The Blue Jackets got away from their style of play last night, but still defeated the Atlanta Thrashers 4-3. Even though the team is losing a boatload of money, Rick Nash is still confident in the Blue Jackets’ viability in the Columbus market.
Miikka Kiprusoff returned to the Calgary lineup after missing Wednesday’s game with the flu and the result was a 30 save performance for a win at St. Louis. The Flames have recorded two overtime victories since Brent Sutter put them through a hard skate at the Saddledome.
Marek Svatos may not be posting high goal/assist totals but his coach is very happy with his play. In injury news, Matt Duchene has a sore shoulder but is expected to play tonight. “Normally, I’d think it’s because of the economy and ticket prices being what they are. But in our case, because we have so many low-cost options now, it’s a little bit confusing to me still,” said a Kroenke Sports executive about the Avalanche ticket troubles.
Edmonton players are embarassed by their recent performance, including last night’s loss at home to the Rangers. The Oilers’ injury excuses may have some merit, but just look at the success of the Vancouver Canucks, writes John MacKinnon. In good news, Sheldon Souray is back on skates but there is no date targeted for his return. Jim Matheson has a very good article on the story of Tom Renney’s firing from the Rangers.
Teemu Selanne passed the legendary Jean Beliveau on the all-time points list last night in helping his Ducks team defeat the low-scoring Predators 4-0. The Ducks are happy to see Saku Koivu is getting more comfortable in Anaheim and has found his game in the process.