Here are the morning papers for Friday the 9th of January:
- Bobby Ryan was terrific on Thursday, scoring a hat trick that included an spin-o-rama goal, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the Kings.
- You may have had to been there to believe that the Thrashers upended the Devils 4-0 in Newark last night.
- Bruins coach Claude Julien provided his players with a wakeup call after the second period last night and they responded well. Sure they defeated the struggling Senators, but the Bruins can still be a lot better. Chuck Kobasew filled in for the Bruins on the top line last night.
- If the Sabres want to be better in the second half of the season, they will need to improve their poor home record, writes Mike Harrington.
- The Islanders weren’t the push-over some thought, as the Flames just squeaked by them with a 5-2 victory last night. It wasn’t pretty, but they got the victory, writes George Johnson. Jarome Iginla knows he’s getting older when players he plays against once idolized him.
- The Hurricanes four-game winning streak came to an end last night against Florida, writes Chip Alexander.
- Patrick Kane returned to the Blackhawks lineup on Thursday, yet the team could only muster one goal in their 2-1 loss at Colorado.
- Andrew Raycroft, who is seemingly making a push to be the Avalance’s number one netminder, stopped 40+ shots last night in helping the Avalanche defeat the high-flying Blackhawks. Wojtek Wolski enjoys playing center. Avs GM Francois Giguere says there aren’t a lot of trades because no teams are really in selling mode.
- The Blue Jackets are hoping Nikita Filatov can help make up for some of the offense the team has lost to injury. The Jackets can take solace in the fact that Washington just made it through a long run of injuries themselves and they are still above water. Here are the Jackets’ probable lines for tonight’s game.
- The Red Wings embarassed the Stars at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday with a 6-1 victory. The Stars need better performances from between the pipes if they hope to make the playoffs.
- Chris Osgood was sharp and the Wings provided him with more than enough support, as they dominated Dallas on Thursday. Coach Mike Babcock isn’t sure why the Wings have such a penalty killing discrepancy between home and road.
- The Oilers sorely miss the production of Ales Hemsky, writes Robert Tychkowski. The Oilers have added some size to their lineup from inside the organization. Edmonton better be ready tonight, as the angry Sharks are in town after being beaten by Calgary.
- The Panthers game wasn’t on local television last night because of the Florida Gators game, but they pulled off a nice third period to walk away with a 4-2 home victory. Jay Bouwmeester will represent the Panthers at the All-Star game, which may be his last as a member of the team.
- The Kings and Ducks reversed roles yesterday, as Los Angeles came away with the victory over their freeway rivals.
- The Wild’s awful power play cost them the game at Philadelphia on Thursday. The Wild is having to deal with a bad stomach virus that is spreading throughout the team.
- Pat Hickey says there was lots to like about the way the Habs played last night in their victory over the Maple Leafs.
- The Predators finally scored more than one or two goals in a game on Thursday, tallying five consecutive times to pull off a comeback victory over the struggling Penguins. Barry Trotz’s line changes worked well.
- Last night’s loss to Atlanta was the Devils’ worst loss of the season, writes Mark Everson.
- The Islanders lost again on Thursday, but the bigger concern seems to be with Rick DiPietro’s knee.
- Henrik Lundqvist has been named to his first All-Star team. He is the key to the Rangers season, writes Larry Brooks.
- “Those guys cost us the game,” said Senators coach Craig Hartsburg about his star players. Meanwhile, Hartsburg is not letting the rumors that his job is in jeopardy distract him.
- Martin Biron was the key to the Flyers’ home victory over the Wild on Thursday. Jeff Carter made the All-Star team for the Flyers, but they feel there were a few snubs as well.
- The Coyotes’ version of the kid line was back together on Thursday and posted immediate results. Somehow David Hale scored the winning goal. The financial situation in Phoenix continues to be horrible, writes Dave Shoalts.
- Dave Molinari doesn’t cut the Penguins any slack after their weak performance in Nashville. With a new contract in hand, Jordan Staal was moved to wing on Sidney Crosby’s line for yesterday’s tilt.
- The Sharks look for revenge tonight in Edmonton, after being beaten by the Oilers earlier in the season at the Shark Tank.
- If the Blues are going to string some wins together, they’ll need better production from their goaltenders.
- “That was unacceptable. We never showed up. It’s probably the most disappointed I’ve been as coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning,” said Lightning coach Rick Tocchet after his team’s loss at Phoenix. Those days on the golf course didn’t seem to help the team’s performance.
- The Habs blew the Leafs out of the Bell Centre on Thursday. Toronto, once again, started slow and fell in a big hole. Tomas Kaberle says he will accept a trade if Leafs don’t want him. (Writer’s note: That sure would have helped last year when the team had Jeff Carter and a 1st rounder coming back in a trade for him that he rejected.)
- Roberto Luongo is feeling better in Vancouver and even took shots at practice. Mats Sundin knows he needs to get the rust off his game.
- Alexander Ovechkin will be the Capitals’ lone representative at the All-Star game in Montreal.
