Atlantic Division

There will not be a preamble today because I am running a little late. The usual format will return tomorrow morning. On to the morning papers: Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail looks at the ups and downs of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise under the ownership of Bill Wirtz. Stephen Brunt of the Globe and Mail has a very interesting piece on the aftermath of the Steve Downie hit on Dean McAmmond. As Dave Shoalts explains, if the Leafs do not receive hall of fame type goaltending they will have difficulty succeeding in 2007/08. Damien Cox wonders when the NHL will finally take preventative action against headshots in this morning's Toronto Star. Vesa Toskala was not impressive in the Leafs' 7-2 loss to the Sabres on Wednesday night writes Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star. Neil Stevens of the the Canadian Press examines the Leafs' roster and the expectations the team is putting on itself this season. Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette tells us Kyle Chipchura's take on Steve Downie the hockey player. Meanwhile at Habs' camp, coach Guy Carbonneau has some tough decisions to make regarding who will make his starting defense. In Calgary, Stephane Yelle has changed his number to 7 in deference to Owen Nolan. The Flames have some lingering injury problems, however, the team believes everyone will be ready to suit up for the first regular season game against Philadelphia next week. Improved puck-moving skills from the Oilers' defensive corps should lead to a much improved transition game in Edmonton this season. Craig MacTavish may be Sean Horcoff's biggest fan, and as Dan Barnes writes, the gritty center has returned to his spot on the Oilers' number one line. Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal explains why the Oilers demoted 2004 first round selection Robbie Schremp. Dustin Penner better get used to taking Sheldon Souray's shots off his feet if he plans to park himself in front of the opposition's net every night. Andrew Cogliano has impressed at Oilers' camp and the Toronto native is a good bet to be centering one the four lines in Edmonton this season; Derer Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun has the story. As Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen writes, Dean McAmmond has been released from the hospital, but there is a very long road to recovery ahead of him. McAmmond's agent Steve Bartlett is not sure "when or if" his client will play again and warns that if the NHL doesn't put a stop to these types of head-shots, some player will get hit and not be able to get up. Today could be d-day in the Senators' negotiations with Dany Heatley writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. The Canucks were defeated by the Sharks 4-3 in a shootout on Wednesday night; Gordon McIntyre has the recap in this morning's Vancouver Province. Mike Green looks much improved in all aspects of the game writes Tarik El-Bashir in this morning's Washington Post. Karri Ramo's performance at Bolts' camp is giving John Tortorella something to think about when he makes his final roster cuts later this week. Coming off an injury that ended his 2006/07 season, Dan Hinote is looking forward to returning to the lineup and giving Blues' fans something to cheer about this season. Devon Setoguchi continued his terrific pre-season last night with two goals in the Sharks' 4-3 shootout victory over the Canucks. Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gives readers an inside look at the Penguins' three-day stint at West Point. Coach Wayne Gretzky is trying to get his two rookies, Peter Mueller and Martin Hanzal, as much experience as he can before the regular season begins next week. Injuries are rampant at Flyers' camp as Scottie Upshall will be out of the Flyers' lineup for 4-6 weeks, Joffrey Lupul will be out at least two weeks and R.J. Umberger will miss the next 7-10 days. Greg Logan previews who the Islanders' starting six defensemen will be in this morning's New York Newsday. As Brett Cyrgalis reports, Jaromir Jagr and Scott Gomez have been split up at Rangers' camp. Jagr skated yesterday on a line with Martin Straka and Chris Drury. The Devils defeated the Islanders 6-1 on Wedesday night. Coach Brent Sutter is impressed with Dainius Zubrus's commitment thus far at Devils' camp. The Predators still have just under 3,000 tickets available for their home opener next week. (Writer's note: Hockey in Nashville, gotta love it!) Off the ice the Predators may be struggling, but on the ice, the team has more forward depth than many realize. John Glennon of the Tennessean examines the possible forward lines for the Preds heading into the season. As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune writes, the team's second line of Belanger-Rolston-Bouchard has demonstrated great chemistry for the Wild this pre-season. Meanwhile, concern about the team's powerplay seems to have dissipated as the Wild have scored 11 powerplay goals this pre-season. The Kings defeated Swedish champions Farjestad BK 4-3 on Wednesday and, once again, Anze Kopitar was the hero. The sophomore scored the game-winner with only 46 seconds remaining. Coach Jacques Martin has grown sick of the Panthers' lazy penalties writes Steve Gorton of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Kirk Maltby wants to contribute in more aspects of the game than he has the past few seasons writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press. The Free Press also conducted an interview with Wings' defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. Stars' forward Stu Barnes is expected to dress for his first pre-season game tonight versus the Coyotes. Barnes had been out of action because of a shoulder injury. Ole-Kristian Tollefsen is trying to dispel the notion that Norway is the most peaceful nation on earth writes Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch. Terry Frei of the Denver Post has the story of veteran Jaroslav Hlinka ,who appears to be on the cusp of securing a roster spot with the Avalanche. Bob Verdi of the Chicago Tribune chronicles the life of Bill Wirtz. It appears that Wirtz's son will take over ownership of the team writes Chris Kuc in this morning's Tribune. The Hurricanes have been very impressed with the play of youngsters Brett Carson and Carey Borer at camp thus far writes Lorenzo Perez of the News Observer. The amount of injuries at Sabres' camp concerns coach Lindy Ruff writes Tim Graham of the Buffalo News. Bryan Little scored his first NHL goal on Wednesday night and is opening eyes at Thrashers' camp writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Newest Duck Mark Mowers had quite an adventure getting overseas after getting traded on Monday afternoon. Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe explains the purpose behind the Bruins' hiring of Craig Ramsay this off-season. Matt Lashoff, the Bruins' first round pick from 2005, was disappointed to be sent down to Providence on Tuesday. For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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