Note: Make sure to @ tweet @illegalcurve with your guess in our contest. During tonight’s game you can win IC Gear by participating in our twitter Game Winning Goal contest. Remember that for your vote to qualify you must send in your guess by hashtaging (#) the Game Winning Goal (GWG) contest. (i.e. #ICGWG Wheeler).
Jets news:
Winnipeg Free Press: Looking for better effort against Lightning. Will the Jets put their words into action tonight? They will need to be ready to take on an equally hungry Tampa squad.
Illegal Curve: NHLPA approves realignment with Jets in Midwest. Now the Board of Governors needs to approve it and this is what the NHL will look like next season.
Mlive.com: How Red Wings fare next 2-3 weeks will determine whether they will be players at the trade deadline. Missed this earlier, stick tap to long time reader Steve W for the heads up. Long time Red Wings beat writer Ansar Khan mentions Ron Hainsey as one of several players who the Wings could target around the trade deadline. Of course the biggest determining factor for Winnipeg will be where they sit in the standings around the April 3rd deadline.
Winnipeg Free Press: Byfuglien man of few words on personal life, ready to face Lightning. Gotta love having Buff on the team. “I was in economy. Just like you guys”.
Illegal Curve: Coach Noel pre-game scrum. Moving past the last game. Would he have liked to have practiced yesterday? Do players know they need to pick it up? Stamkos talk. Why is he starting Montoya? More talk about Stamkos. Did he use today’s pre-game skate differently today than normal?
Winnipeg Free Press: This is NOT an easy fix. Accountability has to come from within. The players cannot just say they want to win. They need to do the tough work during the game to prove this and unfortunately right now that just isn’t happening. Too many times players don’t go to the dirty areas and it is showing.
Winnipeg Free Press: Coach Noel frets about Jets. About the only consistency with this squad is their inconsistency. Coach Noel knows he needs to turn things around immediately or the playoff picture will look very dim.
Winnipeg Sun: Noel says Jets have enough talent, so what’s missing? Last year coach Noel said he wanted guys to buy into his system. Have to wonder if he feels that this has taken place.
Winnipeg Sun: Time to turn plane around. Tonight’s game against the Bolts is in the must-win category. Ted also discusses Byfuglien’s absence, Wellwood on the board, goalie change and Lightning being ready.
Opposition (Tampa Bay Lightning) news:
Tampa Bay Times: Malone ready to return to Lightning lineup. Looks like he should be good to go tonight against the Jets.
Tampa Bay Times: Lindback gets boost. He was brought in to be the number one goalie on Tampa and hadn’t shown that ability over the last four games, prior to his big win over the Devils.
Tampa Tribune: Rookies have been big contributors. Having a pipeline from your AHL team is the dream of every NHL GM, and it looks like Steve Yzerman’s been successful in making this work.
NHL news:
Chicago Sun-Times: Blackhawks are a team in control of their own destiny. Mid-way through the game, I wasn’t sure the streak would continue but once again these Hawks find a way to get it done. This time the unlikely hero was Dan Carcillo who scored his first of the year. The Hawks are showing what depth on a team can do. 24 games and counting for this impressive points streak.
New York Post: Staal to make full recovery. It was a horrific looking injury as the puck took him full in the face by the eye and he ended up on the ground in considerable pain with blood leaking from his head. Good news is he will make full recovery, bad news is he is out indefinitely. Rangers picked up Roman Hamrlik off waivers to help fill the gap.
Toronto Star: First half of season features surprises – some pleasant, some ugly. There have been some highs and lows as we approach the mid way point in the season. What stands out for you?
Globe and Mail: Ugly injury during fight mars Leafs win over Senators. For those opposed to fighting in hockey it will provide perfect fodder for their argument. It wasn’t good seeing the Sens Dziurzynski lying on the ground, obviously out cold.
NHL Mid-Week with Illegal Curve Replay:
Replay: Intro, Interview with David Poille, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Nasville Predators. Six Things We Learned This Week. Break it Down: Tampa Bay Lightning PK. Marc Staal takes puck to the eye, out indefinitely. Interview with Jeremy Rutherford, St. Louis Dispatch. Prospect Pulse: New Jersey Devils, with Illegal Curve Scouting Correspondent Kyle Kosior. Over/Under, Keep an Eye On.
