Hockey News

Therrien, Talbot show magic touch
"That is where the Penguins' fourth line -- however it is composed -- does its best work. Roberts retrieved the biscuit and whipped a quick backhanded pass to Talbot, who fired a perfect shot over Martin Biron's glove to send a pensive Mellon Arena crowd into a tizzy. It proved to be the game-winner in a 4-2 victory. "We have a lot of chemistry," Laraque said. "That's our secret -- play down low, and we know chances are going to come.""
Pittsburgh Tribune Review May 12
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Penguins show they can play rough as well
"A team that gives you the white-glove treatment, killing you softly with pretty passes and deft skating, then politely asking your forgiveness. But there's another side to the Flyers' opponent in the Eastern Conference finals. That side shows a snarling Penguin, the side that trades in the white gloves for balled fists, the side willing to deliver bone-jarring hits."
Philadelphia Daily News May 12
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Steady Richards doing all he can for Flyers
"And Mike Richards still leads them. The tougher it gets, the more obvious he becomes. He scored both of the Flyers' goals in their Game 1 loss to the Penguins, banging away and banging away some more on a night when his team really didn't play very well, when his team really struggled against this fine Pittsburgh machine."
Philadelphia Daily News May 12
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Fine, no suspension for Dallas Stars’ Ribeiro
"The NHL fined Mike Ribeiro, Chris Osgood and Steve Ott for actions they took in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, but suspended nobody for today's Game 3. Still, the war of words between the Stars and Red Wings continued. "I don't know if it was that bad of a slashing to be talked to," Ribeiro said when asked if he was talked to by the league for a match penalty for slashing Osgood, the Detroit goalie."
Dallas Morning News May 12
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Wings hit, just aren’t hitting back
They've had their toughness challenged again, this time by a bunch of trash-talking Texans who wear black hats back home on the ranch and by a Canadian coach wearing a pink suit. So, in that sense, you could say the Wings are taking on all comers at this point."
Detroit News May 12
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Dallas Stars think return home will provide lift
"Goalie Marty Turco believes a return to American Airlines Center for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals should be inspiring for the Stars. Turco said the Stars, who trail the Detroit Red Wings, 2-0, in the best-of-7 series, look forward to soaking up the aura that's left over from the four-overtime Game 6 victory that closed out the San Jose Sharks last week."
Dallas Morning News May 12
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Coyotes prospect Wheeler turns pro
"Coyotes prospect Blake Wheeler, the team’s first-round pick in 2004 (fifth overall), has left the University of Minnesota after three seasons to turn pro, his agent Matt Keator said. Wheeler, 21, announced his decision Friday, and Phoenix has 30 days to sign him or he will become a free agent. Keator said the two sides have already had preliminary talks."
East Valley Tribune May 12
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Flyers now in a 2-0 hole
"The physical wear and tear of playing 14 hard-fought playoff games is beginning to show on the Flyers and could detour their chances of playing in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 11 years. With fans in Mellon Arena cheerfully chanting "Go Home Flyers," the Flyers absorbed another crushing loss and a potentially devastating injury in Pittsburgh Sunday night, falling 4-2 to the Penguins."
Courierpost May 12
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Co-owner: Waddell hasn’t been asked to step down
"First he said it. Then he e-mailed it, just to make sure he wasn't misunderstood. Atlanta Spirit co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. wanted to make one point clear: Thrashers general manager Don Waddell wasn't asked to step down.At this point, that's about all that's clear.Reports circulated on Friday night that Waddell was asked to step aside as the Thrashers general manager..."
Atlanta Journal Constitution May 11
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Goalie feels a little tender
"The long list of injured Bruins grew a little longer last week when Tim Thomas, in net for Team USA at the World Championships, wrenched his left knee in a qualifying game against Team Canada at Halifax."Any time you get hurt, you're scared a little," said Thomas, who once again was Boston's workhorse in net this season, posting an impressive..."
Boston Globe May 11
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Ribeiro could be suspended
"Emotions boiled over in the final seconds of Detroit's 2-1 victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena that gave the Red Wings a 2-0 series lead.After the game ended, Ribeiro was standing behind the Red Wings' net and reached over the net, making a two-handed slash with his stick to goalie Chris Osgood's chest."
Dallas Morning News May 11
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No Mule? No problem! Stubborn Wings win without Franzen
"The Mule was in the barn, but he wasn't needed for this job.Even without the services of Johan Franzen, the NHL's playoff scoring leader, the Wings still beat the Dallas Stars, 2-1, in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena.Franzen was a late scratch because of concussion-like symptoms."
Detroit News May 11
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Red Wings still have Turco’s number
" It's up to Turco to shut them up. He didn't do it Saturday night.Again.After a 2-1 loss to Detroit, the Stars goalie is 0-9-2 at Joe Louis Arena."It's not a biggie for me. I want to win here," Turco said. "Given the situation of the team and the fact that we're in the playoffs, this is a great opportunity for me."
Dallas Morning News May 11
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Franzen is out at least two games
"The Red Wings' joyride to the Stanley Cup Finals hit an unexpected bump in the road Saturday.Johan Franzen, the NHL's leading scorer this postseason with 12 goals, was a late scratch for Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Saturday night. Wings general manager Ken Holland said Franzen is suffering from "concussion-like symptoms"..."
Detroit News May 11
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Who’s next for Avalanche?
"Of the two most frequently mentioned Avalanche coaching candidates so far, about the only thing Patrick Roy and Pat Burns have in common is their first name.Well, not quite. Both were on the same team in Montreal from 1988-91, with Burns as the coach and Roy as the goalie.But after that, there are vast discrepancies in their coaching..."
Denver Post May 11
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Flyers don’t seem to faze Fleury
"It's too early in the Eastern Conference finals to jump to conclusions, but it's probably safe to suggest that deep inside their big hearts, the Flyers are pining for Carey Price.Price, as Flyers fans remember fondly, is the 20-year-old Montreal goalie undone by the Flyers' crash-the-net tactics in the semifinals."
Philadelphia Inquirer May 11
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Malkin’s inner fire raging
"Dark side, mean streak -- whatever you want to call it, Evgeni Malkin has one.Which isn't necessarily a bad thing for a hockey player.This is a man who modeled his restaurant after a maximum-security Russian prison, complete with barred windows, aluminum forks and waitresses in striped suits ("Men's room? Sure, to the left of the bar, just past the alligator-filled moat.")."
Pittsburgh Tribune Review May 11
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Steelers, Pirates supporting Penguins
"When the Steelers held mini-camp last weekend after the NFL Draft, the locker-room talk wasn't centered around first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall's potential carries or whether second-rounder Limas Sweed will eventually become Ben Roethlisberger's favorite receiver.Instead, they focused on finding ways to get the hottest ticket in town, for Penguins' Stanley Cup playoff games."
Pittsburgh Tribune Review May 11
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Leafs appear to be on the trail of the fired
"Probe deeply enough into any hockey man's resumé and you're inevitably going to find failure.It is in the nature of sports that, as the old saying goes, you can't win them all. Learning how to deal with defeat is one of the prerequisites for being a final-analysis winner."
The Toronto Star May 11
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Flyers get some extra motivation
"If the Flyers needed any extra incentive to knot their best-of-seven playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they got it in the form of a column by Ron Cook in Saturday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.After getting beaten 4-2 Friday night in what many Flyers said was their worst game of the playoffs, they woke up to read this..."
Courierpost May 11
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Staal’s four goals ignite Canada’s offence
"In its quest for world dominance, Team Canada has clearly reached one of its goals -- by scoring 10 of them.Let there be no more doubt -- at least until they meet Finland -- this team is in fact bigger, stronger, starrier and more potent than its most immediate predecessor, just like everybody had been saying for the first four games of the world hockey championship."
Edmonton Journal May 11
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Lemaire says he’ll return to lead Wild
"Jacques Lemaire has 11 Stanley Cup championship rings, 500 victories as a coach and is widely considered one of the best coaches in the NHL.Yet despite all he has done as a player, executive and coach, Lemaire still needed a little reassurance from Minnesota general manager Doug Risebrough before deciding to return for an eighth season behind the Wild bench."
Charlotte Observer May 11
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Detroit Red Wings’ immovable objects take control around the goal
"Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen carries the nickname "Mule," both for his stubbornness and his inability to be moved. Entering Game 2 against the Dallas Stars, Franzen, 28, has scored a playoff-best 12 goals and is stalking the NHL record of 19 in one playoff season. Nearly all of his goals have come within three feet of the crease, continuing a trend established by teammate Tomas Holmstrom."
Dallas Morning News May 10
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Malkin: The Russian the Flyers couldn’t stop
"Now from Russia with no love lost for the Flyers is Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, the gifted 21-year-old who got a popcorn shower from Flyers fans during a Penguins visit to the Wachovia Center this season. The Flyers got their first postseason look at Malkin last night in the Penguins' 4-2 win at Mellon Arena. This time, the chamber was loaded."
Philadelphia Inquirer May 10
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Flyers play a game they can’t win
"What were they thinking? Minus Kimmo Timonen, their best defenseman, the quarterback of their power play and the facilitator of their fast-break, what were the Flyers doing trying to play run-and-gun with the Penguins on Friday night at Mellon Arena? Here it was, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, a time for grit and character and patience and, above all else, puck possession. "
Pittsburgh Tribune Review May 10
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