NHL News: Pro Sports Daily

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November 7

Tampa Tribune

"Victor Hedman had his fair share of well-wishers show up at Bell Centre on Friday, a day after the rookie defenseman took a vicious hit from Ottawa winger Chris Neil. As Hedman sat in the stands watching his teammates go through practice, players from the Swedish national junior team filed into the stands to exchange handshakes and hugs with their longtime teammate. For Hedman, however, he would rather have been on the ice putting on a show. Instead, the 6-foot-6 blue liner must sit out tonight's game against Montreal and may not be ready to play when Tampa Bay returns to the ice Thursday against Minnesota. While he said he is feeling fine and has no lingering effects from the hit ..."

Capitals win, lose Green and Schultz

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November 7

Washington Post

"Just when it seemed Washington's injury woes couldn't get any worse, they did. With the team already missing two-time MVP Alex Ovechkin, defensemen Mike Green and Jeff Schultz both went down with injuries Friday night at BankAtlantic Center, where the short-handed Capitals gutted out a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers. Brendan Morrison scored twice, Tyler Sloan and Brian Pothier each tallied once and goaltender José Theodore was occasionally spectacular in making 28 saves to snap Washington's three-game losing streak. But the Capitals' collective health was their biggest concern as the players and coaches headed back home for Saturday night's rematch against Florida at Verizon Center. ..."

Liles leaves game after suffering a shoulder injury

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November 7

Denver Post

"Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles didn't return to the game after suffering a shoulder injury late in the first period of what turned out to be Colorado's 4-3 shootout victory over the Blackhawks Friday night. "Credit the defensemen with playing with five 'D' for pretty much most of the game," Colorado coach Joe Sacco said. "They did a terrific job back there. That's not easy against an offense like that.""

Sources indicate a shift in Panthers' ownership

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November 7

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"Alan Cohen's days as majority owner of the Panthers are numbered, as two partners in his ownership group are expected to take control of the team, sources said. Panthers Vice Chairman Cliff Viner and Managing Director Stu Siegel, both Boca Raton businessmen, have reached agreement to buy as much as half of Cohen's approximately 43 percent share of the team, a source said. They will become co-general partners, other sources said. The agreement has not been signed but is expected to be announced next week. Cohen is to retain a stake but will no longer be making team decisions. Panthers fans are desperate for change. The team has not made the playoffs since 2000, the longest playoff drought ..."

Stars' Neal has groin injury

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November 7

Dallas Morning News

"James Neal tweaked a groin muscle Wednesday against the Calgary Flames, so he sat out Friday's game and is not expected to make the trip to Minnesota today for the second of back-to-back contests. It's part of the Dallas Stars' plan to be cautious with injuries this season. "We want to be sure," Stars coach Marc Crawford said. "He could maybe play [today], but if he misses both games, then we don't play again until Thursday." Neal is the Stars' leading goal-scorer with nine and is on a seven-game point-scoring streak (six goals, four assists for 10 points in those games). He played the entire game against Calgary but was worn down by relentless checking from a physical Flames defense. ..."

Ovechkin is not ready to return

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November 6

Washington Post

"Alex Ovechkin was one of the first Washington Capitals on the ice for practice at BankAtlantic Center and was wearing his full complement of equipment and carrying his stick. It took only a few minutes for the two-time MVP to realize that he's not quite ready to return to the lineup. After tapping a teammate's pass into an empty net, Ovechkin, who was practicing for the first time since suffering a strain near his left shoulder Sunday, jokingly began to celebrate. But he couldn't raise his arms much above his chest, and moments later, he put his stick on the bench. Ovechkin later conceded that he doesn't expect to play in this weekend's back-to-back games against the Florida Panthers, but ..."

Peter Chiarelli signs Tuukka Rask to 2-year extension

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November 6

Boston Herald

"Peter Chiarelli may not have been able to keep a recalcitrant Phil Kessel in the fold once the speedy forward got to restricted free agency last summer, but he made sure yesterday that goaltender Tuukka Rask would not be flying the coop any time soon. Rask, who was scheduled to become a restricted free agent next summer, was inked to a two-year deal that will pay him $1 million in 2010-11 and $1.5 million in 2011-12. Chiarelli also took care of Milan Lucic, who was also scheduled to become an RFA this summer, with a multiyear deal earlier this season. "I guess you've got to change with the times," said Chiarelli, concerning the consummation of deals in-season. "To a certain extent, I went ..."

Victor Hedman hurt in Lightning Loss

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November 6

St. Petersburg Times

"Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman was on his back behind his goal line, and teammate Steve Downie was fighting Ottawa tough guy Chris Neil in his defense. Tampa Bay fell 3-2 in overtime Thursday night at Scotiabank Place, but the result seemed secondary after Hedman, 18, Tampa Bay's prized rookie, left the game in the second period and did not return after Neil crushed him on a play that, depending on who was speaking, either was defended or condemned. Lightning coach Rick Tocchet, after saying he believes Hedman is "okay" and calling him day to day, said the hit was clean. So did Neil: "I got my shoulder right in his chest. He's like 8 feet tall (actually 6-6), so it's not like I could ..."

H1N1 downs David Krejci

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November 6

Boston Herald

"With the Bruins having gone 1:32:58 without a goal going into last night's game against the Montreal Canadiens, the last thing they wanted to do was lose another top six forward. But the B's were without David Krejci last night and will be missing the center for the immediate future after he was diagnosed yesterday with the H1N1 virus. Krejci will be quarantined at home until he is fever- and symptom-free, which general manager Peter Chiarelli said should take 3-5 days. Coach Claude Julien said Krejci began feeling ill after the B's 2-0 loss to the Red Wings in Detroit on Tuesday night. He is the most recent of a handful of NHL players to be diagnosed with H1N1 this season. The B's have ..."

Rangers scouting Forsberg in Sweden

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November 6

New York Post

"he Rangers are among the handful of NHL teams watching Peter Forsberg very closely when the 36-year-old free-agent center tests his chronically injured right foot in the Karjala Cup tournament that opens today in Sweden and will conclude over the weekend in Finland, The Post has learned. "Yes, we have interest in Forsberg," GM Glen Sather said. "From the reports we've been getting, the foot is much better than it was a year ago. "We'll scout him at the tournament and see what, if anything develops. But I've always liked Peter and I've always been interested in finding a way to bring him to New York, if possible." The Rangers, who go into tonight's game here against the Oilers and ..."

Elias tempers hopes for return to ice

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November 6

New York Post

"Urging caution, Patrik Elias says the Devils shouldn't expect a repeat of his season-saving comeback of 2006. The franchise's career points leader may make his season debut tonight when the Islanders visit Newark (7 p.m., MSG+/MSG+2, WFAN, WMJC), returning from two rounds of summertime surgery. The Devils will be without center Rob Niedermayer, who left Wednesday's 3-2 triumph over the Capitals with an upper body injury. Both Elias and Jacques Lemaire said Niedermayer's absence won't affect the decision on Elias tonight, but Lemaire had him practicing at center yesterday. When Elias returned from Hepatitis A, which he contracted during the lockout, on Jan. 3, 2006, the Devils were a game ..."

Chicago Blackhawks' Marian Hossa eager to play

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November 6

Chicago Tribune

"Marian Hossa watched his Blackhawks teammates scrimmage during Thursday's morning skate and figured he would take a shot. "The rest of the guys were playing a little scrimmage five-on-five, and I kind of felt like not sitting on the bench and jumping in there," Hossa said. "I asked the trainer, and he said not yet." Hossa still is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and with each on-ice practice session is getting more eager to ratchet up the intensity of his rehab. He is limited to non-contact drills and is expected to be out until later this month. "You have to be smart about these injuries because we waited such a long time, and you don't want one or two weeks early to do ..."

Malkin only player not skating

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November 6

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Center Evgeni Malkin is the only Penguins player not skating. Coach Dan Bylsma said Malkin's recovery from a shoulder strain is "progressing in rehab, and the important part is the rest part of it," Bylsma said. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar, meanwhile, said he will have his cast removed and an X-ray taken on his broken left wrist after the road trip. "If everything is fine there, we're going to start thinking about doing more in practice, maybe shooting more," Gonchar said. Prep school friendsPenguins center Sidney Crosby and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jack Johnson are friends dating to their teen years when they were teammates at Shattuck, a Minnesota prep school, in 2002-03. They were ..."

Flu really bugging the Flyers

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November 6

Philadelphia Daily News

"For the Flyers, yesterday afternoon's short-hop charter flight to Buffalo after practice had to be a little uncomfortable.The problem wasn't the bumpy flight, which was caused by unstable lake-effect snow, hail and rain amid 35-degree temperatures over western New York.The Flyers, instead, had to worry about a different kind of air: The oxygen recirculating in their cabin. On a plane filled with a team ravaged by the flu bug, there undoubtedly were a few nasty germs floating about the Delta-owned Airbus A319.On Wednesday, five players were forced to miss practice because of the epidemic. Yesterday, almost all of those players returned - except for defenseman Matt Carle.Carle, too sick to ..."

Belanger injury adds to Wild's pain in loss to Canucks

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November 6

St. Paul Pioneer Press

"The painful beginning to the Wild's season took one to the midsection Thursday night. A team with just five wins in 14 games before the opening faceoff snoozed through a first period so uneventful that only the scattered boos kept many in the Xcel Energy Center crowd of 18,105 awake. When it was over, the Wild had absorbed a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks that snapped their two-game win streak and left them with an ugly winning percentage of .333. That first period was a beauty. "We weren't prepared coming into the game," said center Kyle Brodziak, who scored both his team's goals and was one of the few bright spots in the Wild lineup. "Our first period, it was unbelievable ..."

Canucks may seek H1N1 vaccine in U.S. as winger Bernier gets flu-like symptoms

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November 6

Vancouver Sun

"The Vancouver Canucks will explore the possibility of getting flu vaccinations during their five-game road trip through the United States, which begins tonight with winger Steve Bernier displaying flu-like symptoms. Bernier, isolated from teammates at the Canucks' hotel, won't play tonight against the Minnesota Wild but is scheduled to travel with the team to Dallas after the game. Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said it was too early to say if Bernier has swine flu, but the National Hockey League team's medical staff does not believe the 24-year-old has the H1N1 strain. "There are other types of flu, too," Gillis said, aware of the hysteria over H1N1. "We won't know until he has a ..."

McCabe on the brink of milestone

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November 6

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"Panthers' defenseman Bryan McCabe hasn't forgotten how nervous he was before his first NHL game 14 years ago against the Bruins in Boston. "I remember being across from Ray Borque and my legs were shaking during the anthem," said McCabe, who started his career with the Islanders and was in the starting lineup that night. "It was a dream come true." With a laugh, he added, "I think I had probably 10 penalty minutes, too, that game -- minors for tripping and hooking." Friday night, McCabe will play in his 1,000th career game. He'll become the seventh player to do so in a Panthers' sweater and first since Chris Gratton on March 22, 2007. Lyle Odelein, Greg Adams, Kirk Muller, Mike Foligno and ..."