Andrei Kostitsyn

Here are the morning papers for Tuesday the 28th of October: The Capitals organization has handled Alexander Ovechkin's return home to be with his ailing grandfather with class. Check out the attendance numbers in Atlanta and it becomes apparent that nobody is going to Thrashers games. Flames superstar Jarome Iginla was named first star of the week by the NHL on Monday. Did you know Dion Phaneuf is averaging just about 29 minutes of ice-time per game? The Ducks made it four in a row on the road Monday with a comeback victory at Columbus. Brent Sutter had an interesting take on hits to the head in the NHL after watching his son get leveled in the head by Doug Weight of the Islanders. In other Hurricanes news, the city of Carolina is looking forward to greeting Erik Cole as he returns to Raleigh for the first time as a visiting player. It looks like the Stars will get veteran defenseman Sergei Zubov back in the team's line-up on Saturday night, writes Mike Heika. The Hawks came into Minnesota last night on a six-game point streak but were defeated 3-2 by the Wild. In roster news, Cam Barker is happy to be back up with the big club. The Avalanche players that were on the team when Todd Bertuzzi hit Steve Moore have put that incident behind them, writes Terry Frei. The Oilers lost again last night and coach Craig MacTavish says it is no secret why his team is struggling to win games. With the Oilers heading out on a seven-game road trip, Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun said you can't understate the importance of last night's loss. One thing is for sure, Dwayne Roloson surely wasn't the problem last night. With the way the Wild is playing, who needs Marian Gaborik? Michael Russo thinks the Wild should start focusing on Niklas Backstrom's contract situation before focusing on getting Gaborik re-upped. The Habs will have Andrei Kostitsyn and Chris Higgins together in the line-up for the first time tonight, and that should give the team a good shot at ending Cam Ward's success against Les Habitants. Meanwhile, Montreal Gazette writer Dave Stubbs has a feature article on Hurricanes netminder Michael Leighton. The Senators may have turned their season around on Monday with an impressive 5-2 win at previously undefeated Buffalo. Did Sens fans know that Patrick Lalime almost returned to play in Ottawa this off-season? The Canucks have lost forward Rick Rypien for a while with a sports hernia. Forget Milan Lucic's homecoming, Jason Krog will have his own homecoming of sorts tonight when his team faces off versus the Bruins. John Glennon tells readers that the Capitals can relate to the Predators and the Alexander Radulov situation. The Kings may have lost last night to the Wings, but Detroit sure had to work for their shootout victory, writes Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times. The World Junior Championship is coming to Buffalo, New York. Apparently Devils forward Jamie Langenbrunner has a charley horse and is listed as questionable for tomorrow night's game against the Maple Leafs. The Coyotes just can't afford to take nights off, says assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson. Rick DiPietro didn't play last night as the Islanders lost 4-2 at home to the rival Rangers. Mark Herrmann of Newsday wonders if the Islanders are long for Long Island. Chris Mason may be back in the Blues' line-up on Thursday versus Carolina. Every team in the Bay Area is a joke, so the region is looking forward to the powerful Sharks welcoming the Malkin and Crosby show to San Jose. The Flyers have done the same thing as the Leafs and have decided to keep their rookie defenseman Luca Sbisa with the big club instead of returning him to junior hockey. Ron Wilson says that Luke Schenn has basically been the Leafs' best defensive defenseman in almost every game this season. Here are some thoughts on empty net goals from Gary Loewen of the Toronto Sun. The Jackets had a poor finish to last night's game versus Anaheim and had even worse attendance numbers in the stands. Here is Kevin Paul Dupont's recap of the Bruins' game at Edmonton last night, where they came away with a 1-0 overtime victory. Tim Thomas loves playing in Edmonton. Steve Stamkos returns home to play his favorite boyhood team, writes Damian Cristodero. Here is Barry Melrose's response to Al Strachan's reports on CBC's Hot Stove on Saturday. The Panthers have been a lot better at the end of games this year than they were last year, writes George Richards. If not for the play of Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers may not have been victorious over the lowly Islanders, writes Larry Brooks. Maxime Talbot wants to be a leader for the Penguins. The Pens are starting Dany Sabourin tonight versus the Sharks. The Red Wings remained undefeated on the road last night with a 4-3 shootout win at L.A. Marian Hossa can score and he's a darn good defensive player too. For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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