Here are the morning papers for Tuesday the 18th of November:
- The Bruins showed their fatigue last night in Toronto, but did what good teams do and came away with a 3-2 victory anyways. There is a reason all of his coaches have loved P.J. Axelsson.
- The Sabres didn’t get too high when they started the season off well and aren’t going to get too low about their recent slump, writes John Vogl.
- Tuesday night’s game at home versus Colorado may as well be another home opener for the Flames, writes Jean Lefebvre. If the Flames turn it around tonight, it will be primarily because of their team defense.
- Brandon Sutter is an easy rookie to coach. Jim Rutherford received the NHL’s memo about hits to the head but he wants to pursue it further in the off-season.
- Neat article by Chris Kuc in this morning’s Chicago Tribune.
- The Avalanche have re-signed Paul Stastny to a five year contract extension worth $33 million. Not surprisingly, Stastny is extremely excited about his new deal.
- Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch takes a closer look at Blue Jackets stay-at-home defenseman Jan Hejda. Here are the Jackets’ projected lines for tonight’s game versus Edmonton.
- The Stars are very happy to have Darryl Sydor back in the fold.
- The Wings cutdown on their fancy play and the result was a 4-0 dominating performance over Edmonton. Daniel Cleary’s eye is still bothering him and he probably will remain out of the line-up until after American Thanksgiving.
- Only Dwayne Roloson earned his money last night in Motown, writes Jim Matheson. It is pretty simple, the Oilers need to stop taking penalties. Here are Marian Hossa’s comments on the Oilers’ off-season contract offer to him.
- The Panthers are at the point where they can’t take any team in the NHL lightly. For a player in a contract year, Jay Bouwmeester has really struggled this season.
- Sure the Wild are a great defensive team but tonight it is a real test with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in town.
- What will Guy Carbonneau’s lines look like for tonight’s tilt at Carolina?
- The Predators took too many penalties in the first two perioids of last night’s game against San Jose, but at least they didn’t give up in the third, writes Jessica Bliss. Looks like the Predators and Jason Arnott dodged a bullet, as the big captain’s first period injury is only a neck strain and he should be okay for Friday’s game.
- Who needs Roberto Luongo on the Island when you’ve got Joey MacDonald? Speaking of Luongo, he says coming back to Long Island doesn’t carry the same significance for him as it once did.
- The Rangers won again last night and you cannot say they aren’t consistent, writes Steve Zipay. Henrik Lundqvist didn’t mind seeing Jarkko Ruutu in the shootout instead of some of the Senators’ big snipers. In injury news, it looks like Scott Gomez will be out of the line-up until at least Saturday.
- They may have lost, but coach Craig Hartsburg feels like the Senators made progress last night at MSG. Are the Senators pursuing Mattias Ohlund?
- Did you know the Flyers are on pace to shatter the NHL’s record for short-handed goals in one season?
- Zbynek Michalek is willing and able to sacrifice his body to block shots.
- Can Jordan Staal be compared to Keith Primeau? Looks like the Penguins are going to give Philippe Boucher a shot on the power play. Marc-Andre Fleury won’t play tonight at Minnesota due to an injury.
- The Sharks fed off Jordin Tootoo’s stupid play and walked out of Nashville with a 4-1 victory. On the injury front, Evgeni Nabokov is hoping to get into action this weekend.
- Here is a list of all the Blues’ injuries this season. Even with all the injuries to important players, the Blues are just going to have to move forward and continue to work hard.
- Lightning coach Rick Tocchet says Steve Stamkos is going to start seeing his ice-time rise. Here is a Q & A with Lightning owner Oren Koules.
- Vesa Toskala’s play has become a concern for the Maple Leafs. It looks like the Leafs are preparing their offer for Brian Burke. If Burke takes the job, he will have a long road ahead in his quest to improve the Leafs.
- You can blame last night’s loss to the Islanders on Vancouver’s second period play. The Canucks know they have to put more goals on the board for Roberto Luongo.
- Let’s just say Nicklas Backstrom’s early season struggles are surely a thing of the past.
For Illegal Curve, I’m Richard Pollock.