Off Wing Opinion

The game I'm most excited to see, or at least see the results of, is tonight's game between San Jose and Dallas. Both teams head into the game with identical 25-14-0 records. But they're on two different paths, with Dallas going 4-1-0 in their last 5, with wins over San Jose, Nashville, Edmonton, and Colorado. San Jose is 1-4-0 in its last 5, losing to Dallas, Anaheim, and lowly Phoenix twice.

San Jose clearly has something to prove tonight after dropping 2 in a row to Phoenix, including an 8-0 drumming yesterday. They are coming into tonight healthy, while Dallas has several stars - Eric Lindros, Brenden Morrow, and Mike Modano - out with injuries. Maybe that will give them an slight advantage on offense, which will be sorely needed against Stars goalie Marty Turco. He is 13-3-2 lifetime against the Sharks, with a 1.91 GAA, inlcuding 2 shutouts against San Jose in 3 games this season.

The key matchup will be San Jose's offense against Turco. I'll be waiting to see what wins, a good offense or great goaltending. With San Jose needed to get back on the winning track, and Dallas looking to continue their dominance over the Sharks, their matchup tonight is my game of the night.

Off Wing's Man Of The Night: Curtis Joseph
Shuts out Sharks, moves into tie for 5th on all-time wins list

BUF 4 ATL 1: Vanek (2G, A), Miller (29 S). Metropolit (G).
NJD 2 NYI 0: Elias (G), Brodeur (29 S). DiPietro (34 S).
NYR 4 WAS 1: Prucha (2G), Nylander (G, A). Clymer (G).
OTT 3 TOR 2 (OT): Phillips (GWG OT), Emery (43 S). Steen (G).
TBL 3 MON 1: Richards (G, A), Boyle (2A). Perezhogin (G).
NAS 5 BOS 0: Kariya (G, A), Legwand (G, A), Mason (38 S).
STL 2 COL 0: Tkachuk (G), Stempaniak (G), Legace (33 S).
PHO 8 SJS 0: Roenick (3G), Doan (G, 4A), Joseph (40 S).
VAN 6 EDM 2: D. Sedin (2G, A), Ohlund (2G). Horcoff (G).

OFF THE ICE
NHL Postseason Is Anybody's Game, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Conference Realignment Hot Topic In NHL, Philadelphia Inquirer
Gerald Ford Had Ties With Oiler Greats, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A Look Back At The NHL In 2006, Foxsports.com
Take A Break, Kid, Edmonton Sun

HOCKEY VIDEO: Just because they're smaller doesn't mean that they don't know how to drop the gloves:

RANDOM HOCKEY BLOG GENERATOR
Puck Update
Ice Chips
Canucks And Beyond
Sens Underground
Blueshirt Bulletin

TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: (All times ET)
6:00PM ANA at MIN FSW, FSNO
7:00PM LAK at DET FSPT, FSD
7:00PM CHI at CLB CSNC, FSOH
8:00PM EDM at CAL RSW
8:00PM PHI at CAR CSP, FSS
8:00PM SJS at DAL FSBA, KDFI

AHL SCOREBOARD: (NHL affiliates in parentheses)
Albany (CAR/COL) 2 Binghamton (OTT) 1
Rochester (BUF/FLO) 5 Chicago (ATL) 3
Grand Rapids (DET/EDM) 2 Hamilton (MON/EDM) 0
Manchester (LAK) 5 Hartford (NYR) 2
Hershey (WAS) 7 Norfolk (CHI) 4
Peoria (STL) 4 Omaha (CAL) 0
Worcester (SJS) 3 Portland (ANA) 2 (SO)
Iowa (DAL/EDM) 3 Milwaukee (NAS/EDM) 2
Lowell (NJD) 3 Philadelphia (PHI) 1
Springfield (TBL) 3 Bridgeport (NYI) 1
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (PIT/EDM) 5 Providence (BOS) 4
Syracuse (CLB) 5 Manitoba (VAN) 4 (OT)
San Antonio (PHO) 6 Houston (MIN) 4

Now that we've just about hit the half-way point of the season, a clear pattern has been established: If the Capitals get behind, it's time for some Donald Brashear.

WUSA-TV Channel 9 is currently running the following promo starring Brashear and ex-ESPN anchor Brett Haber:

Hal Stern, a blogger at Sun Microsystems, finally got to experience his life-long dream: He learned how to drive a Zamboni.

UPDATE: Broken link fixed.

BUF 4 CAR 1: Drury (G), Miller (29 S). Adams (G).
DET 7 CLB 4: Cleary (3G), Lang (3A). Vyborny (G, A).
PHI 4 TBL 3: Gagne (2G), Forsberg (3A). Boyle (2A).
LAK 7 EDM 4: Frolov (G, 2A), Armstrong (3A). Stoll (G, 2A).
PHO 3 SJS 2: Doan (G, A), Saprykin (G, A). Thornton (G, A).

Off Wing's Man Of The Night: Dan Cleary
Hat trick helps Wings down Jackets

OFF THE ICE
Blackhawks, Bruins Playing Best Hockey Of NHL Season, CP
Expectations and Hopes For NHL In 2007, Sporting News
NHL Officials Trade Whistles For Stuffed Animals, HockeyRefs.com
Thumbs On WJHC Points, Rory and Sid, TSN.ca
Brace Yourselves For NHL Tooth Tales, Baltimore Sun

HOCKEY VIDEO: Here's a breaking news alert- the 'Yotes won a game last night! Notice how this highlight reel is under five minutes long:

RANDOM HOCKEY BLOG GENERATOR
James Mirtle
Sidearm Delivery
Hockey Rodent
So Very Obsessed
Sportz Domain

TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: (All times ET)
7:00PM ANA at CAR FSPT
7:30PM NYR at OTT MSG, RSN
7:30PM MON at FLO RDS
7:30PM TOR at PIT TSN, FSPI
7:30PM WAS at NJD NC8, FSNY
8:00PM CLB at MIN FSOH, FSNO
8:30PM NAS at DAL FSS, FSSW
8:30PM BOS at CHI NESN
9:00PM STL at COL FSMW, ALT
9:00PM LAK at CAL FSW, RSW

AHL SCOREBOARD: (NHL affiliates in parentheses)
Manitoba (VAN) 5 Toronto (TOR) 3

Thanks to the folks at All Things Hockey, here's some video footage of their pre-game protest last Friday night of Martin Brodeur's successful effort to get the NHL to ban Alex Ovechkin's mirrored visor:

For more photos from our own Allen Clark, click here.

Kevin Greenstein of the New York Sun has an idea for Washington Capitals GM, George McPhee:

It's a simple move that could pay huge dividends. The Caps should investigate acquiring Flyers forward Geoff Sanderson to reunite him with former Hartford Whalers linemate Andrew Cassels.

Earth to Kevin: Cassels was released by the Caps last January. If you have some other ideas on acquiring a second line center and another defenseman, please feel free to share them with us.

As was first reported on Off Wing back on December 7, Comcast is now offering live video streams of up to two NHL games per day.

Click here for Hockey Live. And click here for another neat app, Comcast's NHL Video Player.

And speaking of pesky fans who won't shut up, here's something I just picked up from the fertile fields of HF Boards:

Saturday, January 20th is...

The North American Save the NHL Night!!!

Join thousands of NHL fans and bring your personalized sign to the game.

Bring EXTRA signs to the game! Pass them out to fans before the game outside of the arena. Ask yourself, how much would it cost to make 20 extra signs? How much would it cost to magic marker some content on them and pass them out before the game? I will be making hundreds of signs. Kinkos might be helping!

And, most importantly, ask yourself, how great would it be to see thousands of signs held up together in unison acros s NHL arenas displaying the NHL fans

If you're fed up with all the hand-wringing over the campaign to get Rory Fitzpatrick a place in the NHL All-Star Game -- Don Cherry and Wayne Gretzky we're talking about you -- be sure to visit Chuq von Rospach:

What's wrong with letting the fans do what they feel like doing, sitting down with the family and watching the All-Star game, where we can complain about the lack of checking and gripe about the 10-8 score with a smile, and then forget it happened two or three days later? That is, after all, about what the All-Star game is worth, and how important it is in the grand scheme of the game.

you'd never know it from how guys like cherry are carrying on though.

I second that emotion.

If you're looking for a more detailed review of the previous night's action in the NHL, you could do worse than the roundup that appears every day over at Aviator News 2.0. Check it out.

Thanks to Greg Wyshinski for naming Off Wing -- along with Kukla's Korner -- as NHL Blogs of the Year:

Both Paul Kukla and Eric McErlain have changed the face of hockey blogging, turning entertaining Web sites into fully-staffed, must-read daily visits. They've also landed some pretty plum gigs

Off Wing's Man Of The Night: Marian Hossa
Three assists help Thrashers overpower Pens

DET 3 MIN 1: Franzen (G, A), Hasek (31 S). Demitra (G).
FLO 3 PHI 1: Olesz (G, A), Gelinas (2A). Calder (G).
OTT 2 NYI 0: Emery (18 S), Alfredsson (2A).
ATL 4 PIT 2: Kozlov (G, A), Hossa (3A). Whitney (G, A), Malkin (A).
MON 4 WAS 1: Souray (G, A), Huet (30 S). Semin (G).
DAL 5 COL 4: Lehtinen (G, 2A), Halpern (G, 2A). Wolski (G, 2A).
VAN 6 CAL 5 (OT): Salo (GWG OT), Ohlund (3A). Langkow (G, A).

OFF THE ICE
NHL Notebook, AP
NHL Draft Picks At The WJHC, Globe and Mail
'Canes, Swedes Ruled Hockey World In '06, CP
No Guarantees For Soaring Ducks, Guardian Unlimited
Hamel Makes Most Of His Shot, Ottawa Sun

HOCKEY VIDEO: Fresh off of NHL Video on Youtube, it's the plays of the week:

RANDOM HOCKEY BLOG GENERATOR
The Feeder
Southeast Shootout
Devil's Due
Girl With A Puck
Sabre Rattling

TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: (All times ET)
7:00PM CAR at BUF TSN, MSG
7:00PM DET at CLB FSD, FSOH
7:30PM PHI at TBL CSP, SUN
9:00PM LAK at EDM FSW, RSW
10:30PM PHO at SJS AZTV, FSBA

AHL SCOREBOARD: (NHL affiliates in parentheses)
Albany (CAR/COL) 4 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (PIT/EDM) 2
Houston (MIN) 4 Chicago (ATL) 3 (SO)
Hershey (WAS) 4 Philadelphia (PHI) 1
Milwaukee (NAS/EDM) 4 Peoria (STL) 2
Omaha (CAL) 4 San Antonio (PHO) 3
Syracuse (CLB) 4 Toronto (TOR) 0
Manchester (LAK) 3 Lowell (NJD) 1
Springfield (TBL) 3 Hartford (NYR) 1
Norfolk (CHI) 6 Providence (BOS) 3
Hamilton (MON/EDM) 3 Manitoba (VAN) 2 (SO)

Just got the video of the beating Donald Brashear laid on Aaron Downey tonight. Whew:

As my friend David Singer wrote to me, "It looked like Brash was trying to start his lawnmower."

I was sort of overtaken by the Holidays, so I didn't have much of a chance to address a couple of issues. Think of this post as a make-up assignment:

* I don't want to see the Penguins leave Pittsburgh. I think it would set a horrible precedent to have a franchise that's already won a Cup relocate. Then again, the Penguins have needed a new building for about a decade, and the folks in Pittsburgh decided to invest their tax dollars in new homes for the Steelers and the Pirates. In both of those cases, the projects were sold to the voters as spurs to new economic growth. And in both cases, that new economic growth hasn't materialized -- not that it ever was.

I'm sorry, but I think that unless a benefactor with significant local roots -- Mark Cuban, white courtesy phone -- this team is as good as gone.

* The league is floating the idea of increasing the size of the nets again, and the reactions are rather predictable. As for me, I like the idea, and hope it gets implemented sooner rather than later.

* The league is also talking about realigning again, this time going back to the old two conference, four division format we're all familiar with. As long as we get rid of having a weak third seed get home ice advantage thanks to weak division, this is a change that we can't see quick enough either.

* Congrats to Peter Bondra on goal #500, scored the other night in Chicago against the Toronto Maple Leafs. One day, Bondra will take his place in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

* Here's Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers on fighting and the NHL:

"Listen, the NHL lets them fight," said O'Neal to AP.

"Fights happen in baseball. Fights happen in football. Why are we under scrutiny about our game? Do you guys look at the NHL? Every day they're boxing. They throw the gloves off and just wear each other out. It would be interesting if you take that same question to the NHL and ask them why they're not under scrutiny about fighting."

Not under scrutiny? What world is O'Neal living in? Violence in the NHL has been on a downward slope for decades, yet every year we get the same sort of complaints about how violence is holding the game back. Whatever problems the NHL has, violence isn't one of the reasons folks are staying away from the rink.

* It looks like Rory Fitzpatrick might have peaked too soon. I wonder if the Holidays have something to do with the sudden end of the surge in his vote totals. In any case, you still have a week to Vote for Rory.

* And finally, Allesandro Nicolo thinks he has a cure for what ails the NHL on the issue of violence:

Maybe David Stern can come to the NHL for a term and whip the league into shape on this front?

Thanks, but no thanks. One commissioner who knows little to nothing about hockey is enough for me.

I'm back from my trip to New York to visit the family, and I'll be out at the arena tonight when the Caps take on the Habs. All of my photographers are out of town tonight, so I'll be flying solo.

Look for more later today.

GAME PREVIEWS: Looks like many of the usual suspects are MIA tonight -- not really a surprise given that it's the Holiday season.

Mike Vogel
NHL.com
Japers' Rink
The Peerless Prognosticator
Caps Chick
Bonus link: Caps Chick frets over her divided loyalties.

More in a bit.

A THOUGHT ON CAPS-BUFFALO: After the Caps defeated the Sabres 7-4 a few weeks back, I asked head coach Glen Hanlon at the postgame press conference whether or not he and the Caps had figured out something of a blueprint on how to beat the best team in the Eastern Conference. When answering, Hanlon made it clear that the Caps had been lucky to catch Buffalo on back to back nights, and that it hadn't hurt that the Sabres were down to five defensemen after a couple game misconducts had been handed out. Guess he was right.

Again, more in a bit.

STARTING LINEUPS: HABS: G: Huet; D: Rivet, Bouillon; W: Johnson, Perezhogin; C: Bonk. CAPS: G: Kolzig; D: Pothier, Green; W: Laich, Klepis; C: Beech.

SCRATCHES: HABS: Niinimaa and Murray. CAPS: Morrisonn, Johansson and Muir.

AS THE PUCK DROPS: According to tonight's seating chart, Channel 4's Lindsay Czarniak is supposed to be sitting next to me, but she has yet to arrive. I'm crushed.

As always, the recap is after the jump. Again, sorry, but no photos tonight.

Off Wing's Man Of The Night: Rick DiPietro
28 saves in shutout as Isles defeat rival Rangers

ATL 2 TBL 1: Slater (G), Lehtonen (24 S). St. Louis (G).
BUF 6 WAS 3: Drury (2G, 2A), Kotalik (G, 2A). Ovechkin (G).
CAR 4 FLO 2: Ward (25 S), Staal (2A). Horton (2G).
CHI 2 DAL 1: Arkhipov (G, A), Lapointe (G). Barnes (G).
CLB 5 BOS 4 (OT): Vyborny (GWG OT, 2G). Bergeron (G, A).
NJD 3 PIT 0: Gionta (G), Brodeur (26 S).
NYI 2 NYR 0: Blake (G), DiPietro (28 S).
TOR 4 MIN 3: Sundin (G, A), Pohl (G, A). Rolston (G).
NAS 3 STL 2 (SO): Radulov (GWG SO), Kariya (G, A). Guerin (G).
VAN 3 CAL 1: D. Sedin (2G), H. Sedin (2A). Moss (G).
LAK 4 PHO 3 (SO): Kopitar (GWG SO, A), Frolov (2A). Nolan (2A).
ANA 4 SJS 3: Perry (G), Shannon (2A). Marleau (G).

OFF THE ICE
Toothless Grin Becoming A Thing Of The Past In NHL, Mercury News
NHL Hopeful, The Jersey Journal
Tim Thomas' Play Worthy Of An All-Star, Boston Herald
Leafs Are Just Too Average, Toronto Sun
Blues Not Fans Of Tootoo Train, Sportsnet.ca

HOCKEY VIDEO: Highlights from last night's wild back-and-forth contest between Boston and Columbus.

RANDOM HOCKEY BLOG GENERATOR
Hockey Rants
The Confluence
Goon Blog
The Checking Line
mc79hockey

TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: (All Times ET)
7:30PM PHI at FLO CSP, FSFL
7:30PM MIN at DET FSNO, FSD
7:30PM ATL at PIT SS, FSPI
7:30PM MON at WAS TSN, CSN
7:30PM NYI at OTT FSNY
9:00PM DAL at COL FSSW, ALT
10:00PM CAL at VAN TSN

AHL SCOREBOARD: (NHL affiliates in parentheses)
Peoria (STL) 4 Grand Rapids (DET/EDM) 3
Chicago (ATL) 5 Milwaukee (NAS/EDM) 4 (OT)
Hartford (NYR) 2 Worcester (SJS) 0
Binghamton (OTT) 4 Syracuse (CLB) 2
Houston (MIN) 3 San Antonio (PHO) 2 (SO)
Iowa (DAL/EDM) 5 Omaha (CAL) 2
Hamilton (MON/EDM) 3 Rochester (BUF/FLO) 2
Philadelphia (PHI) 3 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (PIT/EDM) 1
Hershey (WAS) 6 Bridgeport (NYI) 3

Last week I went to a high school hockey game played at the rink of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. While there I noticed Holy Cross' new banner from their Atlantic Hockey championship last season as well as their appearance in the NCAA West Regional Final. Holy Cross knocked off Minnesota, ranked #1 in the regional and #2 overall, 4-3 in overtime, and lost to North Dakota 5-2 in the West Region final.

Wondering what it was like, and what it meant for the Holy Cross hockey program, I scheduled an interview with head coach Paul Pearl, who has been head of the program for 12 years.

Q. What was the win over Minnesota and the loss to North Dakota in the West Region last season like? What were you thinking about at the time?

"[Y]ou're very much in the moment. When we beat [Minnesota] we knew we could make the Frozen Four. It was a let down losing to North Dakota. We had one bad period, the first. It was probably the first bad period we played in a month."

Q. What's it like recruiting players at a small D1 school that doesn't offer hockey scholarships?

A. "We're not even in the same recruiting pool as those other teams. We don't have a shot at those big players - that's not a knock on our guys. I think it's actually a compliment. Holy Cross wants good student athletes. When you talk to the players and their parents you can't focus on hockey here. We're proud to say we've graduated every one of our players."

Q. Did the success on the ice last season help spur the improvements to the rink?

A. "I want to say yes, help juice up your story, but no. Those had already been planned before the end of last season. But [our run] did help with alumni donations."

Q. How do you feel about being known nationally for that upset? What do you want your program to be known for?

A. "You can't put too much on one game. You can't be too excited about one win. While we love the notoriety, we want to be known for our consistency. We've been to the NCAA tourney twice, and have make it to at least the semifinals of our league the last 6 years. Also, I think our league will be taken a little more seriously. We're not a traditional hockey power, so last season surprised people. But now people know we're here."

So while many people still see Holy Cross as the miracle team, Coach Pearl is busy making sure this year's team gets back there, ready to prove that they're more than just one game. Thanks to Coach Pearl for taking the time to talk to me.

Next time Scott Burnside tells you that hockey has no place in Washington, remember this.

Thanks to Alanah Downie for the link. And Merry Xmas everyone.

As most people know last season and this season referees from youth hockey through the NHL have been more strictly enforcing penalties. So far the results have been mixed, with some people saying that the penalties have gotten out of hand, with more penalty minutes than ice time and a lack of physical play. Neil Horowitz from the Yale Herald wrote:

Fans who attended last Friday

Greetings from Verizon Center, where a group of Caps fans have gathered behind the Devils net during pre-game warmups to harass New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur for his role in "Visor-Gate". Hoping to have pictures for you sometime tonight.

They've got a banner that's about half a section long that says, "FEAR THE VISOR". They've been chanting it on and off too.

Photo by Allen Clark

Here's a classic moment in Caps fandom. Hi Marty!

Photo by Allen Clark

In a little late, but we'll have more in a bit.

STARTING LINEUPS: No paperwork as of yet, but as Ken Berard reported earlier today, Brent Johnson is getting the start, while Alexandre Giroux and Jeff Schultz are both up from Hershey and will play tonight. More in a bit.

NEW JERSEY G; Brodeur; D: White, Rafalski; W: Langenbrunner, Zajac; C: Parise. CAPS: G: Johnson; D: Heward, Green; W: Laich, Gordon; C: Klepis.

SCRATCHES: NJ: Rasmussen and Lacouture. CAPS: Erskine, Muir and Morrisonn. Now we know why the lineup sheet was so late -- just got the word from Caps PR man Nate Newell that Morrisonn is out with the flu.

Please make a point of visiting the Off Wing photo gallery from Tuesday night's game against Tampa Bay.

The recap is after the jump. For the full photo gallery, click here.

From SLAM:

The coach of a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team has been suspended for two games after players were asked to sign a Canadian flag destined for troops in Afghanistan.

The ruling against Jacques Beaulieu, coach and general manager of the Saint John Sea Dogs, was posted on the league's official website Wednesday night. In his decision, league commissioner Gilles Courteau said Beaulieu was also sanctioned for comments about Sea Dogs left-winger Dave Bouchard.

Bouchard - who didn't sign the flag - was booted from the team on Sunday.

"To me, not signing it is disgraceful," Beaulieu had told the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. "That's a lack of character and a lack of respect for being a Canadian, and it's just totally unacceptable."

In a brief news release on the league website, Courteau said the sanction was the result of asking Sea Dogs players to sign the flag as well as public comments made about Bouchard.

"After discussions with the Sea Dogs organization and Jacques Beaulieu, I remain convinced that Dave Bouchard was released only on the grounds of his performance on the ice," said the commissioner.

"Nevertheless, the request from the Sea Dogs to have the players sign the flag was inappropriate and the comments made by Jacques Beaulieu in regards to Dave Bouchard violate the QMJHL anti-discrimination policy.

"The comments can be hurtful to the player and can be construed as a violation of his rights and consequently, of our anti-discrimination policy."

Courteau has also imposed a $1,000 fine against the Sea Dogs organization.

Wow. Got lots of thoughts, but not much time right now. More later.

Caps looking very relaxed this morning. Clark and Brashear skate. No sign of Erskine or Zubrus. Brashear skating on a line with Ovechkin and Clark.

More to follow.

Per Hanlon's presser, Brent Johnson will get the start tonight.

Photo by Ellen Blanchard
Off Wing's Man Of The Night: Tim Thomas
39 saves in 2-0 win over Vancouver

ATL 4 PIT 3 (SO): Hossa (GWG SO, 2A). Crosby (G, A).
BOS 2 VAN 0: Savard (2A), Thomas (39 S).
FLO 3 NYR 2: Olesz (G, A), Belfour (30 S). Ward (G).
MON 4 PHI 2: Aebischer (26 S), Markov (2A). Niittymaki (33 S).
TBL 4 OTT 2: Ranger (G, A), Lecavalier (G, A). Heatley (G).
BUF 7 NAS 2: Pominville (2G, A), Roy (3A). Arnott (G).
STL 5 LAK 2: Jackman (G, A), Legace (23 S). Kopitar (G).
EDM 3 PHO 2: Hemsky (G, A), Markkanen (21 S). Perreault (G).
DAL 3 SJS 0: Halpern (G), Turco (20 S).
CAL/COL postponed due to snow

OFF THE ICE
Treasure Hunting In The NHL, Sporting News
NHL Fans Clicking To VoteForRory In Waves, USA Today
Future NHL Stars To Watch In World Juniors, SI.com
NBC To Launch NHL Promo Push, Broadcasting & Cable
NHL Arena Could Take Prudential's Name, Fox WGHP

HOCKEY VIDEO: Another new NHL promo, this time with Tampa Bay's Vinny Lecavalier and Brad Richards:

RANDOM HOCKEY BLOG GENERATOR
Kukla's Korner
Blue Note Blog
DTTHLT
Yankee Canuck
Common Fan Blog

TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: (All Times ET)
7:00PM NYI at CAR FSNY
7:00PM NJD at WAS FSNY2, CSN
7:00PM VAN at CLB RSW, FSOH
7:30PM MIN at DET KSTC, FSD
8:30PM TOR at CHI TSN

AHL SCOREBOARD: (NHL affiliates in parentheses)
Chicago (ATL) 4 San Antonio (PHO) 3
Hamilton (MON/EDM) 4 Manitoba (VAN) 3 (SO)

Off Wing's Man Of The Night: Dominik Hasek
Typical Dominator night with a 27 save shutout

DET 5 CLB 0: Cleary (2G), Lidstrom (G, A). Hasek (27 S).
NAS 2 CHI 1: Kariya (2G), Mason (28 S). Havlat (G).
ANA 4 DAL 1: Perry (2G), Giguere (26 S). Barnes (G).

OFF THE ICE
NHL Opens Door To Relocation, Globe and Mail
Bigger Nets Aren't The Answer For NHL, Winnipeg Sun
Can The NHL End The Slide?, St Louis Post-Dispatch
NHL Pulling For Rory, Too, Ottawa Citizen
Road To NHL Is Lined With Broken Down Buses, National Post

HOCKEY VIDEO: A new promo from the NHL, featuring the Sharks' Joe Thornton:

RANDOM HOCKEY BLOG GENERATOR
Hockey Rodent
Acid Queen
Battle Of California
On The Wings
Hockey Fanatic

TONGIHT'S SCHEDULE: (All Times ET)
7:00PM PIT at ATL FSPI, SS
7:00PM VAN at BOS RSW, NESN
7:30PM PHI at MON CSP, RDS
7:30PM NYR at FLO MSG, FSFL
7:30PM TBL at OTT SUN, A CH
8:00PM LAK at STL FSW, FSMW
8:00PM BUF at NAS MSG, FSS
9:00PM CAL at COL FPPV, ALT
9:00PM EDM at PHO RSW, FSAZ
10:30PM DAL at SJS FSSW, FSBA

AHL SOCREBOARD: (NHL affiliates in parentheses)
Hershey (WAS) 7 Albany (CAR/COL) 4
Iowa (DAL/EDM) 4 Grand Rapids (DET/EDM) 3 (OT)
Milwaukee (NAS/EDM) 3 Omaha (CAL) 2
Manchester (LAK) 3 Lowell (NJD) 2
Norfolk (CHI) 6 Bridgeport (NYI) 2
Manitoba (VAN) 2 Hamilton (MON/EDM) 1 (OT)