as the Predators prepared for today's game against the Oilers. "We know what we have to do and we have to show it - come out like a new group of guys, take the puck deep, hold onto it and hopefully create some cycles and be hard to check." The Predators are built on defense and goaltending. Their forward group is assembled to pressure the opponent into making mistakes by winning oneon-one battles. But in the past three games, all losses, the Predators have a total of five goals. One forward, Jordin Tootoo, scored two of those. Defensemen scored the other three. Nashville is coming off a 4-1 loss at Detroit on Saturday. "We always work hard, and that's what we have to get back on right now," Hornqvist said. "We can't play like we did (at Detroit). It was embarrassing. Everyone knows that, and forwards have to score." Coach Barry Trotz said he spoke with his forwards at practice Sunday and told them what he expected. "We've always been a team that identifies with working as a group," Trotz said. "Right now we're playing a little too individually." Bouillon sent home: Francis Bouillon tweaked his ailing groin Saturday at Detroit, so the defenseman went back to Nashville for treatment. There's an outside chance he could return Thursday at Vancouver. "We knew he would probably be out for the next few days," Trotz said. "He's not going to play the next two games." Nashville has six defensemen on the trip. The last time the Predators went to Western Canada, their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, was in nearby Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Pacioretty facing hearing for head hit

By CHRIS STEVENSON, QMI Agency

A bunch of Montreal Canadiens fans called 911 when winger Max Pacioretty was steamrolled into a stanchion at the Bell Centre by Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara last season. Now it's going to be NHL lord of discipline Brendan Shanahan reaching for the phone to call Pacioretty. Pacioretty is on the other end of it this time around. He faces a phone hearing with Shanahan Monday morning and likely faces a suspension after he hit Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Kris Letang in the face with his shoulder Saturday night. He caught Letang coming over the Montreal blueline with his head down with about three minutes left in the third period. It looked like a violation of Rule 48 "Illegal Check to the Head," but no penalty was called on the play. Letang suffered a broken nose, but was cleared to return to play after being checked out for a possible concussion and scored a controversial winning goal in overtime.

The Predators won't have such a luxury this time if they need to call up a defenseman quickly. The Admirals just finished a series in Charlotte, N.C., and are heading back to Milwaukee. Trotz said Victor Bartley and Tyler Sloan were Nashville's two potential defensemen call-ups in an emergency situation. Football fan: Defenseman Shea Weber is a fan of all Vanderbilt sports, so he was happy to hear the football team became bowl eligible with Saturday's win over Wake Forest. "It's good for them," Weber said. "It has been a few years. "It's nice for them to get back in a bowl." Weber is also a big fan of the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League, and he planned to watch the Grey Cup between the Lions and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday night. "They don't get a whole lot of coverage down south," Weber said. "I grew up watching the CFL before I started watching the NFL, so I will be cheering them on." Tennessean LOADED: 11.28.2011 590996 Nashville Predators

appeared in at least 20 games and was tied with Montreal's Carey Price for the most appearances, although Price had played more minutes. The contest against Edmonton, which is 2-0 against Nashville this season, is the first of three games in four nights for the Predators. It also is the first half of a back-to-back, which concludes Tuesday at Calgary. "Maybe if you have the schedule in front of you and you go the first 20, or 21 games, yeah probably that way it looks like a lot," Rinne said. "But once you're in the rhythm and keeping playing ... obviously, you have to be honest with yourself, but energy-wise I think it's easier at this point of the season. "Anytime you play 21 games out of 22 it's a lot, but it doesn't feel like that." Rinne started each of the first 14 - a franchise first - which included all 12 games in October. At this point, he has faced 652 shots and made 603 saves, both of which lead the NHL. Backup Anders Lindback's only start was Nov. 8 at Los Angeles, a 4-3 defeat. He also relieved Rinne two times when the score got out of hand early. "Now you're getting into those real tough 40 games where ... you're a ways from the start and not going back, and the light at the end of the tunnel - the end of the season - is too far away," Trotz said. "This is where the mental toughness and the grind really kicks in - from now until February. "... We have to start using Lindy a little bit more." The Predators only have one set of back-to-back games in December, and that leads into the holiday break - Dec. 22 against Columbus and Dec. 23 at Dallas. Nashville's franchise record for games played by a goalie is 73, set in 200304 by Tomas Vokoun. The record for consecutive games played also belongs to Vokoun and is 38, set in 2002-03. Rinne admits there are times he thinks he can play virtually every game in a season, although with the Predators having lost four straight this probably is not one of those times. "When you're playing well and the team is winning, it gets so much easier," Rinne said. "I think the biggest thing is mentally. Just to be able to let things go and put things behind you. At least for myself, that's the biggest thing. But that gets way easier when you're playing well and the team is winning. "When you're going through tough cycles and touch stretches then it's when you have to really sometimes push yourself and go outside of your comfort zone, challenge yourself a little bit." Nashville City Paper LOADED: 11.28.2011 590998 New Jersey Devils

Game preview: Predators at Edmonton Oilers

Josh Cooper

PREDATORS AT EDMONTON OILERS When: 8:30 p.m. today. TV/radio: Fox TN/102.5-FM. Season series: The Predators are 0-2-0 against the Oilers. Oiler to watch: F Ryan Smyth has 12 goals in 23 games in his return season to Edmonton. Oilers injuries: F Taylor Hall (shoulder) and F Ben Eager (back) are questionable. D Corey Potter (ankle), D Andy Sutton (groin), D Cam Barker (ankle) and D Taylor Fedun (leg) are out. Predators injuries: D Francis Bouillon (groin) and D Teemu Laakso (back cyst) are out. Nashville's next game: 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Calgary. Tennessean LOADED: 11.28.2011 590997 Nashville Predators

To be a playoff team, Devils need to work out the kinks

Rinne's run of regular appearances for Predators nearing an end

By Rich Chere

By David Boclair

Devils watch the replay of Zach Parise's disallowed goal on the video screen at the Prudential Center. No doubt about it. The Devils have reason for optimism. They are 12-9-1 and within striking distance of a playoff spot despite the fact they've played all of this season without their No. 1 center (Travis Zajac) and large portions with Jacob Josefson, Ilya Kovalchuk and Martin Brodeur sidelined by injuries. They have a budding young star on the blue line in Adam Larsson, a solid goaltending tandem that is insurance against lengthy slumps or injuries and have gotten everything they could ask from forwards Patrik Elias, Dainius Zubrus and David Clarkson. So why does this team look so vulnerable? The power play is not just underperforming. It's given up four short-handed goals in the last 10 games.

It is easy for anyone to see that Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne already has played a lot this season. The hard part is for coach Barry Trotz to decide not to put Rinne between the pipes. Or is it? "October is hard to get your backup goaltender in," Trotz said. "It's not hard, I guess - you do it or you don't. "Early in the season we weren't playing well enough, and Pekka was playing so well that we were like, 'We're going to ride this pony as far as we can take it.' " December is now days away and the Predators continue to ride Rinne. As they enter Monday's game at Edmonton (8:30 p.m., Fox SportsTennessee) Rinne has started 21 of their 22 games. Following Saturday's 4-1 loss at Detroit, the 29-year-old was one of five NHL goalies who had

There have been so many mistakes at the offensive blue line that Brodeur and Johan Hedberg have come to expect a handful of breakaways every game. Leads are not safe in the third period. "Yes, it's a trend. I haven't said we're perfect," coach Pete DeBoer acknowledged when asked specifically about short-handed goals. "We've got to clean up our power play. We've got to clean up short-handed goals. We've got to clean up playing with a lead. There are areas we have to work on daily." The mistakes haven't been made only by young players. Sure, Larsson was benched during the third period of Friday night's game at Nassau Coliseum, Mattias Tedenby has been in the same situation a couple of times and Nick Palmieri was sent back to the minors because the Devils have been unhappy with his play. But Elias acknowledged two costly mistakes on the sequence that led to the Panthers' short-handed goal a week ago. And Kovalchuk coughed up the puck for a short-handed goal by the Islanders on Saturday, compounding his mistakes by taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at a key time in the final period. "It's deflating," Brodeur said of the short-handed goal issue. "You get an opportunity to try to take the game to a different level and when you get scored on, it's tough. These are momentum switches in a game that are tough for guys to handle mentally. "Especially when you go back on the power play. You're a little more tentative. It's been happening more and more, so guys I'm sure are thinking about it. That's why we're getting scored on. We have to play without that fear of getting scored on. A power play should be an advantage for us, not a disadvantage." One of several wrinkles the Devils need to iron out if they hope to stay in the playoff picture. *DeBoer said it would've been a significant boost for captain Zach Parise had his goal with 2.1 seconds remaining not been disallowed after a video review. "He deserves one. I'm sure it would've been a big boost, but this league doesn't afford you the time to feel sorry for yourself. You've got to keep moving forward," DeBoer said. The Devils go on a four-city road trip that takes them to Colorado, Minnesota, Winnipeg and Toronto. They are 7-5-0 on the road. Star Ledger LOADED: 11.28.2011 590999 New York Islanders

Coach Pete DeBoer noted that ref Dave Jackson, who failed to penalize John Tavares for his late up-chop on Kovalchuk's neck that broke up a golden chance to tie the game, also called nothing on Tavares' slash on Parise in Friday's 1-0 Devils victory at Nassau. The NHL reviewed Friday's non-call and fined Tavares $2,500, but neither that fine nor another would help the Devils. Instead, Kovalchuk took an unsportsmanlike conduct call for profane disagreement. "The same guy [Jackson] who saw Zach slashed [Friday] on the Island," Devils coach Pete DeBoer claimed. But long before the third, this one had the earmarks of an Islanders breakthrough. For the first time since Nov. 12 (six games), the Devils gave up the opening goal - Matt Moulson's at 11:28 of the first, only the second game in the past five in which the Islanders scored. New York Post LOADED: 11.28.2011 591000 New York Islanders

Islanders take step in right direction

By ARTHUR STAPLE

After crawling to the final horn of Saturday's 3-2 win over the Devils, Islanders forward Michael Grabner tempered the good feeling in the visitors' dressing room at the Prudential Center. "It's only one win," said Grabner, who scored the winner with a shorthanded goal 5:51 into the third period Saturday. "We need to make sure we do the same things we did and get a few more." The relief of earning their first victory on the road in eight tries (1-5-2) won't last if the Islanders can't follow up with another strong road game tomorrow in Buffalo, the first of three straight on the road this week. At the end of the week, the Islanders go to Chicago and Dallas, two teams that have been among the best in the Western Conference this season. It was a tumultuous holiday week for the Islanders, who hit a low point in an already humbling start when Sidney Crosby returned after 101/2 months away because of concussion symptoms and lit up the Isles for two goals and two assists in Monday's 5-0 Penguins win in Pittsburgh. It was the second consecutive game the Islanders were shut out. After that loss, general manager Garth Snow told Newsday that he had "no intention to replace" Jack Capuano as coach. Blake Comeau, who scored 24 goals in 2010-11 but has underachieved this season, was waived after the Islanders blew a 3-1 lead in an overtime loss to the Flyers; the Flames claimed Comeau, a well-liked member of the Isles' young core. After suffering their third shutout in four games in a loss to the Devils Friday -- the fifth time in 13 games they have been shut out at home -- the Isles broke through Saturday. They have 16 points, still the fewest in the Eastern Conference. "I think the last nine periods, we've played pretty well," Capuano said after Saturday's win. "I thought we played better on Friday [in the 1-0 loss] than we did [Saturday night]. We deserved a better fate the other night and we got it [Saturday night]. The bench is still good. We've got a lot of guys who care." There's no moral victories, though, not when the actual wins are too few and far between. During their current 3-10-4 skid, the Isles have gotten points in consecutive games only once. "We just have to keep playing the same way and be consistent," Jay Pandolfo said. "I know we've said it before, but we need to start building off these good games." Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.28.2011 591001 New York Rangers

Devils lose to Islanders after last-second video review

By MARK EVERSON

It came amid controversy, complaints, gripes and charges of robbery, but the Islanders' first road victory of the season came, finally, in Newark. The Islanders moved out of the NHL dungeon yesterday, escaping solitary confinement as the last of 30 teams to win on the road, receiving finalseconds video-review help from Toronto for their 3-2 victory over the Devils yesterday. "We finally got rewarded with a win, but it's only one," said Michael Grabner, who pickpocketed Ilya Kovalchuk for the winning third period shorthander. "We have to find what to play with the lead, instead of sitting back, scared of winning." They learned on the Devils, who squawked despite regularly being their own worst enemy. "We got robbed in the last instant on that [disputed] goal," Martin Brodeur said, objecting to the NHL's ruling that Zach Parise kicked in what would have been a tying goal with 2.1 seconds left. Parise also disagreed with the ruling. "If that's a kicking motion ... I don't know," he said. "In a tight game like that, you work to get back into it and they make the wrong call."

Del Zotto stands out in Rangers' surge

By LARRY BROOKS

By CHRISTOPHER BOTTA

There's nothing easier than picking out the flaws of a NHL team you see every day, and, in this case, nothing easier than pointing out what the Rangers don't do. But of all the things the Rangers do not do, chief among them is that they simply do not allow goals. In going 12-5-3, the Blueshirts have recorded an NHL-leading 2.05 GAA in surrendering a sum of 41 goals and only 29 at even strength as they prepare for tomorrow night's Garden showdown against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. Again: 29 goals at even strength in 20 games. Marc Who? No, of course, the Rangers miss Marc Staal, but the job they've done without their No. 1 defensemen is all but remarkable. The goaltending has been at a supreme level with Henrik Lundqvist off to the best start of his career - you can count the number of questionable goals on one or two fingers - and Martin Biron as reliable an understudy as there is in the league. But that was expected. It was not, however, expected that a defense corps operating without Staal, who emerged last season as a towering presence, would become as effective as it has been thus far, hiccups acknowledged. For the most part, they keep it simple by putting the puck in safe areas, making short passes and taking care to support one another and the puck without drifting. Yes, the backchecking forwards help, but that's universal. It's more than Dan Girardi picking up the baton and taking it to an All-Star plateau, which is exactly what he has done in his partner's absence. There is the continued maturation and development at both ends of the ice of Ryan McDonagh and Michael Sauer, both of whom, it is nearly impossible to believe, are in their respective second big-league seasons with a combined 154 games of NHL experience. (By the way, if justice is served when the NHL goes to Sochi for the 2014 Olympics as it must, Canada will have a defense pair of Staal and Girardi while the U.S. has a defense pair of McDonagh and Sauer.) There's the effectiveness of the third pair consisting of Steve Eminger and Jeff Woywitka, who despite limitations have been on the ice as a tandem for only three goals against. But perhaps as gratifying, maybe as surprising, as any development is the bounce-back first-quarter from Michael Del Zotto following last year's humbling sophomore season. At 21, still just 21, Del Zotto is re-emerging. He is reminding everyone of the high ceiling that exists in his game. But in addition to that, he has avoided going through the floor while re-establishing a foundation for a long NHL career. There's been a sense of stability and toughness to Del Zotto's game as he has been paired for the most part with Sauer. Indeed, that pair has been on the ice for just four goals against all season while generally matched against the opposition's second line. "I'm back to where I wanted to be, but by no means am I satisfied or willing to settle,'' Del Zotto said. "I've already learned how things can change in a hurry by letting things slip even a little, so I'm aware every day of putting in my work and doing whatever is necessary to improve. "I appreciate every day." Just as everyone can appreciate what the Rangers do not do. New York Post LOADED: 11.28.2011

Almost four years after sustaining severe head injuries and having his nose severed by a skate during an N.H.L. game, the former linesman Pat Dapuzzo is working as a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The move, although an important step on the road to physical and emotional recovery, follows a decision he made earlier this year whose implications could extend well beyond his personal healing. While working on a fund-raiser for the Tomorrows Children's Fund, Dapuzzo, 52, made a commitment to donate his brain and spinal cord to the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. One of the hockey stars Dapuzzo had lined up for the charity event was Keith Primeau, who retired from the N.H.L. in 2007 because of lingering symptoms from multiple concussions sustained over a 15-year career. Several months earlier, Primeau had agreed to donate his brain to B.U.'s researchers. Primeau agreed to help Dapuzzo, but he had one condition. "Keith said, 'I'll do your event if you donate your brain to B.U.,' " Dapuzzo said. "I told Keith, 'It's a deal, and you're getting the short end of it.' " Turning serious, Dapuzzo added, "I'm sure the doctors will be able to learn a lot from what I've been through." After jumping to avoid a collision when Rangers defenseman Fedor Tyutin threw a violent hip check at Flyers wing Steve Downie during a game in Philadelphia on Feb. 9, 2008, Dapuzzo was struck in the face by Downie's skate blade, which severed his nose. He dropped to his knees while his blood formed a large puddle on the ice. He then rose and attempted to play peacemaker while three fights broke out simultaneously. Kelly Sutherland, a referee, intercepted him. The Rangers trainer Jim Ramsey covered Dapuzzo's face with a towel and led him off to be treated by the medical staffs of both teams. "The doctors sewed my nose back on," Dapuzzo said. "It took more than 40 stitches. My left eye drooped, and that really was an alarm for the doctors. I told them I wanted to go back and finish the game. The doctors said I had multiple facial fractures. One told me, 'If you go back on the ice, you are going to die.' Honestly, it wasn't until then that I had any idea how serious this was." In addition to the severed nose, Dapuzzo sustained a concussion and 10 fractures to his face. His right cheekbone was shattered. He lost his teeth. He later developed sleep apnea. Bone fragments in his right ear caused debilitating earaches. He fell into depression. Postconcussion symptoms caused Dapuzzo the greatest agony. At his lowest point, the depression it caused was so severe that he would not answer the door at his Rutherford, N.J., home when his fellow officials would stop by to see him before Devils games. Dapuzzo said he had had depression before, in the mid-1990s, but did not know the cause. Six months after the incident, however, he underwent a series of tests conducted by Dr. Wilfred van Gorp, the director of neuropsychology at Columbia's medical school, that revealed earlier concussions. "All of a sudden, it started to make sense," Dapuzzo said. "I had a bad collision with Slava Fetisov in a game in New Jersey. Fetisov went to the locker room. I threw up in the penalty box and worked the rest of the game, even though it felt like the Meadowlands Arena was spinning around me. There was another game - I'm sorry, I don't remember when - where two hits I took sent me flying over the boards and into the team benches. In one game, I made two of ESPN's top-10 plays of the day. I thought that was cool at the time, but obviously, these hits were taking a toll." For 24 years, Dapuzzo was one of the league's most respected linesmen. He worked just short of 2,000 N.H.L. games as well as the 1991 Canada Cup final between the United States and Canada. In 1994, he worked Game 6 of the conference finals, when Mark Messier's three goals beat the Devils and put the Rangers on the path to the Stanley Cup. He also worked Wayne Gretzky's last game in 1999. "Dap was a great one," said Pat LaFontaine, a center for the Islanders, the Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres whose career, like Primeau's, was cut short by concussions. "The players really respected him because he was a strong communicator. If you had a problem with a call, he took the time to explain it."

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NHL

Recovery Doesn't Stop After Injuries Heal

After working four straight conference finals from 1991 to 1994, Dapuzzo missed the next season to be treated for depression. He returned for the 1995-96 season wearing a helmet for the first time, but he never worked a playoff game again. After leaving the ice, Dapuzzo, who says he still has bouts of depression, coached youth hockey, advised Division I players from New Jersey and was a consultant for the East Coast Athletic Conference. He says he believes his job offer from Brian Burke, the Maple Leafs' president, is attributable at least in part to the untimely deaths during the summer of the enforcers Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak and Rick Rypien. "My friends around the league knew what I was battling, and they were worried after we lost those three great kids," Dapuzzo said. "A lot of people were looking after me. I can be honest about it. I just didn't want to be anybody's charity case." Dapuzzo said N.H.L. Commissioner Gary Bettman and his deputy, Bill Daly, made sure he received disability and family medical insurance from the time of the incident until early August. "Most people probably thought I was retired," Dapuzzo said, "but I needed a job and couldn't lean on the league office any longer." Daly calls Dapuzzo "one of the good guys in hockey." "His return to the game doesn't just benefit himself; the Leafs and the entire N.H.L. community are better for it," Daly said. Dapuzzo accepted the job with the Maple Leafs because Burke offered a defined role and some tough love. "Burkie knows New Jersey has become a pipeline for top hockey talent," Dapuzzo said. "He knows I know this area and these players as well as anyone in the state. But Burkie also said to me, 'You're my friend, Dap, but if you don't do your job, I will fire you.' " Dapuzzo needed to hear those words. "When Brian made the offer, it was like getting a blood transfusion," he said. "My spirit, my purpose, my entire life was rejuvenated." Burke wrote in an e-mail that he believed Dapuzzo would be an asset to the organization. "Pat is a quality guy and a good friend with a sound knowledge of the New Jersey hockey scene," he said. Still, even with a vote of confidence from Burke, Dapuzzo knows his recovery is far from complete. "I'm not out of the woods yet, and my family and my employers know it," said Dapuzzo, who a year ago would not even watch his son play high school baseball because the only place he felt comfortable was in his home. "I didn't want to communicate with anyone," he said. "People mean well, but when you're in that darkness, the last thing you want is to be asked all the time, 'How are you doing'? "The honest answer is that I don't know if I'm going to be O.K. But with this job, this responsibility Burkie has given me, I feel for the first time in years like I have a chance." New York Times LOADED: 11.28.2011 591003 Ottawa Senators

Appropriately enough, the game ended with the Senators shorthanded goal, holding off a final-minute push from the Hurricanes. The Senators were a man short for one quarter of the contest, killing off seven of eight Carolina power plays. "A win is a win, a good win," said coach Paul MacLean, breathing a sigh of relief before the club jumped back on a plane late Sunday night and the start of yet another three-game road trip Tuesday against the Winnipeg Jets. "We took a lot of penalties by not moving our feet and not skating, but our penalty killers did yeomen work, along with Craig Anderson, and that was a big reason why we won the game." Zack Smith, a penalty-killing force all night, also scored a pivotal third period goal for the Senators. Patrick Dwyer, Eric Staal and Alexei Ponikarovsky had the Hurricanes goals. It was far from pretty - the Senators were outshot 37-25 - but it looked a lot better than the Senators' 6-3 defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins when Anderson was gone early after yielding four goals on eight shots. Sunday, Anderson made the big saves when he had to and the Senators never trailed. Spezza hit the milestone mark with a pair of first period goals, snapping his personal 11-game scoring drought. His second goal, which gave the Senators a 2-1 lead, came on the power play, breaking an 0-for-16 slump with the man advantage in the previous four games. The Senators were only 2-for-34 on the power play in their previous 10 games. "It's nice to score, I've been struggling to put the puck in the net the last few games and it felt good to get on the board," he said. Rundblad's first NHL goal came with 14 seconds left in the second period, a shot which deflected off Hurricanes defenceman Joni Pitkanen and past goaltender Cam Ward. "I just try to shoot as much as possible every game and sometimes, it must go in," said Rundblad, who had been a healthy scratch for the previous five games. "Of course (it's a relief). I've been waiting for it. I'm not playing for five games. It's nice to get back into the roster and really nice to score, too. It's tough (sitting out). I want to play more and more, but there's nothing I can do about it, but just work hard." Why They Won: Special teams. The Senators were shorthanded for 15:31, but allowed only one goal, killing off seven of eight Hurricanes power plays. Jason Spezza scored on the power play and David Rundblad's goal came only seconds after another power play had expired. Stud: Zack Smith, Senators. Smith was feeling shame for his last-minute high sticking penalty, but he had done his part shorthanded before that. Smith, who is supposed to be the club's third line centre, led all Senators forwards with 18:19 of ice time - the most of all Senators forwards. He also scored the Senators fourth goal. Dud: Cam Ward, Hurricanes. From the 55-second mark when Spezza opened the scoring on a deke, Ward never really looked comfortable around his crease. He couldn't find the puck on Smith's goal and ended up stopping only 21 of 25 shots. SPEZZA DELIVERY: Spezza likes the eye of the Hurricanes. After Sunday's two-goal effort, he now has 16 goals and 20 assists in 29 career games versus Carolina. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.28.2011 591004 Ottawa Senators

Penalty kill secures Senators' win over Hurricanes

Ken Warren: Dear Mr. Shanahan, please get tough on head shots

By Ken Warren

By Ken Warren,

On a night when David Rundblad scored his first NHL goal and Jason Spezza scored twice to hit the 200-goal mark, it was the Ottawa Senators' defensive specialists who carried the club to victory Sunday. The sloppy 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of the club's penalty killers and a bounce back effort from goaltender Craig Anderson.

Please, in the name of Marc Savard, make a statement with some stronger suspensions. Now. Surely you've noticed that head shots seem to be back in vogue. Heck, even Sidney Crosby is channelling his inner Gordie Howe, tossing elbows in faces. Mr. Shanahan, you can't can't stop it all, but you're in a position to curtail it a bit.

You will have a phone meeting today with Montreal's Max Pacioretty, discussing his ugly open ice hit on Pittsburgh defenceman Kris Letang on Saturday. Pacioretty cut from the side boards towards the middle of the ice, intercepting Letang as he dropped his head slightly and prepared to shoot. Pacioretty's elbow smashed Letang in the nose, stopping him in his tracks and breaking his nose. The blood dripped and dripped, leaving a red spot the size of an additional faceoff circle. To me, it was strikingly similar to the shot that ended Marc Savard's career, following that blindside hit from the Penguins' Matt Cooke a few years back. It's fortunate that Letang returned. I know that will be a factor in your ruling, but it shouldn't be. What if Letang had landed differently and was still in a foggy state today? A suspension of five games or more would signal that the NHL is serious about reducing head shots. Surely, you've heard that your actions - or, rather inactions of the past month - have left many wondering whatever happened to your original hard line stance when you took over from Colin Campbell as the league's disciplinarian. Players are confused again. They're uncertain about what's dirty and clean. Many were confused why Wotjek Wolski wasn't suspended for his hit on Daniel Alfredsson. In the old days, I suspect the Pacioretty hit would have been considered in that fuzzy grey area about whether the victim was responsible for leaving himself vulnerable. But these aren't the old days. Isn't this a new era, where the protection of players from head shots is paramount? Crosby was pretty outspoken about the whole head shot deal, too, during his 10-month absence due to a concussion. It looked like the mood had changed when you gave Columbus' James Wisniewski that eight-game suspension for his vicious elbow in the preseason. You must have seen where players like Montreal's Mike Cammalleri were welcoming the open discussion players were having about respect for each other. But have you, Mr. Shanahan, since given in to pressure from general managers and coaches, ranting that the pendulum of punishment had swung too far the other way? You must find it ironic that Pacioretty and Crosby found themselves on the other side of the head shot debate on the weekend. Pacioretty, you'll recall, suffered a concussion and fractured vertebrae when Boston's Zdeno Chara smacked him into a rinkside stanchion last season. When you talk to him today, Pacioretty will no doubt admit he made a mistake with his hit on Letang. Good on him. He did, after all, apologize to Letang. Yet some of us are finding Crosby's actions and comments harder to understand. Crosby struck Foligno in the face with a well-aimed, deliberate elbow in a win over Ottawa on Friday. Foligno was no saint, irritating goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and not doing much to avoid contact. Of course, he was paying the price for that, taking countless cross-checks in the back. Then came the Crosby elbow, which had Foligno musing about whether the Penguins star was practising what he was preaching on head shots. "I was talking about the hits we saw here (the Pacioretty-Letang hit), not a scrum and I don't know what he expects after he runs the goalie three times," Crosby said in response. "If he's going to do that, he should be ready to expect a response. If given the opportunity again, I would, you know, get my hands up the same way." I don't know about you, Mr. Shanahan, but I'm confused. I don't think Crosby should have been suspended for the elbow, but he certainly makes it sound like some head shots are acceptable. As for the worst of the head shots we've seen, is the league really serious about trying to stop the damage? It's in your hands. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.28.2011 591005 Ottawa Senators

Scanlan: Filly does road trips

By Wayne Scanlan

Scanlan: Filly does road trips Filly does road trips. He does this one with the Ottawa Senators, at least. The Nikita Filatov saga took another twist on Sunday when the Senators called up the 21-year-old Russian from AHL Binghamton, in what could be the perfect scenario if Filatov can do his part. If not, they may have to call in the army, the Red Army, that is (CSKA Moscow of the KHL) Why is Filatov's promotion potentially perfect? For a couple of reasons. First, because Stephane Da Costa, the erstwhile No. 2 centre for the Senators, desperately needed to work on his game at a lower level. In taking Filatov's spot with the B-Sens, Da Costa, a rookie out of Merrimack College, can get the minutes he needs and maybe even win a few faceoffs. As for Filatov, his status had to be dealt with soon, and there is no time like this week's road trip - to Winnipeg, Dallas and Washington. Senators general manager Bryan Murray had promised Filatov he would either meet with him to discuss Filatov's wish to return to the KHL, or would give him another shot at cracking the Senators lineup. Filatov's latest audition took place Sunday evening, as the Senators handled the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. Filatov played 15 minutes and had a brilliant scoring chance in the second period on a two-on-one, but he couldn't beat Cam Ward on a low, hard shot. He did get on the scoresheet with a late hooking penalty and was plus one, with just the one shot. Filatov might have been running on fumes. Including Binghamton games over the weekend, he was playing his fourth game in four nights. "It's always exciting to be here," Filatov said. "You get energy from the fans." The winger shed no further light on his future beyond this road trip, said he had not spoken to Murray prior to the game, but was clearly inspired. "It's still a dream, still a hope to make it (in the NHL)," Filatov said afterward. "I'd like to stay here forever and be a good player for the team." Asked if he thought Moscow remained on Filatov's radar, Murray cracked back: "Is it on my radar?" In other words, loaning Filatov to the KHL team is Ottawa's call to make and the club first wants to see if Filatov can play here. He earned the shot after another successful stint in Binghamton - six points in two games, before being held off the sheet in his past two. In 15 AHL games he had 12 points. "We know he's a talented enough guy to play in the league, we know he brings some offence to this team," Murray said. "But it's a matter of, will he do a little bit more than that - can he help us win games?" Like Da Costa in the AHL, Filatov will need an opportunity to produce with the big club. Head coach Paul MacLean gave him that chance on Sunday, running No. 21 out on the top line line with Jason Spezza and Colin Greening. Somehow, both of Spezza's linemates managed to avoid points on Spezza's two first period goals, one on a power play, the other on a firstshift rush up ice, on passes from defencemen Sergei Gonchar and Erik Karlsson. "He played well," Spezza said of Filatov. "He was moving his feet. You could tell he was excited to be here." MacLean thought Filatov was "a little more creative with the puck...and we're going to look for more from him." Hard to say how this one will play out. With his "Filly don't do rebounds" quote getting wide circulation, from his Columbus Blue Jackets days, Filatov is earning a reputation as a malcontent.

Is it fair? The former sixth overall draft pick has only played 51 career NHL games, including seven this season with the Senators, which means he hasn't had huge opportunity in either NHL conference. Instead of sulking in Binghamton, by all accounts Filatov worked hard, practiced with a smile on his face and produced on the score sheet. If he doesn't do likewise with the Senators, the KHL question will surface again. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.28.2011 591006 Ottawa Senators

"By Nov. 30, I will tell him he's in Binghamton for the rest of the year or he's in Ottawa for the rest of the year or a combination of the two or I would let him go back and play (in Russia). But it will be what we decide." Murray acknowledges that Filatov's play has improved. "He has played very well, (Friday) night the team was not very good, but overall, talent-wise, he has been as good as anybody or better than anyone down there." For Filatov to be recalled to Ottawa, a roster move would have to be made. The Senators currently have no extra forwards, with both Chris Neil and Peter Regin recovering from injuries. "It's all about him," said Murray. "If he gets a chance to play, to come up and show us he can play in the NHL. It's as simple as that. I'm not going to say that he can have an influence on the power play because the coach (Paul Mac-Lean) might not put him on the power play. The coach will decide, if we bring him up, where he plays, how many minutes he plays. "I think that's what we always have to concern ourselves with. Can he get into the lineup in a proper place?" CONDRA MAKES HIGHLIGHT REEL In the big picture, it was a nothing goal, allowing the Senators to turn a fourgoal deficit into a three-goal loss with time ticking away Friday. Yet Erik Condra admits that he heard from plenty of his old college teammates after splitting the Penguins' defence, picking his spot and beating Marc-Andr Fleury high to the glove side. "For sure, that was a nice one," he said. "Once I got through those two (defencemen), I was surprised the puck was still there and I took a pretty good shot. It was kind of a meaningless goal at the time, but it's always good to get your confidence up and maybe get something going for the next game." Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.28.2011 591008 Ottawa Senators

Filatov gets another chance

By Ken Warren

Filatov gets another chance In what may be a last gasp attempt to become a full time National Hockey League player, Nikita Filatov has been recalled from the Ottawa Senators' American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton. Stephane Da Costa, who has struggled with the Senators, switched places with him. Filatov, who has scored seven goals and five assists with Binghamton, will be in the lineup for Sunday's 5 p.m., game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Place. He will also accompany the team on its three game road trip to Winnipeg, Dallas and Washington. Filatov had registered only one assist in six previous games with the Senators this season, looking uninspired for the most part, and was reassigned to Binghamton. After speculation surfaced two weeks ago that Filatov would prefer to play in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League than remain in the American Hockey League, Senators general manager Bryan Murray said he would make a decision on Filatov's future before Nov. 30. Filatov has shown more life in recent games with Binghamton. At the same time, Da Costa has struggled more and more, gradually losing ice time. He has played only 16 minutes, combined, in the Senators previous two games. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.28.2011 591007 Ottawa Senators

Sens' Anderson stares down shot at redemption

By Ken Warren,

Forget the past and preach the positive. That's the approach Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson is taking as he returns to the net this afternoon against the Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Place. After giving up four goals on eight shots and receiving the quick hook from coach Paul MacLean in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Anderson is once again being given the chance to immediately redeem himself. "You want to get back on that horse," Anderson said following Saturday afternoon's practice. "You want to go out there and give the guys that confidence boost. Make that save for them and give them a good game." MacLean is banking on Anderson bouncing back like he did the last time he was pulled early. On Nov. 5, he was yanked after giving up two early goals to the Buffalo Sabres in a 5-1 defeat, but followed that up with a season-high threegame winning streak, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. The coach acknowledges that Anderson had a rough night against Pittsburgh, but he was hardly alone. "He was much like the rest of the team, he wasn't ready to play," said MacLean. "The whole team was guilty and unfortunately, a lot of times, it's the goalie that everybody notices because the coach takes him out." Certainly, the four-goal explosion wasn't all Anderson's fault - the Penguins' first goal from Chris Kunitz came following a fantastic fake by Sidney Crosby and the third goal from Steve Sullivan deflected off Chris Phillips'

GM Murray refuses to coddle Filatov

By Ken Warren,

D-Day is imminent for Nikita Filatov and the Ottawa Senators. At some point in the next few days, Senators general manager Bryan Murray will talk with the talented but often times indifferent Filatov to chart a course for his future. While Filatov created a stir 10 days ago with speculation that he would prefer to play in the Kontinental Hockey League than in the American Hockey League with the Senators' top farm team in Binghamton, he has since made some positive noise with some inspired play. Filatov was held off the scoresheet in a 4-1 loss to the Syracuse Crunch on Friday, but he had scored three goals and three assists in his two previous games. He had seven goals and five assists in 14 games before Saturday night. Filatov has one assist in six games with the Senators. "I told him when I put him down (to Binghamton), that by Nov. 30, I would have a meeting with him," said Murray. "It would be (about whether) to come back and get another chance to play up here or I would consider and that's the big word, I would consider - allowing him to go back to the KHL." Murray says nothing has changed.

stick - but the Tyler Kennedy bank shot from behind the goal line was ugly. A day later, Anderson wasn't hiding from it. "They got momentum and they kept it for about six-seven minutes and they capitalized," he said. "They've got some good players. Obviously, I can't be giving up goals from the corner. That's something I've got to make sure I'm better at, but it's one of those things you learn from it and move on." It marked the third time this season that Anderson hasn't finished and has been forced to swallow his pride. "You don't play this game and be glad you're getting embarrassed," said Anderson, who now carries a 3.46 goalsagainst average and .889 save percentage. "You get pissed off. But at the end of the day, you take a deep breath and support your teammates. You sit on the edge of the bench and you find a way to stay involved with the game and get the guys fired up a little bit. Hopefully, the team comes by and picks you up. It's just like a baseball player. They strike out, the next guy in the lineup is at the plate and he's got to step up and make a hit for him." In that vein, Jesse Winchester is getting his chance to step up into a far bigger role. Winchester, who normally serves as a fourth-line centre and top penalty killer, will start today's game between Daniel Alfredsson and Nick Foligno. "I would love to bring more offence," said Winchester, who has one goal and three assists, but has hit the post four times. "If given an opportunity, I think I can. It's a matter of playing my game and making room for Alfie with the puck, driving hard to the net and that kind of stuff. To say I'm going to start dangling and all that stuff, no. I plan to be strong, I plan to battle for pucks and make time and space for (others)." Winchester's gain is Stphane Da Costa's loss. Da Costa continues to struggle, his ice time is dwindling (he played only 7: 23 against Pittsburgh) and he'll line up with Zenon Konopka and Bobby Butler. With Chris Neil and Peter Regin recovering from injuries, Da Costa could soon take the next step down - all the way to Binghamton. "(Winchester) has experience in the league," said Mac-Lean. "Steph's a young player and it's a hard league to learn in and real hard if you're playing against the second line people he's playing against. It's growing pains for Steph. We're trying to put him in a situation to have success, as opposed to failing. (Friday) was a hard night for Zack Smith and Jason Spezza, as well." Defenceman David Rundblad, a healthy scratch for the past five games, will return to the lineup against Carolina, replacing Brian Lee. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.28.2011 591009 Ottawa Senators

"I don't know what the rule is ... it's a follow through....I don't know how you can intentionally high stick a guy when my back is to him," said Smith. "I got high-sticked earlier in the third period, too. The exact same play, I was going to the net, and no call. "I don't think we agreed on a few of their calls. The penalties were 11-6 and we had control of the puck as much as they did. I don't know what the deal was." Sometimes it really is tough to tell. STARTS AND STOPS If Nikita Filatov skates and competes like he did in his first game back from the minors, he will never see Binghamton again. The question is, how long will he decide to keep up that effort level? "It's still a dream and still a hope to make it and stay here forever and play good for the team," said Filatov, who arrived in Ottawa Sunday morning after playing three games in the three previous nights. "I felt pretty good out there. I felt I did some good things. I feel bad about the (hooking) penalty, but I think it's just a bad call." .... See David Rundblad's first NHL goal? Cam Ward didn't. As the puck was entering the net, all the Carolina goalie could see was Zenon Konopka's butt. It was a huge one -- the goal, that is -- as it put the Senators up by two heading into the third ... Erik Karlsson would have had his third assist of the game -- and league-leading 21st of the season -- if Milan Michalek's shot off a breakaway richochetted off the post differently after he had accepted a great pass from the Swede. STUFF I THINK I THUNK Does it just seem like every time it's pointed out in the media that Jason Spezza is in a slump, he ends it promptly? It took him just 55 seconds to end an 11-game slide with a strong solo effort ... After so many big saves, Craig Anderson was beaten on the 14th Hurricanes shot. It was a strong offering by Patrick Dwyer, but also one Anderson should have stopped ... Anderson's best save of the season so far was the snag of a Jeff Skinner shot just past the midway mark ... Since they already lead the league in short-handed goals, Smith tried to pull the 'Canes into a tie for most shorthanded goals against with a hustling effort on the penalty kill in the second. A good save by Ward kept the 'Canes from being five in both categories. BETWEEN PERIODS Rundblad had three shots blocked on one first-period shift and then, just as he was about to pass the puck along the 'Canes blue line seconds before the intermission, he clearly heard the fans shout "shooooot." So he did, and yup, it was blocked ... Jesse Winchester fired a shot just wide of the Carolina net a second after the whistle had gone. Knowing there would be objections, he immediately threw a right at the closest 'Cane, Chad LaRose. Surely Winchester was given a misconduct for more than simply beating a guy to the punch ... Colin Greening got in his first NHL fight in the opening period (with former 67's captain Derek Joslin) and went looking for another in the third when he frowned upon Alex Ponikarovky ramming Daniel Alfredsson into the boards from behind. Against Joslin, Greening had great form. If a guy like Chris Neil could teach him how to throw and take a punch, the strong-as-an-ox Newfie might just become a top heavyweight ... The closest Filatov came to scoring was off a 2-on-1 in the second period, which ended with him being stoned by Ward. CAN YOU SAY HMMM..?:

Smith sweats out Sens win

By Don Brennan, QMI Agency

For Zack Smith, it was an uncomfortable 104 seconds. The questionable high-sticking penalty he was given in the second-last minute of play -- with his team clinging on to a 4-3 lead -- could have been damaging. Especially so with the Senators' best 'killer' in the box. But the one-goal victory was secured when Jesse Winchester dove to tip the puck out over the blue line with three seconds left. "It could have been the boner of the night," said Smith, whose goal at 12:35 of third would stand as the winner against the Carolina Hurricanes. "It was pretty nerve-wracking to be in that position, but the way our penalty kills went (Sunday), it was outstanding. It was a nervous time, but I had faith in the guys." The Senators did survive 7-of-8 short-handed situations to get back in the winning mode. Smith saw a whopping 8:27 of ice time with his team at a man disadvantage, second most to Filip Kuba's 8:32. Ottawa had half the number of power-play opportunities, leaving players to wonder about some of the referee calls for a second game in a row.

Canada is hockey's game, eh? Someone should remind Gary Bettman. The NHL didn't dare mess with any American's dinner plans on Thanksgiving Thursday, as not a single game was scheduled. But Sunday, there were four games, with three of them having interesting and relatively uncommon start times: One in Canada's capital at 5 p.m. and two more at 6 p.m., which also just so happened to be a half-hour before kickoff for the Grey Cup game. How insulting ... Another game, another ref who turns his back while Nick Foligno is getting abused. This time it was behind the opponent's net and just seconds before Eric Staal scored to pull Carolina to within one. The customers weren't happy ... Note to Eugene Melnyk: Along with that new videoboard you so desperately need, you might want to pick up an new wireless mike for Lyndon Slewidge. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.28.2011 591010 Ottawa Senators

Sens GM warns Crosby, Pens

By BRUCE GARRIOCH, QMI Agency

Costa to their AHL affiliate has left the club short on depth in the middle until Peter Regin returns from a shoulder injury in January. The Senators are one of four teams believed to be interested in Columbus Blue Jackets centre Derick Brassard, a Gatineau native who was a healhty scratch Sunday vs. the St. Louis Blues. The stumbling block for Senators GM Bryan Murray is Brassard's $3.2million salary for two more seasons. The Senators, and everybody else in the league, have pretty much closed the hook on Phoenix centre Kyle Turris, who ended his holdout last week. The asking price won't be much for Brassard and he could make sense for Ottawa. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.28.2011

Bryan Murray fired back at Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday. The Senators GM warned the Penguins superstar and coach Dan Bylsma they might want to watch out the next time the teams face off on Dec. 16 at Scotiabank Place because it could get rough. Murray sounded off after Bylsma and Crosby, speaking in Montreal Saturday night, defended his actions in elbowing winger Nick Foligno to the head Friday in Pittsburgh. "The rules are very clear now," said Murray. "If you fall into a goaltender and touch a goaltender, an elbow to the head and a butt end to the head is fair game. Dan Bylsma said that's OK for them. Sidney said Nick Foligno is that kind of player. "I wish (Foligno) was that kind of player. I thought the referees in that game, watching it and hearing the comments, it was 2-on-2. He fell over the goaltender. He was cross-checked four times. There was no question, did he get pushed? I don't know. He got cross-checked, I thought he got a butt end, but it might have been a full elbow. (Chris) Kunitz comes in with a cross-check and the penalties were even. "So, (NHL disciplinarian Brendan) Shanahan said that's a good play. That's a hockey play. Dan Bylsma said it's good for them and Pittsburgh were the biggest ones on the head injuries. I'm remiss. I made a mistake. We didn't have (Chris) Neil and (Matt) Carkner play in the game. We didn't have enough toughness, so when we play Pittsburgh that's something you can bring up to me again." Bylsma told Pittsburgh reporters he didn't like Foligno's actions and claimed he was trying to take out Marc-Andre Fleury with the Senators trailing by four goals. "We're talking about a player that bumped into our goalie three times," Bylsma said. "With the score 5-1 and intentionally going into our goalie, he can expect more than Sidney Crosby coming at him and talking to him during the game. That's how we feel about those situations. He was in our net falling over our goalie, and I don't think there was any question about the intent." Crosby, who received a minor for elbowing Foligno in the head, responded after beating the Habs. "I don't (know) what he's talking about. I was preaching about the hits like (Max Pacioretty's hit on Kris Letang (Saturday), not a scrum," said Crosby when asked about Foligno's comments after the game Saturday in Montreal. "I don't know what he expects after he runs a goalie three times. "He's probably lucky it was me that was handling it and not someone else. I think if he's going to do that, he should be ready to expect a response." Crosby claimed Foligno was trying to make a big deal out of nothing. "I think he's blowing it totally out of proportion," said Crosby. "Two nights before that I go into a scrum and I get punched in the head. I accept that. "I'm going into a scrum that's part of playing the game." Ottawa Sun LOADED: 11.28.2011 591011 Ottawa Senators

591012

Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers' Bobrovsky goes back-to-back

Frank Seravalli

On Saturday, Sergei Bobrovsky did something that Ilya Bryzgalov has yet to do since becoming a Flyer last summer: play both ends of back-to-back games. In fact, Bobrovsky - and not Bryzgalov - has been in net to finish 14 out of the Flyers' last 21 periods played. When asked Saturday at Madison Square Garden about Bobrovsky's backto-back starts, coach Peter Laviolette said that it "wasn't really a hard decision" to go with the 23-year-old in net. Yes, it's a long season. We know about Laviolette's penchant to play the hot hand. And yes, Bobrovsky has played well enough to earn more work. But he hasn't exactly been the second coming of Jacques Plante, either. Over his last five appearances, during the Flyers' last seven games, Bobrovsky has stopped 127 of 138 shots faced (.920 save percentage). His record is a satisfactory 3-2-0 in that span. He pitched one shutout, cleaning up last Wednesday on Long Island after Bryzgalov allowed three first-period goals, but "Bob" also had a brutal outing in Winnipeg on Nov. 19 in which he gave up five goals. Bryzgalov was not very good against the Islanders on Wednesday. He allowed the three goals on just nine shots in the first 20 minutes before being yanked. The shortsighted reaction would be to pair his start on Long Island with his previous outing, a 4-2 loss at home to the Hurricanes on Nov. 21, and say that Bryzgalov has been in a rut. It would be wrong, however, to pin that defeat to the Hurricanes on Bryzgalov, on a night when the Flyers forced two rookies, Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall, to make their NHL debuts while playing a combined 30 minutes in place of Chris Pronger and Braydon Coburn. Laviolette admitted as much. So, why have a $51 million goaltender sitting on the bench for eight straight periods with a 6-day break in the schedule looming? The Flyers played Friday and Saturday and are off until this Friday night in Anaheim. "Just based on the way 'Bob' played, I think he deserved to go back in there," Laviolette told reporters on Saturday. "He didn't get a lot of work [Friday]. There weren't a lot of chances at him. He was fresh and he came in and . . . really gave us an opportunity to win a game." As far as we know, Bryzgalov is healthy. When asked yesterday by the Daily News, general manager Paul Holmgren did not respond about Bryzgalov's health in a request for injury updates. And unless Bobrovsky's string of starts has been an audition for a team like Columbus, where the Blue Jackets have been searching for a replacement for Steve Mason, his increased playing time has sent the wrong message even if he has played well.

Sens eye Jackets' Brassard

By Bruce Garrioch, QMI Agency

The Senators could be ready to take their search for a second-line centre to the next level. While Nick Foligno played between Milan Michalek and Daniel Alfredsson Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes, the decision to send Stephane Da

For one, it allows doubt to creep into the head of Bryzgalov, someone who has been known to be mentally fragile throughout his NHL career. And it has allowed Bobrovsky to believe he is the man for the job. "I'm definitely playing to be No. 1 and not sit on the bench and watch someone else play," Bobrovsky told reporters with the help of a translator. "I'm hoping I will be No. 1." In an interview early this month with Russian publication All Hockey, as translated by BroadStreetHockey.com, Bobrovsky said he does not speak with Bryzgalov about hockey. "I'm not asking for advices," Bobrovsky said in translation. "I don't see much sense in that. I'm not 14 anymore. I already know how to prepare for games and what to do. I have my own style and my own vision for the game." For Laviolette, it's a careful and unenviable juggling act, managing Bobrovsky's workload to keep him mentally stimulated and physically developing. In November, competition among teammates for ice time can be healthy. And normal. But not if it lingers into the heart of the season. The reason Bryzgalov was signed to this monstrous deal was to relieve any hint of question or controversy in net. Bryzgalov was signed to be the workhorse. But it's tough for him to get in any sort of rhythm while collecting splinters on the bench. Before that Nov. 21 loss to Carolina, he had reeled off his best stretch of games as a Flyer. He was 5-0-1 from Oct. 29 to Nov. 17, stopping better than 94 percent of his shots faced. After today, Bryzgalov will have earned $2,918.918.92 through the first 54 days of the season. That's a full $1.1 million more than Bobrovsky will earn this entire season. And Bryzgalov has played less minutes than every other team's bonafide, full-time starter with the exception of injuries and St. Louis' Jaroslav Halak. It's time that he is tested as the high-priced machine that the Flyers have made him. ON-ICE INJURY REPORT -- Chris Pronger remains day-to-day with a virus. He missed all four games last week with the mystery illness. -- James van Riemsdyk will miss 1 to 2 weeks with an upper-body injury, which we reported on Saturday as a slight muscular tear in his midsection. He could be ready to return as soon as Friday in Anaheim. -- Jaromir Jagr reaggravated his groin injury in Wednesday's overtime win over the Islanders. There is no definitive timetable for his return, though the Flyers said Jagr will take more time before returning. General manager Paul Holmgren said Jagr has received a different treatment than the acupuncture he first underwent last weekend. -- Andreas Nodl, who left Saturday's game in New York with an upper-body injury, is "fine," according to Holmgren. Nodl was examined by team doctors yesterday. STAT WATCH 75: Claude Giroux' combined faceoff percentage over the last three games, winning 39 of 52 draws against the Islanders, Canadiens and Rangers. 27: Skaters to play at least one game this season for the Flyers. That's one more than the Buffalo Sabres, who currently have nine players on their injured list. 28: Games between the last time the Flyers were shut out (March 21 vs. Atlanta) and Saturday's 2-0 loss at the Rangers. 222: All-time fighting majors between the Flyers and Rangers. After Saturday's two fights, the Rangers are tied with the Penguins as teams the Flyers have most often fought in their 44-year history. 279: Days since the Flyers last scored a goal in Madison Square Garden (Feb. 20, 4-2 W). They've been shut out in their last two trips to New York City by a combined score of 9-0, including Saturday's loss and a 7-0 drubbing on March 6. QUOTABLE "Brandon Dubinsky plays like a little weasel."

- Flyers forward Jody Shelley about the Rangers' captain, as told to HBO for the 12-minute preview to the "24/7 Road to the Winter Classic" reality show. The preview aired Friday night; the first episode premieres Dec. 14. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.28.2011 591013 Philadelphia Flyers

Back in shape, Scott Hartnell is producing for the Flyers

By Sam Carchidi

Ron Howard, the actor and director, was among the loud crowd that watched the injury-plagued Flyers drop a 2-0 decision to the Rangers on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. If Howard was making a movie about the Flyers' free-spirited Scott Hartnell, it might be called Misunderstood. Hartnell, who seems to fall down as much as anyone in the league, was an easy target for fans earlier this season as he went goalless in the first seven games. Left unsaid was the fact he was battling an undisclosed injury prior to camp and that it "hindered his conditioning program," according to general manager Paul Holmgren. "Since then, he has worked hard on and off the ice to get up to speed." The work has produced positive results, though Hartnell still has a penchant for untimely penalties (14 minors, tied for fifth in the league). In the last 16 games, Hartnell has nine goals and eight assists. His resurgence started after he was put on the team's top line, with Claude Giroux and Jaromir Jagr. "My body didn't feel 100 percent coming into camp," said Hartnell, who leads the Flyers with a plus-10 rating. "It took a lot of time until I felt comfortable getting back on my skates, holding pucks in the corner." The 29-year-old winger said coach Peter Laviolette told him he needed to get in better shape. Since then, he has been one of the Flyers' most productive players. "The message was sent," Hartnell said. "I spent extra time in the gym." With several key players traded or lost through free agency in the offseason, the Flyers need Hartnell to play a leading role. So far, he had done just that, climbing to second on the team with 19 points. Now if only he can reduce some of those penalties. Injury update. It is likely that Chris Pronger (virus), James van Riemsdyk (upper-body injury), and Jagr (groin) will be with the team when it travels to California on Tuesday. The Flyers play in Anaheim on Friday. "I don't see any reason why they wouldn't," said Holmgren, adding that Pronger's virus was not related to his early-season eye injury. Holmgren said Andreas Nodl was fine and ready to play; the winger left Saturday's game after an injury suffered in a collision with teammate Danny Briere. Breakaways. Holmgren on the team's 13-7-3 start: "Overall, we have to be pleased when you look at all the changes and [injury] issues. But we're still working on things and working on getting better.". . . Entering Sunday, Giroux was second in the NHL in points with 29 and tied for third in goals with 13. . . . The Flyers did not practice Sunday and will be off again Monday. . . . Dating back to last season, the Rangers have won their last three meetings with the Flyers and have outscored them, 12-2. They meet again Dec. 23 at Madison Square Garden before the Jan. 2 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park. . . . Zac Rinaldo had a league-high 82 penalty minutes entering Sunday. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.28.2011 591014 Philadelphia Flyers

Briere lays a big hit on ... teammate Nodl

Braydon Coburn, Zac Rinaldo, and Peter Laviolette

Langkow turned in a solid overall effort against the Stars, playing more than 17 minutes, logging time on the power play and penalty-kill. Centering a line that included Doan and Mikkel Boedker, he had the second assist on Boedker's first period goal in the first period; in the third, he had the first assist on a goal by Taylor Pyatt. His return coincided with a rebound from an ugly 5-0 loss the night before, and he said responding the way team did says a lot. "That's important," he said. "You don't want to have it slide and start losing games because then it's tough. Once that happens, it kind of snowballs, and sometimes you start to get out of it." The Coyotes have shown resiliency in battling back the night after a loss, but Doan looked at that from another angle when asked what that meant. "That we should be better the night before," he said. "You talk about resiliency, you talk about a consistency, it's both. We can be better . . . and at the same time it's big that we respond. We can't let things roll. You've got to get them going in the right directions as quickly as possible." And that involves everyone on the roster, Doan said. "That's the good thing about our team. When things go right, there's a lot of credit for everybody, and when things go wrong, there's a lot of blame for everybody because we all have to be good in order for it to work for us." Arizona Republic LOADED: 11.28.2011 591016 Pittsburgh Penguins

NEW YORK -- It was probably the biggest hit Danny Briere has laid on anyone this season. Unfortunately, he laid it on teammate Andreas Nodl in an accidental blind collision early in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Rangers (see story) at Madison Square Garden. Nodl left the game, came back, then took just two shifts in the second period, before retiring for the afternoon with an upper body injury. "I looked at the replay after the first period," Briere said. "He never saw me. He was trying to get the puck to throw it back in. He probably felt someone was coming and tried to get out of the way. "When I was coming, I was coming with a lot of speed. I wanted to shield the puck from the defenseman and get the outside lane. I was coming with lots of speed and he tried to get out of the way." Didn't happen. They hit square-on. Briere admitted he was unaware that he had knocked Nodl out of the game. "Was that from my hit?" he asked. "I got the wind knocked out of me, too. I had no clue that was the reason why [Nodl] never finished [the game]. I thought it was something else. Just what we need these days." Indeed, the Flyers are already missing Jaromir Jagr, Chris Pronger, James van Riemsdyk, Andreas Lilja, Erik Gustafsson ... you get the idea. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.28.2011 591015 Phoenix Coyotes

Discipline hearing set for Letang aggressor

By Rob Rossi

Phoenix Coyotes' Daymond Langkow makes valuable contribution

All may be forgiven between the players, but the NHL wants to hear from Montreal Canadiens winger Max Pacioretty for his hit to the head against Penguins defenseman Kris Letang on Saturday night. Pacioretty will have a hearing by phone this morning with league discipline czar Brendan Shanahan. Another dose of the regret that Pacioretty displayed Saturday night could serve him well with Shanahan, who in his first season handling supplemental discipline has gained respect among players for his perspective on topics such as illegal hits to the head. Pacioretty caught Letang in the face with his upper left arm late in the third period at Bell Centre. No penalty was called. Letang's nose was broken and he required assistance to the training room, but he returned for overtime and scored to deliver the Penguins a 4-3 victory. "I lost my breath and was just trying to figure out what happened," Letang said, adding that he passed a concussion test administered by an undisclosed physician. "It's the protocol. You go back in, get the test done. Obviously, I had my nose broken and the doc put it in place, so I was ready to go." Letang said he did not see the Pacioretty hit because "(my) head was down" while attempting a shot in the offensive zone against Canadiens goalie Carey Price. Letang said Pacioretty apologized in person after the game, calling it "a nice gesture." Pacioretty, who famously was carried from the ice on a stretcher in March after a blindside hit from Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, said he "(felt) terrible about what happened." "I know that feeling," Pacioretty said. "I know (the NHL) is probably going to want something to be done." In question is whether Pacioretty violated Rule 48 for illegal checks to the head. According to league rules, a player can be suspended or fined for being in violation of Rule 48 even if no penalty was assessed during the game. Tribune Review LOADED: 11.28.2011 591017 Pittsburgh Penguins

By Jim Gintonio

Daymond Langkow, who had to overcome a severe neck injury to continue his NHL career, battled through a much-more emotional situation before his return to the Coyotes lineup Saturday night. Langkow's mother died in early November, and the veteran center was out for eight games. He made a valuable contribution in the 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars; he had two assists, but just his presence on the ice gave his teammates a lift. "Unfortunately, it's part of life, but you have to battle through it and I think the best way to do that is to get back with your regular routine," he told nhl.com. Quiet and reserved, Langkow is more at home on the ice than in media settings. He is a leader through his actions, and he has garnered respect throughout his 15-year career that included a previous stop with the Coyotes. Coyotes captain Shane Doan sympathizes with the range of feelings that Langkow, who was his roommate earlier in his career, is going through. "I can't say enough good things about him as a man, let alone as a hockey player," Doan said. "The type of personality that he has, the type of person that he is, and the strength that he has, is remarkable and I'm privileged to get to know him and spend time with him. "(To) see him play the way he did (Saturday), I'm so happy for him, and obviously your thoughts and prayers to his family, and it puts everything in perspective when you go through what he went through." Coach Dave Tippett likes the type of leadership that Langkow brings to the team. "He's real solid veteran player," he said. "He recognizes what he has to do on the ice; he does it well. He goes about his business and minds his own business."

Biggest surprise: Pascal Dupuis Penguins not satisfied with play this season >> Wrestling this away from Matt Cooke (6 goals compared to 8 penalty minutes) wasn't going to be easy, but Dupuis' 19 points and plus-12 rating gives him the nod. Best development: Forward depth >> All anybody needs to know about this group of forwards is that Mark Letestu, who scored 10 goals last season, was traded because he wasn't a candidate to be a 13th forward. Six forwards have scored at least 5 goals. Worst performance: Paul Martin >> His 39 blocked shots confirm his stick-on-puck skill is ideal for what coach Dan Bylsma wants from defensemen. However, he still doesn't look comfortable in this system, and glaring gaffes have appeared to contribute to his minus-9 rating. Worst trend: Lack of dominance >> The Penguins have surrendered the opening goal in 11 games, going 55-1 in those contests. Also, they have trailed after two periods in seven games. Tribune Review LOADED: 11.28.2011 591018 Pittsburgh Penguins

By Rob Rossi,

The Penguins surely have not had it easy to start the NHL season. In October, they played games in four time zones, and they opened November with a second trip to the West Coast. Their top four defensemen, who combine to count $16.25 million against the salary cap, have been together for all of nine games. Center Evgeni Malkin's anticipated bounce-back return from last year's season-ending knee surgery lasted six periods before he aggravated the right knee. Only last week, with eight points in four games, did he start producing at an elite level. Also, some player named Sidney Crosby missed the Penguins' first 20 games. Still, as of Sunday, the Penguins owned the NHL's highest point total (32), a penalty kill ranked second (91.2 percent) and a power play that is a respectable ninth (18.6 percent). There is much to like about coach Dan Bylsma's club, which was: Fifth in fewest average penalty minutes at 10 per contest, despite ranking fourth with 531 hits. Sixth in average goals for (3.1) and ninth in goals against (2.8). Second to Detroit with 10 wins by two or more goals. All of these stats were being dismissed Saturday night by Penguins players after an inspired comeback from a two-goal deficit for a 4-3 overtime win at Montreal. "It's about dominating games," center Jordan Staal said. "We've got to find a way to take control of games. Look at (Saturday night). It was close to a 50-50 battle, and we certainly had opportunities we didn't capitalize on. We've got to find better ways to wear other teams down and really give them no chance to win the game." The Penguins' opening-period goal differential is plus 1, compared to plus17 over the final two periods. They have allowed opponents to score first in 11 games. "We can start better, that's pretty obvious," winger Arron Asham said. Before Crosby's triumphant return last Monday, Asham said the Penguins "weren't playing their best," and he did not stop with a generalization. "Our defensive zone was a mess, and we were trying to get too fancy," he said. "That's been better the last couple of games, but we can't get caught looking too far ahead." That view might prove enough to shake even the most confident group. Starting with a game Tuesday at the New York Rangers, 10 of the Penguins' next 20 games are against teams that began Sunday in the top eight of the Eastern or Western Conference. Sixteen of those games are against teams playing .500 or better. The Stanley Cup isn't won during 20 games from the end of November through mid-January. However, this stretch, which players drolly described as "the grind" of an NHL season, will provide these Penguins with an opportunity to show their best against their stiffest competition for the ultimate prize. "We've got our team together right now," winger Pascal Dupuis said. "Let's see what we can do when we're healthy." Assessing the Pens About 30 percent of the season is complete for the Penguins (14-6-4, 32 points). Beat reporter Rob Rossi's five observations: Best player: Jordan Staal >> He has developed into the total package befitting a former No. 2 overall pick. His defense (15 takeaways) remains elite, and his offense (12 goals) is nearly at that level.

Phone hearing Monday for Canadiens' Pacioretty

By Rob Rossi,

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang and Montreal Canadiens winger Max Pacioretty made nice Saturday night. Still, the NHL wants to speak with Pacioretty about his arm-to-head hit on Letang late in regulation of the Penguins' 4-3 overtime win at Montreal. A discipline hearing between NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan and Pacioretty is scheduled for Monday morning. Pacioretty appeared to be in violation of Rule 48 (illegal check to the head) for a hit that Letang said broke his nose and caused him to undergo NHL concussion protocol evaluation. The hit occurred with Letang trying to shoot on Canadiens goalie Carey Price with just over three minutes remaining in the third period. Pacioretty caught him on the face with his upper left arm. No penalty was called on Pacioretty, a point that did not sit well with Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. The score was tied, 3-3, at the time of the hit and Letang, who was bloodied and needed assistance to the training room. After passing a concussion evaluation he returned for overtime, where he scored the winning marker. Letang said after the game he respected Pacioretty's gesture to apologize in person, and Pacioretty insisted he was not trying to injure Letang or target his head. Pacioretty is not far removed from missing time because of a blindside headshot he absorbed from Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara in March. Pacioretty was taken from the ice on a stretcher after that hit, which did not draw a suspension from former discipline czar Colin Campbell. Shanahan, who assumed discipline duties from Campbell this season, has won favor from players for his clear wording of reason for rulings in videos that appear on the NHL web site. Letang was suspended two games in October for an illegal hit. Tribune Review LOADED: 11.28.2011 591019 Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins: Letang, team's core survive blow to nose

By Dave Molinari,

Kris Letang suffered a broken nose on a hit by Max Pacioretty Saturday in Montreal. Things can change quickly in this game, and the Penguins were reminded of that Saturday night. One moment, defenseman Kris Letang was in the Montreal zone, trying to get off a shot that would break a 3-3 tie at the Bell Centre late in the third period. The next, Letang was on the ice, bleeding heavily from his nose which had just been broken by a hit from Max Pacioretty of the Canadiens. Letang was escorted to the locker room, had his nose realigned, received medical confirmation that he hadn't sustained a concussion and was back on the ice for the start of overtime. And 129 seconds later, he ended the game by tossing a puck past Montreal goalie Carey Price. Letang, then, got some revenge for the head shot he absorbed from Pacioretty, and Pacioretty -- who was not penalized for the hit -- should learn today if he'll be getting some unscheduled time off. He has a phone hearing scheduled with Brendan Shanahan, who handles supplemental discipline for the league. Early indications were that Letang came through the incident with nothing more serious that his fractured nose, although it's worth noting that Sidney Crosby said he didn't experience any concussion symptoms until several days after then-Washington center David Steckel had laid him out with a blindside blow to the head Jan. 1. But even if Letang's injury doesn't prove to be one of the lost-time variety -his absence Saturday lasted just over three minutes -- it easily could have been. And that would have put the Penguins back in the all-too-familiar position of being without one of their core players, which has been the case most of the time since the start of the 2010-11 season. Oh, their lineup was intact for a few days in early January, when Jordan Staal returned after missing 39 games because of a foot injury and its complications and Crosby had yet to be diagnosed with his concussion, but that was the only time it happened until the past week. Assuming that Letang is able to dress when the Penguins visit the New York Rangers at 7:38 p.m. Tuesday -- and that none of his high-profile teammates has an undisclosed injury that would force him to sit out -- it will mark the fifth consecutive game the Penguins have been able to dress something awfully close to their lineup of choice. Coach Dan Bylsma and his staff likely would try to find a spot for forward Dustin Jeffrey or defenseman Ben Lovejoy if they weren't on injured reserve, but both are complementary players on this team, and it's rare for any club to be injury-free at this point of the season. For one of the few times in more than a year, however, the Penguins aren't missing one or more of the players who form the foundation of their team. They are 3-1 in the four games since Crosby and defenseman Zbynek Michalek returned to the lineup against the New York Islanders last Monday and have, at times, been even more impressive on the ice than they are on paper. "This is the first time in a couple of years that everybody's in and playing to their full potential," winger Pascal Dupuis said. "Everybody's in, and it's fun to play." The impact of having the lineup intact has been most obvious in the offensive zone, and a lot of that has to do with Crosby. He has scored or assisted on eight of the 17 goals the Penguins have manufactured the past four games. Since Crosby resumed playing, Bylsma has deployed some imposing groups of forwards -- including units featuring Crosby with Malkin, Malkin with Staal, and Crosby, Malkin and Staal together -- that give opponents little opportunity to recover from one offensive assault before the next one forms. "The team comes in waves," winger James Neal said. "It's one line after another. With all the great players, you can put any combination together. It's a fun hockey team."

As the Letang-Pacioretty incident illustrates, the Penguins' run of good health for the players who make up their nucleus could end at any time, and it wouldn't necessarily require a nasty hit to someone's head to make that happen. All it takes is for a guy to catch his skate in a rut. For one to fall awkwardly into the boards. For one to be struck by a shot that hits a half-inch away from a protected area. But for now, the Penguins are healthy, and playing with the confidence of a group that grasps just how deep and talented its lineup is. "We're playing well, but there's always room for improvement, always things we can do [better]," Staal said. "But I feel like that comeback feeling is there, that we're never really out of a game and there's always an opportunity to win games. "We haven't really dominated games, but we've done a lot of good things." Post Gazette LOADED: 11.28.2011

591020

San Jose Sharks

San Jose Sharks' Dan Boyle is trying to snap his slump

By David Pollak

San Jose Sharks Dan Boyle (22) is without a point in his past six games, a problem for an... Dan Boyle can be his harshest critic. In that role, part of his routine after every game is to grab a seat on the couch once he gets home and watch a replay of himself in action that night. Right now the 35-year-old Sharks defenseman is going through a rough patch. He is without a point in his past six games, a problem for an offensive-minded player of his caliber. Add a handful of penalties and seven giveaways -- half his total for the entire season -- over that same stretch, and even Boyle found his own performance too painful to view. "The Chicago game, I got home and I actually didn't watch it just because I was disgusted," he said after Sunday's practice. "That was a little different. I hadn't done that in a while." In San Jose's 1-0 victory over the Blackhawks last Wednesday night, Boyle took three consecutive penalties -- tripping Dan Carcillo, shoving Bryan Bickell into the boards and delaying the game when a clearing attempt went into the crowd. Overall, he calls that game "probably the worst I've had in a San Jose uniform." His ice time that game of 19:20 -- almost six minutes below his average for the season -- reflected that as well. Things did improve against Vancouver and his ice time reached 27:08. Yet with one goal and nine assists through one fourth of the season, Boyle is on pace for about 40 points -- 10 fewer than last year, his lowest total as a Shark. It's not as if Boyle isn't trying to put the puck on net. His 64 shots are second only to Joe Pavelski's 65 on the team, but among the 490 NHL players with at least one goal this season, only one has a lower shooting percentage than Boyle's 1.56 percent. When he looks for an explanation of what is going wrong, Boyle talks about much of the problem being between his ears, a combination of frustration and waning confidence. He says it isn't age or injuries or illness, though his wrists are wrapped and the flu was a problem a few weeks back. Some of it is just bad luck or bad bounces. Take that delay of game penalty. "The puck I shot out of the rink? You have no idea," Boyle said. "I was just trying to put the puck almost along the ice and it goes 50 feet in the air like that. It just blew my mind that it went that way."

But Boyle also attributes part of his difficulties to changing strategies in the NHL today. "The game's changed," he said. "Everybody's playing the same way -- the neutral zone is pretty much eliminated, which is where I get a lot of my offense. Everybody just fires long bombs, chipping it in. It's just a little bit more frustrating for me." Boyle earned his reputation for his ability to carry the puck up ice if the quick pass out of the defensive zone isn't a good option. He knows he has to adapt. "The opportunities aren't there like they used to be," he said. "Just working on it, just trying to be better." Sharks coach Todd McLellan is well aware that Boyle has been off his game and said he is getting the same assistance any other player would -video review, private conversations, suggestions, practice drills. "Danny's facing that right now," the coach said, adding: "I don't have too many concerns about him. He's competitive, he's responsible, he selfevaluates and he looks for solutions. He'll be fine." Boyle doesn't dismiss the idea that his self-analysis might get in the way sometime but says that isn't likely to change. "I've been this way for a long time," he said. "It's good and bad. I don't let myself off the hook, I challenge myself every night. But obviously sometimes I could be a little easier on myself and let myself breathe a little more. That's always going to be a challenge for me, because I just want to do well and it really upsets me when I don't." San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 11.28.2011 591021 San Jose Sharks

this start, however, by saying that regardless of the outcome against the Blue Jackets, Jaroslav Halak would be in net Tuesday in Washington. Elliott didn't put Hitchcock to the ultimate test by notching another shutout, but he did the next best thing in a 2-1 win. He made 23 saves and won his six consecutive game to improve to 10-1 and stay on top of the NHL in goals-against average (1.31) and save percentage (.951). "He's been OK, he's been OK," Hitchcock said, smiling. "He's feeling it right now. I don't like to talk. It's like a pitcher that's throwing well. I don't like to talk about it." But Hitchcock was ready to talk about Tuesday's starter. "Halak plays in Washington and then we'll see from there," he said. Asked if it's even a difficult decision, Hitchcock said. "No. Jaro has been playing well. He's part of the team, too, so we'll keep him in." Halak is 0-1-1 in his last two starts but in his last five appearances, 2-1-2 with a 1.56 GAA and .939 save percentage. "'Ells' is getting the wins for us, and that's what you ask from the goalie," Halak said. "Usually the coaches, they want to play the goalie that's getting the wins and I'm happy I'm getting the start even though I didn't win the last two games." Elliott, who has allowed only eight goals in his last 24 periods, said he's fine with the decision. "I think if you win, you'll get a lot of games," he said. NIKITIN EXCELLING The game Sunday pitted players who were recently traded for one another in Blues defenseman Kris Russell and Columbus defenseman Nikita Nikitin. Although Russell scored his third goal of the season, the trade hasn't been lopsided in the Blues' favor. Nikitin has averaged over 25 minutes a game in eight outings with the Blue Jackets and he has five assists and is a plus-3. "Obviously, someone upstairs did their homework," Columbus coach Scott Arniel told reporters. "(Nikitin) has been a great find for us and logging big minutes playing against the other team's top lines." BLUENOTES Forward Vladimir Sobotka missed his first game this season after being hit in the face by a puck Friday in the Blues' 2-0 victory over Calgary. "He's got a fracture in the bone area of the teeth, so that's probably what's causing the problem," Hitchcock said. "He'll join us in Washington." Chris Porter returned to the lineup Sunday in Sobotka's spot. The Blues took their fourth "too many men on the ice" penalty of the season Sunday, marking their third such penalty in the last six games. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011 591023 St Louis Blues

San Jose Sharks facts for Monday's game at Los Angeles Kings

By David Pollak

SHARKS VS. LOS ANGELES Faceoff: 7:30 p.m. at Staples Center TV/Radio: CSNCA; 98.5, 102.1, 92 Kings update: Los Angeles will be looking for its first win in three games, having dropped a 3-2 overtime decision in Dallas on Wednesday, then suffering a 2-1 loss at home to Chicago on Saturday. ... Coach Terry Murray shuffled his forward combinations Sunday, creating a top line of Dustin Brown-Anze Kopitar-Trent Hunter and a second line of Simon Gagne-Mike Richards-Jarret Stoll. ... G Jonathan Quick will be in net. Sharks update: LW Frazer McLaren is back in San Jose after a two-week conditioning stint in Worcester and seemed patient about when coach Todd McLellan might use him, presumably on the fourth line. "They're playing awesome," McLaren said. "I'll just wait for my opportunity." ... C Michal Handzus missed a second practice with an illness but could play against Los Angeles. ... D Colin White is on personal leave to attend a funeral. Kings injuries: D Alec Martinez (upper body), LW Dustin Penner (hand) and RW Scott Parse (lower body) are out. Sharks injuries: G Antero Niittymaki (hip) is out. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 11.28.2011 591022 St Louis Blues

Backes' goal lifts Blues to another win

By JEREMY RUTHERFORD

COLUMBUS, OHIO T.J. Oshie's behind-the-back pass to David Backes for a power-play goal, which proved to be the game-winner in the Blues' 2-1 victory Sunday, was executed well enough that Columbus goalie Curtis Sanford believed it to be a set play. But that hardly was the case. "I told 'Osh' after we got back to the bench that I was going to the slot waiting for a rebound or something," Backes said. "But he made a great pass right on my tape and fooled everyone in the building. A good way to break our oh-fer streak on the power play and hopefully that leads to more success." The Blues' "oh-fer" streak had reached 22 power-play chances without a goal, but the unit's contribution Sunday helped the team win its third

Elliott wins again, but Halak gets next start

By JEREMY RUTHERFORD

COLUMBUS, OHIO Brian Elliott was in the Blues' net Sunday in Columbus, in part, because of Ken Hitchcock's rule that a goalie who posts a shutout automatically receives the next start. The Blues coach qualified

consecutive game in what was a tight-checking matchup that had a combined 55 hits. In Ken Hitchcock's return to Columbus, where he coached for four seasons, the Blues improved to 7-1-2 under their new boss and lifted their road record to 5-6-1. "It definitely wasn't pretty," said Blues goaltender Brian Elliott, who made 23 saves to win his sixth consecutive game and move his record to 10-1 this season. "We got into their style of game and how they wanted to play and lulled us to sleep. "I just think in the third period it started with that (Blues) goal with a few seconds left in the second we just rolled from there. (The Blue Jackets) really didn't have too much in the third. Guys were all over them in the third. We did a good job." The goal to which Elliott was referring late in the second period came from ex-Columbus defenseman Kris Russell. With eight seconds left in the frame, Russell tied the score 1-1 with his fifth goal this season and third since being acquired by the Blues from the Blue Jackets on Nov. 11. He knocked in a rebound after Alex Steen put a shot on net. "That's good to get one and go into the third period tied," Russell said. "Luckily it bounced to me and I was able to put it in. It feels good to score any time, but obviously a little special here." Then 6 minutes, 31 seconds into the third period, Columbus took the third of its four hooking penalties. Hitchcock sent out a power-play unit of Oshie, Backes, Steen, Jason Arnott and Kevin Shattenkirk, a new grouping that never practiced together. It sure didn't appear that way, as Arnott fed a pass to Oshie, who with his back to the net-front got only a glimpse of Backes before making the nolook pass to the Blues' captain for his ninth goal of the season and fifth in six games. "I took a quick look right as the puck was getting on my stick," Oshie said. "I saw that their defenseman was halfway between coming at me and guarding (Backes). I saw him and I went back door. I figured with Backes and his big body, just throw it in there and he'll put it in." Former Blues goalie Curtis Sanford, who was 3-0-2 in his last five starts, was impressed. "It must have been a set play," Sanford said. "I have to respect that play. He got his body in good position with the puck and he could have shot it. But he made a great pass over. Backes got lost in traffic and found a way to get wide open." The Blues might have tricked Sanford and the Blue Jackets, but they didn't trick Hitchock. He agreed Backes' goal was nice looking, but he was more consumed by the opportunities the power-play unit gave up while finishing one for five Sunday. "... It was a great goal, but we've got to clean it up," Hitchcock said of the power play. "Our power play, we're trading more chances when we're on the power play than (when) we are five on five. We're not going to win like that." Elliott, who allowed only a breakaway goal by Derek Dorsett in the second period Sunday, snuffed out a two-on-one rush that Columbus had while it was short-handed. In fact, Elliott turned aside all eight shots he faced in the third period and has stopped 109 of 115 shots in the third period this season. "That goes to show that the guys are letting me see pucks," Elliott said. "... I see it and they're clearing away rebounds. So I don't think it's anything special I'm doing. The team, if we have a lead, we're not going to give it up." St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011 591024 St Louis Blues

survive to win their second consecutive road game. They got goals from David Backes and Kris Russell and improved to 7-1-2 under new coach Ken Hitchcock. You better sit down for this - the Blues just scored a power-play goal, their first in 22 chances. A great no-look pass by T. J. Oshie to David Backes, and he buries it for his ninth goal. The Blues lead with less than 12 minutes to play. Ryan Reaves and Cody Bass fight with 15:40 to play. Bass landed the better punches, but Reaves threw him to the ice. Call it a draw. The Blues score with seven seconds remaining in the second to tie the score. Alex Steen fired the initial shot and Kris Russell knocked in the rebound against his former team. The Blues did nothing on the power play. They are now scoreless in their last 21 PPs. The Blues are going on a power play with 10:20 to play in the second. Derek Dorsett gets yet another breakaway - the Blues have given up a bunch of them in the last two games - and he beats Elliott low to the glove side. It's Doresett's first goal in nine games. Columbus takes a 1-0 lead five minutes into the second. Blues and Jackets end the period with seven shots on goal apiece. Very evenly played first. Brian Elliott just stopped Rick Nash on a breakaway with six minutes remaining in the first. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011 591025 St Louis Blues

Blues' Sobotka to miss tonight's game

By JEREMY RUTHERFORD

COLUMBUS - After further review, Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka needs more time to recuperate. Sobotka was hit in the mouth by a puck in the third period of Friday's 2-0 win over Calgary. Originally, it was believed Sobotka would only require a few stitches, but it turned out to be worse. "He's got a fracture in the bone area of the teeth, so that's probably what's causing the problem," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We'll leave him here (Sunday) and he'll join us in Washington." After facing Columbus tonight, the Blues will travel to Washington to face the Capitals on Tuesday. It appears that tonight Chris Porter will take the place of Sobotka, who has two goals, seven assists and is a plus-6 this season. Porter will step in where Sobotka was playing, on a line Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner. "We want to keep (Brett) Sterling in because of the energy that he's bringing," Hitchcock said. "So I would say probably right now Porter. He'd be the guy." FAMILIAR FACE Former Blues goaltender Curtis Sanford will be in net tonight for Columbus, and for those who haven't been paying attention to the Blues Jackets, it is not an emergency situation. In fact, Sanford's recent play has been saving Columbus. He is 3-0-2 in five consecutive starts, with a 1.39 goals-against average and a .949 savepercentage. The netminder has stopped 131 of 138 shots in that stretch, surrendering just one goal in four of the five games. "Its a dream come true," Sanford, who played with the Blues from 20022007, told the Columbus Dispatch. "I went down to the minor leagues a few years ago with Vancouver, and its been a long road to get back. "A lot of perseverence, a lot of adversity, some injuries Ive just tried to stick with it. Getting an opportunity here from the coach and the

Third Period Update: Blues 2, Jackets 1

By DAN O'NEILL

The Blues hang on to win 2-1. The Jackets were all over the Blues in the final two minutes, but goaltender Brian Elliott was steady and the Blues

management, and having the guys play so well around me, I just Im trying to make the most of it and make it last as long as we can." **** THE TRADE Former Blues defenseman Nikita Nikitin is playing well with Columbus since the swap with St. Louis for defenseman Kris Russell. Nikitin has played seven consecutive games, averaging more than 25 minutes per game. and he has five assists with seven shots on goal and a plus-3 rating. "Obviously, someone upstairs did their homework, Columbus coach Scott Arniel told reporters. "(Nikitin) has been a great find for us and logging big minutes playing against the other teams top lines. Him and Fedor (Tyutin) have some chemistry, two countrymen that are speaking the same language on the ice. I dont think hes ever played this kind of minutes at the NHL level, but hes a guy that has really taken the opportunity and run with it." Russell, meanwhile, has helped the Blues. He has two goals, one assist and a plus-4 rating in seven games. A third-round pick in 2005, Russell said of his return tonight, "Columbus treated me very well. It's going to be different, but once the game starts, hopefully I simplify things and get in there quick." **** HITCHCOCK RETURNS Russell won't be the only Blue returning to Columbus, as head coach Ken Hitchcock will also be making his first trip back to Nationwide Arena since being hired on Nov. 6. Hitchcock coached the Blue Jackets for four seasons, leading the club to the only playoff appearance in the organization's 10-year history in 2009. "When I went back to Dallas for the first time (after winning a Stanley Cup with the Stars), it was hard to breathe," Hitchcock said. "That was very emotional for me. I was right there when the new arena got built. To go back there for the first time, that was emotionally draining for me. This one is not for me. I've been part of the organization, but I've moved on. My ship has sailed there." **** ODDS & ENDS - Brian Elliott will get the start in goal tonight, per Hitchcock's rule that a shutout gets you the next game. However, Hitchcock indicated that regardless of what happens against the Blue Jackets, Jaroslav Halak would likely start Tuesday in Washington. - The Blues sent defenseman Cade Fairchild back to Peoria a couple of days ago and have only six healthy defensemen on the trip. They better hope everyone remains healthy. - Blues injured forward B.J. Crombeen, who fractured his left shoulder on Oct. 1 and is out indefinitely, has resumed skating. "I've been skating on my own just getting the conditioning back and getting out there," he said. "There's still a way to go but it's good to get out there and start feeling more and more comfortable." St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011 591026 St Louis Blues

The Ducks have fallen 10 points out of the last playoff spot on this side of the league. In the era of three-point games, that is a mammoth gap to close. We're digging ourselves a deeper hole, Ducks forward Bobby Ryan told the Los Angeles Times. If changes are made, you can't really blame them. Everybody is a little fed up with it. You can't blame them if they pull the trigger on something. What do you do? Perhaps their most painful loss came against the Blackhawks as they blew a 4-2 third-period lead while staggering to a 6-5 loss. How did that make goaltender Jonas Hiller feel? Speechless, he said. It seems like we're almost afraid to lose. It seems like we couldn't play at all anymore . . . I thought we could be happy coming in with a two-goal lead. Instead of playing better in the third, it's like we were playing worse. Elsewhere in the conference: The punchless Flames are headed toward a long, painful overhaul. The team added winger Blake Comeau off waivers from the Islanders, but more changes will be forthcoming. Is now the time to move Jarome Iginla to a contender? One thing is for sure: Iginla and Flames coach Brent Sutter are not on the same page. The Blue Jackets have gained points in six their last seven games, but a pair of overtime losses in that span slowed their charge. So they remained 11 games off the playoff pace. The Predators hit the skids with an overtime loss followed by three consecutive conventional losses. They allowed 13 goals during those latter setbacks. Whats wrong? Just playing soft, defenseman Ryan Suter told the Tennessean. We have to get back to playing hard and playing fast and aggressive. Thats our style. We win a couple of games and we kind of forget about our identity. We have to get back to our foundation and the style of game weve played forever. The Avalanche squad is also a mess, due to mind-boggling mismanagement. Colorados 5-2 victory over Edmonton was just its third win of the month. AROUND THE RINKS: Phil McRae scored his 11th goal of the season as Peoria fell 5-3 to Chicago Saturday night. He has scored goals in three consecutive games. Last season McRae scored 12 goals in 46 Rivermen games while splitting his time between the AHL and NHL. His development is right on schedule . . . Cory Schneider started five consecutive games in goal for the Canucks. Roberto Luongo recovered from his groin strain, but had to wait his turn to play again while other teams watches with great interest. . . With the Islanders in a death spiral again, how long can coach Jack Capuano last? And how long before hapless GM Garth Snow makes another massive blunder? . . . The Canucks are getting winger Mason Raymond back from his playoff neck injury, but defenseman Alexander Edler went down with a shoulder injury . . . The Stars were already missing power forward Brenden Morrow with an upper body injury. Then forward Vernon Fiddler and defenseman Trevor Daley suffered upper-body injuries during a 3-0 loss to Phoenix. The good news: The team's long-awaited ownership change creates an opportuntiy to add salary as the also-rans start dumping . . . With first overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring in bunches, the Oilers have admirable offensive depth. Sam Gagner is struggling to find a role in the offense, a fact other GMs are noting . . . Oilers winger Taylor Hall suffered a shoulder injury. The club will learn more about this condition Monday when he undergoes a MRI . . . With 27 points in 23 games, Joffrey Lupul has been one of the NHL's most pleasant surprises. The Leafs forward can't wait to face his old team the Ducks, after rejection's sting in Anaheim. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.28.2011 591027 Tampa Bay Lightning

Hockey Guy: Thinning the Western Conference herd

By JEFF GORDON Bolts' Tyrell provides quick dividends in return The Western Conference is sorting itself out. As the Blues continued their stout play under new coach Ken Hitchcock, rival teams continued falling by the wayside. The not-so-mighty Ducks have won just one game all month. The NHL trade market is pretty quiet these days, but how much more of this can Anaheim GM Bob Murray watch?

By ERIK ERLENDSSON

ST. PAUL, Minn. The bulldog brought some bite back with him to Tampa Bay.

On the surface, the recall on Thursday of forward Dana Tyrell was a minor move. Last season as an NHL rookie, the 22-year-old scored six goals, had 15 points and was a minus-5 in 78 games. But what Tyrell brings to the ice does not necessarily show up on the scoreboard. The former second-round pick in 2007 has a strong-willed, tenacious attitude that is picked up by teammates and the coaching staff, earning the apt nickname. He was just the right addition to a team that had lost four of its previous five games. "If you look at him, he's not very big, but is about as wide as he is tall and crushes just about every fitness test in camp," center Nate Thompson said. "(He) is one of those guys that ,if a guy crushes him, he'll go right through him. And if he gets knocked down, he gets right back up again just like a little bulldog. He never quits." Coming out of training camp, Tyrell was the last player cut from the roster, mainly because he did not require waivers to be sent down to the American Hockey League. Despite not practice with the team in six weeks, Tyrell didn't miss a beat in two games against Florida. He was reunited with Adam Hall and Thompson on the "DNA'' line, which was highly effective in back-to-back victories against the Panthers. "They have chemistry," Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. "They had it all last year. They played against first lines most of the year last year, and we have it again this year. "It's only (two games). We are not going to scream to the world that our team has changed, but the reality is that every piece of the puzzle that you put in that fits, you are advancing, and I felt we advanced.'' In the weekend sweep of Florida, the DNA line looked as though it had been together all season, playing a responsible defensive game as usual but also applying pressure in the offensive zone with aggressive puck pursuit. "We have enough experience where the three of us have been playing together, we kind of have that anticipation of where guys need to be and how each other plays the game,'' Hall said. "It all adds up to playing fast and a solid, consistent game.'' Though just a minor transaction, Boucher thinks getting the trio of Thompson, Hall and Tyrell back together has a ripple effect. "I think from last year there are certain things that we liked and want to see again,'' Boucher said. "And, certainly, a guy like Tyrell brings that and that whole line has clicked and they are clicking again. Just one guy can bring us closer to what we want to look like, and if one more guy looks like that, then we are that much closer. It has an incredible impact, especially in this league.'' As for Tyrell, he just tries to quietly go about his business to help the team. Fitting right in with familiar linemates is a big part of that. "We all kind of play similar games," Tyrell said. "We are all always first on puck and always supporting each other, so that makes it easy to play with them. We are just great together and it's fun to play with them.'' Tampa Tribune LOADED: 11.28.2011 591028 Tampa Bay Lightning

"It's been long, been tough, frustrating," Lundin said in a phone interview. "(It's been) just trying to stay sane mentally while watching your team win hockey games and play together, and hope you'll be back." Lundin would love nothing more than for his season debut to come tonight, when the Wild, first in the Northwest Division, hosts the Lightning at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. "I know most of the guys and would love to compete against them," Lundin said. "I'll do everything I can do to be ready for that game." Lundin had envisioned still being with the Lightning, which drafted him in the fourth round in 2004. He had been one of its better defensemen, a mobile, steady player who averaged more than 20 minutes in the 2010-11 regular season, though his play dropped off a bit in Tampa Bay's playoff run to the Eastern Conference final. The Lightning liked him but was wary of how much Lundin, who could have been a restricted free agent after last season, could earn through salary arbitration. So it didn't make Lundin a qualifying offer in the summer, making him an unrestricted free agent. "When the season ended, I was pretty certain I'd be back," Lundin said. "But the business side of things unfolded, and we just had to go separate directions. It didn't happen suddenly, so I kind of saw it coming but was a little bit surprised." Tampa Bay did end up offering Lundin a multiyear deal worth more money annually than the one-year, $1 million deal he eventually signed with the Wild. "It was still a tough decision," Lundin said. "In the end, I thought that obviously being close to home and friends and family was good. But when it came down to it, the best place to step in and hope to play some good minutes (was in Minnesota). I felt there was a hole here I could fill. That was the deciding factor." Lundin settled into a home in Lakeville with his wife, Shelly, and 1-year-old son, Finn. But he got more babysitting duty than he had planned after suffering from back spasms on the third day of camp. What followed was a challenging rehabilitation, which included different setbacks and having him "pretty much doing nothing for two months." "I've never had any back problems or anything like that," Lundin said. "It was kind of a freak injury." The Lightning could have used him this season, considering its depth has been sapped by losing Mattias Ohlund for a while because of minor knee surgeries. Lundin said he has fond memories of Tampa Bay, from his former teammates and coaches to the fans. "It was tough the first few years, being close to the bottom (in the standings) and not making the playoffs, and the coaching changes," Lundin said. "But playing in Tampa, even with a bad team, fans always stuck with us. I definitely have some memories there." .TONIGHT Lightning at Wild When/where: 7:30; Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn. TV/radio: Versus; 970-AM Key stats: The Wild, first in the Northwest Division, has won five of seven. Lightning coach Guy Boucher said he was undecided whether G Mathieu Garon, winner of two straight, or G Dwayne Roloson would start. C Mikko Koivu leads Minnesota in scoring with 17 points (three goals). Wild G Niklas Backstrom gave up three goals on eight shots and was pulled in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Flames. St. Petersburg Times LOADED: 11.28.2011 591029 Toronto Maple Leafs

Ex-Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mike Lundin has frustrating start to first season with Minnesota Wild

By Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

For former Lightning defenseman Mike Lundin, a dream-come-true situation with his hometown Wild has gotten off to a depressing start. Lundin, 27, a native of the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Burnsville, Minn., who played for Tampa Bay his first four NHL seasons, signed a one-year free agent deal with the Wild over the summer. However, Lundin has been sidelined since the third day of training camp due to a freak back injury, returning to practice last week.

Red-hot Leafs shoot down Ducks

GREG BEACHAM

Even Tyler Bozak can't explain how an undrafted, inexperienced Maple Leafs forward can get so comfortable playing on a line with two of the NHL's top scorers - under Toronto's hockey microscope, no less. Nobody on the Anaheim Ducks looks even slightly comfortable these days, and they've got no explanations for their collapse. Bozak scored two goals, Joffrey Lupul had two assists against his former Anaheim teammates, and the Maple Leafs beat the Ducks 5-2 Sunday night for their fourth victory in five games. Bozak's third two-goal game of his career was his second in three games. Such are the rewards of skating on the Leafs' top line with NHL scoring leader Phil Kessel, who had an assist for his 31st point, and Lupul, who's tied for second in the league with 29 points in his own breakout offensive season. "I'm comfortable. I think I can play with those guys," said Bozak, who has stayed on the top line even with Tim Connolly's return from injury. "We've had a ton of injuries, but guys have stepped up and responded really well." Bozak and Clarke MacArthur scored 19 seconds apart in the first period for Toronto, which reclaimed first place in the Northeast Division and sent the spiralling Ducks to their seventh consecutive loss with a sturdy, workmanlike performance to finish a mileage-heavy four-game road trip. "After playing with those guys, especially (Ryan) Getzlaf and (Corey) Perry, I know if they get confidence at the start of the game, they're going to be tough to contain," Lupul said. "It was important that we responded right away after they got the first goal." Lupul was impressive in his return to Anaheim, which surprisingly dealt him to Toronto nine months ago shortly after he returned from a full year's absence due to back injuries. Rookie defenceman Jake Gardiner also played more than 25 minutes for the Leafs, who acquired him in the same trade with Anaheim for Beauchemin. "I still don't think of myself in that category with the top scorers in the league," said Lupul, who kept his home in the Los Angeles area. Joey Crabb also scored, Luke Schenn added an empty-netter from in front of his own goal with 12 seconds left, and Jonas Gustavsson made 26 saves in his fourth straight victory for the Maple Leafs during starter James Reimer's injury absence. Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin scored for the Ducks, who have won just twice in 18 games since Oct. 17. Jonas Hiller made 23 saves for the Ducks, who have only 16 points - the NHL's second-lowest total despite the presence of a reigning league MVP, an all-star goalie and a wealth of elite talent. "I think we just seem to be dead between the ears," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "It's mind-boggling, some of the plays that we're trying to make. We're not thinking, we're not reading, and then it seems that we pile on extra work for ourselves from our lack of execution." With former Ducks general manager Brian Burke watching from the visiting executives' suite and original Ducks coach Ron Wilson behind the Maple Leafs' bench, Toronto wrapped up its trip with another strong offensive effort in their only Southern California appearance of the season. The Leafs have scored 25 goals in their last five games, getting an early jump in the race for their first playoff spot since 2004. The Leafs are 14 points ahead of the Ducks, who are running out of time to get it together. "There's been a lot of talking, a lot of meetings, but really no answers," said Teemu Selanne, who leads Anaheim with 22 points. "It seems to me that nothing works. It's just unbelievable. I don't know what to say. Night after night, we make the same mistakes. We're trying to stay positive. I think everybody hates this situation. There's been enough talking. There's no mental toughness right now." After Beauchemin's opening goal, Toronto evened it when Bozak scored a power-play goal in front on a slick back-pass from John-Michael Liles. Just 19 seconds later, MacArthur capitalized on Toni Lydman's turnover and fired a shot that deflected off Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa's stick and found a sliver of net over Hiller's shoulder. MacArthur has scored a goal in three straight games after a three-game injury absence. Crabb also scored in his third straight game, connecting in the second period.

Perry, a 50-goal scorer last season while winning the Hart Trophy, scored his 10th goal in 23 games early in the third. Notes: Bozak left tickets for Blue Jays ace Ricky Romero, an East Los Angeles native. ... Getzlaf's goal drought reached a career-worst 14 games. ... Kessel had scored against every NHL team except Anaheim. ... Wilson says Gardiner, the Ducks' top draft pick in 2008, is the most impressive young defenceman he can remember coaching. ... Before the game, Anaheim recalled G Jeff Deslauriers from its AHL affiliate in Syracuse. Dan Ellis, Hiller's backup, was scratched with a groin strain. Toronto Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.28.2011 591030 Toronto Maple Leafs

Feschuk: Speedy Leafs cap successful trip

Dave Feschuk

It was around this time three years ago that Brian Burke, in his memorable first press conference as Maple Leafs general manager, announced his intention to build a team with "proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence." What he meant to say, of course, was "sufficient doses of dexterity, velocity, intelligence and finesse." If you were pulling out a thesaurus for a more appropriate description of what Burke has actually constructed since he arrived in Leafland, maybe that'd do it better justice. As Ron Wilson, the Leafs coach, said earlier this season, seemingly summing up the prevailing philosophy at 40 Bay Street: "We're going with the quickest and fastest lineup we can." Quick and fast, the Maple Leafs keep winning. Their 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night capped a four-game road trip that saw Toronto bring home three victories. As the Leafs spent Monday flying back from Southern California in the lead-up to a Wednesday-night home game with the Boston Bruins, they sat in second place in the Eastern Conference. Burke's team hasn't been succeeding because of some bruising style or intimidating personnel: Colton Orr, the Maple Leafs $1 million-a-season enforcer, was a healthy scratch for the 20th time in 24 games on Sunday night. The team has been succeeding because it can skate and it can score; because it's one of just six teams averaging more than three goals a game; because its power play is among the league's top few; because for the first time in a long while its best players, the likes of Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf, are performing like top-of-the-league elites. Still, Burke has made good on one Day One pledge: For all the talk of truculence, it's perhaps less well remembered that he made a promise three years ago to deliver to fans an entertaining team. So far, so good. "We've developed this identity, and the players really enjoy it, because we try to go on the attack every single time we're on the ice," Wilson said. "So I think it's a fun way to play, and it's an entertaining way to play . . . Maybe we give up more shots or goals against than we should. But we want to have fun when we're out there." Witness Sunday night's game, when the Leafs, after falling behind 1-0 midway through the first period on a power-play goal by ex-teammate Francois Beauchemin, mostly dominated the slumping Ducks with a hardskating, common-sense attack infused with the usual skill around the net. The Leafs tied it 1-1 on a power play of their own a few minutes later, this after defenceman John-Michael Liles, one of Burke's off-season acquisitions, fed Tyler Bozak on a nifty backhand pass from the side of the net. Some 19 seconds later, the visitors took a 2-1 lead after Clarke MacArthur's slapshot from the top of the circle deflected off defenceman Luca Sbisa's stick and into the top corner. The Leafs commanded the opening stanzas of the final two periods to both set the tone and make some hay. Joey Crabb tipped in a Luke Schenn shot from the point to make it 3-1 less than three minutes into the second frame. Bozak, meanwhile, scored his second goal of the game - and his fourth in the past three games - less than a minute into the third period after he cashed in the rebound of a Kessel wrister. Corey Perry, the reigning Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, scored a while later to make it 4-2. But the 29th-place Ducks, who extended their

losing streak to seven games, looked lost. Burke's previous team, winner of the 2007 Stanley Cup, has lost 16 of its last 18 games, and Perry seemed baffled by the slow beginning. "We wish we had answers. We've been having our struggles, and we've been trying to find ways to get out of this slump," said Perry. "We've been saying all along, we need a spark. We need something to get us going." The Leafs, with 29 per cent of their schedule in the rear-view, haven't yet had much trouble finding ignition. On Sunday night they were down some important pieces. David Steckel, the faceoff and penalty-killing specialist who injured his left pinky blocking a shot in Friday's 4-3 shootout win in Dallas, missed the game, as did Carl Gunnarsson, the defenceman who was nursing a sore left ring finger, also the result of a Friday blocked shot. Meanwhile Mikhail Grabovski, though he made his return to the lineup after missing five games with a lower-body injury, played fourth-line minutes to get acclimatized. The depleted lineup seemed to matter little. James Reimer, the No. 1 goalie who's been out since Oct. 22 and remains days away from a return, was again ably replaced by Jonas Gustavsson, who won his fourth straight game. Keith Aulie, called up from the AHL Marlies, made his season debut on the Leafs blueline and looked competent. Even Toronto's penalty kill, a continuing weak spot, came up big, killing off a late third-period highsticking foul to Phaneuf that threatened to give Anaheim some life. For most of the rest of the night the Leafs were simply too speedy, too incessant, for the lumbering Ducks to contain. Joffrey Lupul, acquired last season from the Ducks along with rookie defenceman Jake Gardiner in one of Burke's finest moments in Hogtown, assisted on both of Bozak's goals and was a constant first-line threat. Schenn scored on an empty net to cap it. On the eve of Burke's three-year anniversary, the testosterone was mostly employed in the explosive pursuit of the puck. The pugnacious bodychecks were few. There was nary a fight. But the Toronto GM's new team trounced his old one, just like it has levelled plenty of others, if not in the alley, then certainly on the scoreboard. For long-suffering Leafs fans, that's the very definition of entertainment. "Everyone wants to play offence, and sometimes that's the best defence," Lupul said. "Our No. 1 asset has been our speed . . . It's been a great start. Now it's a matter of taking it to the next level and becoming a playoff team and winning these games on a nightly basis." Toronto Star LOADED: 11.28.2011 591031 Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Star LOADED: 11.28.2011 591032 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs now tormentors

By Lance Hornby ,Toronto Sun

For the past couple of autumns, home and road, the Maple Leafs always seemed to be the team generating the gossip about trades, firings and lineup changes. What a change of pace for them to play well against so many flux teams of late and let someone else's players and management get the grief. Washington's Bruce Boudreau and Ducks' Randy Carlyle were coaches getting heat and had Toronto not been winded from playing on less than a day's rest, Carolina's Paul Maurice and his underachieving team of exLeafs, might be in more trouble than they already are. Stars such as Alex Ovechkin, Steve Stamkos and Anaheim's entire big three line was largely silent against Toronto. One-sided losses to the Leafs have also made life harder on execs such as Capitals' George McPhee. In Anaheim, which has made two big trades the past couple of years with the Leafs that have leaned heavily in the latter's favour, there must be some second guessing about losing both current top five scorer Joffrey Lupul and rapidly maturing defence prospect Jake Gardiner. The Leafs' win pushed Anaheim to the NHL basement. In the Toronto room, meanwhile, Ron Wilson has survived two critical months, keeping his team in the hunt for not only first in the Northeast, but top spot in the conference. With one game to go in November, the Leafs have won four of their past five, though the coming home-and-home with Boston will be a true measuring stick. While too early to say if his contract extension from Brian Burke is warranted, Wilson has wrung 15 points from his team this month, with starting goalie James Reimer gone a month and numerous other key injuries. Toronto was 3-7-3 last November, but just recorded its best firsthalf road trip of at least four games since 2003. The announcement that the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan will not be selling its controlling stake might help Wilson, if it means Burke won't be working for any radically different management. President and CEO Richard Peddie is stepping down in a month, but the only name put forward so far, at least internally, is Burke ally Tom Anselmi. Monster mash If the Leafs keep up the kind of forecheck pressure they've demonstrated the past few road games, then Reimer will be able to ease his way back into action without having to be the difference every night as he was from, the moment he took over last season. Toronto has scored 22 goals for Jonas Gustavsson in his past four starts and he played well enough to resume backup duties upon Reimer's return and let the Leafs send Ben Scrivens back for more seasoning on the Marlies. Overlooked in the Leafs' goal rush of late is Gustavsson's improved positional play, essentially just embracing a less complicated game and getting lots of help from the defence. Not losing face Losing faceoff whiz David Steckel was obviously going to make a difference against the Ducks, but the good news is that Mikhail Grabovski returned from a leg injury at the right time and gave a new look to the fourth line. There was no sense unplugging Tim Connolly from the good job he's done with Clarke MacArthur, as Connolly helped set up MacArthur's goal on Sunday, his third straight game with one. Steckel hopes to be back for the start of the Boston series. Loose Leafs Nikolai Kulemin, who hasn't scored since October, and Philippe Dupuis, who hasn't scored at all, won't get better chances than Sunday night on close-in opportunities on Jonas Hiller ... Connolly has 12 points in 12 games for the Leafs, MacArthur recorded his 30th Toronto goal on Sunday, Lupul now has 47 points in 52 games and Phil Kessel 150 in 175 ... Sportsnet startled viewers by coming off a break with Wilson footage behind the bench from his early days as coach of the expansion Ducks. The darker

Five questions for the Leafs against the Ducks

Dave Feschuk

Five questions the Leafs will answer in Sunday's game at Anaheim 1. How much more depleted will Toronto's injury-depleted lineup be? Friday's 4-3 shootout win in Dallas saw D Carl Gunnarsson and C David Steckel leave with finger injuries that have them listed as day to day. 2. Did Friday's win take too much out of the defence's legs? With Gunnarsson down and Cody Franson nailed to the bench after he missed an assignment that led to a Dallas goal, the remaining four blueliners played big minutes, with rookie Jake Gardiner logging a team-high of about 28 minutes. 3. Will Joffrey Lupul make good on his hope to "prove some people wrong"? The Maple Leafs forward, traded by the Ducks to the Leafs in February, has spent the lead-up to this game making clear he was unhappy that Anaheim gave up on him a few months after he returned from a devastating and complicated series of health issues. 4. Can the Leafs step on the throat of a slumping team? The Ducks, though they boast high-end talent in Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne, are in disarray, having lost six straight and 15 of their past 17. 5. Can the Monster sustain his momentum? With James Reimer expected back within the week, Jonas Gustavsson has won three straight games in which he has averaged 1.66 goals against.

hair and lack of a white Movember moustache was quite the contrast ... Toronto is 9-0-0 when leading after two periods ... Anaheim remains the only team Kessel has yet to score on in the NHL. Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.28.2011 591033 Toronto Maple Leafs

"That surprises me quite a bit," Lupul said. "I don't think of myself in that category with the top scorers in the league. I have to do lots of other things to have success." Quick spurt The Leafs used a 19-second spurt to kill a small spurt of Ducks momentum in the first period. Beauchemin scored on a power play to give Anaheim a 1-0 lead at 9:51, the Leafs struck twice, starting at 14:10. John-Michael Liles made a sweet backhand pass to Bozak, who had to tap the puck into the open net. MacArthur gave the Leafs their first lead of the game after Tim Connolly stole the puck from Toni Lydman at the Ducks blue line and got it up to MacArthur. A slap shot by MacArthur deflected high into the net off the stick of defenceman Luca Sbisa. With Bozak's first goal coming on a power play, the Leafs have scored a goal with a man advantage in seven consecutive games. The most recent time that happened was in March of the 2007-08 season, when they had a power-play goal in 10 consecutive games. Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.28.2011 591034 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs steamroll dead Ducks

By Terry Koshan ,Toronto Sun

The woeful Anaheim Ducks were easy marks. The Leafs completed a four-game trip on Sunday night with their third consecutive victory, beating the Ducks 5-2 before an announced crowd of 13,685 at the Honda Center. Joffrey Lupul had two assists in his first return to southern California after the Leafs acquired him from Anaheim last February. "It was a great way to finish off the road trip," Lupul said. "We were pretty solid tonight. It has been a lot of travel and we were strong all the way through the third period." Lupul couldn't be happier and the Ducks, who have won just two of their past 18 games, couldn't be worse. The Maple Leafs improved to 108-106-34 in the regime of general manager Brian Burke, who was hired three years ago to the day. Toronto has won 14 of its first 24 games. It didn't win its 14th last season until Jan. 1, in its 37th game. Missing bodies The Leafs were without two more regulars, but against the Ducks, that did not matter a whole lot. Centre David Steckel, the Leafs' best faceoff man, did not participate in the pre-game warmup after suffering a left pinky injury in Dallas on Friday. Defenceman Carl Gunnarsson was a scratch after taking part in the warmup. Gunnarsson suffered an injury to the fourth finger of his left hand against the Stars. Mikhail Grabovski, who missed five games with a lower-body injury, was back in uniform and was on a line with Jay Rosehill and Philippe Dupuis. Defenceman Keith Aulie, recalled from the AHL Marlies, made his season debut and was paired with captain Dion Phaneuf. Steckel and Gunnarsson joined goaltender James Reimer, defenceman Mike Komisarek and forwards Colby Armstrong, Mike Brown and Matthew Lombardi on the sideline. The Leafs have proven to be a resilient bunch, though, and have shaken off the injuries. Determination has become a hallmark of the club. Jonas Gustavsson had another stellar game in goal. He now has four consecutive wins. He stoned both Corey Perry and Andrew Cogliano in the second period as the Leafs held on to a 3-1 lead. That talk a few weeks ago about whether Gustavsson could properly back up Reimer has evaporated. "You want to win, that is why you play," Gustavsson said. "But you try not to be satisfied, because you could lose the next game." Joey Crabb put the visitors ahead 3-1 in the second period when he skated to the front of the net and tipped Luke Schenn's shot behind Jonas Hiller. Tyler Bozak, with two goals, MacArthur, and Luke Schenn into an empty net also scored for the Leafs. "I thought we skated really well," coach Ron Wilson said. "We're one of the few teams that has not blown a third-period lead (the Leafs improved to 9-0 when leading after two periods). Ex-Leaf Francois Beauchemin and Perry scored for the Ducks. Lupul assisted on both of Bozak's goals, giving him 18 points in November. Only the Chicago Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews, with 18 points, has had as many in the calendar month.

Sunny days for Aulie

By Terry Koshan ,Toronto Sun

From a snowstorm in Newfoundland to sunny, hot weather in southern California. No wonder defenceman Keith Aulie was smiling on Sunday afternoon. Summoned from the Toronto Marlies on Saturday morning, Aulie spent all of that day on the road. He flew from St. John's, where the Marlies were playing, to Toronto. After a four-hour layover, Aulie hopped on a plane to Los Angeles and landed at 10 p.m. "They called me at the hotel and said: 'Good news, you're going across the continent,' " Aulie said. "I woke up (Sunday morning) and went for a nice walk. Quite the different weather." Aulie appeared in 40 games for the Leafs last season, scoring two goals and recording 32 penalty minutes. Aulie, who was acquired in the trade in January 2010 in the deal that brought Dion Phaneuf to the Leafs from the Calgary Flames, had no points and 17 penalty minutes in 15 games for the Marlies this season. "I have been getting better all the time," Aulie said. "I had a bit of an injury but got through that. Felt like I have been physical and tough to play against. I played against other team's top lines. Role I like the best. Any time I can by physical, the rest of my game comes around." With Aulie recalled, the Leafs sent defenceman Korbinian Holzer back to the Marlies. Holzer was with the Leafs for three games but did not play. MATURITY SHOWS The Leafs' top line of Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel features two of the top scorers in the NHL in Kessel and Lupul, but they're not getting it done without solid contributions from Bozak. "If you look at the maturation of the other two players on the line, Tyler is clearly coming into his own, and he has really worked hard to get there," general manager Brian Burke said. "Phil has been unconscious. They work together well. Lupul does a lot of the heavy lifting to get loose pucks. It's a good line." LOOSE LEAFS With James Reimer close to returning from concussion-like symptoms - it's probable he plays in one of the two games against the Boston Bruins this week - the Leafs in all likelihood will return Ben Scrivens to the Marlies. Scrivens mostly has been solid for the Leafs, but he needs to play in close to every game to keep developing. Jonas Gustavsson has been good, and

Scrivens can be sent down without having to clear waivers first. There's nearly no chance the Leafs will carry three goalies ... Clarke MacArhthur's parents, Dean and Deborah, were on the trip. "They really enjoyed it," MacArthur said. "We went out to dinner a few times. It's always nice to have your family with you." Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.28.2011 591035 Toronto Maple Leafs

"There's been a lot of talking, a lot of meetings, but really no answers," said Teemu Selanne, who leads Anaheim with 22 points. "It seems to me that nothing works. It's just unbelievable. I don't know what to say. Night after night, we make the same mistakes. We're trying to stay positive. I think everybody hates this situation. There's been enough talking. There's no mental toughness right now." After Beauchemin's opening goal, Toronto evened it when Bozak scored a power-play goal in front on a slick back-pass from John-Michael Liles. Just 19 seconds later, MacArthur capitalized on Toni Lydman's turnover and fired a shot that deflected off Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa's stick and found a sliver of net over Hiller's shoulder. MacArthur has scored a goal in three straight games after a three-game injury absence. Crabb also scored in his third straight game, connecting in the second period. Perry, a 50-goal scorer last season while winning the Hart Trophy, scored his 10th goal in 23 games early in the third. Notes: Bozak left tickets for Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero, an East Los Angeles native. ... Getzlaf's goal drought reached a career-worst 14 games. ... Kessel had scored against every NHL team except Anaheim. ... Wilson says Gardiner, the Ducks' top draft pick in 2008, is the most impressive young defenseman he can remember coaching. ... Before the game, Anaheim recalled G Jeff Deslauriers from its AHL affiliate in Syracuse. Dan Ellis, Hiller's backup, was scratched with a groin strain. National Post LOADED: 11.28.2011 591036 Vancouver Canucks

Bozak scores 2 goals in Leafs' 5-2 win over Ducks

By GREG BEACHAM

Even Tyler Bozak can't explain how an undrafted, inexperienced Maple Leafs forward can get so comfortable playing on a line with two of the NHL's top scorers - under Toronto's hockey microscope, no less. Nobody on the Anaheim Ducks looks even slightly comfortable these days, and they've got no explanations for their collapse. Bozak scored two goals, Joffrey Lupul had two assists against his former Anaheim teammates, and the Maple Leafs beat the Ducks 5-2 Sunday night for their fourth victory in five games. Bozak's third two-goal game of his career was his second in three games. Such are the rewards of skating on the Leafs' top line with NHL scoring leader Phil Kessel, who had an assist for his 31st point, and Lupul, who's tied for second in the league with 29 points in his own breakout offensive season. "I'm comfortable. I think I can play with those guys," said Bozak, who has stayed on the top line even with Tim Connolly's return from injury. "We've had a ton of injuries, but guys have stepped up and responded really well." Bozak and Clarke MacArthur scored 19 seconds apart in the first period for Toronto, which reclaimed first place in the Northeast Division and sent the spiraling Ducks to their seventh consecutive loss with a sturdy, workmanlike performance to finish a mileage-heavy four-game road trip. "After playing with those guys, especially (Ryan) Getzlaf and (Corey) Perry, I know if they get confidence at the start of the game, they're going to be tough to contain," Lupul said. "It was important that we responded right away after they got the first goal." Lupul was impressive in his return to Anaheim, which surprisingly dealt him to Toronto nine months ago shortly after he returned from a full year's absence due to back injuries. Rookie defenseman Jake Gardiner also played more than 25 minutes for the Leafs, who acquired him in the same trade with Anaheim for Beauchemin. "I still don't think of myself in that category with the top scorers in the league," said Lupul, who kept his home in the Los Angeles area. Joey Crabb also scored, Luke Schenn added an empty-netter from in front of his own goal with 12 seconds left, and Jonas Gustavsson made 26 saves in his fourth straight victory for the Maple Leafs during starter James Reimer's injury absence. Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin scored for the Ducks, who have won just twice in 18 games since Oct. 17. Jonas Hiller made 23 saves for the Ducks, who have only 16 points - the NHL's second-lowest total despite the presence of a reigning league MVP, an All-Star goalie and a wealth of elite talent. "I think we just seem to be dead between the ears," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "It's mind-boggling, some of the plays that we're trying to make. We're not thinking, we're not reading, and then it seems that we pile on extra work for ourselves from our lack of execution." With former Ducks general manager Brian Burke watching from the visiting executives' suite and original Ducks coach Ron Wilson behind the Maple Leafs' bench, Toronto wrapped up its trip with another strong offensive effort in their only Southern California appearance of the season. The Leafs have scored 25 goals in their last five games, getting an early jump in the race for their first playoff spot since 2004. The Leafs are 14 points ahead of the Ducks, who are running out of time to get it together.

A lot to like about Canucks backup Luongo

By Iain MacIntyre

VANCOUVER - Everything but his salary and ability make Roberto Luongo an ideal backup goalie. Luongo loves to practise and will happily hang out on the ice until the last extra or injured player goes arm-numb from shooting. Teammates like Luongo, who already has a nickname and his own ball cap to wear behind the bench. And if he needs any help operating the door at the bench, Alex Burrows can show him how it opens. Luongo will need to refine the backup's prerequisite to amiably banter with reporters, although he is still better at that than doing standup comedy at news conferences. There are worse jobs than being a backup goaltender in the National Hockey League. Just ask Cory Schneider, who about perfected the position as a rookie last year but now is playing well enough to cause all kind of confusion. When the Canucks left for a business trip last week, Luongo was the returning-starter-in-waiting after recovering from an undisclosed injury. Three impressive wins later, the Canucks are back and Luongo is still waiting. Schneider's 43-save 3-2 victory Saturday against the San Jose Sharks capped the best week of goaltending anyone on the Canucks has seen since the Stanley Cup Final when, regrettably, it was Boston Bruin Tim Thomas they were seeing. Including the 2-1 home win against the Ottawa Senators that preceded the trip, the Canucks have won four straight with Schneider in net. The 25-yearold was the main reason the Canucks won against the Senators and Sharks, and between those games Schneider was merely perfect with shutout wins against the Colorado Avalanche and Phoenix Coyotes. In any other week, any that didn't include Pittsburgh Penguin star Sidney Crosby returning from a near-death experience to save the NHL and mankind as we know it, Schneider would be the league's outstanding player for the week.

Even if he still gets that honour, Schneider could celebrate by watching Luongo play Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets or Thursday against the Nashville Predators. Because with a salary of $6.7-million and a superb regular-season track record, Luongo is still the starter. Just not right now. And that is a great thing for the Canucks because the repatriation of the netminding position in Vancouver, begun before last season when both Luongo's personal coach and captaincy were removed, will be complete when coach Alain Vigneault chooses his goalie on merit every night. "Louie is really strong mentally," captain Henrik Sedin said after Saturday's win nudged the Canucks back into playoff position. "He understands as much as the guys who play in front of him that you need to play well (or) otherwise it's another guy taking your spot. It's the same for us or anyone else. We all know he's been through some tough things, but he was on the right track when he got hurt. Whenever he gets back, he's going to be playing great for us. "We needed great goaltending and whoever that is, as a player, you don't really care. Cory stepped up and really took charge when Louie got hurt, and that's been great for our team. I think it's a good thing when you have two goalies fighting for a spot." Earlier, Vigneault told reporters: "Louie is a team guy. This is all about the team. Right now, Cory has been playing really well. That's why I decided to go that way tonight. Louie is one of our most competitive players. "Obviously, he wants to play. But he knows that Cory's playing real well right now, and he knows I'm always going to do what's best for the team. That's never going to change. It doesn't matter who you are." But too often, it has mattered in net. There is an undeniable need in sports with more than one player per team to have roles defined and, in hockey, do everything possible to make sure the starter is in peak form for the playoffs. But this is November. Until a week ago, the Canucks were still teetering between overcoming their dead October or slipping backwards after improved play in November wasn't met initially by better results. Now, they're suddenly a formidable team again, dominating opponents and playing with sharp intensity and confidence. Schneider is a paramount part of this. Even Luongo knows that. No matter what your opinion of the $64million goalie - and apparently there are some divergent views around town - Luongo is genuinely supportive of Schneider and his right to play. "He has been busting his butt for the last two years and he has always been behind me 100 per cent," Luongo said. "He's playing unreal right now and we needed that as a team. Three big wins on this road trip. I'm 100 per cent behind him. We're a team. It's not about Roberto Luongo or Cory Schneider; it's about the Vancouver Canucks." Luongo-haters will scoff with cynicism at that statement, but that noble ideal has never been closer to true than last week. Apart from Luongo, winger Mason Raymond couldn't get back in the lineup, either. He has overcome a career-threatening back injury and his 40 goals the last two seasons put him behind only Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows. Two weeks ago, there were a half-dozen candidates to come out of the Canucks lineup. Saturday, Vigneault couldn't find any, so Raymond sat after finally telling staff he was ready to go. It's about merit. That term now applies to the goal crease, too. "Cory has been on as good a run as I've seen," Luongo said. "It's my job to be ready when it's my turn to get back in." Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 11.28.2011

In the aftermath of Saturdays humbling 5-1 defeat in Buffalo against a team that seemingly had as many minor league call-ups as NHL regulars on the roster, sobering questions must be asked of the Washington Capitals. Whats at the root of Alex Ovechkins ever-deepening slump? Is there a chemistry issue in the dressing room? General managers usually have a move in their back pocket just for times like these. Before Tuesdays game against St. Louis, George McPhee needs to use it. Because for all the questions facing his team, this much can no longer be denied: Staying the course isnt an option. Maintaining the status quo would only make the problems worse for a highpriced, star-laden team that is seven points out of first place in the Eastern Conference and five ahead of 14th. As for the questions, no one has an easy answer. Determining the precise moment a coach has lost the room is far from an exact science. Less than a week after becoming the fastest coach in NHL history to 200 wins, Boudreaus body language on the bench at First Niagara Center, as well as his comments after the game, seemed to indicate that hes frustrated and perhaps beginning to question his own methods. You like to think that theyre trying their hardest, but at the same time when were not winning a lot of the battles, youve gotta believe that theres more to give, Boudreau said after his team was held to one goal for the fourth time in seven games. Asked how he can help the Capitals become mentally tough, he said: Its got to come from within, Ive got to believe. Im hoping thats got to come from within because if Ive got to teach them how to be tough, then I dont know quite how to do that. Not exactly comforting words if youre McPhee or owner Ted Leonsis. On the ice, meanwhile, the Capitals again received subpar play in net Tomas Vokouns .905 save percentage is significantly worse than his career average and Michal Neuvirths .868 is last among ranked goaltenders and the skaters got outhustled and outsmarted by an undermanned Sabres squad they should have blown out. Its not so much that the Capitals are losing. Its how they are losing. Including the 4-1 loss in Winnipeg on Nov. 17, theyve been outworked in four of the past six games. Overall, theyve lost eight of the past 11, yielding four goals per game during that wretched stretch. The teams 3.27 goals against per game is 29th. And this week figures to be particularly challenging. The Capitals host a Blues team that is 7-1-2 since Ken Hitchcock took over behind the bench and, on Thursday, Sidney Crosby and the rival Penguins. After the loss in Buffalo, Boudreau did not single out anyone. But it doesnt take much imagination to figure out that Ovechkin is one of the players who has a lot more to give. Leonsis has often said its critical for a teams highest-paid player to also be its best. Right now, Ovechkin, with his $9 million salary, has fewer goals than checking-line winger Jason Chimera, and the only reason his minus-7 rating isnt rock bottom is because defenseman Roman Hamrlik has been more of a liability with a minus-10. Ovechkin has one goal and two assists in the past eight games and a total of eight goals in 22 games. His magical 65-goal campaign was in 2007-08, but it seems like decades ago. The numbers are damning, of course. But so are the optics. On Luke Adams second goal Saturday, Ovechkin, standing between the circles, did not move as the Sabres rookie raced into the slot and made it 4-1. Ovechkin was there, but he wasnt really there. Diagnosing a locker room divide also can be difficult. But if the coach and the captain arent on the same page, as it appears, how can anyone reasonably expect the other 22 players to be? There will always be factions loyal to one side, and by definition, working against the other. The only cure for that other than a coaching change would be stirring the dressing rooms chemistry with a significant trade of the magnitude of dealing a player such as Alexander Semin. But in a salary cap world, discussing potential swaps is easy. Completing them is hard.

591037

Washington Capitals

On Hockey: For Capitals, staying the course is no longer an option

By Tarik El-Bashir,

There are 60 games left for the Capitals to figure this mess out and, at some point, No. 1 defenseman Mike Green will return from his latest injury. But somethings got to change. And it must go deeper than rearranging the forward combinations and defensive pairs. Your move, McPhee. Washington Post LOADED: 11.28.2011 591038 Washington Capitals

In 497 NHL regular season games during his career, Alex Ovechkin has finished a game with a minus-4 rating only four times the latest of which came Saturday night in a 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Ovechkin was on the ice for the first Buffalo goal and each of the final three in what was an uninspired effort by the captain. On one of those goals in particular Luke Adams second of the game 1:12 into the third period Ovechkins inaction is on display as part of the highlight reel. After the battle is lost in the corner and Adam gains control of the puck he skates toward the slot, where Ovechkin remains motionless watching the Sabres forward shoot and score to make it 4-1 at the time. Yes, there were other Capitals around Adam but for the duration of the play, Ovechkin remained in the slot while the other four players on the ice at least attempted to prevent the goal. In the previous two games, Ovechkin managed to be a presence with physical play. Against the Rangers Friday night he scored his first goal of the season at home at Verizon Center and his hitting helped create Troy Brouwers goal. But the next day in Buffalo, none of that energy was present. I think we dont support each other. Me, Nicky talk about it we was just too separate today, Ovechkin said. After first period me and Nicky said we have to be closer together to support. We just didnt play at all our game today. Our line was not that successful, it was not that kind of energizer like we was last night too. The three previous times Ovechkin finished as a minus-4 came on Nov. 20, 2008 at Los Angeles, Dec. 8, 2006 against Anaheim and Oct. 5, 2006 at the New York Rangers. Given that the two wins this week seemed to stop the bleeding temporarily and showed more even-keeled performances from most of the lineup, I asked Coach Bruce Boudreau if the problems the Capitals are facing are bigger than the team might have thought originally. Boudreau didnt name names, but given Ovechkins season its hard not to think that the star left wing isnt among the players Boudreau was referring to when citing a lack of consistency. I dont know, its back to the drawing board and lets see where were at. Weve got to get more consistent better efforts from a number of people, Boudreau said, And its just something that the consistency is definitely lacking and weve got to find out the reason why. Washington Post LOADED: 11.28.2011 591040 Washington Capitals

Boudreau: Youve gotta believe that theres more to give

By Katie Carrera

Given the way the Capitals were outhustled and outworked by a Buffalo Sabres squad with five members of this years Rochester Americans in the lineup, there was little protest in the visiting dressing room Saturday night when questioned about a lack of hard work. Its a hard question to answer, Coach Bruce Boudreau said. You like to think that theyre trying their hardest but at the same time, when were not winning a lot of the battles, youve gotta believe that theres more to give. Washington was fresh off the lesson that when a team faces significant injury losses and relies heavily on AHL callups, it can overachieve. The Capitals saw it in Toronto exactly seven days before facing a Sabres squad in precisely the same situation, if not a worse one with nine regulars out of the lineup as opposed to the seven the Leafs were without. Buffalo won what seemed to be every physical battle, every race for a puck or every instance where possession might have been up for grabs. And each goal they allowed seemed to knock the Capitals back yet another step, which led to a team that didnt challenge its fate in the game at all. In places of course we obviously didnt work hard enough, the couple little errors that we made that were easily fixable maybe we got a little too emotional at some of the goals, Karl Alzner said. Then we do things we shouldnt be doing and they capitalize on them right away again. Mistakes that are easy mistakes to fix and things are biting us pretty bad right now and it doesnt seem to be going for us the other way. The Capitals were outscored 11-4 over the weekend and the loss to Buffalo marked the sixth time in 14 games theyve allowed five or more goals. During that span of 14 games, theyve been outscored 57-39. When it seems like no offense will come the other way, the answer isnt to simply worry purely about scoring goals, veteran Mike Knuble said. We worry about the end result getting the goal. But youve got to worry about the process, how you go about it, how youre going to manufacture a goal, Knuble explained. Dont just focus on scoring a goal, focus on doing the right things taking care of the puck when youre challenged offensively to give yourself a chance by doing the right things. This is 6 and 5 [goals allowed] back-to-back. Even if we were scoring a lot of goals its still 50-50 whether youre going to win or not when you give up that many. This is the type of rut that a team needs to rely on its system and its collective confidence, but right now, its questionable whether the Capitals believe in either their system or each other. We cant over-complicate things. I think we have to strip our game down to the very basics, start with hard work and start with good, defensive hockey, Brooks Laich said. Its no secret were giving up too many goals; we cant win when were giving up that many goals. When things arent going well, strip your game down, start with very basic things, do the little things right and start to build our game back up and get our identity back. Washington Post LOADED: 11.28.2011 591039 Washington Capitals

Capitals sinking after being outmuscled, outscored in lost weekend

By Stephen Whyno

The problems that are plaguing the Washington Capitals may be more than talent-deep. They may be more than coach-deep. They may be more than performance-deep. Over recent weeks, players and coaches have talked about confidence or, more specifically, lack of it. Even though they won two games last week, defenseman John Carlson summed it up well. I dont think too many things are going our way, he said. The numbers 3-7-1 in the past 11 games with five losses of more than three goals are hard to shake. But the mental strain on players as it has been happening may be worse. Defenseman Mike Greens absence has hurt, and theres plenty of blame to go around for this tailspin. But it seems lacking confidence is the biggest culprit as things have gotten progressively worse. Troy Brouwer commented recently that, We just need to iron it out a little bit and [make] sure that we have those sections of the game where were not imploding. The implosions have been a major part of the problem, as the Capitals have allowed three goals in less than eight minutes six times this season.

Caps Alex Ovechkin gives uninspired effort against Sabres

By Katie Carrera

As soon as we get a goal scored against us it kind of feels like its the end of the world, defenseman Karl Alzner said. It was a little more than a week ago that coach Bruce Boudreau, his team losing its fourth game in a row, said something similar that It feels like the end of the world, but its not the end of the world. The talk now is more troubling. Goaltending, which was expected to be much-improved from last season, has struggled. Tomas Vokoun said late last week even though he was happy about his performance, its his job to stop the puck. Hes 10-5-0 with a 2.82 goals-against average but a .905 save percentage. Michal Neuvirths numbers - 2-4-1, 3.82 and .868 - dont inspire a lot of confidence, either. But Boudreau, asked in Buffalo about the goaltenders, made it clear everyone deserved a piece of the blame, from the top down. A 5-1 defeat to the Sabres was just the latest in a series of rough nights. Its back to the drawing board and lets see where were at, Boudreau told reporters after the loss. Weve got to get more consistent, better efforts from a number of people. Defensemen Roman Hamrlik (a minus-10 rating and 18 penalty minutes this season) and Dennis Wideman (a minus-11 rating in his past eight games) were even benched late in Fridays 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers. Forward Alexander Semin has a team-worst 16 minor penalties, including trips to the box in nine of the past 10 games. Left wing Jason Chimera, considered a third-liner who was part of the Caps best shut-down line earlier in the season, is the leading scorer with nine goals. Captain Alex Ovechkin has eight goals, nine assists and a minus-7 rating. But, even worse, what if effort is lacking? Youd like to think that theyre trying their hardest, Boudreau said. But at the same time, when were not winning a lot of the battles, youve got to believe that theres more to give. With home games this week against the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators, turning things around quick becomes a priority. And perhaps its another C word that could contribute to fixing these problems. Its just something that consistency is definitely lacking and weve got to find out the reason why, Boudreau said. If they dont, then change could be on the horizon. Washington Times LOADED: 11.28.2011 591041 Washington Capitals

doesnt mean that narrative plays out. For a manager, every season is about adjusting when your summer plans go bust. And lets be honest some of those additions arent exactly helping the cause right now. For every 60 minutes that defenseman Roman Hamrlik is on the ice at even strength his team allows 3.61 goals. The web site Behind the Net hasnt been updated this week, but needless to say thats among the highest totals for any NHL d-man with at least 10 games played. If youre Duncan Keith (3.96) people will say youre just having a rough start to the year. If youre 37 theyll wonder if you can still play. To be fair, its still early. And Hamrlik was hurt Saturday against the Sabres by a bad bounce partner Dennis Widemans pass deflecting off a Buffalo player directly to a waiting Luke Adam alone in front of the net and two really soft goals allowed by Tomas Vokoun. By the way Widemans even strength goals against/60 has risen to 3.48. He and Hamrlik struggled so much the last two games, Boudreau had to break them up. So that brings us to the veteran Czech goalie, Vokoun, who is actually playing up to his $1.5 million contract. And thats not a good thing. Vokoun in 17 games has a .905 save percentage and a 2.82 goals-against average. And hes still been better than Michal Neuvirth (.868 save percentage, 3.82 GAA). Washington isnt playing well in its own end. But it needs the last line of defense to steal some games here. Vokouns effort on Zack Kessians goal just 27 seconds after a Jason Chimera penalty shot made it 2-1 was a true killer. The bench was really buzzing, was pretty into it after [Jason Chimeras penalty shot], Caps coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters in Buffalo. You could tell. Then when they scored that goal it was quite deflating. Vokoun also muffed a Tomas Vanek point shot that landed right at the feet of Jason Pominville, who scored with ease. Wasnt in Buffalo tonight, but I think this quote from Brooks Laich last Sunday fits perfectly after what we saw the last two games. We know we havent played our best hockey. One thing we got to do is cut down on goals against, Laich said. We have to stop getting scored on. And you know what, it might sound weird, but you start scoring goals from defensive hockey. When you pay the price, when you do things right defensively for some reason whether its hockey gods, whatever it is you end up getting rewarded offensively. And thats what our game has to be built up from. Start with hard work in the d zone, attention to detail and everything will build up from there. It starts from there. But much like last Decembers losing streak, you just get the sense that this team is fragile. They recovered then. Can they do so again before its too late? Thats difficult to do when certain players dont seem to have the necessary faith. Thats not me suggesting it. Thats coming on the record from players inside the room. Theres definitely a lack of confidence. You can see it in certain guys that are usually so confident with the puck, defenseman Karl Alzner said. And thats hard to get back. Its up to us as a team and coaches and everybody, weve got to give everyone as much confidence as possible, especially through a stretch like this. Because everyone comes to the rink and theyre down, we get a goal scored against us and were down. Things need to be positive, I think. As much as everybody gets frustrated we need to band together and turn all these negatives into a positive. At least help each other out. Washington Examiner LOADED: 11.28.2011

Caps Postgame - 5-1 loss to Buffalo

By: Brian McNally

Sabres 5, Caps 1 Hard to find anything good in the Caps performance at Buffalo on Saturday. Once again facing a short-handed team just as they did last weekend against Toronto the Caps gave up two early goals and never really challenged. Since that 9-2 start to the season, Washington is 3-7-1 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. At 12-9-1, they are still just three points behind first-place Florida (12-7-4, 28 points) in the Southeast Division with a game in hand and three home games set for next week (St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Ottawa). But there are obvious issues with this team right now and its hard to believe general manager George McPhee will stand for efforts like this much longer. Doesnt necessarily mean a coaching change, either. It is still Nov. 27, after all. Given his track record, I cant see McPhee making a change less than two months into the season when he decided to keep this coaching staff in place after last years playoff flameout. Just because we all assumed this would be one of the best teams in Caps history given the July 1 additions

591042

Winnipeg Jets

Time to make homestand hay

By: Tim Campbell

One truism in the National Hockey League is that the Stanley Cup cannot be won in October but the season can certainly go out the window before the calendars turn to November. The Winnipeg Jets could well be the exception to this in 2011-12. No, the Cup was not available in October, but it's December that's going to determine so much.

The stretch of games that's coming at the MTS Centre starting Tuesday (which is, admittedly, Nov. 29) is shaping up as a tell-all for the relocated franchise. It has struggled mightily to get its bearings since the official puckdrop of the new era on Oct. 9. Something like the kid who spins and spins and then tries to walk a straight line down the sidewalk. Jets coach Claude Noel used the phrase "all over the map" again on Saturday night when his team dropped a 4-2 decision in Boston. It has applied on many a night so far to one or all of the Jets. In the team's search for identity, however, there has been sufficient encouraging play that the season is not lost as of today. The Jets are 9-10-4 having played an NHL-high 15 road games already. Their 22 points say they are not yet dismissed from the Eastern Conference playoff picture but there is some ground to make up. With 13 of the next 15 games in downtown Winnipeg, the window of opportunity is open. Noel started, but couldn't bring himself to say it after Saturday's game, that if he'd been asked some time ago about his team's record today, he'd have taken 9-10-4. Nobody wants to take a losing record. But Noel spun this subject furiously, giving away much optimism about the games straight ahead, the point being that the season is far from lost. "We've played well and the growth is good for me. We're going to be OK," he said. "You have to be patient. The important thing for me is, 'Does your team care? Do they care about each other and about winning?' And they do." The Ottawa Senators provide the first home test on Tuesday and after Sunday's travel day home from Boston and the 1-1-1 road swing last week, the coach said intense focus is going straight to Game 1 of the homestand. "Come Tuesday's game, we've got to take a step forward," he said. "We've got to practise on Monday and ... we're going to be fine. We're going to be putting our best foot forward on our homestand. It won't be easy. It'll come through work." One of the reasons the team is in the position of opportunity is that it has exceeded many expectations for goals. The Jets have scored 66 through 23 games, certainly qualifying as more than those who had predicted dire offensive challenges had imagined. For context, the number puts the team in very good company in the Eastern Conference. It is better than all but two teams in the Western Conference. And it is trending better than the very rocky start the Jets experienced, when they scored just 11 times in the first six games. That leaves 55 goals for the 17 games since Oct. 20. "I would say, yeah, I've been pretty impressed with the skill level guys have been showing," Jets forward Kyle Wellwood said on Saturday, asked to comment on the bigger picture of the team's offence. "Over the last month, it's encouraging to see the way guys can skate and pass the puck and finish. "Even here tonight we were close to getting the third goal out there. Look at (Tim) Thomas's stats. He doesn't give up two. We had our chances to put the tie on." Defenceman Zach Bogosian, who has become one of the most dutiful spokesmen for his teammates, suggested that there is likely some meaning in these goals. "I'm sure a lot of people weren't sure what to expect coming into this year," Bogosian said. "I think we've been scoring collectively. We have a lot of good, talented players in here that maybe don't get as much credit as some other guys around the league but that being said, I think we have to take full advantage of playing at home for that long. "We need to make the crowd kind of enjoy the atmosphere. It's definitely something we have to take full advantage of." Goals of the first quarter won't automatically translate into the second quarter and beyond but for these Jets, there's no time like the present. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.28.2011 591043 Winnipeg Jets

Highlight reel / Bruins 4 Jets 2

By: Staff Writer

Big picture THE 4-2 loss, empty-net goal included, doesn't seem to have dented the Jets' attitude. They're 9-10-4 through 23 games and have played an NHLhigh 15 on the road so far. Nobody's crying for the new franchise's scheduling woes, which are about to turn around. Winnipeg has a golden opportunity to make a move forward in the Eastern Conference with 13 of its next 15 games in the MTS Centre through Dec. 31. Little picture ON goals by Evander Kane and Dustin Byfuglien, the Jets skated out to a 2-0 lead against the defending Stanley Cup champs. But that melted away with a Zdeno Chara power-play goal, and two from Chris Kelly in the second period. One was short-handed, and it gave the hometown B's a clear victory in the special-teams game. "That's not an easy team to play against," Jets coach Claude Noel said. "They're strong one-on-one players and they defend well. They've won a Cup and I can't say it enough times, because that experience is invaluable." Game changer ALL over the map was how Noel described the Jets in the second period. It was a frantic game and clearly the Bruins were better at keeping control of their emotions and making the little plays that count. The Jets were rattled throughout most of the 20 minutes and by the time it was over, Kelly had done the fatal damage. Free Press ''' 112233 -- Tim Campbell SUMMARY FIRST PERIOD 1. Winnipeg, Kane 10 (Byfuglien, Wheeler) 9:31 2. Winnipeg, Byfuglien 5 (Slater, Jaffray) 10:10 3. Boston, Chara 4 (Krejci, Seidenberg) 16:38 (pp) Penalties -- Boston bench (too many men; served by Seguin) 4:26, Byfuglien Wpg (interference) 16:00, Bogosian Wpg (interference) 18:23, Corvo Bos (holding) 19:23. SECOND PERIOD 4. Boston, Kelly 8 (Peverley) 7:28 (sh) 5. Boston, Kelly 9 (Pouliot, Peverley) 16:26 Penalties -- Horton Bos (tripping) 5:52, Marchand Bos (hooking) 10:45, Bogosian Wpg (delay of game) 11:52, Burmistrov Wpg (boarding) 13:32, Fehr Wpg (hooking, unsportsmanlike conduct) 18:11. THIRD PERIOD 6. Boston, Marchand 8, 18:51 (en) Penalties -- None. Shots on goal by Winnipeg 12 14 16 -- 42 Boston 15 11 10 -- 36 Goal -- Winnipeg: Pavelec (L,7-8-4); Boston: Thomas (W,11-4-0). Power plays (goals-chances) -- Winnipeg: 0-4; Boston: 1-6. Referees -- Gord Dwyer, Chris Rooney. Linesmen -- Derek Amell, Anthony Sericolo. Attendance -- 17,565 (17,565).

Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.28.2011 591044 Winnipeg Jets FOXSports.com / Bruins reach new low against crosstown rival

Jets set to 'make hay'

Staff

By Ken Wiebe, QMI Agency

Highlights: USC tramples UCLA 50-0 Check out all the action as the Trojans take on the Bruins.

Regroup. Re-energize. Reload. That's what the Winnipeg Jets are going to try to do after completing what was probably the most difficult portion of their 2011-12 NHL schedule. After playing 15 of their first 23 games on the road, it's clear the Jets are ready for some home cooking. And they'll be getting plenty over the next month and change as they play 13 of the next 15 tilts at MTS Centre, beginning Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. "We've got to make hay. We're at home here and we have to make a dent," said Jets head coach Claude Noel, whose club currently sits 9-10-4 and is right in the hunt in terms of the congested playoff chase. "If you had told me we were one game below .500 at this point, with the road schedule we've had, I would rather not be but we've played well and the growth is good for me. "I think if I asked our team if we think we can do better here over the next little while, knowing the teams that we've played against, how we need to do and the growth that needs to take place, they'd all say to a man that yeah, we can have success. And that's the important thing for us. For me, I see a lot of upside. When you lose the game, you're emotionally attached to the loss but when I look at the big picture, we're going to be fine." Given their recent results -- both in sweeping a three-game hometsand against high-rent district Eastern Conference teams -- and in going 1-1-1 on this recent road swing that included games against the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins, the optimism is understandable. "It was big for us, another confidence builder," Jets defenceman Zach Bogosian said when asked to assess the trip. The Jets are getting contributions from players throughout the lineup and the growth in confidence begins with strong -- and often spectacular -goaltending. After Chris Mason stood tall on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes in his first start in more than a month, Ondrej Pavelec was back in on Saturday and he played well against the Bruins in his 14th start in 15 games, turning aside 32 of 35 shots he faced. "Our goaltending has been superb the whole trip," said Noel. "They really are a bright light on our team right now." The Jets are playing better as a group and seem to be getting into a bit of a comfort zone as well, buying into to the program Noel and the Jets coaching staff are working to instill. "It's a new coach, new system, he's getting to know the players and we're getting to know him," said Jets captain Andrew Ladd. "It does take time to figure out his expectations, what he's trying to do and what he needs from everyone. "We've started to figure out what we need to do to be successful and how we need to play as a team. We know we have enough talent in here to win games. The thing with us is that when our speed is there, we're a tough team to play against. When it's not, we're pretty easy to play against. We have to make sure mentally that we make sure we have that speed every game. A lot of times, that is a mental thing, to be sure you're prepared to work every night." Winnipeg Sun LOADED 11.28.2011

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for Rick Neuheisel and the UCLA Bruins, Saturday night, they reached another low. The buildup was extreme. The all-white "HI OCTANE" uniforms, the Pac-12 South Division Championship, and the opportunity to advance to the inaugural Pac-12 Conference Championship Game were all amongst the topics of conversation leading up to this one. Most of which dissipated after Colorado shocked Utah on Friday. But yet, Saturday still represented a lot. It was for a city championship, bragging rights, and the Victory Bell of which has been painted Cardinal 11 of the past 12 years. Instead of battling their crosstown rivals to win the Pac-12 crown outright, the Bruins just got beat up. Final score: USC 50, UCLA 0. It's the worst loss to the Trojans since a 52-0 loss in 1930. It was another game in which UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero was sought to answer questions related to the job security of his head coach. When asked if Neuheisel will be the coach for Friday's Pac-12 Championship Game in Eugene, Guerrero simply nodded a yes. Had this been an ordinary year, minus the sanctions for USC (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12 South), Saturday would have truly been for the right to represent the Pac-12 South in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game. However, the Bruins (6-6, 5-4 Pac-12 South) were awarded the spot on Friday after a Utah missed field goal, due to the current rules in place. Still, UCLA felt like they had something to play for. We didn't want to sneak in there because of a technicality. We didn't want to be an asterisk in the record books, we wanted to earn it, said quarterback Kevin Prince. Obviously we wanted to beat SC because it's our rival. The Bruins quarterback orchestrated an opening drive that had the look of UCLA coming ready to play at least offensively. Trailing 7-0, they took the ball and drove 79 yards on 12 plays. Prince twice converted long third downs. He picked up 21 yards on the ground on a 3rd and 10 and found Joseph Fauria for 16 yards on a 3rd and 12. The 12th play was a 4th and Goal from the one-yard line. Derrick Coleman was stuffed. I felt like we got to the one and let's punch it in. I knew they were going to be hot on offense. It was going to be one of those games where we were going to have to keep up with them, so I took a swing, said Neuheisel. The Bruins offense struck out and proceeded to go 0-fer the rest of the night. The only thing HI OCTANE about the evening was the Trojans offense. Matt Barkley threw for 423 yards and six touchdown passes, a school record. He broke the school and conference record for touchdowns in a season, with 39. USC wide receiver Robert Woods set a school and conference record for receptions in a season with 111. The duo of Woods and freshman wide receiver Marqise Lee combined for 25 catches, 337 yards, and four touchdowns. The Bruins' offense, on the other hand, found itself in yet another funk. The Bruins also got behind, which never endears itself to the pistol offense.

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The offense stalled, going three and out on two consecutive possessions following their opening drive and didn't register another first down until 6:30 left in the first half. At that point, they were already in 29-0 hole. "We found ourselves out of rhythm," said Neuheisel. The key to us is being in 3rd and manageable and then executing. We missed some passes that we should have hit. We had guys wide open and just didn't hit them. And on the other side, Barkley hit everything. UCLA was 0-for-3 in the redzone and were out-gained, 572-385 in total offense. Neuheisel said Saturday night's performance wasn't good enough to play a marquee program like USC. Trojan players left the Coliseum Saturday night with shirts that read USC FOOTBALL 2011 PAC-12 SOUTH DIVISION CHAMPIONS. However, they're season is done. As for representing the south in the Conference Championship Game next week? That honor goes to the Bruins. FOXSports.com LOADED: 11.28.2011 591046 Websites

NBCSports.com / Ottawa GM blasts Crosby, Bylsma

Mike Halford

Just when you thought the Crosby-Foligno elbow fiasco was ready to die, in swoops Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray with a shot of adrenaline. Murray was seething after Sidney Crosby elbowed Ottawas Nick Foligno in the head Friday night. But when Crosby and Pens head coach Dan Bylsma accused Foligno of running goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, Murray went on the offensive. Heres what he told Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: The rules are very clear now. If you fall into a goaltender and touch a goaltender, an elbow to the head and a butt end to the head is fair game. Dan Bylsma said thats OK for them. Sidney said Nick Foligno is that kind of player. I wish (Foligno) was that kind of player. I thought the referees in that game, watching it and hearing the comments, it was 2-on-2. He fell over the goaltender. He was cross-checked four times. There was no question, did he get pushed? I dont know. He got cross-checked, I thought he got a butt end, but it might have been a full elbow. (Chris) Kunitz comes in with a cross-check and the penalties were even. So, (NHL disciplinarian Brendan) Shanahan said thats a good play. Thats a hockey play. Dan Bylsma said its good for them and Pittsburgh were the biggest ones on the head injuries. Im remiss. I made a mistake. We didnt have (Chris) Neil and (Matt) Carkner play in the game. We didnt have enough toughness, so when we play Pittsburgh thats something you can bring up to me again. Okay then! Murrays apparent boiling point was when Crosby accused Foligno of making a big deal out of nothing on the play. Hes [Foligno's] probably lucky it was me that was handling it and not someone else, No. 87 added. I think if hes going to do that, he should be ready to expect a response. Bylsma lobbed equally harsh criticism Folignos way. Were talking about a player that bumped into our goalie three times, Bylsma said. With the score 5-1 and intentionally going into our goalie, he can expect more than Sidney Crosby coming at him and talking to him during the game. Thats how we feel about those situations. He was in our net falling over our goalie, and I dont think there was any question about the intent. The Pens and Sens meet again on Dec. 16 at Scotiabank Place. Might wanna mark that one down on the ol calendar. NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.28.2011 591048 Websites

NBCSports.com / Is Bruce Boudreau about to be fired?

Mike Halford

The Twitter machine is ablaze this evening with rumors that Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau will be fired in the next 24-48 hours. Sparking the fire was Sportsnets Nick Kypreos. On the Sunday edition of Hockey Central, Kypreos and host Scott Morrison were speaking about the Caps, who are 3-7-1 over their last 11 games and fresh off a 5-1 pasting at the hands of Buffalo. A lot of speculation something could happen in the next 24-48 hours, Kypreos said. The name being thrown out there is ex-Washington Capital, a centerman of mine, Dale Hunter. Hunter is a Caps icon his No. 32 was retired in 2000, along with the penalty box from the old Capital Centre (Hunter is the only NHL player ever to score over 1,000 points and rack up over 3,000 penalty minutes.) But hes also the current coach and co-owner of the OHLs London Knights, a position hes held for the last 10 years. That could be an issue, according to Kypreos. Question is whether he [Hunter] would leave his junior program in London, which is off to a great start, in midseason to take this job, he told Hockey Central. Stephen Whyno of the Washington Times reached out to Capitals spokesman Sergey Kocharov via email for reaction. Not true, Kocharov replied. Just speculation. Of note: There was some confusion this evening as a Kypreos imposter Twitter account (RealKyper_) tweeted the Boudreau rumor (but taking it a step further, saying Boudreau was fired) within minutes of Kypreos saying it on Sportsnet. This led many to believe that the original rumor was fake. Which is was not. So, to clarify: Real Nick Kypreos broke the Boudreau rumor on Sportsnets Hockey Central this evening. Fake Twitter Nick Kypreos tweeted a followup, which cast doubt on its authenticity. (Full marks to Whyno at the Washington Times for getting tape from Sportsnet and transcribing the audio, verifying real Nick Kypreos actually broke the Boudreau rumor on air.) Isnt social media fun? NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.28.2011 591047 Websites

NBCSports.com / Nieuwendyk putting faith in Stars goaltending depth

Mike Halford

When Dallas put goalie Kari Lehtonen on injured reserve today, many assumed the next move would be to acquire his replacement. Not so, says Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk. In speaking with Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News, Nieuwendyk said that rather than look for goaltending help via trade, hell turn the reigns over to his No. 2 and 3 Andrew Raycroft and the recently-recalled Richard Bachman. Andrew is our guy, and we have confidence in him, and Bachman with how he played in training camp and the preseason, has has earned the chance to get a good look, Nieuwenduk said. Its a lot like the quarterback position. Nobody wants to see it, but these things happen and you just have

to deal with it. I think you make a commitment to team play and to playing even harder in front of the goalie who is there. This decision caught some by surprise. The Stars have relied heavily on their No. 1 goalie (Lehtnonen has all 13 of their wins), perhaps more than any other NHL club. Lehtonen was Dallas MVP through the quarter mark of the season and, it could be argued, one of the leagues most valuable as well. And this is why all eyes will be on Raycroft. Hes one of the least-used backups in hockey (four starts) and his numbers 0-5, 3.50 GAA, .899 save percentage dont exactly scream ready for a starting gig. His last win was Jan. 9 against Minnesota, in case youre wondering. Do keep in mind that Lehtonen going on IR means he might only miss the minimum seven days. But with his vast injury history hes missed almost 90 games since the lockout with back, groin and ankle issues its possible he could be on the shelf for an extended period of time. NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.28.2011 591049 Websites

NBCSports.com / Filatov recalled, will play in Ottawas top six

Mike Halford

The Nikita Filatov saga took another turn today as the Ottawa Senators recalled him from AHL Binghamton. Filatov who gained interweb notoriety with Aaron Portzlines Filly dont do rebounds story will replace Stephane Da Costa in the Sens lineup. Sportsnets Ian Mendes reports Filatov will play on one of Ottawas top two lines tonight versus Carolina, an interesting decision given whats transpired recently. Filatov had threatened to return to the KHL rather than play out the year in Bingo, prompting Ottawa GM Bryan Murray to say the following: I told him when I put him down (to Binghamton), that by Nov. 30, I would have a meeting with him, Murray told the Ottawa Citizen. It would be (about whether) to come back and get another chance to play up here or I would consider and thats the big word, I would consider allowing him to go back to the KHL. By Nov. 30, I will tell him hes in Binghamton for the rest of the year or hes in Ottawa for the rest of the year or a combination of the two or I would let him go back and play (in Russia). But it will be what we decide. So three days prior to the magical Nov. 30 deadline, Murray gives Filatov a shot to prove himself. Check that another shot. It looks like Filatov will play one of two spots against the Canes. Hell either be a first-line winger with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, or drop to the second unit and play alongside Daniel Alfredsson and Nick Foligno. Whatever the case, therell be immediate pressure for him to replicate his success with Binghamton (7G-5A-12PTS in 15 games played.) NBCSports.com / LOADED: 11.28.2011