Tuesday Morning NHL Papers (Eastern Conference): Lindy Ruff unhappy with Sabres, Rod Brind’Amour is healthy scratch and Rick Tocchet fed up with Lightning

Atlantic Division

• Martin Brodeur tied Terry Sawchuk’s shutout mark last night and Mark Everson has the details.  “Oh, yeah. Big time. It’s tougher to get a shutout now than it was five, 10 or 15 years ago,” said Jacques Lemaire about the record.  Another veteran on the Devils, Brian Rolston, has finally found his game.
• Apparently Rick DiPietro felt fine after his return to the net, writes Katie Strang.  Meantime, youngster Kyle Okposo says the idea of the Olympics is not causing his struggles.
• Heard this before? The Rangers’ power play is struggling.
• The Flyers only allowed the Habs to get 13 shots on net, but the team still lost and both Mike Richards and Chris Pronger wonder why.  John Stevens, as most expected, accepted his firing with dignity.  Make no mistake though, John Stevens wants to coach again.  That said, he will certainly miss Philadelphia.
• “We weren’t prepared to deal with their game, and got behind the eight-ball,” said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma after losing to the Hurricanes.  Speaking of Bylsma, he had a funny line about putting Sidney Crosby back in the lineup.  Both Alex Goligoski and Chris Kunitz have been cleared for contact.

Northeast Division

• Matt Hunwick might be getting deja vu, as coach Claude Julien wants him to earn his way into the lineup.  As a result of Hunwick’s struggles, Johnny Boychuk is getting his chance to earn a spot on the Bruins’ back-end.
• After losing to the Devils last night, Sabres netminder Ryan Miller called Martin Brodeur a “master of his craft.”  So much for a more calm and relaxed Lindy Ruff, he called last night’s performance “embarassing.”
• Last night the Habs recorded a season low shots on goal total, but they made their chances count, writes Pat Hickey.  Granted, the Habs only allowed 15 shots on net, as the team did a great job blocking shots.
• Bryan Murray doesn’t think the Senators go to the net enough.  Cory Clouson tried to put his slumping forwards together on a scoring line (Kovalev-Foligno-Spezza) and after one game, it worked out.  “If those words are going to me, I’ll accept it,” said Alexei Kovalev about Eugene Melynk’s comments calling the team’s best players to improve their production.
• Ron Wilson was really happy with his team’s first line in the Leafs’ 5-2 victory over the Thrashers.  Nikolai Antropov and Pavel Kubina’s return to Toronto didn’t generate much buzz from the crowd.  Leafs fans have to be encouraged by the play of Vesa Toskala.

Southeast Division

• Ondrej Pavelec only lasted two periods, as the Thrashers were blown out at Toronto on Monday.
• Rod Brind’Amour was a healthy scratch last night, and Luck Decock of the News & Observer says the move has some deep meaning.  The Hurricanes have decided that Manny Legace will backup Cam Ward, not Michael Leighton.
• Radek Dvorak was honored last night in Florida for playing his 1000th game.  It seems like every Panthers game ends up going into overtime or a shootout.
• Rick Tocchet refused to talk to the media after last night’s loss to Washington.  Steven Stamkos has been struggling lately and that continued last night, as he recorded zero shots on net.  That said, Stamkos doesn’t feel bad about his play.
• Alexander Ovechkin returned from suspension last night, scored two goals and led the Capitals to the number one spot in the entire NHL.  Semyon Varlamov continued his tremendous play last night.

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