On the Beat: 2009 A.C. (After Cole)

What team beat writers are saying this afternoon:

• Boston Bruins power forward Milan Lucic was not on the ice for a practice session today after leaving with an injury during a 7-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
• Now that Sabre regulars Adam Mair and Toni Lydman (is it really prounounced LOOD-man?) have recovered from their injuries, coach Lindy Ruff has some intense decisions to make.
• With Canes big man Erik Cole out for 4-6 weeks with a leg injury, the team has no choice but to play harder in his absence.
• “Former Blue Jackets center Dan Fritsche has signed an AHL contract with the Syracuse Crunch,” writes Aaron Portzline on Puck-rakers.
• Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault isn’t going to drastically change his forward lines or defense pairings even though his team has dropped its first two games.
• Writer Damian Cristodero thanks Bolts defenseman Paul Ranger for agreeing to provide quotes for his story about player mishaps in the wake of Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers.