With teams clinching playoff positions left and right, the Oilers are not going to make the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year. In their last appearance in the 2005-06 season, Edmonton lost in the finals to the Carolina Hurricanes. Though fans and media alike were expecting perhaps an improved year with the addition of new and young players, the Oilers laid another egg this season and have just extended a winless streak to nine-games.

So should the team even try for the rest of the season? The injury ridden lineup only has seven games left where they can pick one of two attitudes. One is to not even try and perhaps just hope the losing means another top draft pick like Taylor Hall. The second is to battle hard in an attempt to knock out teams from their respective playoff races.

Coach Tom Renney brought that latter attitude into the light in the most recent episode of Oil Change. He does not want to waste the remaining games with his squad just waiting for the final April 10th game. The team that is full of rookies is still developing and these technically meaningless games are a perfect way for them to develop. Regardless, wins will always be nice.

“I think we’re in a position now we’re our role is to continue to develop our team, that’s priority number one,” Renney said in the latest episode of Oil Change. ”If it so happens we win and spoil other people’s opportunities to be playoff teams, that’s terrific.”

That said, pulling out those wins against teams vying for a top-eight seeding is tricky task. It has been illustrated with the recent strings of losses but the games are not blow outs. Three of the nine losses have been overtime defeats and they have only been shut out twice. The effort and the opportunity are there, it is just a matter of playing a full 60 minutes of hockey.

Though every NHL wants to make it to the playoffs for every post season, it is probably for the better that the Edmonton Oilers are not are part of the stressful push to earn a spot in the top 8 in their conference. It is not just to get another high draft pick, but because they are down so many men.

The club will be down eight skaters for Thursday’s match up against the Phoenix Coyotes where they look to snap a four-game losing streak. Per the Oilers Official Twitter, Gilbert Brule and Shawn Horcoff are going to be out for that tilt. Brule will be out with a concussion and Horcoff suffered a left foot injury after taking a Magnus Paajarvi shot. He told the media that being out seven-10 games is “best case scenario” but it could be longer. Alex Hemsky will not be in the line up as he is officially done for the season due to surgery he is getting on his shoulder. He will then need to rehab his shoulder for four to six months.

The five other players were already down as the injury bug has only gotten worse in the past month. One of the top defenseman Ryan Whitney has been out since December 30th due to his ankle and is done because of the required surgery. Since February 22nd, four of the Oilers have had their seasons ended.

Taylor Chorney, a call up from the AHL affiliate the Oklahoma City Barons, had only played in nine games with the big club before going down in his tenth game on February 22nd against the Minnesota Wild. A knee injury will sideline him for the remainder of the season. Hemsky was next up to see his season come to an end with his shoulder injury.

Number one overall draft pick Taylor Hall took part in his first career fight that he ultimately lost because of the injury he sustained from it. In the bout against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Hall became the second player on the season to have both a Gordie Howe hat trick and a a regular hat trick (Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins is the other). Following his dropping the gloves with Derek Dorsett, Hall left the game with what was later reported to be a high ankle sprain.

Sam Gagner got a tendon in his hand sliced when teammate Ryan Jones was getting onto the ice and Gagner was reaching for his watter bottle during the team’s most recent game against the Washington Capitals on March 9th.  He had surgery the following day and is added to the list of players done for the season.

But things are looking up for Theo Peckham. Peckham was KO-ed by Nathan Horton in a fight and left the game when his team took on the Boston Bruins on February 27th and has been out since. He skated at practice on Tuesday for the first time since his concussion as a result of the fight.

A team that has had a lot of call ups in the line up can expect more for the remainder of the season. Up Tuesday is Teemu Hartikainen and Coach Tom Renney made note that 3 more forwards will join the team for the game Thursday.

Kathryn Uggerholt
NHL Hot Stove Edmonton Oilers correspondent
Twitter: @xokathryn_

I was anticipating last nights visit from the Colorado Avalanche. Tom Renney had just publicly called out the Oilers for their poor performance and I, along with most Oiler fans, wondered how the team was going to respond.

The Oilers seemed to respond well, and jumped on a flat footed Avalanche team by scoring two quick, lucky goals. The first goal at 1:40 of the first period from Gilbert Brule seemed to bounce off of Peter Budaj and go in as Brule attempted to centre the puck. The second goal came a little over two minutes later from Andrew Cogliano. Cogliano took advantage of a battle behind the net between Brule and Ryan Wilson to sweep up the puck and put it past Budaj.

A little under 2 minutes later the Avs got a goal from the smooth skating rookie Kevin Shattenkirk. So, within the first six minutes of the game the score was 2-1 for the Oilers. It was after this point I started to question whether or not the Oilers had heard Coach Renney’s message. Colorado went on to outshoot the Oiler 11-4 in the first. Matt Duchene scored the equalizing goal in early second and the Avs went on to outshoot the Oilers again 17-7.

During the first and second periods, two players seemed to have received Renney’s message and stepped up their game, Theo Peckham and Martin Gerber. Peckham did not register a point, but he crushed people into the boards and made smart, simple plays with the puck. He also ended up a plus-two for the night. Peckham was rewarded with a third star for his efforts.

After two periods, the Oilers were reeling and were fortunate to be tied 2-2, mostly on the performance of Gerber. Gerber made his first start in the NHL since April 11, 2009, and played extremely well. He stopped 35 of 37 shots for the game. Gerber’s great game may not have anything to do with Renney’s comments, and more to do with the adrenalin of playing in the NHL again. Nevertheless, Gerber has to be commended for keeping the Oilers in the game long enough to win.

In the third, the Oilers seemed to collectively pick their game up. Some noticeable players on the Oilers side were Dustin Penner and Magnus Paajarvi. Penner finished with an assist on Brule’s goal and a plus-two, but he seemed to play as if he were interested in the outcome of the game. When Penner is focused and motivated he is often the Oilers best player and tonight that was the case. Paarjarvi ended up a minus-one for the night, but what excited me was that skating he showcased. With or without the puck this player can dance on the ice, and I think fans saw a little bit of that last night. Paajarvi almost scored the winning goal a couple times himself late in the third. If Paarjarvi continues to play as well as he did last night, the points will come.

The winning goal was scored at 19.31 of the third by Taylor Hall on a pass from fellow rookie Jordan Eberle. It was another lucky goal as Eberle was freed up when the Colorado defenseman lost his stick and bent to retrieve it. Credit to Eberle and Hall, Eberle took advantage of the play and fired a pass to Hall and he made good on it. Sometimes a sustained effort will bring around some lucky breaks, tonight the Oilers took advantage. Hopefully the team learns this lesson.

Three Star Selection
1st Taylor Hall 1g,1a
2nd MattDuchene 1g, 1a
3rd Theo Peckham plus-two and punishing

Coming Up:

The Oilers face the San Jose Sharks in the late CBC game on Saturday night. The Last time the met, the Sharks destroyed the Oilers 6-1. Hopefully, the Oilers can carry over the third period effort against the Avalanche and put a good performance in for all the fans visiting Edmonton for the Grey Cup. Expect to see numerous green jerseys in the stands that night.

One can’t blame the Edmonton Oiler fans for counting down the minutes until the opening day first puck drop to start off the season against their arch rival Calgary Flames October 7th. Not only is it an opportunity for the Oilers to start off the season with a bang over their nemesis rivals but they can showcase their new and improved team. There is no doubt this team is much improved compared to last year bringing in guys like Kurtis Foster and Jim Vandermeer along with rookie studs Magnus Paajarvi, Jordan Eberle and 1st overall draft pick Taylor Hall.

Magnus Paajarvi leads the Oilers in pre-season scoring with 3 goals and 1 assist and that’s in just 1 game! Shawn Horcoff is trying to have a rebounding year to prove fans that he is at least worth a partial amount of his hefty yearly salary and is off to a good start averaging 2 points a game in his first 2 games of the exhibition season. Other notables are Ryan Whitney with 4 apples in 2 games, Jordan Eberle with 3 points in 2 games and even rookie center Chris Vande Velde has 3 points. Needless to say the Oilers seem like an offensive bunch which many have predicted including me and many other prognosticators around the NHL world.

The big question is will this team gel and form into a tough team to play against night in and night out? If anyone can do that head coach Tom Renney certainly can, Renney has a fulfilling task ahead managing the learning curve of the new additions to the club thus getting them to play the system that Renney employs.

I would like to see the Oilers try to play a puck possession game similar to the Chicago Blackhawks although it may be a lot more challenging considering the skill set is not quite where a team like Chicago or Washington has…yet. With veterans like Dustin Penner, Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff around it will more than likely help these new players get settled in their new environment.

OK, so most people are predicting the Oilers to finish last in their division and I guess that’s “somewhat” reasonable with them being such a young team but deep down we all know predictions are for the birds therefore no one knows how good their team will be as much as they think they do until at least 20 or so games into the year.

Still up in the air is the goaltending situation, I truly believe one of these goaltenders will have to be moved as all 3 goalies, Khabibulin, Deslauriers, and Dubnyk are on 1-way contracts. Khabibulin will not be moved as his contract will be a tough one to deal away but if most saw Khabby play in his first game in an extremely long time, he looked very sharp. The Oiler brass will need to decide which goalie they are going to go with for the future and possibly move the other. Martin Gerber is also licking his chops at getting back into the NHL again so all of the aforementioned goaltenders will be pushed. Edmonton may decide to roll 3 goaltenders to start the season and see how it plays out as there is always a chance for injuries and Khabibulin is known to have a few of those from time to time.

Still no news on the Sheldon Souray front, we may not see anything happen unless a notable defenseman on another team goes down and may want to fill that spot with a very good defenseman in Souray. Many thought the New York Islanders would be all over Souray considering they lost Mark Streit for at least 6 months but that is not the case, any rumors of a deal for Souray have been nixed.

In ending, what NHL fans do know is this young Edmonton team is built for speed, scoring and the future and Edmonton fans should be excited for this upcoming season. This Oiler team will have its up and downs but guaranteed they will bring excitement throughout the league plus will not be a push over like last season.

Get ready Oiler fans, it’s going to be a fun season!

Trent Kondo
NHLHS Edmonton Oilers Correspondent
tkondo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @TK0N

If the last few NHL seasons were any indication as to what we can expect if we are discussing an NHL head coach, one situation that is certain is that someone will be fired prior to the 2010-11 NHL All-Star game.

This off-season alone we have already witnessed transition throughout the league at the head coaching position.

Rich Tocchet was relieved of his duties with the Tampa Bay Lightning for Guy Boucher. The Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets both appointed new soldiers to man the fort as bench bosses as well.

However, we do not feel that will be the only movement made from NHL teams.

When looking around the league, outside of Barry Trotz and Lindy Ruff – the longest tenured coaches remaining within the NHL – there are many new faces in many new places.

This season, expectations are high for many clubs not considered a team in transition.

One team in which a window – or time frame if you will – has been placed upon to win a Stanley Cup are the Washington Capitals.

Bruce Boudreau – Three straight Southeast Divisional titles and that’s right, the head coach of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals could possibly find himself on the unemployment line.  Since taking over the helm in Washington early in the 2007-08 season, Boudreau has established himself as one of the top regular season bench bosses.  His .664 winning percentage is tops of any NHL coaches over that time period.  Washington’s decision to not sign unrestricted free agent goaltender Jose Theodore leaves the Capitals with two 22-year-old net minders in Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth.  The two young backstops have a combined 54 NHL regular season games to their credit, so experience could be an issue.  Boudreau’s problems have come in the postseason, where all four series that he has coached have gone the full seven games, and his Capitals have won just one of those series.  And remember Washington owner Ted Leonsis’ blog after last year’s seven-game first round loss to the Montreal Canadiens that seemed to question some of Boudreau’s tactics.

However, even with his .664 winning percentage something seems to be missing either from the on-ice product or from coach himself. The window has begun to close, and at this point it is not too far from being closed and locked.

John Tortorella – Despite leading his team to a 7-1-2 mark over the course of the season’s final 10 games, the 50-year-old New York Rangers head coach saw his Broadway Blueshirts miss the postseason in a shootout on the last day of the 2009-10 campaign.  Even though the most significant off-season signing may well be forward Alexander Frolov, Tortorella may be in trouble if the Rangers appear that they cannot make any postseason noise after the team has missed the playoffs in two of the past three seasons.

The common factor here – Tortorella was the coach of this club for the past two seasons after taking over for Tom Renney. Though he did help an already talented club enter the playoffs in ’08-’09, they exited as quick as they entered.

Say what you will about the supporting cast for Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist but this Rangers club, again on black and white, is capable of being a constant threat within the Eastern Conference each year. If the season begins and there are more L’s over W’s, expect yet another change in New York.

Ron Wilson – After four consecutive 40+ win seasons with the San Jose Sharks, Wilson’s first two years in Toronto were forgettable, non-playoff efforts.  But with GM Brian Burke’s retooling of the Leafs over the past nine months, adding players like defenseman Dion Phaneuf, goaltender J.S. Giguere, and forwards Kris Versteeg, Colby Armstrong, and Clarke MacArthur, Toronto will definitely have higher expectations heading into the 2010-11 season.  And that means that if the club is not performing to the level that Burke feels it should, Wilson could have good reason to be looking over his shoulder. Also, believe what you will about the Tomas Kaberle reports that he and coach Wilson simply are not on the same page and this adds salt to the wounds.

Yes the team was blundered by injuries last season, but is it truly Wilson to blame here or do we need to point the finger directly at Burke? The tricky situation is figuring out just that. Burke has attempted to re-tool his team by the signings and trades mentioned above and feels confident enough to be a competitive club this year which in turn puts all the pressure on Wilson to make this team gel and perform up to Burke and company’s expectations.

Claude Julien – After last season’s playoff collapse, one must wonder how long of a leash Julien has attached to his name. After completing his third full season as head coach of the club, adding three straight playoff births, it might not be as short of a leash as some of the other coaches but something has to give.

Since taking over the team at the start of the 2007-08 season, Julien and his Bruins have not had a losing record. However, though plagued by injuries last season, it was his worst season with the club as they posted a record of 39-30-13.  Add to that the historic playoff blunder and assume as we are that Peter Chiarelli is keeping a close eye on Julien and his progress to start the season.

The Bruins have not been to the Conference finals since the 1991-92 season and have not earned the chance to play for the Stanley Cup since 1989-90. Teasing their fanbase for the past three years, last season plunged the knife through the hearts of the organizations faithful.

Julien, at one time, helped a disgruntled forward in Michael Ryder re-ignite his scoring touch, only to have it disappear the next (last) season. As we have been creating a common theme within this writing, sometimes the players just lose touch with their coaches and their ears no longer truly hear what the coach has to say. If such is the case in Boston, there could very much be a change as soon as January. Would we hold our breathe on this one? No, but stranger things have happened, especially around the NHL.

Todd McLellan – The San Jose Sharks – on black and white – for years have been considered a powerhouse and dominant team throughout the regular season.  However, their playoff failures have been the only consistency in their game. McLellan stepped in, replacing Ron Wilson, and has had the same success…err…situations arise. Yet no one points the finger at the coaching in San Jose.  Most use Joe Thornton as the scape goat when such is not the case, especially this past playoff season.

In two full seasons with the Sharks, McLellan has a record of 104-38-22 which is good for a winning percentage of .634 – during the regular season. He has coached his team to the quaterfinals in 2009 and the conference finals in 2010. But it was these very same Sharks that were – according to the experts – on the Stanley Cup path both years under McLellan and prior.

With two major player personnel changes from the organization this season, Rob Blake‘s retirement and Evgeni Nabokov bolting for the KHL, there are new faces swimming with the regulars.  Stanley Cup Champion goaltender Antti Niemi as well as goaltender Antero Niittymaki will be called upon in likely a #1a/#1b type scenario to attempt to carry this team to the promise land yet again this season. If there is another early playoff exit by the Sharks again this season, the finger will need to be pointed and the axe dropped.

Paul Maurice – It may come as a strange situation for some of you readers to see Maurice on this list. It’s not that Marucie is a bad coach, it seems to be more of the fact of the matter that with the team in transition, the players ears may be closing to the coaches mouth.  Anytime you lose the confidence of your team – they simply can not follow a simple game plan or the thoughts of the head coach – there needs to be a change.  Although last season the ‘Canse were plagued by injuries and issues, there is going to be a close eye on Maurice to start the season. Will he be able to have his team respond from an off year and show positives and signs of life throughout the first portion of the season?  Of course, only time permits the answer to that question.

The season is right around the corner. Thus far, it truly has the makings to be a very exciting season at that.  Who will be the first NHL coach axed in your opinion, if any? Here is to hoping for solid seasons all around and know that we do not wish any ill will among any of those employed by the National Hockey League – from staff, to players, to coaches, to upper management and beyond.

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS NHL Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuy_AC

Dave Strehle
NHLHS NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

The Philadelphia Flyers have officially signed Nikolai Zherdev. Per club policy, terms were not disclosed (via flyers.nhl.com)

When word got out via Teemu H. (@euroflyers) and Puck Daddy’s Dmitry Chesnokov (@dchesnokov) on Twitter that the Philadelphia Flyers were in the process of signing former-NHL right wing Nikolai Zherdev, it seemed a curious move by GM Paul Holmgren.

First of all, without being able to move any contracts, Holmgren will have massive issues in maintaining his salary structure within the guidelines of the upper cap limit.

Also, some would say that Zherdev and the Flyers are not a good mix…at all.  The 25-year-old native of the Ukraine has never had any questions regarding his abilities.  He is one of the most talented hockey players in the world.

The doubts are in reference to a lack of concern for the defensive end of the ice, and his commitment and willingness to compete at a high level on an every-night basis.

A year removed from the NHL, Zherdev played for Mytishchi Atlant of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2009-10.  The team consisted of such ex-NHLers as Jiri Novotny, Jan Bulis, Oleg Petrov, Oleg Kvasha, among others.  And Zherdev finished third in club scoring with 13 goals and 39 points in 52 contests.

The fourth overall selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Zherdev had been an enigma thoughout his five seasons in the NHL with both Columbus and the New York Rangers.

Over the course of 365 NHL contests, Zherdev has recorded 99 goals and 239 points.  He has scored 20+ goals in three different seasons, with his career-high of 27 coming during the 2005-06 campaign.

But his mix of skill and nonchalance has driven coaches crazy.

In Columbus he clashed with then-head coach Ken Hitchcock, who is all about defensive responsibility, as many of the players that were here during Hitch’s tenure as head coach of the Flyers will attest.

When he was dealt to the New York Rangers prior to the 2008-09 season, he got to play for Tom Renney, and later John Tortorella after Renney was fired.

But as was announced today, Zherdev has (finally) inked the one-year deal, believed to be worth between $2-3 million.

Zherdev has teased his former teams with flashes of what he could be if he reached his full potential.  And that’s where Philadelphia head coach Peter Laviolette comes into the picture.

Laviolette could be the perfect coach with which to extract the best from Zherdev moving forward.  His up tempo style fits right in with Zherdev’s skating abilities, and could be just what is needed to keep the 6′ 2″, 197 pound winger involved in the game.

Laviolette’s patience was a big key in helping struggling winger Scott Hartnell get his act together during Philly’s postseason run to the Finals.  The coach had a talk with Hartnell after game three of the Boston Bruins series, telling him that he needed more from him.  He kept Hartnell in the lineup, and was rewarded with arguably Hartnell’s best play of the entire season.  Hartnell was one of the best Flyers’ forwards in the Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.

So we know the downside of signing Zherdev.  But what about the upside?

Simply put, Zherdev represents something that has not been present on the Orange-and-Black in years, a true game-breaking sniper on the right side.

Laviolette has had to move Danny Briere, Jeff Carter, Claude Giroux, Darroll Powe all natural centers, to man the wings.  Zherdev is a natural right wing and is more comfortable with the position than the transplanted centers.

Having another natural winger will allow those players to more at their more familiar position.

And with many wingers currently on the roster cut from almost the exact same mold, limited offensively and strong defensively, Zherdev’s offense is a welcomed addition.

Affect on Gagne

But it may mean the end of the line for Simon Gagne in a Flyers’ uniform.

Last week it was reported that Gagne had waived his no-trade clause, and there were rumors of trade talks with the Los Angeles Kings.

But yesterday, Gagne told RDS.ca that he never waived his NTC.

This led to speculation that Gagne may be waived if a trade is not readily available for the 30-year-old winger.  Darren Dreger of TSN reported as much via Twitter.

There is no doubt that the cap space that Holmgren had available to him has disappeared, and depending on the amount of Zherdev’s pact, are almost-certainly over the limit.  And there is still the matter of unsigned RFA Daniel Carcillo and UFA Arron Asham.

But is moving another natural winger like Gagne and his $5.25 million contract the best course of action?  It would seem that with the glut of centers (Mike Richards, Carter, Giroux, Briere, Betts, Powe), maybe dealing a pivot would be the better choice.

Holmgren is far from done in his summer of re-tooling his club, but it seems that with every move he makes, two more are needed.

Stay tuned…

Taking a Flyer: Coincidentally, Flyers defensive prospect Denis Bodrov also saw action in 12 games for Mytishchi Atlant last season before being brought over to North America, where he finished the year with the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

Pat Quinn has stepped down as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers today and is now replaced by Tom Renney, Quinn will stay with the club as a senior advisor to hockey. This move comes as a bit surprising to Oiler fans as most figured Quinn would stick around and help gel these young sparkplug players into a solid nucleus for years to come. Quinn may figure that it is much too large of a task to deal with and the frustration he dealt with last season with the Oilers may have proved to be to much.

Tom Renney will do a fine job handling the youthful Oilers but does face a daunting task in doing so. While Renney was hired as an assistant most understood he would be taking the realms from Quinn sooner or later but after 1 year it is much earlier then expected.

A lot more to come with the Oilers heading into draft day so this is just the beginning of what should be an exciting off-season for Edmonton.

Stay tuned…

Trent Kondo
NHLHS Edmonton Oilers Correspondent
tkondo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @TK0N

strong>Central

• Tim Sassone of The Daily Herald calls last night’s game one of the worst of the season.  ”That might have been one that was at the bottom of the heap,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville.
• Raffi Torres should be one of the names moved come March 3rd.  ”It’s out of my hands,” Torres said. “I’d love to stay here, and I hope I’m not hurting my cause (by scoring and driving up trade value). It’s a great city, a great organization, a great thing to be a part of.”
• The Red Wings’ most recent loss unraveled in the third period.  ”I thought we played real well the first two periods,” Nicklas Lidstrom said. “They had a couple of chances, but we were able to spend a lot of time in their zone and create a lot of chances. I thought it got away from us a little bit there in the last 10 minutes.”
• John Glennon of the Tennessean writes a touching story about Joel Ward.  Ward’s biological father passed away when he was 14, while his stepfather came into the picture at 17.  The latter, Rodger Minard, joins Ward for the second year in a row at the father’s trip.
• Are the Blues underachieving or simply not that good?  Dan O’Neill of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch goes over both sides of the theory.

Northwest

• Sad days in Calgary as Jarome Iginla clearly seems upset about his and his team’s recent play.  “The desire is still there,’’ Iginla said. “The leadership (questions) . . . I understand that it happens when you lose a game the way we did (Monday) night.”
• Kyle Cumiskey constantly overcomes obstacles.  He continues to play physically despite his 5’10″ stature and continues to play well despite his playing partner.  ”I don’t think it really matters who he plays with,”coach Joe Sacco said.
• Coach Pat Quinn implemented yet another bag skate following the Oilers recent 6-0 trouncing.  ”What you’re doing is purging a bad performance … you’re getting rid of it all by sweating and getting mad and all that sort of stuff,” said coach Tom Renney.
• The Minnesota Wild placed Petr Sykora on waivers and welcomed Brent Burns back to the team.  Coach Todd Richards welcomed the change with an intense practice.  ”I would have liked to have chosen to do something different today, but where we’re at, this is what we needed to do,” Richards said.
• Why are the Sedin Twins so great?  Mike Halford and Jason Brough of the Province discuss their greatness in detail.

Pacific

• The Ducks now won seven of their last eight games.  ”We knew from the beginning we had a pretty decent team,” goaltender Jonas Hiller said.
• Joe Nieuwendyk and the Stars plan on facing adversity when they make their next road trip.  ”I think you have to face adversity, and you have to overcome it,” Nieuwendyk said. “That’s just part of the business no matter who you are.”
• Rich Hammond believes last night’s 5-1 loss by the Kings will prove pivotal, despite 30 games remaining in the season.  “We have to grab a hold of these opportunities,’’ Kings coach Terry Murray said.
• Jim Gintonio of The Arizona Republic discusses exactly what the Coyotes need to do in order to make the playoffs. Long stretches on the road could prevent the team from making the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
• Torrey Mitchell took part in his first NHL fight, winning the kudos of his teammates.

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