SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF

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1 SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF Anaheim Ducks Ducks defeat Phoenix Coyotes, 4-1, as Nik Hagman scores twice Ducks find some offense, beat Coyotes Ducks find it shocking to have fallen so low Final: Ducks 4, Coyotes Ducks defeat Phoenix, escape from basement Bruins-Senators Sums Boston Bruins Bruins break free from the Senators Game 30: Bruins at Senators Tonight's Bruins lineup Zdeno Chara skates for first time since injury, likely out tonight Final: Bruins 5, Senators Bruins beat Senators 5-2, take lead in East For Zdeno Chara, return date gets closer Not E-Z for Bruins Buffalo Sabres Power play skill keeps Sabres' Gragnani on ice Sabres' Leino sidelined for weeks with injury Around the practice rink: A late start The hits keep rolling: Leino out weeks The hits keep rolling: Leino out weeks Ruben gets it because he gives Calgary Flames Game Day: Flames at Lightning Tampa s system doesn t concern Flames Tanguay returns to scene of struggles Tanguay recalls terrible time in Tampa L.A. story for Sutter? Flames have zero jump early Carolina Hurricanes While Skinner and Pitkanen wait, Harrison recovers Canes' Skinner, Pitkanen out indefinitely with concussions Canes recall Peters; Murphy reassigned to Checkers Canes must march on without star players DeCock: What to do about 'heady' issue? Chicago Blackhawks Hawks Game Day: Scoreless with Wild after 1 period Blackhawks' Bolland draws ire of Canucks coach Scott returns to Blackhawks' lineup Bolland's insult of Sedin twins gets irate response Blackhawks 4, Wild 3: A little flash by P. Kane clinches it in shootout A goal from Michael Frolik provides Hawks with pick-me-up Kane dazzles in Hawks shootout win Blackhawks beat league-leading Minnesota Blackhawks look to upend Wild tonight Sweet Kane SO goal caps well-played game by Hawks Kane steals Toews' milestone show as Hawks gain ground Colorado Avalanche Avs bring back Van Der Gulik to replace Yip "Landy" looking great to Colorado Avalanche NHL 12/15/2011 Columbus Blue Jackets County likely to approve arena deal next week Season status report Jenner makes the cut Jackets-Kings preview County likely to approve arena deal next week Blue Jackets notebook: Mason takes practical approach after win Recent deaths get attention of Blue Jackets' Boll Dallas Stars Stars' Eric Nystrom on playing his hometown Islanders: 'We've got to win' Mark Fistric back, but Stars' pairings are playing well without him Stars to start Richard Bachman against Islanders; Raycroft confident Heika: Richard Bachman's NHL arrival has been years in the making Gosselin: NHL's realignment plan gives Sun Belt clubs a shot at survival Stars-Islanders preview: Stars square off with cold goalie Al Montoya Detroit Red Wings Speedy Chris Conner earning playing time on Red Wings' third line Red Wings players react to concussion rate Griffins' Gustav Nyquist remains humble despite being one of AHL's top scoring rookies Forward Chris Conner's determination catches eye of Red Wings' staff, teammates RED WINGS: Chris Conner makes his mark Lions DT Suh on field for 1st time since his stomp Detroit Red Wings beat injury-plagued Penguins Edmonton Oilers Khabibulin turning back the clock this season Khabibulin just had a little R 'n' R Oilers' farm hands keep plowing ahead Potter ready to prove his worth once again It's becoming numbers game for Oilers Oilers' Potter set to return Rested Khabibulin back with Oilers Florida Panthers How Bad are the Florida Panthers in Shootouts? Bad. Really Bad Shootouts bring unhappy endings for the Florida Panthers Shootouts bring unhappy endings for the Florida Panthers Panthers may be on prowl for destination resort casino Fatigued Panthers hope few days off can revive winning ways SunPanthers lose zip in 3-2 shootout loss to Devils Minnesota Wild Wednesday (Wild/Jets rivalry could arrive just in time) edition: Wha' Happened? Bouchard out vs. Blackhawks; Zanon is scratched Bouchard has broken nose; Cullen, Zidlicky to return?; Laughing Yeo tired of Heatley being booed Wild Continued Wild's 7-game win streak ends in Winnipeg; Bouchard injured Wild-Chicago game recap Reusse: Quiche, chardonnay and the new Blackhawks/Wild rivalry Wild rallies for point, makes one Toews, Kane lead Blackhawks past Wild 4-3 in SO

2 One broken nose, one concussion setback Minnesota Wild reassign Prosser to Houston Minnesota Wild recall Peters Wild's Bouchard might be out tonight against Chicago Ref's cheap call pumps up Wild Shootout loss leaves Wild feeling the thrill of defeat Blackhawks 4, Wild 3 (SO): Minnesota rallies twice, but Chicago wins in shootout Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens' fans have extra reasons to cheer on Team Canada Montreal Canadiens will have to be disciplined against powerful Flyers The Montreal Canadiens, seen from an academic perspective Habs' prospects set to test world's top juniors Habs' aversion to disclosure is legendary Nashville Predators Shea Weber shoots, scores from upper deck of Bridgestone Arena Game preview: Predators vs. Detroit Red Wings Brendan Shanahan talks safety with Nashville Predators Predators still riding good feelings from rally at Columbus New Jersey Devils Kurtis Foster impresses GM Lou Lamoriello in Devils debut X-rays negative on Devils defenseman Henrik Tallinder's left wrist Your comments: Devils win again in shootout Devils ready for Zajac New York Islanders Ness or de Haan might make NHL debut New York Rangers A Hired Gun Can Help During N.H.L. Shootouts HBO breaks ice with first episode of '24/7 Flyers/Rangers: Road to the Winter Classic' on Wednesday night Rangers recall defenseman Erixon What a pain, but Lundqvist will play '24/7' gets shot it really wants: Rangers Artem Anisimov NHL A City Embraces the Soul of Its Team Injured Chara goes for a spin NHL's all-concussion team would be lock for Stanley Cup Domi's son charts own path Ottawa Senators Scanlan: Senators adjust to life without Michalek More of the same as Thomas dominates Senators Senators too young to keep up with B's Michalek concussion a huge blow to Sens Michalek sidelined with concussion Philadelphia Flyers Schenn, Lilja return to practice Preview: HBO's 24/7 Flyers-Rangers Pinpointing Pronger's concussion Flyers Notes: Zolnierczyk impressive at center Flyers' Schenn skates in practice Rich Hofmann: Stitching together hockey life for all to see Flyers to update Pronger's condition today Reviewing HBO's 24/ Flyers rout Caps for sixth straight win Pronger examined, results coming Thursday PUNCH SHOTS: Some mascots not worth fighting for Flyers brass finally calls Giroux 'concussed' Winter Classic: Preliminary schedule of Events Winter Classic: HBO '24/7' debuts tonight; watch promo trailer here Winter Classic: Lindros, LeClair to do charity signing at Granite Run Mall AROUND THE RINKS: Concussions nag Crosby, Giroux No Chris or Claude, but Flyers still cruise over Caps Winter Classic Countdown: Flyers brass finally calls Giroux 'concussed' FLYERS Shelley spreading good will in locker room PARENT: Eric Lindros tackling taboo topic... concussions, anyone? Injury update: Pronger met with neurologists Schenn practices in full after layoff Around the Web: A '24/7' worthy meltdown Bourdon proving to be perfect fit for Flyers Flyers built to withstand Giroux, Pronger injuries Can the Flyers afford Matt Carle? Phoenix Coyotes Coyotes fall to Ducks for third consecutive loss Pittsburgh Penguins Concussions continuing to nag NHL stars Pens' Michalek is due back against Ottawa Penguins tattered but not torn apart Michalek brothers deal with concussions San Jose Sharks Sharks' McLellan on his job safety: 'Not concerned one bit' San Jose Sharks report for Thursday's game vs. Colorado Avalanche Concussions sideline several top NHL stars St Louis Blues Blues' D'Agostini back on ice after concussion tests Blues brace for HBO's new stars, the Rangers Rangers-Blues matchup Tampa Bay Lightning Lightning in a fight to keep their heads above water Tampa Bolts' Roloson upbeat despite dismal numbers Lightning lose Miettinen on waivers to Winnipeg Bolts rally but lose in Yzerman's return to Detroit Is the Tampa Bay Lightning close to calling up G Dustin Tokarski from AHL Norfolk? Dwayne Roloson can't explain shaky Tampa Bay Lightning performance Game preview: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Calgary Flames Tampa Bay Lightning, loser of 11 of 15, sticking together Toronto Maple Leafs Connolly heads for old stomping grounds Connolly prepares for return to Buffalo Junior squad cuts Leafs prospect Buffalo spotlight on Leafs' Connolly Vancouver Canucks Bieksa spins shootout 'defence' Canucks still D-pending on fourth-line help

3 Canucks coach blasts Blackhawk 'bird seed' Bolland over Sedin 'sisters' crack Blackhawk Dave Bolland rips Canucks' Sedin 'sisters' on Chicago radio talk show Bolland and Sedins in Sister Act II Gillis dismisses MacLean, takes a jab at Milbury and, yet again, defends Henrik and Daniel Sedin Canucks respond to Dave Bolland, call him a "birdseed" Washington Capitals On Hockey: Capitals have a goalie problem, but there s no quick fix What s the solution to the Capitals goalie problem? A look at the Capitals stats through the first third of the season Jay Beagle, Matt Hendricks will make trip with Capitals Update: George McPhee discusses Mike Green s groin injury Capitals defensive-zone coverage erodes against Flyers DALY: We ve seen this lifeless look from the Capitals Rash of soft scores turning goaltending into area of concern for Capitals Status of Capitals Mike Green still unclear Flyers Jagr hears boos, gets last laugh against the Capitals Another ugly loss for the Capitals With Capitals, Hunter uses a different sort of motivation Websites ESPN / Trophy Tracker: Norris Trophy candidates ESPN / Mike Yeo, Wild telling a winning story ESPN / Daily Debate: Can the league do more to prevent head injuries? FOXSports.com / Selanne's return to Winnipeg sparks nostalgia NBCSports.com / All Darryl Sutter has to do is say yes to the Kings NBCSports.com / Dave Bolland calls Sedin twins sisters and rips Vancouver a new one NBCSports.com / Bogosian will hear from the league for hitting Bouchard from behind NBCSports.com / The Canucks are plenty pissed at birdseed Bolland NBCSports.com / Caps GM says Green suffered significant groin injury NBCSports.com / PHT Oddsmaker: Let s gamble on the NHL CNN/Sports Illustrated / Isles find unlikely gem in Moulson Sportsnet.ca / Colby the clown Sportsnet.ca / The talent of Tim Sportsnet.ca / No such thing as a lock Wall Street Journal / The Worst Hockey Game Ever YAHOO SPORTS / Coaching uncertainty leaves Los Angeles in limbo Winnipeg Jets No ban for Bogo Winnipeg's male hockey fans lobby for return of urinal trough to cut lineups Jets bounce up off mat HIGHLIGHT REEL Jets 2 / Wild Wild night in Winnipeg: But, that's the norm in this here hockey-mad town WINNIPEG JETS New hand Miettinen not ready for Caps Bogosian avoids suspension, and here's why The LITTLE THINGS From hurt to high speed Jets Report Jets fever is catching on Noel a master juggler Jets fans petition for return of urinal troughs Jets fever is catching on Lineup questions remain for Jets SPORT-SCAN, INC Anaheim Ducks Ducks defeat Phoenix Coyotes, 4-1, as Nik Hagman scores twice By Lisa Dillman 11:36 PM PST, December 14, 2011 The Ducks managed to climb out of the NHL basement after landing there with a resounding thud a day earlier. The lights flicked back on from unexpected sources and an old friend and managed to stay on during the Ducks' 4-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night at Honda Center. That's no small feat this season, considering the Ducks' proclivity for blowing leads of two goals and, no less, a three-goal lead in Bruce Boudreau's first game as their coach on Dec. 2. This was their first win in three games and they are tied for 28th in the NHL, jumping back over Columbus. "I thought this was the hardest I've seen a team work this year, that I've been coaching," Boudreau said. "And that includes the Capitals too. The unexpected sources were Ducks goal-scorers Rod Pelley, Nik Hagman and Kyle Palmieri. Hagman, playing on a line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, scored twice for his 15th career multigoal game, the first goal coming on a power play. And the old friend? That was the much-missed, offense-minded defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, who played his first game in more than a month, having been out because of a broken finger on his hand. He suffered the injury on Nov. 11 against Vancouver. Not only did the Ducks win just twice in the 13 games he missed, but they also greatly missed his skillful ways on the power play and his natural exuberance. Visnovsky played a game-high 24-plus minutes, assisted on the game's first goal, by Pelley in the first period, and had seven shots on goal and four blocked shots. "Let's go play all season like this," he said, beaming. Said Boudreau: "You could tell that he was sorely missed for the last 13 games. Just look at the team's record when he was out. He's a dynamic player and when he's in, it gives you another advantage. You don't have to play Cam [Fowler] for 26 minutes. You need your best players to be your best players and Lubo was again tonight." Visnovsky felt fairly certain he would be able to play Wednesday, especially after a decent practice Tuesday. But even at 35, he admitted to feeling more nervous. "You know, like new coach, new system," Visnovsky said.

4 "I don't play for month and it's like pressure because everybody, 'Lubo's back. Lubo's back.'" Back to the unexpected sources. Pelley, who was acquired in a trade with New Jersey on Monday, scored in his Ducks debut, showing a nice burst of speed down the wing in going around Coyotes defenseman Adrian Aucoin. Pelley had not scored since Jan. 17, when he was with the Devils. Hagman, pulled off waivers from Calgary earlier this season, looked sharp with Getzlaf and Perry. "It's nice to see. If we can get him back to scoring the way he used to, then it sure adds a dynamic that we haven't had for a while. He could have had four or five" goals, Boudreau said. "Corey [Perry] was putting them on his tape in the third period. But two is good." Said Hagman: "It's nice to get into the game. I've known all the time that I can score goals.... It's nice to get a bit of a reward. Obviously, there has been really tough times and when you are not playing a lot, seven or eight minutes a game. You feel like there is no faith in you and it's tough to go and light it up. But obviously it's something you've just got to believe. "I've been trying to work hard all the time and do things well in practice and eventually it'll happen. If not then, it wasn't meant to happen." LA Times: LOADED: Anaheim Ducks Ducks find some offense, beat Coyotes By ERIC STEPHENS / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ANAHEIM In their first game as the resident of the NHL's basement, the Ducks found a few different keys that opened the door for an escape Wednesday night. A surprisingly easy 4-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes was powered by Niklas Hagman's first two-goal game for his latest team, Rod Pelley scoring in his Ducks debut and Kyle Palmieri netting his second career goal. For one of the few times this season, the Ducks (9-16-5) played up to their potential instead of finding a multitude of ways to lose games. Hagman provided the big lift with scores at each end of the second period to build a 3-1 lead. "It's nice to see," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "If we can get him back to scoring the way he used to, it sure adds a dynamic that we haven't had for a while." Hagman got his first two-goal game since April 10, 2010, with Calgary and had two chances at his third career hat trick stoned by Coyotes goalie Mike Smith. "The whole team played really well," he said. "I managed to get a couple of goals. I had chances to do more too, but it was good that we didn't need more than those tonight." The Ducks leaped out of the league cellar over Columbus with one of their best efforts of the season, sparked first when Pelley left behind Phoenix defenseman Adrian Aucoin and beat Smith in the opening period. Lubomir Visnovsky also returned from a 13-game absence because of a broken finger by playing more than 24 minutes and helping set up Pelley's tally. He also had a game-high seven shots and quarterbacked a smoothrunning power play. Said Visnovsky: "I feel like (it was) my first game this season because I don't play (for) a long time." Palmieri capped the scoring when he got his stick on a Bobby Ryan's onetimer in just his second game since being recalled from Syracuse, where he led the American Hockey League with 17 goals. Orange County Register: LOADED: Anaheim Ducks Ducks find it shocking to have fallen so low By ERIC STEPHENS / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ANAHEIM The last time the Ducks took on the Phoenix Coyotes, Luca Sbisa was standing in a quiet visitors locker room saying "it seems like we're scared of winning" after a 4-2 loss the night before Thanksgiving. Five games later after a 5-3 home loss to Minnesota, the refreshingly candid young defenseman said "we're at rock bottom right now." On Wednesday, Sbisa and his teammates were in their own locker room preparing for another matchup with the Coyotes this time as the NHL's worst team. "Are we? Seriously?" Sbisa asked. "It's a terrible dream which I've never had. It would have been in my top five worst dreams ever. It's embarrassing." Rock bottom truly arrived in black and white after the Ducks and their 21 points officially fell into the league basement Tuesday night when previous tenant Columbus defeated Vancouver in a shootout. Two triumphs in 13 games and four over 24 contests represent the worst stretch in franchise history, with a Stanley Cup-winning coach paying the price for much of that. It has left Sbisa and others dazed and confused at how things went so bad so quickly for a team most saw before the season as a likely playoff participant. "If someone would have told me in training camp that you guys would be a last place team, I would have said get out of here. Right?" Sbisa said. "But we put ourselves in this situation. We've got to get ourselves out of it." At this moment, the Ducks are much closer to being in the running for the top pick in the 2012 NHL draft. Sbisa remains earnest and hopeful of a turnaround that has to happen quickly but also doesn't ignore how they've wound up in their current lowly position. "The good thing is it's still pretty early in the season," he said. "If you look at it, we're only how many points out of the playoffs. Eleven? Twelve? It's a lot points but if you think about it, we have a little more than 50 games left. "We should be able to recover that. But we can't be happy how this first third of the season went. It's just not where anyone expected us to be. But we still have the confidence in ourselves that we're going to get out of (the cellar)." Visnovsky returns The Ducks welcomed Lubomir Visnovsky back to the lineup after a 13- game absence because of a broken finger on his right hand. Visnovsky paid immediate dividends in his first game since Nov. 11 as he assisted on Rod Pelley's first-period goal, giving his low-scoring team the kind of playmaking and offensive production it missed as much of that fell on Cam Fowler. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau didn't ease the veteran back in, playing him regular shifts with usual defense partner Toni Lydman. "I'm one of those guys (where) I don't believe in guys giving an excuse already made for themselves like 'Well, I haven't played in a while or it's going to take time to get ready,'" Boudreau said. "If you're ready to play in the National Hockey League, you better be ready to play. I expect him to be as good as he's been." NOTES Center Saku Koivu was put on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 8 because of a persistent lower-body injury. Koivu, who skated Wednesday, has missed the past two games but could be eligible to play Friday in Chicago Orange County Register: LOADED: Anaheim Ducks

5 Final: Ducks 4, Coyotes 1 December 14th, 2011, 9:21 pm posted by JEFF MILLER, OCREGISTER.COM The Ducks received offense from some unexpected sources Wednesday and controlled most of the action, beating Phoenix, 4-1. The victory improved them to under new coach Bruce Boudreau. Niklas Hagman scored twice and Rod Pelley and Kyle Palmieri each scored once for the Ducks (9-16-5). Hagman now has four goals this season. The scores were the first for both Pelley and Palmieri. Pelley was making his Ducks debut. He was acquired Monday in a trade with New Jersey. Palmieri was playing in his second game this year, having been recalled from Syracuse last week. Jonas Hiller stopped 19 of 20 shots from the Coyotes ( ). The game also marked the return of defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky from injury. The Ducks now go back on the road for their next five games, starting Friday at Chicago. Orange County Register: LOADED: Anaheim Ducks Ducks defeat Phoenix, escape from basement By Greg Beacham, The Associated Press Posted: 12/14/ :41:53 PM PST Updated: 12/14/ :32:23 PM PST Niklas Hagman scored two goals, Jonas Hiller made 19 saves and the Ducks earned their second win in six games under new coach Bruce Boudreau, 4-1 over the slumping Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday night at Honda Center. Rod Pelley scored in his Ducks debut and Kyle Palmieri added his first goal of the season for the Ducks, who climbed out of last place in the overall NHL standings with their fifth victory in 25 games. Martin Hanzal scored for Phoenix's NHL-worst power-play unit and Mike Smith stopped 24 shots for the Coyotes, who have lost three straight and five of seven. Phoenix had won four in a row against its Pacific Division rivals, but Smith lost in regulation to the Ducks for the first time in his NHL career. Although the Ducks' goals all came from unlikely contributors, MVP Corey Perry also had two assists and the Ducks got a major boost from the return of Lubomir Visnovsky. The Slovak defenseman missed the past 13 games with a broken finger on his right hand, but he had an assist on Pelley's goal and immediately ran the point on the Ducks' power play while racking up seven shots. Visnovsky was the NHL's top-scoring defenseman last season with 68 points, but struggled early this season with injured fingers on both hands. The Ducks played without center Saku Koivu, who went on injured reserve before missing his second straight game with a lower-body injury. The Coyotes began a stretch of three games in four nights with an unimpressive effort, although their power play scored for just the second time in 10 games. Late in the first period, Pelley blew past Adrian Aucoin along the boards and beat Smith on a breakaway for his first goal with the Ducks, who acquired him from New Jersey on Monday in a four-player trade. Pelley, best known as a rugged penalty-killer and depth forward, hadn't scored an NHL goal since last Jan. 17. The Ducks went up 2-0 early in the second period when Hagman corralled a rebound of Perry's shot and scored the second goal of his 12-game stint with the Ducks, who claimed the Finnish veteran off waivers from Calgary last month. Hanzal trimmed the Ducks' lead when he got a pass from Ray Whitney and beat Hiller for his fifth goal. Phoenix had scored on just two of its previous 46 power plays in the previous 16 games. But Hagman put the Ducks up 3-1 late in the second period with a backhand in front after an exceptional pass from Perry, who anticipated Hagman's move in front of the net. Palmieri then redirected Bobby Ryan's shot in front early in the third period for his first goal since the high-scoring minor leaguer's recall from the AHL last week. Perry tried mightily to get a third goal for Hagman, but Smith robbed the Finnish forward on two good chances late. Hagman had the 15th multigoal game of his career, but his first since April 10, LA Daily News: LOADED: Boston Bruins Bruins-Senators Sums Staff Ottawa First Period--1, Boston, Peverley 6 (Ference, Corvo), 12:10. Penalties-- Lucic, Bos, major (fighting), 11:46 Carkner, Ott, major (fighting), 11:46. Second Period--2, Ottawa, Alfredsson 8 (Spezza), 4:23. 3, Boston, Kelly 12 (Boychuk, Peverley), 13:47. Penalties--Seidenberg, Bos (interference), 5:31 McQuaid, Bos, major-game misconduct (kneeing), 17:45 Konopka, Ott (goaltender interference), 19:40. Third Period--4, Boston, Bergeron 6, 4:54. 5, Boston, Paille 4 (Thornton, Ference), 5:50. 6, Ottawa, Spezza 10 (Phillips, Alfredsson), 15:55. 7, Boston, Paille 5 (Bergeron), 18:56. Penalties--Horton, Bos (high-sticking), 12:43 Marchand, Bos (delay of game), 16:23. Shots on Goal--Boston Ottawa Power-play opportunities--boston 0 of 0 Ottawa 0 of 5. Goalies--Boston, Thomas (49 shots-47 saves). Ottawa, Anderson (29-24). A--18,088 (19,153). T--2:23. Referees--Marc Joannette, Tom Kowal. Linesmen--Steve Barton, Lonnie Cameron. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Bruins break free from the Senators By Fluto Shinzawa OTTAWA - After last night s 5-2 win over the Senators at Scotiabank Place, the Bruins find themselves in a three-game winning streak. They have won the last two without their captain, who is arguably the top shutdown defenseman in the league. Both Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask have performed like No. 1 goalies. They have 41 points, tied with Philadelphia for most in the Eastern Conference.

6 All matchups But last night was nothing close to a three-goal win. Let s not kid ourselves, said coach Claude Julien. I m not sure we were the better team tonight. We re going through - as a team, and not because of injuries - a bit of a challenge right now. I don t think we re executing well. I don t think we re battling as well as we should be. Part of that is that our emotions are not as good as they were when things were going well. We need to pick up our game here. The Bruins gave up 49 shots, including 22 in the third period, to a scrappy Ottawa club missing its top goal scorer in Milan Michalek. They put very little sustained pressure on Craig Anderson. The Bruins allowed far too many good scoring chances that should have turned into goals. Last night, their goaltending and experience trumped their legless play. That s a case of Timmy holding us in there in the first period, said Chris Kelly, who snapped a 1-1 tie in the second period. Then we got our legs under us and got going. Thomas had the good stuff from the start. In the first minute, after Daniel Alfredsson set up Colin Greening for a point-blank chance in the low slot, Thomas moved from left to right to boot out the forward s chance just 36 seconds in. Thomas was equally good late when the Senators kept coming. Only a Jason Spezza high-blocker laser kept Thomas from being perfect in the third, which is when teams need their goalies to come up aces. We ll definitely take the win, said Thomas, who collected 47 saves. But there s room for improvement in our game right now. The Bruins were at their worst in the first. They were careless with the puck. They let the Senators get excellent scoring chances. At one point, Ottawa held a 9-1 shot advantage. Around that time, Matt Carkner came knocking on Milan Lucic s door to inquire if he wanted to fight. It was a curious time for the Senators, given their tilted-ice advantage to that point. In contrast, it was a perfect time for the Bruins. Looking at the situation, it doesn t always have to be [Shawn Thornton] stepping up and giving the team a spark when it comes to stuff like that, Lucic said of the fight at 11:46. It ended up being a good back-and-forth battle there. Lucic sent Carkner backward with an early right. Carkner held strong and gave it back to Lucic. Both heavyweights landed their share of punches. The linesmen busted up the fight with both scrappers on their skates. For Carkner, who has played in only three games because of injuries, it marked his first fight of the season. Twenty-six seconds later, the fight proved to lift the Bruins. After taking a pass from Andrew Ference, Rich Peverley sprinted over the blue line, darted past several defenders, and snapped a shot past Anderson at 12:10 to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. That had a lot to do with it, Julien said of Lucic s fight sparking the club. We were so flat when that happened. He got challenged and he responded well. We scored shortly after that. We almost needed that. The ice just seemed to be tilted in one direction there in the first half of the first. It seemed to pick up our game later in the first. But it wasn t a period to be happy about. Ottawa, trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes, brought the heat early in the third in hopes of the equalizer. But like rebuilding teams often do, the Senators made critical mistakes at bad times. And like defending champions often do, the Bruins burned them for their errors. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa s dynamic offensive defenseman, coughed up the puck inside his blue line. Patrice Bergeron pounced on the puck, threw several dekes on Anderson, and slipped a shot into the net at 4:54. Fifty-six seconds later, the Bruins made the Senators pay again. David Rundblad was pinching deep down the right-side wall in the Boston zone. Karlsson was cheating in the high slot. Ottawa didn t have any forwards rotating back. So when Thornton took a seam pass from Ference, Daniel Paille broke the other way. After collecting Thornton s pass, Paille went fivehole on Anderson (24 saves) to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead. Paille added a second goal at 18:56 to seal the win. The team s finding ways to win right now, Thomas said. Whether we re playing the best hockey or we re at a place where we want to be at or not, that might not be the case. But we re finding ways to win. There s been times during this past month and a half that we have played the way we wanted to. We don t play every game the way we want to. But we re finding ways to win. That s what counts. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Game 30: Bruins at Senators Fluto Shinzawa Share OTTAWA Good morning from Scotiabank Place, where the Bruins will look for their third straight win tonight against the Senators. Zdeno Chara (knee) is scheduled to skate this morning along with Jordan Caron, who was a healthy scratch last night. No word yet on Chara s availability for tonight. Gregory Campbell (foot) will not play. The rest of the players have the morning off. Milan Michalek, the league s leading goal scorer, may not be available for the Senators. Michalek suffered an upper-body injury last night after colliding with teammate Erik Karlsson. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Tonight's Bruins lineup Fluto Shinzawa, Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin Benoit Pouliot-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley Daniel Paille-Zach Hamill-Shawn Thornton Steven Kampfer-Johnny Boychuk Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid Tim Thomas Tuukka Rask Craig Anderson ( , 3.36 GAA,.897 save percentage) will start in goal for the Senators. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Zdeno Chara skates for first time since injury, likely out tonight Fluto Shinzawa, Zdeno Chara has completed a 35-minute skate at Scotiabank Place. It was the first time Chara skated since suffering a left knee injury last Saturday against Columbus at Nationwide Arena. Chara skated with Jordan Caron under the watch of Doug Jarvis. Chara looked smooth during the drills. He did not perform any hard starts or stops. He did not engage in any body contact with Caron.

7 I felt OK, Chara said. First skate. First time on the ice in 3-4 days. I didn t expect to be feeling great. But also, I didn t feel bad. It s a good sign. You re going to have those days. Slowly progressing. Chara will most likely not play tonight against the Senators. Chara will skate again tomorrow as he recovers from the injury. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Final: Bruins 5, Senators 2 Fluto Shinzawa, All done in Ottawa. Not a three-goal game. Bruins capitalized on Ottawa's mistakes. 18:55 3d period: Bruins 5-2 Daniel Paille hammers a slapper over Craig Anderson s glove. Goodnight. 15:55 3d period: Bruins 4-2 Jason Spezza wires a shot high blocker on Tim Thomas. Too many good looks for Senators all night. 5:50 3d period: Bruins 4-1 Shawn Thornton springs Daniel Paille for a breakaway. Paille goes five-hole on Craig Anderson. Terrific pass by Thornton. 4:54 3d period: Bruins 3-1 Patrice Bergeron dekes Craig Anderson to score on breakaway. Flub by Erik Karlsson in defensive zone leads to Bergeron s chance. 20:00 2d period: Bruins 2-1 Late fireworks. Bruins don t care for Zack Smith shot after whistle. 19:11 2d period: Bruins 2-1 Two big stops by Tim Thomas on Daniel Alfredsson. Senators pushing on five-minute PP. 17:45 2d period: Bruins 2-1 Adam McQuaid off for kneeing Nick Foligno. Cut-and-dried five-minute kneeing major. McQuaid sent to room. Foligno goes off with help. 13:47 2d period: Bruins 2-1 Chris Kelly scores on the rebound of a Johnny Boychuk shot. Kelly paying the price in front of the net. Nobody home to clear Kelly out of the danger area. 4:23 2d period: 1-1 Daniel Alfredsson takes a feed from Jason Spezza and beats Tim Thomas with a wrister. Slick pass across the grain by Spezza, deadly finish by Alfredsson. Starts with Craig Anderson kickout of a Milan Lucic slapper. 2:20 2d period: Bruins 1-0 Tim Thomas turns back Chris Neil partial breakaway. Ottawa comes out flying. 20:00 1st period: Bruins 1-0 Ottawa with 13-6 shot advantage. Bruins looking slightly better in second half of first. Better legs. 17:30 1st period: Bruins 1-0 Zach Hamill with a close-range bid. Craig Anderson moves from left to right to foil Hamill. 12:10 1st period: Bruins 1-0 Rich Peverley dangles through Ottawa defense over blue line and snaps a wrister through Craig Anderson. Nice moves from Peverley. Bruins get early spike after Lucic-Carkner scrap. 11:46 1st period: 0-0 Milan Lucic vs. Matt Carkner. Lucic lands early right that rocks Carkner. Ottawa defenseman hangs in keeps firing. Big-time scrap between two big boys. 11:30 1st period: 0-0 Senators with 9-2 shot advantage. Bruins can t find their legs. 8:14 1st period: 0-0 Tim Thomas covers on an Erik Karlsson rush. Bruins careless with the puck, which is leading to Ottawa chances. 0:36 1st period: 0-0 Huge save by Tim Thomas on Colin Greening. Cross-ice feed by Daniel Alfredsson out front after Johnny Boychuk giveaway. Thomas tracks it all the way. 0:00 1st period: 0-0 Jordan Caron healthy scratch. Zdeno Chara and Gregory Campbell unhealthy scratches. Boston Globe LOADED: Boston Bruins Bruins beat Senators 5-2, take lead in East By Associated Press OTTAWA - Tim Thomas made 47 saves, Daniel Paille scored twice and the Boston Bruins extended their winning streak to three games with a 5-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night. Rich Peverley had a goal and an assist and Chris Kelly and Patrice Bergeron also scored for Boston, which won for the second night in a row to move atop the Eastern Conference standings. Andrew Ference had two assists. The Bruins, who have 41 points and one more win than Philadelphia, have gone since Nov. 1, when they launched a 10-game winning streak with a 5-3 win over Ottawa. Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza each had a goal and an assist for the Senators, on a skid despite an overtime win at Buffalo a night earlier. Craig Anderson stopped 24 shots for Ottawa. Tuukka Rask recorded his first shutout of the season Tuesday night as the Bruins beat Los Angeles 3-0 in their first game without defenseman Zdeno Chara. The Boston captain missed his second straight game after injuring his left knee Saturday in Columbus. The Senators were without Milan Michalek, who sustained a concussion Tuesday night. Michalek was injured in a collision with teammate Erik Karlsson after scoring his NHL-leading 19th goal earlier in the game. Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid was given a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct after he stuck out his leg to trip up Nick Foligno 17:45 into the second. Foligno went to the dressing room but returned before the end of the second to take a shift during the ensuing power play. Thomas stopped each of the 13 shots he faced in the opening period as Boston took a 1-0 lead 12:10 in on Peverley s second goal in two nights. Peverley assisted on former Senators center Kelly s goal 13:47 into the second to put the Bruins up 2-1. Kelly got behind defensemen Matt Carkner and rookie David Rundblad and was all alone to put a rebound of Johnny Boychuk s shot between Anderson s pads. Bergeron made it 3-1 with an unassisted effort 4:54 into the third. The Bruins center took advantage of Alfredsson s uncharacteristic turnover at the Ottawa blue line and drove in to beat Anderson with a deke for his sixth goal.

8 Paille beat Anderson on a breakaway at 5:50 to increase the lead to 4-1. He added his second of the game with 1:04 remaining after Spezza scored at 15:55. Spezza assisted on Alfredsson s goal 4:23 into the second that tied it at 1. NOTES: Bruins LW Milan Lucic fought with Carkner in the first.... Boston is without Chara in the lineup since 2006, when he left the Senators to sign with the Bruins as a free agent.... Alfredsson s goal was the 397th of his career.... Spezza has a goal and six assists during a four-game points streak. Boston Herald LOADED: Boston Bruins For Zdeno Chara, return date gets closer By Stephen Harris OTTAWA Although defenseman Zdeno Chara hinted yesterday morning he might play last night against the Senators, the Bruins opted to hold him back and give what is believed to be a minor left knee sprain a few more days to heal. He skated and he s obviously doing a lot better, but certainly not to the point where we want him in, coach Claude Julien said before the B s 5-2 win. We re very optimistic that he ll be back soon. We gave him a couple of days to let it calm down. He s been biking a lot since that happened and he skated (yesterday). Right now it s going in the right direction. It seems probable Chara will return to the lineup Saturday against the Flyers in Philadelphia. Chara joined right winger Jordan Caron on the ice yesterday morning, skating for the first time since Blue Jackets center Antoine Vermette hit him on the outside of the left knee last Saturday. Slow-motion replays showed Chara s knee buckled inward. I felt OK, Chara said after the morning skate. It s the first skate, the first time on the ice in 3-4 days. I didn t expect to be feeling great, but also I didn t feel bad. That s a good sign. You want to play, that s the bottom line. There s a lot of guys who play with small injuries. But at the same time, you don t want to push yourself to do more damage, something more serious that can put you on the sidelines for a long period of time. It s frustrating a little bit. I want to play. But at the same time, I know that if I take a few days and really make sure the injury has time to heal, I won t have further problems with it. McQuaid checks out Defenseman Adam McQuaid may be suspended for his leg-on-leg check on Ottawa left winger Nick Foligno late in the second period. Foligno initially looked injured, but quickly returned to the ice. I played junior with Nick, and we re good friends, McQuaid said after the game. When we play against each other, we compete against each other. But certainly I would never try to do anything intentionally to hurt him or anyone else. I was just kind of pinching in to try and keep the puck in. He made a quick move around me, and I was trying to do what I could to get in his way. It was a split-second thing. It was definitely a penalty. I m glad to hear he s doing good. Hamill a plus Center Zach Hamill played his second game since his latest call-up from AHL-Providence, filling in for injured fourth-liner Gregory Campbell (broken foot). In his first eight NHL games, Hamill is a plus-7, befitting his reputation as a sound, responsible three-zone player. Campbell is not with the team, but could resume skating as early as today..?.?. Much was expected of Marlboro s Bobby Butler after his fine rookie campaign last season, but the Senators right winger has just totals in 21 games..?.?. Former Merrimack star center Stephane Da Costa had just totals and a minus-9 after 22 games. He was sent to AHL-Binghamton on Nov. 27..?.?. The Bruins will remain in Ottawa for two days of practice before flying tomorrow afternoon to Philadelphia. Boston Herald LOADED: Boston Bruins Not E-Z for Bruins By Stephen Harris OTTAWA So much for the theory that the Bruins would be OK defensively without Zdeno Chara. Playing their second game last night without their defensive cornerstone, the Bruins gave up 49 shots to the Ottawa Senators many of the dangerous variety and needed a tremendous showing from goalie Tim Thomas to secure a 5-2 victory that wasn t nearly as easy as the score suggests. Let s not kid ourselves: I m not sure we were the better team (last night), said B s coach Claude Julien, after his team won for the seventh successive time Scotiabank Place without playing anything close to its best. As a team, and not because of injuries, we re going through a bit of a challenge right now, added Julien. I don t think we re executing, I don t think we re battling as well as we should. Part of that is I think our emotions are not as good as they were when we were going well. We need to pick up our game here. If Thomas was the obvious first star of the night, other Bruins also deserved good marks. That certainly includes Daniel Paille, who scored two of his team s three third-period goals (Nos. 4 & 5), as the B s held off the fierce comeback bid of the Sens, putting 22 shots on Thomas. Patrice Bergeron had the other third-period goal, taking an Ottawa turnover and breaking in all alone to give the B s a 3-1 lead. And then back near the start of the game, there was Milan Lucic. With the home team dominating the first 11 minutes, Lucic accepted big and tough Matt Carkner s offer to fight, and the pair had quite a brawl. It was one of the toughest Lucic said he s ever had, and it had the desired effect of waking up his flat team. It s a time of the game, from my standpoint, where they had the early jump and they re outshooting us 9-2 at the time, and we re kind of looking for a spark. For myself, looking at the situation, it doesn t always have to be Thorny (Shawn Thornton) stepping up and giving the team a spark when it comes to stuff like that. It ended up being a good back-and-forth battle there, and thankfully our team was able to get a spark and get a big goal after that. Indeed, just 25 seconds later, Rich Peverley found an opening in the highslot and snapped a sizzling wrist shot past Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson to give the B s a 1-0 lead. Veteran Daniel Alfredsson tied the game early in Period 2, but then Chris Kelly scooped in a Johnny Boychuk rebound to make it 2-1 after 40 minutes. Then came the wild third period, the fun beginning at 4:54, when an errant Alfredsson pass for Erik Karlsson turned over high in the Sens end. Bergeron went in alone and finished with a sweet deke and forehand, making it 3-1. Then just 56 seconds later, there was a major structural breakdown by the Senators and Paille was able to skate free behind the Ottawa defense with a Thornton pass and score with a forehand that made it 4-1. It was bit of an offensive zone breakdown for them, said Paille. Thorny had his head up, and I was able to capitalize.

9 A Jason Spezza goal gave the home folks hope with 4:06 left, but Paille killed it with a laser of a top-shelf slapper from the left circle on a 2-on-1 to finish the scoring with 1:04 left. So it ended well for the Bruins. But this was not at all what they had in mind. There s room for improvement in our game right now, said Thomas. Plenty. Boston Herald LOADED: Buffalo Sabres Power play skill keeps Sabres' Gragnani on ice By Mike Harrington When asked after practice Wednesday, Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff denied rookie defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani came close to earning a seat in the press box Tuesday night. The numbers sure say otherwise. Gragnani played a season-low 9 minutes, 46 seconds in the overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators and much of that was spent out of position at wing. He had played at least 18 minutes for 10 straight games. Gragnani, the revelation of Buffalo's playoff series last season against Philadelphia, started this season well. But his struggles have been plainly obvious in recent games, especially on the defensive end. So when Mike Weber returned from injury Tuesday, only Ruff's decision to skate with seven defensemen (something the coach rarely does) kept Gragnani out of the press box. Gragnani is confident in and borderline cocky about his ability at times. But it's clear the coaching staff's confidence in him is starting to wane and he agreed with that theory when it was posed to him Wednesday. "What you say is right," Gragnani said. "I still feel that way [confident]. It's hard but I can only keep going. That's all I can really say." Gragnani has a goal and eight assists in 28 games. He averages 17 minutes, 59 seconds of ice time and has a team-best rating of plus-11 that is tops among NHL rookies. Plus-minus, of course, can be a grossly misleading stat. To wit, Gragnani's giveaway in overtime last week that led to the winning goal by Philadelphia's Claude Giroux did not count as a minus because the teams were skating four on four. But plus-11 is still plus-11, too. "Obviously I'm frustrated but I don't think I'm having as bad of a season as people are putting on me," Gragnani said. "It's my first [full] year." "I don't know if people expected me to get out there and just dominate. Not a lot of people do that. I'm not one of those guys. I don't think my stats are horrendous. Some people might think they are but I don't agree with that." Gragnani was the AHL's defenseman of the year last season after collecting 12 goals and 60 points in 63 games with a plus-22 rating at Portland. He played the final nine games of the season in Buffalo and then had a goal and six assists in the seven playoff games against the Flyers. The Sabres' power play is in a 2-for-31 slump but one reason to go with seven defensemen and keep Gragnani in the lineup is his key role on that unit. "We know his strength and it's on the offensive side of it and being the quarterback on our power play," Ruff said. "A little bit of the area that was missing and he understands is getting up ice. We pushed him to try to get more involved." "They want more offense," Gragnani said. "Obviously I haven't been on the scoresheet enough times this year. It's something I know I need to be. That's the bottom line." Gragnani could make his most impact if he could do something to help fix the power play. There were spurts of pressure during the game Tuesday and there were also stretches where the Sabres struggled to gain the Ottawa zone for 45 seconds of a penalty, again bringing out the First Niagara Center catcalls. The team had an extended video session Wednesday and started practice 45 minutes later than usual. The power play was one main topic. Gragnani said the pace of the attack has to be quicker. "It's knowing what you're going to do with the puck before you get it," he said. "We want to make some automatic plays in certain situations when they come up. Know where your teammates are. Little things like that help a lot." Ruff was critical of Gragnani's play a couple of times last week. He preached a softer tone Wednesday when the discussion of a benching was brought up. "Any good offensive player has liabilities on the defensive side," the coach said. "His numbers are good. He's been able to distribute the puck pretty good on the offensive side. We just felt he's played some wing and we wanted him for our power play." Buffalo News LOADED: Buffalo Sabres Sabres' Leino sidelined for weeks with injury By Mike Harrington Just when you thought the Buffalo Sabres were getting healthier comes another major injury. Center Ville Leino was a surprise absentee at practice Wednesday in First Niagara Center, and coach Lindy Ruff dropped a bombshell after the workout when he announced Leino will be out for "weeks" with a lower-body injury suffered in Tuesday's game against Ottawa. Leino played 14 minutes, 49 seconds in the game but took only one shift in the final 9:25 of play. That was a 56-second run that ended with 1:01 left. After signing a six-year, $27 million contract in July, Leino has just three goals and seven assists in 29 games for the Sabres. But he had been playing his best hockey of the season since moving to center between rookies Zack Kassian and Luke Adam, collecting five points in the last seven games. Unless there's another injury, the Sabres won't need to use a recall to replace Leino. Matt Ellis, who was a healthy scratch Tuesday, skated in Leino's spot between Adam and Kassian in practice Wednesday. And the Sabres also have Patrick Kaleta poised to return from a groin injury as well. dots Leino joins an injured list that includes Kaleta, Tyler Myers (broken wrist), Brad Boyes (ankle), Jochen Hecht (leg/foot), Nathan Gerbe (concussion) and Corey Tropp (concussion). Myers and Boyes are both skating on their own and Myers, who was injured Nov. 19 against Phoenix, said he's hoping he might be able to play sometime around Christmas. He said he's been trying to take the splint off his wrist as much as possible and has checkups with doctors Friday and Monday. "He's on schedule," said Ruff. "He's been skating, hasn't been doing much puck work yet but he's allowed to hold a stick and get a little bit more involved." Boyes is skating but still feeling pain in the ankle injured when it was rolled on Nov. 23 by Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk. Ruff said the news on Hecht, who was struck by a shot last Friday against Florida, isn't getting any better. "He still can't do anything so he's going to be a while," Ruff said. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff was sporting a two-stitch gash above his nose after his visor got pushed into his face during a fight Tuesday with Ottawa forward Colin Greening at the buzzer of regulation. Ehrhoff immediately jumped in when Greening unnecessarily bumped goaltender Ryan Miller behind the Buffalo net and engaged in quite a punchfest, just the third of his NHL career and his first since the season when he fought Ole Kristoff Tollefson of Columbus.