tampa bay rays

Here are the morning papers for Friday the 24th of October: Rangers winger Nikolai Zherdev returns to Columbus tonight to face his old teammates for the first time. Speaking of Zherdev, the talented winger is hoping to take his game to the next level in NY. No matter what Kings fans want, Patrick O'Sullivan is going to remain on the team's second line for now. Jason LaBarbera will get the start in net tonight versus the Blues. Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle is making his return to South Florida tonight starting with his team's game in Sunrise. In other Sharks news, Joe Thornton continues to be bothered by a groin problem that began in the pre-season. Forget his impressive personal stats to start the season, Keith Tkachuk is only focused on making the playoffs with the Blues this season. The Coyotes decided to start Mikael Tellqvist versus the Capitals and boy did that pay off, writes Jim Gintonio. Steven Reinprecht and Enver Lisin were the healthy scratches last night for Phoenix. The Islanders looked awful last night from top-to-bottom in the team's 5-3 loss to Dallas. If the Islanders want to turn their ship around, they should copy the Tampa Bay Rays model. In injury news, Andy Sutton appears close to a return to the line-up. Ed Moran of the Philadeplhia Daily News believes the Flyers are close to making some changes if past precedent is any indication. If the Flyers are going to turn it around they need better play from their defense. The Wild uncharacteristically blew a two-goal lead with less than five minutes remaining on Thursday night and lost 4-3 to the Sabres in overtime. Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Marek Zidlicky returned to the team's line-up last night and Owen Nolan is expected to return on Saturday. Rod Brind'Amour was very disappointed in his team's play versus Pittsburgh, writes Chip Alexander. The Predators blew a big lead at home last night versus Calgary, as the team's defense has been struggling far more than expected. Patric Hornqvist and Radek Bonk were both healthy scratches against the Flames. Christian Backman and Fedor Tyutin get to play against their former team tonight when the Rangers come to Columbus. Here are five questions for former Rangers defenseman Christian Backman. Not to be left behind, here are the Jackets' projected lines for tonight's game. The Devils need to re-sign John Madden, writes Mark Everson. Here are some interesting notes about the Thrashers. Dan Wood of the Orange County Register has the details on the Bret Hedican signing. The Leafs pulled off a nice comeback against the rival Bruins last night in Boston. If it was Ron Wilson's call Luke Schenn would stay up with the Leafs all season long. Don Cherry thinks Ron Wilson is "arrogant". Oren Koules watched the Lightning's first win from a small choppy computer feed in Los Angeles. In injury news, Radim Vrbata won't suit up for the Bolts on Saturday because of a lower-body injury. The Penguins outplayed the Hurricanes last night and it didn't pay off until the third period. Darryl Sydor filled in for Hal Gill on the blueline. Here is a Q & A with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dave Molinari. Anthony Stewart is going to continue to work hard and try and break his way into the line-up. The Panthers need to improve on the power play. You wouldn't know Tomas Holmstrom had injuries struggles coming into the season with his performance thus far. The Stars, lead by five points from Mike Ribeiro, easily defeated the Islanders on Thursday. Sean Avery got a lot of attention on his three-stop NY/NJ swing but he received a lot of support from his teammates. The Bruins coach Claude Julien didn't think the Bruins had their work ethic or commitment in order last night, writes Fluto Shinzawa. Milan Lucic laid such a big hit against Toronto that it shattered the glass at the TD Banknorth Garden. The only bright spot for the Bruins on Thursday was the play of Patrice Bergeron. The Avalanche turned up the heat in the second half of last night's match with Edmonton and then cruised to a 4-1 victory on home ice. Peter Budaj has caught fire in Colorado. Cristopher Higgins hopes to be back in the Montreal line-up tomorrow night and doesn't put too much stock in trade rumors involving his name. The Blackhawks defense is far more offensive than it has been it past seasons, writes Chris Kuc. The Flames were down 3-0 on the road last night and then pulled a huge comeback to defeat Nashville 5-3. The main reason for the comeback was the play of Jarome Iginla who registered a hat trick. Jim Matheson has a nice recap of the Oilers game versus Colorado. Matheson also has a good article on Paul Stastny and his preference to use a wooden stick. Alex Auld has a chance to earn the starting spot with the Senators if he plays well. Rumors galore from Bruce Garrioch. The Canucks will be without Pavol Demitra 3-4 weeks with a rib injury. For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers (Friday Edition): Cherry calls Wilson arrogant, Zherdev returns to Columbus and Auld gets his chance