CANES FALL SHORT AGAINST POWERFUL PREDS

Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes continued their consecutive game streak, however, this time they were unable to find a point and took a 4-3 loss in a nailbiter to the Nashville Predators.

Patrick Lalime, although fatigued from his stellar play, stood strong but the Canes were unable to finish the comeback late in the third when Tomas Vokuon shut the door.

Mike Fisher, Dany Heatley and player of the game Rick Nash had a big game, as the line accounted for all three of the Canes goals.

“We had a lot of momentum going in to this game,” said head coach Joel Quenneville, “but it really seemed like we had spots of tired play. We need to shake that off and see where we stand tomorrow. Right now, however, we have the confidence to take this loss and move on. I think we are still coming around with our play.”

The Canes fell behind early to the Preds but Rick Nash was able to bring them within one. The Canes however could not make that hurdle and take the lead at any point of the contest. Ex Cane Matt Bradley also scored to help finish off the hometown reds.

The Hurricanes continuous game streak continues as the club takes on the Atlanta Thrashers this evening. Manny Legace will get the start as a tired Patrick Lalime gets a well deserved rest. Also, look for Mike Cirillo to make his Canes debut in this one as the Thrashers tend to bring their gong show to town.

“We brought in Mike for these situations,” said the coach. “He is a feisty, hard hitting fellow and he has been chomping at the bit to get into the lineup. I just want him there in case we need him. I can’t guarantee he’ll see much ice time.”

Senators Unhappy with Recent Play

The battle of the Schmucks is at a draw! After losing to the Oilers last night 3-1, the season series between the Schmuck brothers is now tied at 1 a piece.

The Sens were a powerhouse team at the beginning of this season but are rapidly declining in the standings. Their defense has been an issue and despite recent attempts at making deals, other GM's seem only interested in aquiring Tom Poti, Ottawa's #1 defenseman.

How does this make sense for Ottawa? This is a team that has missed the playoffs in 3 consecutive years (or more) and is finally pulling itself together. Why then, would GM Schmucky deem it wise to deal their #1 defenseman who is only 28 years old and could be resigned and hung onto for the next 7 seasons?

The answer is, he shouldn't. Now, for the right deal it could be a possibility that anyone could move. However, offers so far have indicated that Poti is more valuable to the Sens as a Sen, than he is being traded and aquiring 3rd or 4th line depth forwards.

The Senators are also reportedly in the hunt for 1st round draft picks as well and it is possible that a Tom Poti or maybe a Dick Tarnstrom could be moved prior to the deadline if in return Ottawa was receiving some sort of package with a 1st rounder involved.

Ottawa could be busy at the deadline with 2 big name UFA players on their roster and only room to protect one. Possibly Teemu Selanne or Chris Osgood could be on the move to a contender on or before the CLUTCH trade deadline as GM Schmucky looks to reload for next season and may look at aquiring either a decent, groomable goaltender or a future #1 winger to replace Teemu. What they look for obviously depends on whom they move.

CANES SMACK DOWN EVIL EMPIRE

Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes hosted the evil Empire on Monday night in a game full of anticipation for the Canes. Coming off of back to back shutout performances by newcomer Patrick Lalime, the confident squad took to the rink of battle.

With a firm recollection of the previous two games against the Isles in place, both of which left the Canes without a goal, the hometown squad prepared for a possible war.

“We went into this one knowing we had played poorly against them before,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “I could feel that they wanted to prove something and we came out hard.”

The Canes notched in the first goal of the game off of a powerful slap shot by rookie defenseman Dion Phaneuf, his 7th of the year. The Isles, however, in typical fashion, stormed back with two of their own and the Canes found themselves down by one in the first intermission.

That was before newly designated team captain Brad Stuart stood up in the room.

“Stu was not happy,” said center Mike Fisher. “He basically called out some of our stars and said we are not going down like punks again to this team. We are as good as them, if not better, and we were tired of getting thrown around. I for one agree. I hate losing and I hate losing to this team over and over. Stuart said he’d do it himself if he had to, and man, did he come out with a vengeance in the second.”

Stuart wasted little time on the Canes first power play, off of a minor call to former Cane Scott Parker. The big blueliner rifled a shot at the net, tipped in front by Henrik Zetterberg and batted in by Tim Connolly. The Canes had tied it up.

20 seconds late, Dainius Zubrus picked up the puck in the offensive zone and drove hard to the net, finding the twine and putting the Canes in the lead.

3 minutes later, captain Stuart picked up the puck and passed over to the corner to Tim Connolly who one timed a pass cross crease to Zetterberg who put the Canes up by two. Rick Nash then buried his first of the game on the power play by doing what he does best, crashing and banging. The Canes had now successfully chased netminder David Aebischer out of this contest and instilled a bit more confidence. This juggernaut was not going to get the best of them on this night.

The Isles found a bit of momentum after the goalie swap and pulled themselves within 2 but the Canes stormed back in the third when Rick Nash picked up his second of the contest. Dany Heatley finished off the scoring by notching his 21st goal of the season with assists from friends Mike Fisher and Rick Nash, who had 4 points in the contest.

“This was a statement game for us,” said Rick Nash. “I have not been here long enough to know the frustrations of this team we played, but I will tell you the room was never so alive as it was tonight. We wanted this one badly.”

The Canes celebrated their fifth point in 3 games and seemed to be quite proud of their netminder, Patrick Lalime, who stood strong throughout the contest.

“After the first, I really felt like we let him down,” said Brad Stuart. “Lalime has been the guy for us since he got here and we spent most of the time in the first watching him battle while we looked like deer caught in headlights. We turned it around though. Its our time now, beware of the Canes.”

Blood Bath in Buffalo Town as Penguins Visit

Buffalo – A.P.

The Buffalo Sabres won their crucial game against the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight in what appeared to be a blood bath.

In a vital standoff between the Sabres and Penguins, both fighting for the second overall seed in the Wales Conference, the ice ran red with blood, as there were twelve penalties, three ejections, two fighting majors, and one suspension. This truly was a battle of goliaths but who came out on top?

The Buffalo Sabres did as they won the game 3 to 2 over the Pittsburgh Penguins at home in front of a sellout crowd. In a battle that went back and forth, between goals and shots, it ended with the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the shot category (27 to 26) but the Buffalo Sabres won the goal contest 3 to 2 and to seal the win and second seed in the Wales Conference.

However this battle is far from over as both meet again in twenty days from today as the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Buffalo Sabres in what will be another blood bath, but will the Sabres come out on top again?

6 PERIODS AND AN OVERTIME LATER, LALIME STILL YET TO GIVE UP GOAL FOR CANES

Carolina

When the Carolina Hurricanes went out and acquired Henrik Zetterberg, the idea was to add some offense. In the deal, the Phoenix Coyotes wanted to move a netminder to make room for young phenom Kari Lehtonen, and little did the Canes know that what they would get in return in the goalie swap might be worth more to them at this moment.

Patrick Lalime, the often criticized former standout of the Ottawa Senators has been perfect since his arrival to Raleigh. The veteran has not allowed a shot in just over 6 periods of action and his momentum seems to continue to swing.

The Canes, however, were once again unable to score a goal, this time at the hands of the feisty conference rivals the New Jersey Devils. The Canes stood strong in the game with the perfect play of Lalime.

“It has been a treat to get this guy in,” said Joel Quenneville, head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. “Pat has really brought this team some confidence and you can see it in the play of these guys. He wants to win and the one thing I have noticed more than anything else is his desire to never give up on a puck. That is refreshing.”

What could be the best part of this addition is that the on paper starter of this club is Manny Legace, but it has already been made known that Lalime will start against the evil empire of the New York Islanders tonight. Does this mean that Legace has lost the starting job in Caolina?


I don’t want to say he has lost the job, but he needs to earn back a start now. That is how we will do it from now on. I feel comfortable with either guy, a feeling I haven’t had all season so both of these guys need to step up their play if they want to see the ice. That’s the way we roll in Carolina now.”

Vital Three Game Stand for the Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo – A.P.

The Buffalo Sabres have an important three game stand coming up within the next five days as they start tomorrow at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the current second seed of the Wales Conference as they hold sole possession by a mere two points over the fourth seed Buffalo Sabres. With a win tomorrow against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Buffalo Sabres will take possession of the second seed by a tiebreaker over the Penguins having won two games to the Penguins one in their current season tally.

What are the other two vital games for the Buffalo Sabres? If they were to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night it wouldn’t mean sooth sailing for the Sabres, it would only mean they have to win the next two games to extend their lead over the Penguins and other Wales Conference Teams. However a loss against the Penguins would spell must win games for their next two games as they go up against the Montreal Canadiens (21-18-3) at home and than the Carolina Hurricanes (21-24-7) on the road. Both teams are bubble teams for playoffs, which means they will be playing their hearts out and will give the Buffalo Sabres a run for their money.

Currently the Buffalo Sabres are 1-1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1 against the Montreal Canadiens, and 1-1 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Can the Buffalo Sabres take back second place or perhaps fail and fall out of the playoff picture altogether?

Buffalo Sabres Hold onto 4th Seed

Buffalo – A.P.

The Buffalo Sabres won a crucial game between themselves and the Ottawa Senators tonight as they won the game 3 to 2 and hope to revitalize the nearly dead team that fell from second to fourth place in the Wales Conference. The Ottawa Senators sit fifth in the Wales Conference right behind the Buffalo Sabres and if they were to win, it would have sent the Buffalo Sabres to fifth seed, the lowest place they would have been all season.

The win wasn’t an easy one for the Buffalo Sabres as they were out played most of the game despite winning the shot category 29 - 25 they nearly blew the game in the third period where they were leading 3 to 1 until a Pierre-Marc Bouchard in the third brought the Ottawa Senators to a one goal deficit with nearly twelve minutes left in the period. But luckily the Buffalo Sabres were able to hold them off and record the win as they inch closer to the number two seed.

LALIME WINS DEBUT, SHUTOUT STYLE

Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes entered their latest contest with the Philadelphia Flyers with a newly acquired netminder in Patrick Lalime with a lot of positive momentum from the talented veteran. After spending most of the week in practice looking quite sharp, the Canes decided to give the veteran a shot to prove himself in a game scenario. He did not disappoint.

The new Hurricanes netminder turned aside all 27 shots fired at him by the Flyers and kept the Hurricanes in a good situation throughout much of the game.

“I felt great tonight,” said Lalime. “All week we have worked on our communication and getting used to one another but tonight everything just seemed to go right and it is quite exciting for me to be here. I thinkt his team is way below their abilities and I really hope to be a part of this run. Should be a fun ride.”

Also acquired in the Lalime deal was Swedish offensive wizard Henrik Zetterberg, who also live up to his billing by scoring the natural hat trick and added an extra assist for good measure.

Of note, the Canes not only beat up on the Flyers on the score sheet, they also took things into their own hands by not backing down from the Flyers pugilists, known league wide as an aggressive lot of guys. Brendan Shanahan started off by destroying Kristian Kudroc by ropping the larger man with a solid right and leaving Kudros knocked out on the ice.

Chris Pronger also decided to teach Roman Lyashenko a lesson by speed bagging the less than impressive Russian until the linesmen picked the dead carcass of Lyashenko off the ice. Pronger would later tangle with Matt Cooke, a fight that was more of a wrestling match.

“Some times you need to make a statement that we won’t be bullied,” said defenseman Brad Stuart. “These are some tough guys on our team and while they don’t always get the respect they need for that, I think the Flyers won’t be so anxious to go at them the next time.”

The Hurricanes have a tough schedule ahead with back to back to back to back games with the Devils, Islanders, Predators and finally the Thrashers. The new style of the Canes should see Lalime play until he lsoes, if that does happen. Right now, the Canes are feeling good about their current roster and it seems for the time being, no moves will be made to the current starting 20.

The Canes made a small deal in acquiring Mike Cirillo, along with a draft pick in exchange for a draft pick. Cirillo is a big time hitter and has a limited skill set for offense, but should be able to toss in a goal or two in spot duty. Cirillo is not expected to be a regular, but will enter games where the Canes feel they need to address a toughness factor in games it might be necessary.

Sens Streak Shattered by Shutout

The Ottawa Senators had another 5 game unbeaten streak come to an end last night. This time, shattered by the somewhat disappointing Montreal Canadiens.

The Habs are not even in playoff contention really and this is what disappoints GM Schmucky, "I don't mind losing. In fact, prior to the season starting, no one predicted we'd be fighting for a playoff spot. However, to lose to a team like that is rather upsetting. A basically GM-less squad run by the players themselves, who have been on a 6 game losing streak. I guess they were just hungrier than we were. We took this game for granted and got embarrassed because of it."

The fans will be expecting a much better effort later tonight as the Sens faceoff against the Sabres in Buffalo. Don't expect many changes to their roster as Ottawa has been winning of late and are hoping this game was just a blip on the radar soon to be overlooked.

Capitals Tie Kings

The Washington Capitals scored a pair of goals in the final period to earn a 3-3 tie with the Los Angeles Kings on Day 90. The result snapped a two-game losing skid for Washington and moved the club to 19-26-5.

Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes after goals by Kunitz and Lydman. Former Cap Palffy assisted on both goals. Lydman earned the second helper on Kunitz's tally at 5:26, and Gaborik had an assist on Lydman's goal at 12:53.

Washington got on the board early in the second period when Patrick Marleau notched his 15th of the season from Severin Blindenbacher and Jonathan Cheechoo at 2:03.

The Capitals tied the game on the power play in the early stages of the third. Marleau was the scorer again from Peter Tenkrat and Oleg Saprykin at 6:29. The Kings regained the lead just under five minutes later on Yashin's 20th of the season. Ozolinsh and Rozsival assisted on the goal at 11:15. Washington fought back to level the score again just 1:23 later. Nik Antropov got the goal from Cory Sarich and Radoslav Suchy.

Kevin Weekes made 26 saves for Washington, while Jason Labarbera stopped 24 shots for Los Angeles.

The Capitals host Nashville on Day 93.

Capitals Scalped by Blackhawks

The Washington Capitals dropped its second straight game on Day 88, falling 4-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks in the windy city. Washington is 19-26-4 after the setback.

Chicago jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. Orszagh started the scoring from Sykora and Mrazek at 9:39, before Boguniecki netted from Mara and Vermette on the power play at 17:27.

The Hawks stretched its lead to 3-0 with another power play tally in the second period. Sykora got the goal from Gomez and Orszagh at 14:17. David Vyborny finally lit the lamp for Washington with just eight seconds left in the second. Frantisek Lukes and Andrew Ference earned the assists.

Chicago ended any hopes of a Caps comeback when Kolozvary scored his 10th of the season at 11:10. Joffrey Lupul added a late goal for the Capitals from Oleg Saprykin and Dan Boyle at 15:29.

JS Giguere made 21 saves in the loss and fell to 20-14-5. Dan Cloutier stopped 28 shots to earn the win.

The Capitals return to home ice on Day 90 to face Los Angeles.

Capitals Slashed by Sabres

Patrick Marleau scored a goal and assisted on another, but it wasn't enough for the Washington Capitals on Day 87. The Buffalo Sabres earned a 3-2 victory on home ice to drop Washington to 19-25-4.

Todd Warriner put the Caps ahead early in the first period. Marleau setup the goal on the power play at 2:28. Sykora tied it up for Buffalo just over six minutes later on an assist from Hlavac.

The Sabres took control of the game in the middle stanza with a pair of goals. Kovalchuk got the first from Spezza and Berard at 5:13, before Hagos scored an unassisted goal at 16:57.

Marleau pulled Washington within one with a goal from Mark Eaton and Cory Sarich at 4:23, but that was all the Caps could muster.

Kevin Weekes stopped 21 shots in the loss and fell to 5-10. Rick Dipietro made 24 saves to earn the win.

The Capitals are back in action in Chicago on Day 88.

Capitals Silence Coyotes

The Washington Capitals improved to 19-24-4 on Day 86 after earning a 4-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in the desert. Todd Warriner led the way with a pair of goals for the visitors.

Peter Tenkrat gave Washington a great start when he scored his fifth of the season from Oleg Saprykin and Radoslav Suchy at 17:25.

Phoenix tied the game on the power play when Kloucek netted from Salo and Datsyuk at 7:58. The Capitals battled back to regain the lead later in the period on Warriner's first of the game from Nik Antropov and Frantisek Lukes at 16:12.

Warriner made it 3-1 early in the final period when he converted from Severin Blindenbacher and Patrick Marleau at 4:00. The 'Yotes pulled a goal back through Afinogenov from Datsyuk and Vanek at 13:07, but Jonathan Cheechoo put the game away just 2:01 later. Warriner and Marleau setup the power play tally.

Kevin Weekes made 26 saves to earn the win and improve to 5-9. Patrick Lalime stopped 31 shots in the loss.

The Capitals visit Buffalo on Day 87.

CANES NAME NEW CAPTAIN?

Carolina

It has been a trying season in Raleigh this year. That much is certain.

Many new faces have come and gone, the fans hopes of a successful season seem to swing in the balance as this season continues to ride along, right now being more than half over.

One thing that has given the fans a tad of hope, however, has been the play of defenseman Brad Stuart. The Western Canada kid has shown he has all the tools to be the franchise guy in Carolina, both with his offensive flair, his ability to rush the pcuck up ice in a hurry or even his willingness to drop the gloves in order to defend a team mate. Stuart has been everything he could be asked to be and has done so without a peep.

“He isn’t a guy who questions things,’ said ehad coach Joel Quenneville. “He goes out and does his job. I don’t need to explain things, he just knows. He is a special talent and he is that nice blend of skill, speed and size. He is a valuable asset to this team.”

With that said, it is not surprising to hear that the team itself has had a closed door meeting and decided unanimously to name the young defenseman the captain for the rest of the regular season.

“I was sort of surprised to hear it myself,” said Stuart upon his arrival to practice. “I was just getting in and Fish stopped me and said I was gonna wear the C. I was really honoured. I hope I can live up to the expectations here.”

That might have marked a changing of the guard, so to speak. By naming Stuart the captain of this squad, the Hurricanes have basically stated he is here for the year, a feeling few on this team have had.

“It is safe to say Stu is the guy for the rest of the year,” said Fisher. “I wouldn’t expect any of our 6 D to get moved to be honest. I think we have a great blend of guys back there and we are really looking forward to making some noise.”

Stuart, who is probably the best naturally gifted offensive defenseman, has been given top line power play duty and has found a good chemistry with rugged defender Chris Pronger.

“He gives me a lot of advice and he makes things easy for me. He has awesome vision and he is an intimidating guy to play against. I hope we are a tough duo to deal with, at least that is my goal for now.”

The Canes will go with the new duo working as part of a five man unit with the forward line of Tim Connolly, Henrik Zetterberg and fan favourite Brendan Shanahan.

“Hopefully things get easier for us as the playoff stretch comes along. Right now, we are not firing as we should but hopefully we stay focused and make some noise. I honestly believe if we make the playoffs, there are a lot of teams who don’t want to see us on the other side of their rink.”

NEW COMBOS, NEW RESULTS?

Carolina

After the acquisition of Henrik Zetterberg, the Carolina Hurricanes started to do a little line shifting to inspire some much needed offense.

Star forward Dany Heatley, who has been seen as nothing less than a disappointment since being acquired in the offseason from the Atlanta Thrashers, has struggled to find any sort of chemistry with anyone on the team.

Center Tim Connolly has shown flashes of explosiveness, but overall has not delivered the sort of playmaking ability as advertised either.

The trio were assigned one another for the last game but overall, their ability to maintain pressure and sustain any sort of offensive attack were put in question. The three didn’t seem to click.

“It might just be a chemistry issue so we will go with what I think will work,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “Zetterberg has a lot of overall offensive skill and has shown he can deliver when need be. I think his gifted swagger along with Connolly should make for an interesting combo for us and I will keep them together. I thought that maybe this time we should add a veteran power forward in Brendan Shanahan. The hope is the two creative guys can spark some goals from Shanny and I guess we shall see.”

Dany Heatley has found himself, for the first time this season, demoted to the second line, or as Quenneville likes to call it, Line 1B.

The talented right winger will join the young power forward and future scoring sensation Rick Nash on the wing. Mike Fisher has since been moved to center and with his defensive presence and powerful shot, the trio could make life difficult for the opposition.

“I have told Dany that I need more from him,” said Quenneville. “He is the face of our franchise, like it or not, and he needs to produce. There is no dancing around that, he needs to put up numbers. He can be a good defensive guy, he can win the battles, but we pay him to be the guy and up until now, he has not delivered at a level we need him to.”

Heatley has felt the pressure all season long and has been unable to shake that slump that has plagued him all season long.

“I know I need to be better,” said Heatley. “I know I can produce at a higher level that what I have and maybe working with Fish and Nasher will bring me some life. I really don’t know, but this has been a frustrating time for me. I am new to here and the fans are expecting big things from this team, as they should. I hope I can spark us somehow.”

The Canes have made a lot of deals this year to get the right blend of talent and as of now, the squad looks fairly solid. The new combinations should hopefully spark a change in the feeling in the dressing room. As of now, morale is low, and rightfully so. The Canes have flushed away a lot of talent this season and a positive streak is just what the doctor ordered.

Welcome Back Parker

Even with the offseason addition of marquee defenseman Niklas Lidstrom, there’s no doubt that Zdeno Chara remained a valuable piece of the Islanders’ franchise. So an emerging theme by Chara, saw the Isles make a trade to lessen one of the burden’s he seems to be carrying.

In addition to being the club’s 1b blueliner, Chara has become the Islanders’ default enforcer. And with a record in fights of 11 wins and 2 draws, nobody is disputing that the big guy’s done a dandy job of it. So why would the Isles look to add additional toughness? Coach Lorne Henning spoke on the matter.

“Z’s been a force to be reckoned with, coming to the aid of his teammates when ever anyone is taking liberties with the skilled guys. He’s undefeated in fights, and nobody messes with they guys when he’s out there. However, despite his success, fighting is a risky endeavour, and we can’t afford to lose Chara in the event that he loses in a scrap. He’s much to valuable to be sidelined with a broken hand, or fractured face bone. In the past, we’ve had players like Denis Gauthier, and Stephen Webb, who were there to step up and keep other team’s honest. However both these guys have been traded in the last couple years and it’s been a big void so far this season.”

The Islanders traded for veteran tough guy Scott Parker, who was moved from the team 2 years ago to the Carolina Hurricanes. Parker (6’4” and 220lbs) has 4 goals, 8 assists and a +7 rating while playing with the defensively deficient Flyers. Parker will ride shotgun on the 4^thline, see some spot PK duty, and hopefully give Chara a break from dropping the gloves.

Jose joins Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks have traded for a suposedly #1 goalie.Jose Theodore and his pimp lifestyle will at least add some spark to G M Blkhawks life.Along with Jose the Canucks leader is loking forward to spending time with the snatch flashing Paris.If this doesnt show our youngsters what can be had with some wins nothing will.
The Canucks said farewell to veteran defenceman Aaron Ward and Byron Defoe.We wish them well in Motown. Blkhawk was unavailable for comment but was seen heading into a hotel room with a night vision camera.

Blue Jackets acquire Tootoo, Belanger in separate deals

Columbus, OH

Columbus Blue Jackets President and General Manager Peter Dell'Olio has announced today that the team has acquired forwards Jordin Tootoo and Eric Belanger in separate trades.
The first, sends prospect forward Kris Chucko and a pair of draft choices to Colorado in exchange for Jordin Tootoo. Tootoo, 24, is a rugged forward who plays an excellent two way game and will likely take up residence on the Blue Jackets second line. " He's an Esa Tikanen type, a throwback, with more offensive upside....the kind of kid other teams hate to play against. He's not just an enforcer, he brings alot more to the ice." said Dell'Olio.

The second deal involved center Eric Belanger and prospect Boris Valabik. Both come to Columbus in exchange for center Brian Sutherby. Sutherby had not really played well with Columbus this season and the coaching staff felt that Brian would benefit from a change of scenery. However, the Jackets get a solid checking center in Belanger, who held out all season from the Kings for new contract. Belanger will be an excellent 3rd line center in Columbus playing along side Per Mars and Tim Jackman. The Jackets also add Boris Valabik, a young hulking defenseman who will learn the pro game at the junior level.

The Blue Jackets have also signed Joel Lundqvist and Bryce Lampman to pro contracts and will likely be in the lineup this week.

Canucks looking to next season

The Vancouver Canucks totally disgusted with the progress of this season have decided to look ahead to next season.We are looking for some experienced leaders to mix in with the good 24-28 year old guys we have in the system.With that in mind recently added iginla and Aucoin fit the bill.Adding briere was also a move looking ahead.With that in mind a few of our more usefull kids have been sent to the farm where hopefully a wiining tradition can carry over next season to the big time.This francise has been a f,n disaster since this management has taken over.
Last night the Canucks beat the leaderless Ducks.The once mighty francise has been destroyed by a lack of good management.I suppose we have not seen the last of Alex^ as he seems to reappear like a bad case of the dose.
2 goals in the 1st minute by Madden (who would look nice on a contender) and Ward got this one off to a rockin start.Briere then added a pp goal at 9;11.The Canucks then went ahead 4-1 with recent callup rokie d-man walker scoring his 2nd of the year.Rachunek then fought Rita in a lively bout.
The 3rd period saw Ollie Jokinen score a sh goal his 19th and the scoring was ended with Comries 17th of the year at 10;08.Rachunek then fought Lynch and showed the heart that will make him a future captain.Ault stopped 20 of 23 shots for the win.
Id look to see where we play next but dont really care

JUNIOR CANES CONTINUE TO ROLL

Carolina

A solid overall season continued on Tuesday when the junior Hurricanes found another victory at the expense of the junior Leafs. 2 point games from Dustin Penner, Colin Fraser and Tyler Kolarik proved to be too much for the Leafs as Jonathan Boutin took care of the rest.

“The line of Kolarik, Fraser and Laine was really the difference maker all game long,” said head coach Craig Hartsburg. “They really went out and made sure the Leafs couldn’t respond. Especially as the game wore down, man, they were just rolling out there.”

Braydon Coburn also had a big game, going +2 with an assist and led the contest in hits. Coburn, who is now playing with former Team Canada team mate Cam Barker, has shown a knack for making the opposition pay on a regular basis. The right handed defender is one of the league’s top defensive defensemen and has proven his worth in basically ever game he has played this year.

“Coburn is a rock back there for us,” said Fraser. “We don’t really need to worry about coming back when he is out there. He takes care of business on his own and he isn’t shy to get involved. He’ll defend a team mate and he is ruthless when it comes to stepping up into on coming forwards. I’m just glad he is on our team.”

Coburn now leads the Canes with an impressive +18 rating and has credited his defense partner Cam Barker for helping him evolve as a more complete player.

“Since Cam got here, I just felt that a lot of things clicked with him and I,” said Cobrun. “He is a more gifted offensive guy than me and he makes my job a lot easier because he gets the puck and gets it out of the zone quickly. He’s very smart at reading the play as it unfolds and he makes the right decisions on a regular basis. Its quite easy being out there with him.”

The Canes continue their quest to finish off first in the conference and right now, that seems like it is a possibility. The play of goaltenders Jeff Glass and Jonathan Boutin will be upfront and center and the Canes will go as far as those two can take them.

CANES DROP CLOSE GAME TO LEAFS, TIME FOR A GUT CHECK

Carolina

After finding themselves down a goal at the end of regulation, head coach Joel Quenneville had an internal meeting with his players.

“We needed to figure out what the problem was in here,” said the coach. “The guys were not really responding with what I was saying and it seemed everyone was just off. I wanted to get to the bottom of things.”

The team apparently has found a lot of stress in the way management has handled their slump of a season. Several players have been dealt, some of which never had a chance to prove their worth, others were dealt who had.

“It has been a tough year,” said assistant captain Mike Fisher. “Sure, a lot of guys are stressed. There are only about 4 guys here who were told outright that we were not going to be dealt. Everyone else is always walking on eggshells. Right now though, it seems that the powers that be want us to see what this roster can give. It was an assurance we hadn’t received all season long so hopefully they stand by it and let us develop as a team.”

There will be changes, however, albeit internal. The first and foremost was the moving of Mike Fisher from left wing to center, in hopes to better utilize his board work and his ability to get back on defense.

The second is that Jaroslav Svoboda and Brendan Shanahan will swap sides. Brendan Shanahan, the veteran leader and perennial sniper will move up to the top line with newcomer Henrik Zetterberg and Tim Connolly. This opens the door for Dany Heatley and Rick Nash to play together on the second unit. The liklihood is that Mike Fisher will center that line. Kris Draper will once again resume his normal shut dwon role with Jeff Friesen and Dainius Zubrus on the third line while Svoboda and Shawn Horcoff will play sparingly until they prove they deserve more time. Ryan Getzlaf is the 12th forward at the moment, but may find himself on a taxi squad with Nigel Dawes and Jeff Carter.

The defense will also undergo a bit of a change as the club plans on maximizing on the talents they have available to them. Look for Chris Pronger to resume time with Brad Stuart as the club’s top pairing. Phillipe Boucher will likely head to the second pairing with the speedy Jordan Leopold while rookie Dion Phaneuf and veteran Jaroslav Spacek will continue their work on the third unit..

Patrick Lalime is slated to start the next game as well.

“We wanted to tell the guys we are going to see how they do as a group,” said Quenneville. “There are no more excuses and we are tired of bringing in new faces in hopes things will change. This team should be winning and that is the bottom line. I don’t want to hear about why and I don’t want to here about hem being stressed. This is a professional league and its time they start playing to the level they are paid to play.”

Buffalo Sabres Skidding into Financial Catastrophe...

Buffalo – A.P.

The Buffalo Sabres returned home the other day after a nine game road trip over the span of eleven days. The trip turned up mediocre results for a team with high expectations as their homecoming brought home a 5-3-1 record and have placed the Buffalo Sabres tied for second place with the Pittsburgh Penguins at 59 points each, but the Buffalo Sabres have one more game played on the Penguins resorting in the Pittsburgh Penguins to hold sole possession of the second overall place.

The Buffalo Sabres look to bring back their life with their upcoming schedule as we look into the telescope to see the future of the Buffalo Sabres winning fifteen of their next twenty games with twelve of them being at home.

However financial trouble has been the biggest news coming out of Buffalo Town though as many fans are upset over talks of team relocation as the Buffalo Sabres are currently in the red financially and are having trouble stabilizing the once proud hockey city. Talks have placed the new possible cities as Kansas City, Hartford, and even Las Vegas. But if relocation was to occur, it won’t be until after the season and by the looks of things, the Sabres will need to win the Stanley Cup for the playoff revenue to save the teams future in Buffalo.

MID SEASON SURPRISE EVALAUTION COMPLETED IN CAROLINA

Carolina

After a massive re-evaluating of the junior prospects, the Carolina Hurricanes still feel they have amassed some solid depth over the past couple of drafts.

“The real notables that surprised us in our mid season evaluation was the drop off of play from Jonathan Boutin, Stephen Dixon and Jeff Glass,” said junior coach and general manager Craig Harstburg. “We have Glassy in a bit of a puck control clinic this week in hopes to help him sort through this minor set back. Jeff is a real good young goalie and he has a real talent, but he needs to be refined a bit. We have nothing but hope for him though. He has number 1 written all over him.”

Stephen Dixon came as of a surprise to many, whose play has had an obvious drop off since the beginning of the year. The aggressive winger, who’s pride in defensive play outweight his natural offensive skill, has shown he is capable, but yet finds himself more of a plug on most nights. He has also found himself in the press box due to his lack of enthusiasm.

“We will shape him around, no worries,” said Hartsburg. “He just needs a bit of internal direction. He’ll find it.”

Of note, Mario Scalzo Jr. came out of the evaluations with a brand new lease on life. The smallish defender with big time wheels and a knack for executing a fast break out was able to put on a bit of a clinic of his own by showing off his talents. The youngster may very well make his mark with the organization sometime in the near future.

CANES NEW TANDEM SET FOR PLAYOFF PUSH

Carolina

The Hurricanes made a deal on Friday and the notables were super star forward Henrik Zetterberg and 23 year old phenom Kari Lehtonen. What a lot of people missed was an acquisition of veteran netminder Patrick Lalime.

Lalime was pushed on the Canes by the Coyotes, mainly to get Lehtonen in their lineup, losing the salary and the older of the duo. Lalime, however, comes to the Canes as a probable starter on several teams and has put up some steady numbers this season already, actually comparable to the Canes current number 1 Manny Legace.

“A little healthy competition between goalies never hurt,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “Manny came here from Washington after having no competition for the starting job and came here only to see the starting spot also handed to him. Lalime is going to want the job. It is his nature and we will give him the opportunity to prove it.”

Legace, who has started since the acquisition, is apparently only holding it right now due to a fatigued Lalime, but the coaches in Carolina are not concerned.

“He is a competitive son of a gun. He wants in but we will give him his shot when we feel Legace needs a break, or loses. Until that happens, we won’t change much.”

The Canes felt the newly formed top line of Tim Connolly, Henrik Zetterberg and Dany Heatley had a lot of chances and just a couple misreads and in the end, may just need more adjustment time. The consensus on the trio is they are all capable of putting up better numbers and they will play through this current funk.

Since his return from suspension, Chris Pronger has been reunited with his old defense partner Phillipe Boucher. This has opened the door to having a speed duo in Jordan Leopold and Brad Stuart. The tandem looked good in their first game together.

Canes are home versus Toronto tonight.

Senators Dethrone Kings

The Ottawa Senators got a huge road win yesterday knocking off the LA Kings by a score of 5-3. The Senators have been playing good hockey this season and after 52 games, are well above .500 with a .548 win percentage.

The Sens horribly outshot the Kings 34 to 22 which shows their utter domination of the L.A. squad. However, it also continues to bring into question the goaltending of Chris Osgood who still allowed 3 goals on only 22 shots.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard was the games 1st star as he notched his 12th of the year in the 3rd period to ensure the victory for the Senators. He also assisted on Ottawa's 3rd goal, scored by Michael Ryder.

Ottawa is currently safely in a playoff spot but, with 30 games to go, anything can happen. The Sens have played more games than any other team in the league at this point, meaning that some teams have as many as 4 games in hand on Ottawa. However, GM Schmucky knows that what is important is winning regardless of what game number you are playing, "as long as we continue to win these extra games, we'll get ourselved into the playoffs. We just cannot afford any more 3-4 game slides that could put us in danger of missing for the 4th straight season."

Ottawa has the night off before hosting the Sabres on Tuesday night.

"Cookie" joins Flyers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Flyers have recently acquired gritty agitating winger Matt Cooke for the rights to rugged defenseman Todd Simpson.

With the recent acquisition of defenseman Brendan Bell, the Flyers needed to move one of their regulars since someone would be sitting out the rest of the season. Unfortunately for Simpson, he was the chosen one and would be sent from one struggling young team to another. The 33 year old Todd Simpson is expected to give the Jackets a shot in the arm with his physical play and his defensive coverage.

Matt Cooke has been practicing on the rightwing side on the Flyers 3rd line for now. He can make his way up the roster, but that’s totally up to his play. Cooke is signed for 2 seasons (remainder of this, and next) at 1.95 mill, roughly around what Simpson made.

Cooke’s speed and two-way style made this deal worth doing for the Flyers and since the team is in a rebuilding mode as it is, if he does not produce to what’s expected the team will have to consider other options. For now, Cooke will play alongside Roman Lyashenko and Peter Polcik, two solid defensive players with a offensive upside.

The Flyers announced Thursday that they have traded tough guy Scott Parker to the New York Islanders for a draft pick and cash. This move was to try and make more roster space for the new comers. Parker should give the Islanders a player to try and take over the fighting position from star defenseman Zdeno Chara. Islanders staff would not like to see their star defenseman get injured in a fight so in order to try and cut down as much as possible they picked up someone who will gladly take over the heavyweight role.

Blue Jackets acquire Lampman, Lundqvist from Detroit

Columbus, OH

Columbus Blue Jackets President and General Manager Peter Dell'Olio has announced that the club has traded defenseman Martin Hohener to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for junior defenseman Bryce Lampman, junior forward Joel Lundqvist and a draft choice from Philadelphia, in the third round.

Hohener was the Blue Jackets leading defenseman, but with the rise of youngster Dennis Wideman in junior the club felt trading Hohener now would provide Columbus with more youth going forward. Lundqvist is an energy forward with some upside and Bryce Lampman could become a solid 3/4 blue liner down the line.

Capitals Flatten Flyers

Nik Antropov and Radoslav Suchy tallied three points each to lead the Washington Capitals to a 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Day 85. The result moves Washington to 18-24-4 for the season.

Suchy started things off for the Caps from Peter Tenkrat and Antropov at 15:58. Todd Warriner made it 2-0 on the power play from Mark Eaton and Jonathan Cheechoo at 17:55.

Washington extended its lead to 3-0 in the second period. Cory Sarich was the scorer from Oleg Saprykin and Suchy at 12:40. The Caps dominated the middle stanza and outshot Philadelphia 20-5.

The Capitals continued to pour it on in the final period. Antropov made it 4-0 from Warriner and Suchy on the power play at 4:03, before Saprykin finished the rout from Severin Blindenbacher and Antropov at 13:04.

JS Giguere stopped all 17 shots he faced to earn the win and improve to 20-13-5. Martin Gerber made 33 saves in the loss.

Washington travels to Phoenix on Day 86.

Capitals Tie Panthers

The Washington Capitals earned a point on Day 83 after tying the Florida Panthers 2-2 on home ice. The result lifts Washington to 17-24-4.

After a scoreless opening period, the Panthers took the lead when Visnovsky netted from McNeill and Langenbrunner at 1:46. The Capitals tied it up later in the second on Nik Antropov's marker from Oleg Sapryking at 14:13.

Washington took the leader at 6:56 of the final period. Ivan Rachunek was the scorer from Severin Blindenbacher and Joffrey Lupul. Florida leveled the score just under five minutes later when Jonsson notched his 10th of the season from Bondra and Daigle at 11:53.

JS Giguere made 33 saves for Washington. Roberto Luongo stopped 26 shots for the Panthers.

The Capitals host Philadelphia on Day 85.

Flyers Tie Flames... Again

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – For the 2nd time this season, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Calgary Flames have ended up with a tie, this time the final was 2-2.

The Flames took a 2-0 lead over the Flyers at the 14:54 mark of the 3rd period, leaving not much hope for the Flyers club. But with two goals coming from the Flyers 4th line in the final 3:17 of regulation the teams were deadlocked going into overtime. The Flames would get the only shots in the overtime session forcing Martin Gerber to stop only 2 shots for a total of 31 saves on the night.

Gerber was named the games 2nd star and earned his 5th tie of the season. Brad Leeb and Chris Gratton both had a goal and assist in the game.

Brendan Bell had a solid debut playing 22 minutes of ice time and finishing even with 1 hit and 2 shots. The Flyers are getting production from their 3rd and 4th lines as of late and hope the top lines can start to produce giving the team more of a chance. “Hopefully when our top lines get going the 3rd and 4th lines can continue to produce for us as well..” said Flyer winger Matt Stajan “We are having a tough time finding the back of the net right now but if we keep working hard the chances and goals will come..”

The Flyers finished the 3 game road skid in 3 nights 0-2-1 and will now face off against the Florida Panthers at the National Car Rental Center. The game takes place on Day 89 and this will be yet another challenge for this Flyers club. Martin Gerber is expected to get the start in nets.

The Inconsistant Flyers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – 47 games into the new season, the Flyers have showed many things and consistency is not one of them.

So far this season the Flyers showed that the team’s defense is much better than the offence. The team showed that they cannot score averaging 100 goals less than the League leader NY Islanders and being ranked 2nd last in goals for. The team only has 4 10+ goal scorers, the list includes Kyle Wellwood with 14, newly acquired Tomas Plekanec with 12 and Jamie Lundmark and Peter Polcik both with 10 goals each.

To start the season Flyers management has high hopes for most of these players and nearly all are underachieving. The Flyers hope the acquisition of two-way defenseman Brendan Bell will spark a more offensive attack from the team. In a last ditch effort to try and give the team more offence the Flyers tried shaking up the lines starting with moving underachieving centerman Igor Grigorenko who has been moved to the leftwing position and replacing the 2nd line center position with newcomer Tomas Plekanec.

The Flyers are a combined -117 so far this year. The team has also racked up 1600 penalty minutes just over the half way mark of the season.

With the latest results from the Pittsburgh and Washington games the Flyers, after being on a season high “two” game winning streak, are now back on yet another losing streak after a 4-3 loss to the Penguins and a recent 5-0 loss to the Washington Capitals. Management knows that the team may not win as much as they expect, but they also do expect them to keep games respectable and last games 5-0 loss was just inexcusable. “I expect the guys to at least protect in the defensive zone coverage better, the Caps took full advantage of this and there is a lot of changes that we need to make before our next game…” said Flyers coach Glen Sather. “This is probably one of the toughest parts of our schedule this year having 3 road games in 3 nights, so far we have failed the test, and that’s just unacceptable.”

The Flyers now face the Calgary Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome to finish off this three game road swing. They will look to finish off on a high note and a win tonight would do just that. Brendan Bell will be making his debut alongside Carlo Colaiacovo. Both defenseman have been struggling this year and management hope for a turnaround for both. Martin Gerber will get the start in nets.

Flyers battle back to upset Canadiens

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Flyers won their second straight game thanks to a solid game from Igor Grigorenko as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3.

Igor Grigorenko finally broke out of his scoring drought as he scored 2 goals, including the games tying goals, to lead the Flyers to a 4-3 victory over the Canadiens. The Flyers trailed by 3-1 in the 3rd period and scored 3 goals within 8 minutes to rally the huge comeback win. Kyle Wellwood and Brad Leeb scored the other goals with Leeb getting the winner at 15:01. Jamie Lundmark continued his hot hand picking up another two assists in the game and setting up the game winner.

The Flyers were expecting a big game from Martin Gerber and he did not disappoint, stopping 10 of 11 shots in the 1st period, 8 of 9 in the 2nd and 10 of 11 in the 3rd for a total of 28 saves.

Philadelphia has also announced that the team has acquired 24 year old defenseman, Brendan Bell from the Atlanta Thrashers for the rights to Danny Richmond and junior Matt Christie. Bell appeared in 44 games this year for the Thrashers picking up 19 points, 4 goals and 15 assists, having 51 hits, 21 penalty minutes and being a -14. Bell will be expected to be a top 4 defenseman for the Flyers and will most likely play alongside Carlo Colaiacovo.

The next game for the Flyers is expected to be a rough one as the Flyers visit the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, PA to take on the Penguins tonight. The Flyers have dressed some extra toughness just incase things are to get out of hand. The war begins in just a few hours; this will be a bloodbath.

Rebuilding paying off for young squad?

GEORGIA, Atlanta – The rebuilding taking place in Atlanta over the past few years appears to be paying off—for the baby Thrashers at least. While their pro team is mired in losing streak after losing streak (last season’s league high 22 losses in a row had to set some sort of record), the future is now for the Thrashers junior team. This was not expected to happen at all. Last season’s scoring leader for the baby Thrashers Anthony Aquino was called up to the pro team along with the league-wide leading defensive point getter of last year Matt Nickerson. Regardless of these key losses, the Thrashers sit second in the Wales Conference.

The reason for this mid-season boon has not been the rash of high draft picks the Thrashers have been receiving in the last three years (Barker’s been traded, Radulov already plays on the pro team, and Malkin is still developing in Russia for the year); it has been the solid play of David LeNeveu. While the Thrashers pro team experiences a log-jam of potential starting goaltenders in Ray Emery, Marc-Andre Fleury, Ilya Bryzgalov, and even last year’s starter turned farmer Michael Garnett, the reins of the junior team are firmly in LeNeveu’s possession for at least the next two seasons barring any unforeseen development. With the second best goaltending record in the league, LeNeveu doesn’t appear to be relinquishing them to new-comer and backup Julien Ellis, who was brought in to shore up the backup position.

In other news, we heard rumors that the Atlanta Thrashers dealt Brendan Bell for Danny Richmond and a prospect. This deal would add further depth to the young Thrasher junior team, but Christie wouldn’t likely impact the team for a season or two.

Gerber enjoying time in Philly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The 24 year old native of Burgdorf, Switzerland is very satisfied with his professional hockey career so far.

Gerber will be making his 30th career start tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, and will look to steal one for his team. So far this season Gerber and Raycroft have been splitting most of the games, but it looks like the Flyers management will be going to Gerber down the stretch trying to build up some experience for the youngster.

The Flyers have been very impressed with the play of this youngster. He has a save percentage of .901, goals against average of 2.68 and a record of 10-15-4 with one shutout. Not much is expected from this team, but yet Gerber has been showing signs that he will be leading this team once they mature and build into a contender. As of today Martin is ranked in the top 10 in save percentage within the league.

On a somewhat surprising note, Martin is tied for the league lead in goaltender assists with Canadiens goaltender Alexander Auld for 4 assists. Much more will be expected from Gerber in the future, but as of today the Flyers are hoping for a big performance from the youngster to bring home the two points and maybe kick start a run that could put them in the playoff picture. “It is definitely not crazy to think we could make playoffs, we can make it this season with the team we have, but we are trying not to think about it too much..” said Gerber after today’s practice. “If we can make a push or put together any kind of a winning streak we could be in, we are only around 10 points out right now, we are not out of the playoff picture yet.”

Gerber will look to strengthen his numbers as the Flyers take on the Canadiens tonight in Philadelphia. A plus for the Flyers is that Canadiens star forward Sergei Samsonov will not be dressing tonight due to a cap violation by the Montreal organization.

Capitals Fall in Atlanta

The Washington Capitals rallied to overcome a two-goal deficit in the final period, but dropped a tough 3-2 game to the Atlanta Thrashers on Day 80. The setback snapped a three-game winning streak for Washington and dropped the club to 17-24-3.

Atlanta opened a 1-0 lead in the first period when Horton scored his 12th of the season from Mapletoft and Johansson at 12:22. The Thrashers outshot Washington 14-7 in the opening 20 minutes.

The home side continued to dominate in the second period, and Bayda's marker from Horton and Radulov at 9:51 made it 2-0.

The Capitals finally turned it on in the final period and outshot Atlanta 14-3. Mark Eaton made it 2-1 from David Vyborny and Artem Chubarov at 7:32, before Jonathan Cheechoo tied the gaem from Todd Warriner and Patrick Marleau at 9:25.

Washington pushed for the winning goal in overtime, but a pair of penalties 58 seconds apart gave Atlanta the edge it needed. Radulov converted from Bayda and Steeves on the power play at 2:26 to secure the victory.

Kevin Weekes made 27 saves in the loss and fell to 4-9. Ray Emery stopped 28 shots to earn the win.

The Capitals host Florida on Day 83.

JUNIOR CANES CLIMB TO THE TOP IN STANDINGS A TEAM EFFORT

Carolina

With the season more than half over now, the Carolina Hurricanes have made good on their promise to be one of the more exciting teams in the league.

Despite a hefty graduation of some of the teams top players, including all three centers, top offensive defenseman Tomas Mojzis and defensive rock Dion Phaneuf, gunners Junior Lessard and Michael Woodford and of course netminder Rob Zepp, the team has still managed to be one of the top clubs.

How is this possible?

The Canes have drafted well to continually stockpile their system with talented players. Adding key components via trade such as Nathan Martz, Tyler Kolarik and Patrick Valcak to the mix was also key as well.

“The strength of this team right now is its defensemen are very solid as a group,” said head coach Craig Hartsburg. “Guys like Weber and Coburn are usually big minute munchers and they know their roles well. Jordan Smith has done a fantastic job in his first year with the big club as well and the additions of Cam Barker and Shawn Belle have more than improved this club. The really united it.”

The Canes rely on a scoring by committee as well. Colin Fraser and Corey Perry were hyped all summer as a duo who could put up big time numbers, but overall, they do not have the numbers to show the effort. Dustin Penner and Lauri Korpikoski have come along ways since the summer evaluations and really stepped up their games as well. The checking line of Mike Richards, Stephen Dixon and Jeremy Colliton has been a suffocating line to play against as well.

Jonathan Boutin has also stepped up and taken the number 1 spot from the former starter Jeff Glass. Boutin simply has not allowed the team to lose with him behind the mask.

Overall, the Canes are happy with their youngsters play this season. It has been a much appreciated effort for the franchise as their pro squad has been anything but impressive.

CANES MAKE BIG DEAL

Carolina

On Monday, the Carolina Hurricanes made another big time move, this time going back to a common trading partner, the Vancouver Canucks.

In a move to first off cut salary, and secondly to find a spark for the top offensive forward duo, the Canes went all in on deal that sent shockwaves through the league.

Heading to Vancouver was fan favourite Jarome Iginla, the consistent offensive forward who had sparked the Canes on several occasions this season. Adrian Aucoin, the big powerful defenseman also headed to the Nucks and finally Daniel Briere, the diminutive centerman with shifty moves and a knack for finding the open man. The squad also dealt highly touted prospect Lauri Tukonen, a player whom the Canes acquired from the Nucks previously.

In return, the Canes received a similar type of package. First of all, the Canes add power forward and high end sniper Rick Nash. The youngster has been up and down this year but with his pure physical strength, incredible reach and knack for finding the net, Nash will no doubt fill in on the top line with Dany Heatley and Tim Connolly.

The second player received was big Dainus Zubrus, whose size and speed should help cause matchup problems in the future for the Canes. He is a versatile winger with scoring ability and a defensive side to his game. He will likely be put with Mike Fisher and Kris Draper on arguably the league’s most annoying line in the league.

Finally, the Canes added speedy defenseman Jordan Leopold. Leopold is a steady defenseman with a big time shot and a gift for moving the puck quickly out of the defensive zone. Leopold, for the salary he currently earns was considered a similar impact type of player as Aucoin, but the club needed to shed much needed to dollar to make room. The swap of these two was the key in this deal.

Overall, the move should set up the Canes nicely for their playoff stretch down the road. Speed was added to the back end and size up front. The Canes feel that young Dmirtri Semin is ready for the big time as the team’s 4th line center and made Briere expendable. Nash brings an ability to bury the puck on the left wing side with a talent that surpasses anyone on the current roster and adding Leopold and Zubrus add a dimension to the club it may have been lacking. Of course, time will tell.

Flyers defeat Bruins

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Boston Bruins 4-2 last game at the Fleet Center.

Kyle Wellwood opened the scoring just 25 seconds into the first with assists from Jamie Lundmark and Darcy Tucker. The Bruins answered late in the 1st on Brad Richards’ 10th of the season from Havlat and Tkachuk. The shots after 1st were 10-6 for the Bruins. Early in the 2nd the momentum changed after a spirited bought between Kristian Kurdoc and Bill Guerin, the fight was scored as a draw, but it seemed to spark the Flyers. Several minutes later the Flyers took the lead on Peter Polcik’s 10th of the season from Kurdoc and Lyashenko. The shots after the 2nd were 12-2 Flyers.

To start the third the Flyers grinding line cashed in just 1:08 in with Scott Parkers 4th goal of the season from Chris Gratton and Jamie Lundmark’s 2nd point of the night. The Bruins cut the lead to 3-2 on Koivu’s 14th goal of the season and the fortunes looked good for the B’s. Just around a minute after scoring Chris Gratton was called for hooking. Just 5 seconds after the initial call, the Flyers scored their 5th shorthanded goal of the season as Lundmark capped off a solid night scoring his 9th goal of the year and his 3rd point of the night from Brad Leeb and goaltender Martin Gerber.

This game turned out to be the last game in a Flyers uniform for winger Darcy Tucker as he was later shipped off to Detroit in a deal for Tomas Plekanec. Darcy finished the game as a +1 with one assist and 3 hits. “It’s definitely a shocked to be moved this soon after expecting to be a Flyer for the rest of my career…” said Tucker. “I never expected this to happen after talking to management and them assuring me that they would not move me, they obviously lied... I am pretty ******* ticked off right now...”

The Flyers next game comes against the Montreal Canadiens on Day 83 from the First Union Center. Martin Gerber will start in his 30th game of the season. Tomas Plekanec will make his debut.

Plekanec dealt to Flyers; Tucker dealt back to Wings

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Just about a month after acquiring the gritty winger, the Flyers sent Darcy Tucker along with a conditional draft choice and cash to the Detroit Red Wings for young left winger Tomas Plekanec.

In Tuckers 14 games with the Flyers he finished with 5 goals and 3 assists, with 8 penalty minutes and 18 hits, solid numbers for a player who seen most of his time on the 2nd line alongside Igor Grigorenko and Alexander Steen. While on the top line Tucker never really produced like expected so this move was to help please Darcy and give him a legit shot at the cup.

Plekanec was a team worst -17 on the Red Wings with 29 points in 45 games, 11 goals 18 assists, having 67 penalty minutes and 51 hits. The Flyers will not be in as much of a hurry as they were with Tucker. They will be patient and hope Plekanec can mature into a solid two way winger. Tomas will be inputted into one of the top two wing positions either behind Matt Stajan or on line one alongside Wellwood and Steen. Management will juggle the lines to see who fits in where and once things are clearer hopefully the production of Plekanec could maybe spark the weak offence of the Flyers.

The Flyers were rumored to be shopping Restricted Free Agent, Jamie Lundmark for more young depth on the right side but as of late with no offers coming in that fit into their plans they are now expected to wait things through with the 25 year old. With just one game into the 2nd half of the season, Lundmark has 9 goals and 14 assists, and is tied for 5th on the team in worst plus/minus rating with a -10. Management wants him to get back to the basics and play a simple game and once again earn top minutes playing with the team. Last game against the Bruins was a definite start when he picked up a goal and two assists with a +3 rating and earned the game first star honors. Things may be looking up for this youngster.

Matt Cooke in exile within Columbus locker room

Columbus, OH

It appears that not only has Matt Cooke spurned his status with the Jackets coaching staff, the outcast forward has now taken up residence in a closet in the Jackets locker room. Cooke, 28, has contracted Trimethylamineuria, or Fish Odor Syndrome, which makes him smell like a dirty flounder when he sweats.

Currently there is no known cure for the disorder, but Cooke remains positive and keeps extra Old Spice on hand.

"He smells like a 40 year old man with a fish in his pocket, not to mention the fact that he sucks at hockey....its really a bad situation. We really hate him. " said Brad Boyes after a practice. Jackets linemates are wearing noseplugs on shifts and opponents are as well.

Cooke will likely be traded to a coastal city, to perhaps lessen the effect of the stench.

Capitals Silence Ducks

Frantisek Lukes led the way for the second straight game as the Washington Capitals scored a 6-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Day 79. The win was Washington's third in a row and lifts the club to 17-23-3.

Washington took the lead late in the first period when Lukes netted his 12th of the season from Artem Chubarov and David Vyborny at 15:57.

The Ducks tied the game early in the second period when Comrie converted from Carle and Flinn at 4:17, but the Capitals took over with four second-period markers. Andrew Ference started the surge from Vyborny and Lukes at 5:56, before Jonathan Cheechoo scored his 15th of the year from Todd Warriner and Dan Boyle at 11:20. Lukes netted his second of the game from Vyborny and Cory Sarich 59 seconds later, and Cheechoo made it 5-1 from Patrick Marleau and Warriner at 19:14.

Anaheim pulled a goal back on the power play when Antipov scored from Hannus and Kvasha at 1:39 of the third period. Nik Antropov gave Washington a four-goal lead again when he scored from Radoslav Suchy at 9:36 to kill any hopes of a Duck rally. Carle finished off the scoring for the visitors from Kvasha and Antipov at 16:56.

JS Giguere stopped 22 shots to earn the win. Pasi Nurminen made 18 saves in the loss. Scott Stirling stopped 11 shots in relief.

The Capitals play its third game in three nights on Day 80 in Atlanta.

Capitals Top Montreal

Frantisek Lukes scored two goals, including the overtime game-winner, to lift the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Day 78. The two points moves Washington to 16-23-3.

The Caps jumped out to a 1-0 lead after just 1:44 of the first period. David Vyborny and Mark Eaton setup the goal for Lukes.

Montreal pulled even during a tightly-played second period. Jamieson did the job from Podlesak and Ternavsky at 8:15.

After a scoreless final period, Washington took advantage of a power play that carried over into the overtime to earn the win. Artem Chubarov and Vyborny assisted on the goal by Lukes at 0:16.

JS Giguere made 19 saves to earn the win and improve to 18-13-4. Brent Johnson stopped 22 shots for Montreal.

Washington hosts Anaheim on Day 79.

Capitals Dim Stars

The Washington Capitals scored twice in the second period and kept the Dallas Stars off the board to earn a 2-0 victory on Day 75. The win moves Washington to 15-23-3 for the season.

After a scoreless opening period, Patrick Marleau scored the eventual game-winner from Cory Sarich and Dan Boyle at 10:34. Oleg Saprykin completed the scoring with an unassisted tally at 16:05.

JS Giguere stopped all 37 shots he faced to earn the shutout victory. Marty Turco stopped 24 shots in the loss.

The Capitals return to home ice on Day 78 to face Montreal.

Capitals Slip in Edmonton

The Washington Capitals dropped its second straight game on Day 74, falling 5-2 to the Edmonton Oilers. The loss puts Washington at 14-23-3 for the season.

Edmonton jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening period and never looked back. Primeau started it off from Wallin and Wiemer at 4:00, before Niinimaa made it 2-0 from Kariya and Allison at 6:12. Allison extended the lead 4:03 later from Kariya and Krivokrasov.

Washington finally got on the board midway through the second period with a pair of goals less than two minutes apart. Todd Warriner struck first from Dan Boyle and Patrick Marleau at 10:36. Jonathan Cheechoo pulled the Caps within one when he netted from Severin Blindenbacher and Frantisek Lukes. The Oilers went back up by two 4:08 later. Krivokrasov got the goal from Allison and Kariya at 16:38.

The Oilers ended any hopes of a Washington comeback early in the final period when Allison scored his second of the game and 20th of the season from Kariya and Allison at 6:32.

Kevin Weekes stopped 10 shots in the loss and fell to 4-8. JS Giguere made six saves in relief. Ty Conklin earned the win after making 32 saves.

The Capitals are back in action on Day 75 in Dallas.

JUNIOR CANES SHUTOUT BRUINS IN DEFENSIVE BATTLE

Carolina

Those wily junior Canes were at it again on Friday, this time taking down the shorthanded Boston Bruins 1-0. Cam Barker scored the only goal in the contest on the power play off of a cross rink pass from Dustin Penner. The Canes took that lead and sat on it all game long.

Jonathan Boutin was tested, but not peppered in the game but managed to turn away all 21 shots for the shutout win.

Shawn Belle and Brent Seabrook led the game in hits.

The game also featured a couple fights for the crowd.

Fan favourite Jordan Smith pounded Roman Vopat into submission in the first tilt of the contest. From the start of the fight, there was no way Vopat could even get balanced and the 19 year old Smith took full advantage.

Brent Seabrook later fell victim to the same fate as former Cleveland Indians catcher Jake Taylor did the Ricky Vaughn uppercut to finish off the unsuspecting Seabrook.

The Junior Canes are on somewhat of a roll as of late. Power forward Zach Stortini continues his run of being an important piece to the Canes puzzle. Since the youngster joined the club, their success has been more than evident.

The Canes won’t get much time to enjoy the win however as the club takes their show to Atlanta to face the junior Thrashers. Look for Boutin to continue his run in nets.

SHANAHAN PUTS NEW LINE OVER THE TOP

Carolina

A little tweeking in practice can go a long way as evidenced by the Canes newest addition to their top line.

No, it wasn’t a deal made, as is usually the case in Carolina, rather, it was second line left winger Brendan Shanahan moving up to the top line to replace the more defensive minded Mike Fisher.

The result was a 4 goal night and a 5-3 win for the line in which all five members had at least 2 points. Shanahan led the game with 2 goals and an assist.

“Sometimes guys seem to click with one another,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “I was hoping Fisher would be that guy, and we left him there for a while, but the offensive spark that Shanny brings to the line is unmistakable. He has a better nose for the net and he has a bit of presence that keeps them all focused. Anyways, it seemed to work tonight at least.”

Shanahan scored the insurance marker with 11 minutes to go in the contest. The line finished at a +3 rating as well.

Of note, Chris Pronger made a successful return to the lineup. He played with the second unit alongside his old defense partner Phillipe Boucher. His line, led by center Shawn Horcoff, scored the eventual game winning goal. He logged 25 minutes of ice time and had a game high 5 shots. He did not register a point, but the game was deemed successful for the powerful defender.

The Canes will host the New York Rangers in two days. Look for minimal line adjustments for that game from the Canes side of things. Legace will get the start.

Columbus trades Blackburn for prospects, cash

Columbus, OH

Columbus Blue Jackets President and General Manager Peter Dell'Olio announced that the team has traded struggling goaltender to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goaltender Johan Hedberg, prospect forward Chris Bourque, defenseman Petr Svoboda, as well as prospect prospect defensemen Dennis Wideman and Scott Lehman.

The Jackets also receive cash compensation of around 4 million dollars. The trade completed over the course of a full day, has given the Jackets more financial flexibility than they have had in years. " Winning is not the only thing important to a sports franchise....being fiscally sound is also quite important to the future of our club and this trade helps us reach that goal. It also helps stockpile more young talent for the future, and with our recent trades our future has never been brighter." said an exhuberant Dell'Olio at the Blue Jackets practice facility outside Ohio State University.

In Wideman, the Jackets acquire a young two way defenseman who at some point could play top line minutes for Columbus. He's versataile and young, with alot of experience behind him already. Chris Bourque, a young forward, and son of former pro hockey defenseman Ray Bourque, has tons of upside also, either at center, or wing, Bourque is a talent young playmaking forward, and will spend some time with Columbus for many years to come.

Johan Hedberg joins Fred Braithwaite between the pipes and brings veteran leadership as Corey Crawford and Yann Danis continue develop at the junior level. Hedberg has recently won two straight starts and has looked pretty solid with the game on the line.

Petr Svoboda adds depth to the blue line for Columbus and will likely be moved at the deadline.

STUART RETURNS TO MAKE BIG IMPACT

Carolina

The Carolina Hurricanes found themselves on the losing end of a big time comeback the last time they faced off against the Florida Panthers. Notably absent were defensive centerman Kris Draper and top line defenseman Brad Stuart.

This time, Stuart made his presence known.

Stuart came into this game with something to prove after his debut game. It only lasted a period as the big defender ended up beating up Eric Brewer and found himself with a 4 game suspension to show for it. The physicality continued on against the Panthers however as the 27 year old had 2 more scraps and found himself once again kicked out.

However, this time he also added two key assists on the Canes first two goals.

“He is an interesting player,” said head coach Joel Quenneville. “He plays it tough and he adds a skating element we had missed on the blueline. He pretty much has everything we were looking for and tonight he made himself known.”

Assisting on Tim Connolly’s first goal of the game and then Dany Heatley’s, Stuart got into to separate altercations and was assessed a game misconduct. All in all a 2 assists, 2 fight and +1 performance was what he left with.

“We won the game, that is all that matters to me. We need points badly and right now we are still outside looking in on the last playoff spot in the conference. If his intimidation tactics hurt us, I will speak on them, but as long as we are winning, you won’t hear a peep out of me.”

The Canes get back Chris Pronger after serving his 5 game suspension. In that time, the Canes were 2-3.

Capitals Stink Against Senators

Todd Warriner scored two goals, but it wasn't enough for the Washington Capitals on Day 71. The Ottawa Senators skated to a 5-3 victory to drop Washington to 14-22-3 for the season.

Ottawa stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the first 11:35 of the opening period. Smirnov started it off from Gill and Snyder at 1:58, before Selanne scored an unassisted goal at 8:56. Bouchard connected on the power play from Novak to make it 3-0. The Capitals finally got on the board when Warriner converted from Jonathan Cheechoo and Bryan Berard at 15:34.

Neither team scored in the second period, but Washington pulled within one goal midway through the third. Patrick Marleau was the scorer from Berard and Andrew Ference at 11:31. The Sens responded to regain its two-goal edge on Kelly's 10th of the season just 37 seconds later. Warriner scored his second of the game, this time from Severin Blindenbacher, at 17:13, but Ottawa put the game away with just 57 seconds remaining. Selanne was the scorer from Poti and Morrison.

JS Giguere made 27 saves in the loss and fell to 16-13-4. Chris Osgood stopped 28 shots in the win.

The Capitals are off for two days before visiting Edmonton on Day 74.

Capitals Stop Sharks

David Vyborny scored the winning goal and assisted on another to lead the Washington Capitals to a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Day 70. The result moves Washington to 14-21-3 for the season.

Frantisek Lukes started things off the Capitals when he scored his ninth of the season from Vyborny and Joffrey Lupul at 6:56. San Jose tied the game several minutes later on Straka's fifth of the year from Welch and Bonk at 10:21.

After a scoreless middle stanza, the Sharks took the lead early in the final 20 minutes. Straka was the scorer again from Hossa at 4:18. Washington answered just 19 seconds later to tie the game. Mark Eaton got the goal from Peter Tenkrat and Andrew Ference. Vyborny netted the winner just less than 11 minutes later on the power play from Lupul and Lukes.

JS Giguere stopped 23 shots to earn the win and improve to 16-12-4. Cristobal Huet made 30 saves in the loss.

The Caps are back in action on Day 41 against Ottawa.

Senators Youth Impressive!

The Ottawa Senators have built a strong, young Junior team once again this year. However, the change from this year to last is that the JR Sens are being led not by 26 year old veterans, but by 18,19 and 20 year old rookies who are flourishing under Schmucky's leadership.

For starters we have 19 year old, second year player, Max Gordichuk. Max was a 64 overall rated prospect last season who looked like he would have little to no chance at a future with the Senators Pro Squad. However, he has worked extremely hard on his game and his training camps have gone well sending him into the 2nd half of this season with a 72 DF rating, which is spectacular in the JR ranks, and a much improved 68 overall.

Also, we have young, superstar centerman Rostislav Olesz. The difference between Olesz and Gordichuk is that Olesz was expected to become a fairly good player. However, no one could have imagined he would be having as good of a year this year as he has so far. Through the 38 game mark, Olesz leads all Junior players with 43 points. He has 18 goals and 25 assists. Olesz has flourished in camp as well this season as he now boasts a 72 Scoring rating and a 70 overall. It won't be long before we see this guy in the pros!

Last but not least, 19 year old Victor Oreskovich has had a great year so far. With 23 points so far, this Kitchener Ranger prospect is surprising everyone. At 19 years old he boasts an impressive 72 PA rate that should put him among the elite passers in the league in the next season or two.

The Sens scouts have been impressive as 2 of the 3 above players were late 4th and 5th round choices. Ottawa is having a good season thus far and their future looks even brighter with these youngins, and others, on their way up!