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Central Division
- Brian Campbell admits that he has never felt as comfortable in a Hawks jersey than he does right now. “Defensively and offensively, he’s a factor shift in and shift out, and he’s really got a presence in the game and the way things are being played out,” said coach Joel Quenneville.
- Steve Mason played like it was last season and the Jackets got back into the win column last night against Detroit. The win was nice but one win does not fix all the Jackets’ problems, writes Rob Oller. Jason Chimera was admittedly caught off-guard by the trade that saw him end up in Washington on Monday. What does Columbus get from this trade?
- Jimmy Howard was good enough to post a victory but the Wings couldn’t score, recaps George Sipple. The Red Wings wanted to count on Ville Leino when all their injury issues came up but he was a healthy scratch last night.
- The Predators have been great at even strength but the team needs to improve its special teams play, writes John Glennon. The Predators take on the Blues tonight.
- Same talk as usual in St. Louis, the Blues need to be better at home.
Northwest Division
- It wasn’t the Flames prettiest win but Rene Bourque tallied a natural hat trick to lead the Flames over the rival Oilers. Looks like Brent Sutter’s line changes worked just fine. Jarome Iginla was quite complimented by being named to the all-decade team.
- Avalanche forward Chris Durno is being compared to “Rudy” by Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.
- The Oilers need to clean house, writes Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal. Here is the reaction from yet another loss last night.
- Eric Belanger brought his “A” game to his old digs last night, as the Wild went into Los Angeles and left with a 4-3 victory. Chuck Kobasew will be out of the Wild lineup for at least 4-6 weeks but maybe more, reports Michael Russo.
- Canucks fans are given an update on how Taylor Pyatt has been doing in Phoenix and more importantly how he has been dealing with the tragic loss of his fiancee to a car accident in Jamaica. In less important news, the Canucks are going for four wins in a row.
Pacific Division
- Ryan Getzlaf could play tonight but the Ducks are sure battling a lot of injuries. With so many injuries, lots of players have been sprung into important scoring roles.
- Dallas coach Marc Crawford is changing up the lines to try and spark his club.
- The Kings aren’t doubting themselves after last night’s loss, says coach Terry Murray. Helene Elliot wonders if this team is like every other Kings team?
- Jim Gintonio looks at the Coyotes’ surprisingly successful first half of the NHL season. If you are going to give out credit for the Coyotes’ success, Don Maloney deserves a lot of it.
- The Sharks answered Todd McLellan’s challenge of more offense from non-first line players, writes David Pollak. Speaking of the first line, Joe Thornton is quietly tearing it up again.
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http://www.calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/2009/12/29/12290216-sun.html
