Saturday NHL Morning Papers (Western Conference)

In NHL Morning Papers we break down the stories published in newspapers around the country. By reading our synopsis the average hockey fan can catch up to all the happenings around the National Hockey League.

• Patrick Kane knows he needs to grow up, as he addresses the media one day after scandalous photos of him and teammates surfaced.  ”For us, obviously, it’s not the way we want to represent the team.” Kane said.  As long as his play remains steady on the ice, I do not see what the big deal is.
• Despite losing by three goals the Blue Jackets held an optional skate with only Mathieu Garon and Milan Jurcina participating.  ”We were going to skate once, so we will skate tomorrow,” said coach Ken Hitchcock.
• The Red Wings win as they actually protect their third period lead.
• Five straight loses now for the Predators as they were simply outplayed by the Red Wings.  Both teams now boast 61 points.  ”We know we’re letting teams back in it,” defenseman Ryan Suter said. “We’ve got to get it turned around now or it will come back to haunt us down the road.”
• With the standings so tight in the Western Conference, the Blues lament their 2-1 record on this recent road trip.  ”Well, in hindsight (the 2-1 trip) looks fine,” coach Davis Payne said. “But the fact that we didn’t get points in Vancouver, to me, is something we’ve got to find a way to improve.“

Northwest

• The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames face off tonight.  One team has to break their winless streak.
• Terry Frei of The Denver Post writes a nice peice of Matt Duchene and his disappointment in losing a faceoff and a puck battle to veteran Mike Modano.
• The Edmonton Journal renames the Battle of Alberta the Battle of the Biggest Losers.
• Brent Burns wears the concussion-reducing M11 helmet after missing most of the season.  ”I think it’s more making sure I can do everything I can to help prevent another,” said Burns.
• Mason Raymond added a playmaking element to his game making him just that much more dangerous.  “He’s a good player and he could be even better, I think,” said Mikael Samuelsson.

Pacific

• The Ducks found their secret weapon on the shootout: James Wisniewski.  ”I’m riding a hot streak,” said Wisniewski.  ”They’re going with the big Polish righty.”
• Modano scored two goals last night for the first time in two years. “I’ve been feeling much better lately,” Modano said. “I think it’s just a combination of some valuable time off that [coach] Marc [Crawford] has given me, and just being able to rest up and primarily focus on the games.”
• Defenseman Jack Johnson is questionable for tonight’s game, but if this were a playoff game he would play.  ”It’s going to take a few days before I feel good again. Hopefully it feels good sooner than later,” said Johnson.
• Coyotes leading scorer Scottie Upshall will be re-evaluated for a lower-body injury.  Depending on the extent of the injury GM Don Maloney will need to find another offensive weapon. “Number 1, we’re just waiting to see if this is something significant, long term, then we probably have to dial up our search for another offensive player,” Maloney said.
• The Sharks may have more problems on defense as Marc Eduard Vlasic and Dan Boyle could miss tonight’s game. “We don’t anticipate it being serious,” Sharks coach Todd McLellan said.

Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Editor
amonaghan@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @NHLHotStove