February 8
Philadelphia Daily News
columnist Frank Seravalli
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IT WAS not profound, or deep. But it was honest. And Chris Pronger hit it right on the head. Through their winning and losing streaks - and the ups and downs of this sidewinder of a season - the Flyers' problems have not changed. They go through stretches where they can't buy a goal. The Flyers followed an 8-1-1 stretch (45 goals) with their current 5-6-0 run (24 goals). Pronger called it "streaky." The issue, though, isn't streaky. Or mind-boggling. Or rocket science. It's simple: When the Flyers attack the net, they score - and win. When they don't, they lose. That's their one and only common thread through 56 games. "We need more traffic," Pronger said yesterday. "The high-traffic ..."
February 5
Vancouver Province
columnist Jason Botchford
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The ongoing cross-country Olympic relay isn't the only torch being passed. Just look at the Canucks. They can win even when Roberto Luongo is not playing out of his mind. In the past 10 games, Luongo has been hooked twice, has a 2.86 GAA and a .901 save percentage. In the not-too-distant past, that spelled doomsday. But the Canucks are 7-3 in their past 10, and, if not for Jaroslav Halak, could be going into their game against the Ottawa Senators Thursday with eight straight wins. This is a good thing. Luongo has never been on a team that can score like this one. When he's been off during the past month, the forwards, especially the top line, has picked him up and bailed him out. It should ..."
February 5
Miami Herald
columnist George Richards
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Not much going on right now, what with GM Randy Sexton in Rochester and the Panthers not playing for a few days. The big news around town is the return of Jay Bouwmeester. 'Big Bo' returns to the BankAtlantic Center on Friday night for the first time since he played his final game there with the Panthers on April 11, 2009. Bouwmeester refused to sign a long-term deal with the Panthers and, in June, was traded to Calgary where he almost immediately signed a five-year pact with the Flames. One of the reasons Bouwmeester wanted out of Florida was because of the lack of passion that exists for hockey in the sunny south. In Calgary, the hockey team is the biggest thing going. Teammates in ..."
February 5
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Jeff Schultz
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This is generally how these things end. A star goes one way. A large package of some undetermined substance and quality goes the other. This isn't a new practice with the Thrashers, just an evolving one. The names keep getting bigger. Dealing Ray Ferraro and Jiri Slegr in the early days came with limited blowback. They were late in their careers. But then another impending free agent, Donald Audette, couldn't come to terms and was traded to Montreal for an obscure prospect named Kamil Piros. (Unfortunate early analysis from then-coach Curt Fraser: "The greatest player in Czechoslovakia."). Then Marian Hossa wouldn't re-sign and was dealt to Pittsburgh. Now it's Ilya Kovalchuk's turn. ..."
February 5
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Rob Rossi
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Goal-scoring star winger Ilya Kovalchuk is headed to New Jersey, where Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello has upgraded a club that has struggled to score in recent weeks. Kovalchuk, with 31 goals on the season, should boost an offense that has sagged with two or fewer goals in 10 of 14 games; and soon-to-return winger Patrik Elias (concussion) should provide an added spark. Still, given what the Devils surrendered - defenseman John Oduya, forwards Niclas Bergfors and Patrice Cormier and a first-round pick - can the addition of Kovalchuk, likely to test free agency on July 1, really be considered a monumental move in the Eastern Conference? Perhaps, but all bets are off given two ..."
February 4
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Jeff Schultz
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Don't fall for the spin. Don't fall for, "He's disloyal," or, "He's selfish," or, "We did everything we could for him." And please, certainly don't fall for, "We're building something special here." Because we've watched this building for 10 seasons and 11 years now, and the blueprints don't project a palatial estate. More like a pile of rocks in Kabul. The Thrashers are going to trade Ilya Kovalchuk. There's the latest sucker punch to hockey's existence in Atlanta. The realization of an impending trade is only official now. The general manager said it and the agent confirmed it. But it has been fairly well established for several months. The Thrashers' organization botched this by not ..."
February 3
Toronto Sun
columnist Mike Zeisberger
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Reality finally sinks in for J-S Giguere when he looks at the gaggle of reporters scrunched around his locker on Tuesday night. No longer is he in sunny Anaheim, the land of Mickey Mouse. He now is a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team many critics have accused of being Mickey Mouse. J-S Giguere plans on changing that image. Not by himself, mind you. He needs help. Still ... "I've seen this many media members before during my two visits to the Stanley Cup final," a grinning Giguere said. Only this isn't the Stanley Cup final. This is a Tuesday game against the New Jersey Devils. In February. "There is that," he laughs. Giguere has just finished making his Leafs debut. It ..."
February 1
Toronto Sun
columnist Mike Zeisberger
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Finding a way to unload Jason Blake's albatross contract probably won't net Brian Burke the NHL's executive of the year honours when all is said and done. Maybe it should. At first blush, it would have been easier to work out the square root of pi by hand. Or, figure how they get all that caramel inside the Caramilk bar. Or, logically explain how Burke's Maple Leafs actually lost to Andrew Raycroft on Saturday night. But peddling the 36-year-old Blake and that inflated deal, one that will pay him $4 million US in each of the next two seasons? Talk about Mission Impossible. Yet, somehow Brian Burke found a way to do it Sunday. And after the Maple Leafs general manager had finished the ..."
February 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Kevin Gorman
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As if seeing Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin on the ice together for the opening faceoff wasn't daunting enough, imagine what was going through the minds of the Detroit Red Wings when Staal split their top defensive pairing for a shorthanded shot in the second period. Anyone have a flashback of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final? Detroit tends to bring out the best in Staal, who has tortured the Red Wings in their past nine meetings by scoring five goals, including a third-period hat trick in an overtime victory in November 2008. "I guess so," Staal said. "They're always big games and they're always tough. It's always exciting and challenging for any player out there." Staal didn't score a ..."
February 1
Philadelphia Daily News
columnist Frank Seravalli
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The newspapers here in the Great White North dubbed Saturday night's "Hockey Night in Canada" clash between rivals Calgary and Edmonton as the "Battle of Al-brutal" instead of the usual Battle of Alberta. Before Calgary's convincing, 6-1 win, the two teams combined for 21 consecutive losses. Tonight in Calgary, when the Flyers begin their own battle through Alberta, they won't be facing the same Flames team that has won twice in 13 games. Calgary will have a whole new look after completing a blockbuster, seven-player swap with Toronto yesterday. They sent rugged defenseman Dion Phaneuf, forward Freddy Sjostrom and defenseman Keith Aulie to the Maple Leafs for scorers Niklas Hagman and Matt ..."
January 31
Newark Star-Ledger
columnist COlin Stephenson
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Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick has played in 48 of L.A.'s 53 games this season, before the Kings' game tonight in Boston against the Bruins. Henrik Lundqvist has played in 48 of the 54 games the Rangers have played. San Jose's Evgeny Nabokov has played in 47 of 54 games for San Jose, the same as Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff and Phoenix' Ilya Bryzgalov. Ryan Miller, who missed a couple games with injury, has played in 46 of Buffalo's 53 games, the same as Roberto Luongo, who has played 46 of 53 for Vancouver. "Maybe back seven years ago I was the only one playing so much, but now you see a lot more goalies doing it,'' said Marty Brodeur, who has played in 51 of the Devils' 53 ..."
January 31
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Rob Rossi
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Something is missing. A regular-season showdown between the Penguins and the Red Wings, teams that split the last two Stanley Cup Final series, should feel like a bigger deal. Sorry NHL and NBC executives, but of the three consecutive national games involving the Penguins, this Final rematch today is the least intriguing. Give me Penguins-Flyers from last week or Penguins-Capitals next week; I'm just not digging Penguins-Red Wings. What is going on here? The Penguins and Red Wings waged high-tempo hockey battles into June the last two years, 10 Final games decided in the third period or overtime(s); but the current state of both clubs leaves something to be desired, given the recent ..."