Matthieu Roy

Here are the Western Conference morning papers: Teemu Selanne became the Ducks' all-time leading scorer yesterday, with an assist on a Ryan Shannon goal, as the Ducks defeated the Flames 4-2 at the Honda Center. If the Blue Jackets continue to play like they did Sunday against St. Louis, they will be sellers come next Tuesday, writes Tom Reed. Ken Hitchcock usually doesn't like distractions, but he has no problem with his team being the opposition this upcoming Saturday when the Montreal Canadiens retire the jersey of Bob Gainey. The Red Wings lost their sixth straight game on Sunday by a score of 1-0 to Dallas, writes Helene St. James. While the Wings couldn't crack the scoresheet, they were very impressed with the play of young goaltender Jimmy Howard in yesterday's loss. Kings defenseman Rob Blake came out on Sunday and said that he'd prefer not to be traded. The Wild shouldn't have needed overtime to defeat the Predators, but that's what it took to record a 5-4 victory at the Xcel Center on Sunday night. Apparently the Wild still hold out hope in the Peter Forsberg sweepstakes. Being down two goals going into the third period against the Wild gives the Predators something to build on, even though they ended up losing 5-4 in overtime. Predators winger Jordin Tootoo returned to the line-up yesterday after missing 19 games with a hip flexor injury. David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News says the Sharks' loss yesterday at MSG can be boiled down to 13 seconds of action. The Blackhawks can thank their penalty killing for yesterday afternoon's 2-1 victory over the Avalanche, writes Chris Kuc. "There will be a lot of conversation, and if it makes sense, we'll pull the trigger," said Hawks GM Dale Tallon. "I didn't like how we played. We were on the receiving end all night," said Avalanche coach Joel Quenville after yesterday's 2-1 loss at Chicago. Apparently Andrew Brunette was being scouted yesterday in Chicago, writes Adrian Dater of the Denver Post. Sam Gagner proved a lot to his teammates and coaches on Saturday night by dropping the mitts with Ryan Kesler. Meanwhile, Mathieu Roy can't seem to ever stay healthy for the Oilers, writes Robert Tychkowski. Here is a preview of the Coyotes' game versus the Kings tonight. After last night's convincing 5-1 win over the Blue Jackets, the Blues are only three points back of the Canucks for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, writes Jeremy Rutherford. Here are the Eastern Coneference morning papers: Don Waddell has a big decision on his hands regarding Marian Hossa, writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Custance also lists five teams that are very interested in Marian Hossa. The Bruins could sure use a top-six forward for the stretch run, writes Kevin Paul Dupont. The Hurricanes visit the Devils this afternoon and the organization has sure realized how much has changed since the they last played New Jersey; the thing is, it really wasn't that long ago, writes Luke Decock. Decock expects Matt Cullen's role to expand in today's game. The Rangers defeated the Sharks 3-1 on Sunday afternoon, and after the game the team admitted that they have bought into the defense-first identity. Fans and teammates have been very impressed with the recent play of Chris Drury. The Flyers visited the penalty box too many times and it led to their seventh consecutive loss, as the Habs came into Philadelphia and were victorious by a score of 5-3. The Flyers have been hit hard with the injury bug and Ed Moran provides readers with the most recent members of the Flyers' injury club. After last night's victory over the Sabres, the Penguins moved into first place in the Atlantic Division. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby still won't set a date for his return to the line-up. The Panthers may have lost Stephen Weiss to a hand injury, writes Steve Gorten. Weiss is questionable to play Tuesday at Pittsburgh. After last night's impressive victory at Philly, the Habs are tied for first overall in the Eastern Conference with the Ottawa Senators. The Devils believe they are Stanley Cup contenders this year, writes Rich Chere. The Islanders believe their recent three-game winning streak can be attributed to better defensive play, writes Erik Boland. Jay Feaster won't tip his hand as to what he is going to do come trade deadline day, writes Erik Erlendsson. The Senators have to somehow get out of their February funk out on the road, writes Don Brennan. Damien Cox of the Toronto Star speculates on a possible Cliff Fletcher replacement. For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock. Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

NHL Morning Papers (Monday Edition)