Carolina Hurricanes Canes fall to Nashville Hornqvist leads Predators past Hurricanes, Canes reassign Bowman to Checkers

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1 SPORT-SCAN Anaheim Ducks Up next for Ducks: Sunday vs. Columbus Boudreau not afraid to make fun of himself Boudreau stresses need to shoot more Ducks relish chance to let emotions flow Boston Bruins Canucks-Bruins Sum Canucks edge Bruins in finals rematch Bruins, Canucks fight early Power play proves key in Bruins' loss Notable reactions from Bruins-Canucks battle A homecoming for Canucks goalie Cory Schneider Power play proves key in Bruins' loss Bruins caught short Marchand s in trouble NHL absolves Lucic following wild melee Canucks take bite out of B s Canucks Schneider sure looks like keeper Buffalo Sabres NHL Power Rankings for Jan Hitchcock leads midseason award winners Bogosian has warm memories of Buffalo Players put NHL realignment plan on hold One still a lonely number for Sabres ,000-plus fans watch game on scoreboard TV So why did Enroth get the start? Bulletin: Enroth leads Sabres on ice, will apparently start against Jets Jets coach remembers time in Tonawanda Updates on Roy, Leino and the NHL/NHLPA realignment flap Hockey really is fun in other places Bogosian has warm memories of Buffalo Buffalo Sabres' struggles continue with overtime loss Calgary Flames Johnson: Iginla s milestone celebrated by one and all Bouma thrilled to score first NHL goal Game Story: Flames 3, Wild Iginla joins elite 500-goal club as Flames snap skid Entire team had reason to celebrate win over Wild Hannan, Morrison join Flames injury parade Iggy pops goal No. 500 Carolina Hurricanes Canes fall to Nashville Hornqvist leads Predators past Hurricanes, Canes reassign Bowman to Checkers Chicago Blackhawks Haydar helps lift Wolves past Monsters Blackhawks sitting pretty halfway through season Sunday's matchup: Red Wings at Blackhawks Montador back for Blackhawks, Olsen sent down to Rockford Blackhawks midseason report: Room to grow, crow Blackhawks game day Blackhawks have their share of concerns (months) down, 3 to go Examining the Blackhawks at the halfway mark Colorado Avalanche Low-key Sherman savors Avs' march Avs' Erik Johnson shelved by hand injury Avalanche shut out at St. Louis, Avs' winning streak ends abruptly in St. Louis DAILY BRIEF NHL 1/8/2012 Columbus Blue Jackets Jackets Sanford delivers first shutout of season Realignment delay prelude to labor talks Blue Jackets notebook: Penalty kill comes up big in difficult third period Dallas Stars Benn's extra effort pays as Stars run away from Oilers, Ribeiro shakes off pain, scores twice in third period Stars-Oilers replay: Jamie Benn, Mike Ribeiro score two goals apiece Disappointed Stars accept union's stance on realignment Stars fall behind early, then surge by Oilers for 4-1 win Benn, Bachman lead Stars past Oilers Detroit Red Wings Steve Schrader's sports year in review Toronto 4, Detroit Red Wings 3: Red Wings rally to tie game, then fall short in third period Maple Leafs 4, Red Wings 3: Notes, quotes from Saturday night's loss Red Wings players alone in support of NHL realignment Toronto 4, Detroit Red Wings 3: Three-goal deficit comeback goes for naught Despite infrequent visits, Wings still get fans excited in Toronto Red Wings can't overcome costly mistakes in loss to Maple Leafs Wings GM Ken Holland 'disappointed' after players block realignment plan Red Wings battle back from three-goal deficit, but lose to Toronto, Red Wings players now expressing concerns about NHL realignment plan that union has rejected Red Wings expect challenge from Original Six rival Maple Leafs Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom says he will return for Sunday's game in Chicago NHL realignment good for Red Wings, but not for everyone else Edmonton Oilers Renney believes Ott should be suspended for hit on Lander Injuries hurt Oilers more than losses on road trip Injuries taking toll on Oilers Take a pill, Oil fans Oilers fall 4-1 to Stars Florida Panthers Florida Panthers Jacob Markstrom praised despite loss FlaPanthers Jacob Markstrom Wants to Stay Right Here With realignment nixed, Panthers set for another year of tough travel Los Angeles Kings Maybe a little outrage can jump-start the L.A. Kings Kings' offense fizzles again in 1-0 loss to Columbus COLUMBUS 1, KINGS 0: Columbus' Sanford and one beat the Kings The Key Three: Jan Sutter postgame quotes (Jan. 7) Kopitar postgame quotes (Jan. 7) Brown postgame quotes (Jan. 7) Stoll postgame quotes (Jan. 7)

2 Minnesota Wild "Fragile" Wild continues to sink in Calgary Recap: Calgary 3, Wild Wild second half opens with dud Players' union wants its say on NHL realignment issues Wild: Offense still punchless Wild players say they are behind decision to vote down NHL realignment Montreal Canadiens Quebec nationalists call for Habs to be more French Canadiens beat Lightning for second straight win About last night Habs earn second straight win for Cunneyworth Nashville Predators Nashville Predators pile up four power-play goals, beat Carolina Hurricanes Delay of realignment irritates Preds coach Hornqvist's net presence helps Predators cruise past Carolina New Jersey Devils Advertise on NYTimes.com Star Ledger LOADED: Devils Kill Penalties as Usual and Extend the Penguins Slump Ilya Kovalchuk, Adam Henrique lead Devils over Pittsburgh Penguins, Devils found a way to overcome poor first period against Penguins Devils weren't sure Adam Henrique's short-handed goal would count Devils-Penguins: As they play Devils' Lou Lamoriello: Realignment is first battle between players and league Pete DeBoer: Nick Palmieri played his way out of job with Devils Devils recall Nick Palmieri from Albany, place Anton Volchenkov on IR Devils notes: Injury updates Henrique leads Devils to 3-1 win over Penguins Devils flip the script on their weakness Devils top Penguins again, 3-1 New York Islanders Doan s hat trick does in Islanders Islanders fall flat to Coyotes Pandolfo returns to Islanders' lineup Evgeni Nabokov, the reluctant Islander, gets comfortable New York Rangers James Dolan and Time Warner Cable playing games with fans by keeping MSG off their sets Staal s ice recovery Rangers coach Tortorella gets All-Star post Rangers: First-half awards Surging Rangers get a breather NHL Jarome Iginla notches 500th goal in Flames' win over Wild Jets beat slumping Sabres in OT Mouvement Québec français protests unilingual Canadiens coach Canucks win nasty Stanley Cup rematch in hostile territory Champion Bruins on historic two-way charge A Call to End Fighting; a Defense of Retribution NHL Players' Association want more info on NHL realignment Ottawa Senators Briere completes hat trick, downs Senators in overtime Players wanted realignment concerns heard: Auld Cheaps: Doing what a guy's gotta do Briere drops Sens in OT Philadelphia Flyers Briere's hat trick powers Flyers in overtime win over the Senators Flyers Notes: Hand injury can't sideline Flyers' Timonen Inside the Flyers: Flyers need van Riemsdyk to return to form he showed in playoffs Briere's hat trick boosts Flyers past Senators in overtime Briere's hat trick lifts Flyers over Senators Lavy wary of streaking Sens Two in a row for Bryzgalov in goal Briere's big night Bryzgalov finds his groove again League decides to shelve realignment plan for now Flyers' Bryzgalov feels 'great,' but will his goaltending be? Bryzgalov finds his groove again Iron Man Timonen plays through pain vs. Sens Laviolette 'inspired' by Briere's fight Briere scores late in OT to lift Flyers past Sens Signs point to Timonen playing vs. Sens Today's game notes: Flyers vs. Senators Phoenix Coyotes Wishing the Phoenix Coyotes the best for the new year Phoenix Coyotes goalie Jason LaBarbera offers players' thoughts on realignment Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan finally gets his hat trick Shane Doan's hat trick leads Phoenix Coyotes to easy win over NY Islanders Pittsburgh Penguins Staal has bum knee; sits out Devils game Baby Pens' resiliency credit to coach Faith in Fehr: NHLPA head holds steady on realignment Devils extend Pens' losing streak to four Brodeur sparkles as New Jersey hands Pens fourth straight loss On the Penguins: Bruins playing like a repeat is possible Reactions vary after latest loss NHL union wary of proposed realignment Penguins fall short, 3-1, against New Jersey Devils Staal out for tonight's game vs. Devils San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks maintain home ice dominance over Washington Capitals Caps winless streak in San Jose hits 12 games Sharks' streak hits four with 5-2 win over Washington Nash explains confrontation with Sharks' Boyle Sharks' Sheppard skating again Sharks-Capitals: What to watch for St Louis Blues Blues shut down Avalanche Final: Blues 4, Avalanche Blues' rep responds to postponement of realignment Blues snag division lead with win Tampa Bay Lightning Bolts' road just keeps getting longer Turnaround might have to wait a bit Sides jostle for position in negotiations Bolts lose to Avalanche in OT on bad-angle goal

3 Lightning Continued Bolts notes: Malone, cousin square off for first time New defenseman has whirlwind day Tampa Bay Lightning player rep Dominic Moore: There are solutions to realignment impasse Tampa Bay Lightning loses to Montreal Canadiens Tampa Bay Lightning midseason report Tampa Bay Lightning rookie Brett Connolly matures at world junior championship Player rep Dominic Moore believes realignment will be resolved: "It's just a matter of time" Connolly says World Juniors experience something "I'll never forget" Malone says he's good to go; Labrie to make NHL debut Toronto Maple Leafs Resurgent Leafs edge Red Wings Phaneuf to play against Wings despite facial injury Kessel helps Leafs craft instant Classic Leafs earn wild win over Wings Maple Leafs Dion Phaneuf to play with full facial shield Vancouver Canucks Canucks edge Bruins in Cup rematch I Watched This Game: Canucks at Boston Bruins, January 7, Vancouver wins game but loses Salo, Canucks furious at Marchand cheap shot Canuck power-play beats big, bad Bruins, as Stanley Cup rematch exceeds billing Willes: Canucks wage hockey 'holy war' against Boston Gallagher: Ex-Canuck Sameulsson sinks teeth into Florida Schneids keeps his cool in hometown start Cup rematch: Canucks power their way to big win over Boston Gillis calls Marchand action that may have concussed Salo a dirty play by a dirty player Washington Capitals Capitals vs. Sharks: Mike Green hurt as Washington s winning streak is snapped Marleau scores tiebreaking goal, extending Sharks home hex over Capitals with 5-2 victory Mike Green leaves game against Sharks with groin tightness Open thread: Capitals at Sharks Capitals, Sharks react to realignment delay Capitals Nicklas Backstrom won t play against San Jose Nicklas Backstrom not taking part in Capitals morning skate Rookie Dmitry Orlov is progressing well for the Capitals Capitals winning streak ends, road woes continue in 5-2 loss to Sharks New Rivalry Sharks Douglas Murray is equal-opportunity hitter Nicklas Backstrom will miss game at Sharks as Capitals play it safe Websites ESPN / Daily Debate: Ugly CBA battle brewing? FOXSports.com / Familiar issues return to haunt Kings NBCSports.com / Withholding consent: More details from NHLPA regarding realignment NBCSports.com / Demonstrators protest unilingual coach outside Bell Centre Sportsnet.ca / Same old song and dance Winnipeg Jets Little draws assist in return And heeeeere's Johnny HIGHLIGHT REEL Jets 2 Sabres 1 (OT) Jet says proposed alignment has flaws Chipman, Hainsey at odds Jets beat Sabres 2-1 in overtime thriller Chipman disappointed by rejection of realignment proposal NHL divisions, labour deal a combined issue now: Hainsey SPORT-SCAN, INC

4 Anaheim Ducks Up next for Ducks: Sunday vs. Columbus Backup goaltender Dan Ellis suffers a groin injury during practice. 8:45 PM PST, January 7, 2012 DUCKS TODAY VS. COLUMBUS When: 5 p.m. Where: Honda Center. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket; Radio: 830 Records: Ducks , Blue Jackets Update: The Ducks' big line Corey Perry-Ryan Getzlaf-Bobby Ryan awakened and combined for five points Friday in a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders. Backup goaltender Dan Ellis suffered a groin strain in practice Saturday, and the Ducks were unclear about its severity. Ellis was to be examined Saturday or Sunday, the team said. Enforcer George Parros was scratched from Friday's game because of a strained groin. He called it a "nagging injury." Parros is the Ducks' player representative and talked Saturday about the ongoing league realignment debate. He said the union proposed a wild-card scenario regarding the playoffs, among other things, but the league seemed unwilling to explore that option. Lisa Dillman LA Times: LOADED:

5 Anaheim Ducks Boudreau not afraid to make fun of himself By JEFF MILLER :46:17 ANAHEIM His predecessor had a personality, too. Randy Carlyle just hid it with the vigilance that NHL teams use to camouflage injuries. Stealing glimpses of Carlyle's persona required to paraphrase a hockey term here a serious upper-body inquiry. But Bruce Boudreau? In characterizing his less-than-imposing presence, the 5-foot-9, 185ish-pound Boudreau called himself "the Columbo of coaching." He did this in the first paragraph of his autobiography. The first paragraph of the introduction, we mean. Boudreau held off mocking his age, weight and bald head until the intro's second paragraph. "As upset and intense as I get with every loss or when things don't go the way I want them to go," the Ducks coach says today, "I don't want to live my life looking like I've just eaten a lemon." When he was working in Washington, Boudreau appeared with this wife, Crystal, in a television commercial for a local carpet store. The commercial, staged to look like it was shot in the Boudreaus' living room, also featured a live horse. Just Google it. No, this guy is not the average pro coach. In an occupation full of overgrown Images and overstuffed egos, Boudreau hasn't forgotten that his roots are covered in dirt, just like everyone else's. He doesn't live each day as if it's Game 7. He takes his job very seriously. The same, though, can't be said of how he takes himself. Boudreau understands exactly how important winning is, how significant every second of every shift of every NHL game is. He was, don't forget, fired by the Capitals only seven weeks ago. "This is a great game," he says now, "but a bad business." Boudreau also understands life is supposed to arrive each day with laughter, that jokes are an excellent way to fill the downtime. And, every now and then, the game and even the coach can be the punch line. "I don't put on airs," Boudreau says. "That's just who I am. I like people. I like to have fun. I'll say some dumb stuff eventually, just wait. I always do." To follow columnist Jeff Miller (@jeffmillerocr) on Twitter,. In late December, Boudreau was watching a game on TV when someone disrupted play by tossing a live fish from the stands. The next day, Boudreau made a point to share the incident during his regular session with reporters. He also recalled the in-game promotion, during his minor league career, when he raced a penguin. Had he ever raced a penguin, Carlyle likely wouldn't have talked about it at the time, never mind still be talking about it 35 years later. "The fish was flipping on the ice," Boudreau said that December day, using his arm to illustrate the actions of a freaked-out fish. "And it was a big thing. So somebody's got to have that fish dangling in their pocket (the whole game)...i mean, that person has got a lot of something, but not a lot of something else." On Thursday, Boudreau appeared at ESPN Zone in Anaheim for "Off the Ice," a radio show with by Ducks' play-by-play man Steve Carroll. There was a private room set up for Boudreau and the two Ducks players also appearing, Francois Beauchemin and Andrew Cogliano. After a couple of minutes, Boudreau asked a team official if it would be OK for him to go out and mix with the fans, instead. "I don't want people to think I'm sitting behind closed doors like I'm a Hollywood movie star and not allowed to talk to people," he says. "I want people to realize that hockey people aren't only approachable but they're regular people." At one point Thursday, Boudreau sat down at a table with two men wearing Ducks shirts and hats. Just walked over and sat down. He had never met either man and couldn't have possibly known if they were there to greet him or take his wallet. "They're good enough to come to these events," Boudreau says. "They're good enough to pay money to come to our games. I've lived my whole life (like this) because people wanted to come to the games and watch our sport. Without that, I don't know what the heck I'd be doing. So who am I to not, you know, spend time with people like that?" Boudreau, who turns 57 Monday, is living in an apartment here, alone, while Crystal and son Brady, 13, remain in the D.C. area. Given Brady's involvement in school and hockey he's a goalie on a travel team the Boudreaus aren't sure what their living arrangements will be in the future. For now, Boudreau's days will be occupied by trying to return the Ducks to life. Yeah, that's a full-time gig. If he has a spare hour or two, he'll go to the movies or turn on the TV. "I'm going to start searching for where the 'Storage Wars' take place," Boudreau says. "All the places are in Costa Mesa. I gotta find out where Brandi and Jarrod's store is. I like shows like that." That's Brandi Passante and Jarrod Schulz. And, Coach, their Now and Then Second Hand Store is in Orange. Who knows? If he's here long enough, maybe Boudreau could make a cameo on "Storage Wars." If necessary, he could even bring along his old acting partner, you know, that horse from the carpet commercial. Orange County Register: LOADED:

6 Anaheim Ducks Boudreau stresses need to shoot more By JEFF MILLER :05:19 ANAHEIM Before practice Saturday, Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau put his players through an extended video session. The coach's message: Possessing the puck is great; shooting it is even better. "The thing is we cycle, but we cycle with no purpose other than cycling," Boudreau said. "We're keeping the puck in the zone for 20 seconds, but there's no chance of scoring." The Ducks are last in the NHL, averaging just 25.9 shots per game. They are giving up 31.1, which ranks tied for 23rd. This is nothing new. The Ducks were 27th in shots per game last season. "You have to, at some point, take the puck to the net," Boudreau said. "Go to those areas where you sometimes don't want to go to. Until you do that, you're not going to get shots. "Teams keep you to the outside. They love that. They'll let you skate around there all day long." In discussing the improved play of Ryan Getzlaf in a 4-2 victory over the Islanders on Friday, Boudreau noted that the Ducks' captain took nine shots at the net. Getzlaf has been criticized throughout his career for not shooting enough. Still, in the victory, the Ducks had just three shots on goal in the first period. Asked Saturday if the sluggish starts need to be corrected, Boudreau said the Ducks have no choice. "It better pick up or we'll end up with five shots for the game," he said. "It's not acceptable. We're happy that we won the game, but you've got to correct an awful lot of things to win consistently. "Anybody can do anything once. But to do it over and over and over again, you've got to do the right things all the time." INJURIES Goalie Dan Ellis was helped off the ice by teammates midway through Saturday's practice. Ellis, the backup to Jonas Hiller, Ellis did not look good leaving the ice. He appeared unable to put weight on one leg. "He just went down in a heap," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "(Looks like) a groin injury, but I'm not 100 percent sure. We'll know more tomorrow." Forward George Parros also left the workout early because of his sore groin muscle. MOTIVATIONAL TOOL If you followed the Lakers during their most recent title runs, you're aware of former coach Phil Jackson's coaching tactics. One of them was putting together motivational presentations featuring snippets of movies interspersed with other Images. Jackson would show the packages to his players at strategic points during the season. Boudreau does the same thing. He hasn't done it yet here, but the Ducks coach said he would be putting together a presentation soon, like next week. He has been waiting for the DVD release of "Moneyball," which is scheduled for Tuesday. "There are a couple things in that movie that will work great," Boudreau said. "I'm pretty good at finding those kinds of things in movies that people otherwise wouldn't notice." Orange County Register: LOADED:

7 Anaheim Ducks Ducks relish chance to let emotions flow By RANDY YOUNGMAN :59:57 ANAHEIM Notes, quotes, observations and opinions on the surging Ducks: If you haven't been keeping track, the Ducks' 4-2 comeback victory over the New York Islanders on Friday night extended their winning streak to, uh, one. We'll have to go back to the archives to determine when their most recent back-to-back victories occurred. Any idea, Teemu Selanne? "What year is this?" a smirking Selanne said, playing along, knowing very well the Ducks haven't won two consecutive games since a four-game winning streak in October during the first 10 days of the season. "We were 4-1, but I don't know what happened after that." After that, the Ducks lost 29 of their next 35 games as well as their coach, Randy Carlyle, but who's counting? "You can't do anything about the past," Selanne said, saying that progress has to be measured in small steps forward. "You got to win first to get to two (in a row)." Good timing, because the Columbus Blue Jackets, the only team in the Western Conference with fewer points than the Ducks, visit Honda Center tonight. The Ducks have struggled so mightily for so long, it wasn't surprising to see so much emotion Friday night. Bobby Ryan was all smiles after his highlight-reel, stick-handling from forehand to backhand to forehand during a slalom-like rush on net produced a shorthanded goal to tie the score in the third period. Captain Ryan Getzlaf punched the air repeatedly with his fist after he skated across the middle and flicked a back-hander into the top of the net for the go-ahead goal. Of course, when the general manager has been hinting that big names could be traded, Getzlaf conceded it was a "huge relief" to score such a big goal. And Selanne celebrated his third-period insurance goal by jumping backfirst onto the glass in the corner, as if it was his version of a Lambeau Leap. A Honda Hop? "Too tired to stop," he said jokingly before stating the obvious. "It's a pretty special feeling when you win. We've got to get used to it, get excited." It was only the fourth time in 15 games since replacing Carlyle that Bruce Boudreau could enjoy a victory, so he, too, was glad to see the emotion spill onto the ice. "You have to play with passion whether you've won one game or 40," Boudreau said, referring to the emotion all hockey players had when they were 12, long before they got paid to play. "You have to have that passion to be successful. We had it, and it was channeled in the right direction." As opposed to breaking your stick on top of the goal after a defensive lapse led to an opponent's goal. We've also seen that this season from Getzlaf. Getzlaf's winning goal snapped a career-worst streak of six games without a point. It was his first goal in 13 games and only his third in the past 30. "It's been terrible," Getzlaf said of his recent struggles. "It's frustrating for me, and I'm sure for a lot of other people in our organization. It's one of those things I can't explain. If I had an explanation for it, I would have fixed it long before it happened tonight.... But the hard work is what brings you out of it." "You could feel his pain," Selanne said of Getzlaf's slump. "It's all about confidence, and this should be a great confidence boost for him." Even though Selanne leads the Ducks with 37 points in 39 games, the Ducks' struggles also have been weighing on his mind as he plays in what likely will be his final NHL season. "To lose night after night, it's a terrible feeling," he said. "You can't sleep well, the food doesn't taste good... "That's why I try to enjoy nights like this." Dept. of corrections: As several alert readers were quick to point out, the Saints can't play the Packers until the NFC title game contrary to what I wrote in Saturday's playoff prediction column because the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed. But I'm sticking with the Saints to upset the Pack on the way to winning the Super Bowl. Ba-da-bing! Headline from SportsPickle.com, an online site specializing in satire: "Colts avoid disastrous three-game winning streak." Call it Luck (as in Andrew). Orange County Register: LOADED:

8 Boston Bruins Canucks-Bruins Sum Vancouver Boston First Period--1, Vancouver, Kesler 11 (Salo, D.Sedin), 5:41 (pp). 2, Boston, Marchand 16 (Seguin, Bergeron), 14:57. Second Period--3, Boston, Peverley 7 (Pouliot), 7:12. 4, Vancouver, Burrows 16 (Hodgson, Bieksa), 15:21 (pp). 5, Vancouver, H.Sedin 11 (Edler, Bieksa), 19:47 (pp). Third Period--6, Vancouver, Hodgson 10 (Hamhuis), 1:09 (pp). 7, Boston, Krejci 10 (Corvo), 1:51. Missed Penalty Shot--Paille, Bos, :23 second. Shots on Goal--Vancouver Boston Goalies--Vancouver, C.Schneider. Boston, Thomas. A--17,565 (17,565). T-- 2:52. Boston Globe LOADED:

9 Boston Bruins Canucks edge Bruins in finals rematch By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff After today s latest installment of Bruins-Canucks craziness, which resulted in a 4-3 Vancouver win before 17,565 at TD Garden, there is only one chapter that can come next: another Stanley Cup Final showdown. It would only be justice. Recent history already included a bite, tire pumping, and finger waggles. Saturday, the enemies added an alleged stick to the throat, a pig pile, a legal line change that was considered otherwise, and a low-bridge clipping call that could result in a suspension for Brad Marchand. More, please. Let s not kid ourselves here. These are two teams that don t like each other, said Bruins coach Claude Julien. So what do you expect? The buildup from last year is still there. It was only a 2-point game. That s how we had to approach it. There s a lot that happened in last year s playoffs that carried over to today s game. As much as referees tried to control it at times, it became a challenge. The spark that set the game ablaze took place early in the first period. As Daniel Paille completed his shift and retreated to the bench, Canucks forward Alex Burrows who bit Patrice Bergeron s finger in last year s playoffs tapped the left wing on his foot with his stick. Linemate Shawn Thornton spotted the exchange and slashed Burrows to let him know that he saw the infraction. According to Thornton, Burrows responded by jabbing his stick in his throat. Thornton blew his top and charged at Burrows. In turn, seemingly the entire province of British Columbia jumped Thornton in front of the Vancouver bench. I m a big boy. I can handle that, Thornton said of the WWE-like pileup, capped by Maxim Lapierre s off-the-turnbuckle leap. I m more upset by the spear to the throat. I don t lose my cool for no reason. I fancy myself a pretty honest player. But I m not going to let somebody spear me in the throat. I m also a man. I stand up for myself. In the mayhem that followed at 3:54 the main bout was Nathan Horton vs. Dale Weise in a long, punch-filled throwdown Milan Lucic was tagged with a roughing minor and a game misconduct. Referees Don VanMassenhoven and Dan O Rourke believed Lucic left the bench to join the scrap. However, Lucic had replaced Paille, who had completed his shift. Lucic was not available for comment after the loss. I m not blaming them, Julien said of the referees. They re in the middle of a scrum there. Looch was on the ice already. It wasn t an illegal change. He didn t come off the bench. There s no issues there. In my mind, it s clear. What s unfortunate is that we lost a pretty good player early in the game. That s more what s disappointing. It s a guy who was looking forward to playing this game. He s from Vancouver. He gets tossed out and actually doesn t do anything wrong. We ll let the league take care of that stuff. Nothing more we can do. The Canucks had a five-on-three power play for two minutes because of the minors to Lucic and Thornton (roughing, slashing). The Bruins were six seconds away from killing the penalties, but after Chris Kelly blocked a Sami Salo shot, Ryan Kesler scored on the rebound at 5:41 to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead. It was the first of four power-play strikes for Vancouver. In the second period, with the Bruins holding a 2-1 lead (goals by Marchand and Rich Peverley), Tyler Seguin was nabbed for tripping at 14:47. Thirty-four seconds later, a Cody Hodgson shot deflected off Burrows and skimmed past Tim Thomas, making it a 2-2 game. At 18:47, Marchand got the gate for clipping Salo. Marchand saw Salo approaching, crouched, and took out the defenseman s knees. Salo went down hard and didn t return. Marchand, who returned for the Bruins after missing Thursday s win because of flu-like symptoms, could face supplemental discipline. If he is suspended, Benoit Pouliot would most likely replace him alongside Seguin and Bergeron. Zach Hamill, a healthy scratch Saturday, would skate on the third line. Julien didn t criticize the call. He said he coaches his players to defend themselves against oncoming hits. I always told my players they need to protect themselves, Julien said. The last thing I want my players to do is get hit and end up with a concussion. They have to protect themselves. Whether it s the right way or the wrong way, it will depend on how the league looks at it. I d rather have a guy take a two-minute penalty than turn his back to the play, stand up straight, then get his face knocked through the glass and be out the rest of the year with a concussion. Or maybe end a career like [Marc] Savard. The Canucks and their top-rated power play torched the Bruins twice during the five-minute major. At 19:47 of the second, Henrik Sedin redirected Alex Edler s slap-pass past Thomas. At 1:09 of the third, after racing down the right wing, Hodgson hammered a slap shot under the crossbar. Forty-two seconds later, David Krejci made it a 4-3 game by tucking the rebound of a Joe Corvo blast behind Cory Schneider. But the damage was done. The Bruins had allowed too many manadvantage opportunities (11) to a skilled club that thrives on power-play action. I don t think we re going to point the finger at the other team, because they didn t do anything wrong, Julien said. They played the game the way they feel they have to play it. They scored some power-play goals. They did the right things. We didn t do enough to win the hockey game. Let s be man enough to admit it and move on. Boston Globe LOADED:

10 Boston Bruins Bruins, Canucks fight early Posted by Leonard Neslin January 7, :24 PM Update: Soon after Brad Marchand tied the score at 1, Bruins center Gregory Campbell and Canucks center Maxim Lapierre dueled with their gloves off on ice. Both got five minutes for fighting, while Shawn Thornton and Dale Weise each served two minutes in the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct. --- Not even five minutes into the game and 10 players' gloves are off. Nathan Horton and Dale Weise fought individually while the other eight brawled on the ice near the benches. Penalties roundup: Vancouver Maxim Lapierre -- 2 minutes for roughing, 2 minutes for slashing Dale Weise -- 5 minutes for fighting Boston Milan Lucic minutes for game misconduct, 2 minutes for roughing (served by Tyler Seguin) Shawn Thornton -- 2 minutes for roughing, 2 minutes for slashing Nathan Horton -- 5 minutes for fighting Boston Globe LOADED:

11 Boston Bruins Power play proves key in Bruins' loss Posted by Leonard Neslin January 7, :45 PM Bruins goalie Tim Thomas didn't see any dirty plays from either squad, just high emotion levels. "Let's not kid ourselves here: These are two teams that don't like each other, so what do you expect?" Bruins coach Claude Julien said. Both teams were charged with 15 penalties and spent more than 50 minutes in the penalty box. But it was the Canucks who capitalized, converting on four of 11 power plays while the Bruins scored three even-strength goals and missed seven chances with a man advantage. Julien credited the Canucks' power play, ranked best in the NHL, rather than placing blame on his team's penalty kill. "Two of those power-play goals were good goals," Julien said. "You've got to give them credit. We killed 1:40, around that amount of time, five-onthree. I thought we did a great job, and when they scored, it was because we blocked a shot and it went on their sticks, so what can you do about those kind of things? Thomas admitted it was tough to get in rhythm with the high number of penalties and play stoppages. "Every time we started to get momentum we have a power play or a long power play to kill," he said. "You know I think we were really coming back there in the second period and I thought we were going to take the game over. "Five-on-five we dominated play." Boston Globe LOADED:

12 Boston Bruins Notable reactions from Bruins-Canucks battle January 07, 2012 Leonard Neslin, Globe Staff Bruins coach Claude Julien on Milan Lucic's questionable line change: "I m not blaming [the referees] they re in the middle of a scrum there but Looch was on the ice already. It wasn t an illegal change; he didn t come off the bench. There are no issues there in my mind; it s clear. What s unfortunate is that we lost a pretty good player early in the game." Bruins forward Shawn Thornton on fighting: "I was more upset with the spear to the throat. I thought, I mean I don t lose my cool for no reason. I m a pretty I see myself as a pretty honest player. But, I m not going to let someone spear me in the throat. I m also a man so I stand up for myself." Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa on fighting: "I don t think we really wanted to go head to head with them, but we are certainly not going to back down from them. We showed that from the beginning and we stood our ground. You know, big fight by Weise. And, Max (Lapierre) is a character guy, and if somebody asks him to fight, he is going to fight and stick up for himself. He did a great job there. After that we played hockey. I think hockey wise we are a better team than them." Bieksa on Brad Marchand's big hit: "We play hard, but we are a disciplined team. That s what separates us from them. They obviously play hard, but they tend to do stupid things. The Marchand hit was a pretty stupid thing and I m sure he ll be getting a phone call for that one. There is no reason for that." Bruins goalie Tim Thomas: "It was the second time in three games that we started out a game and got down on a five on three within three minutes of opening the game. When you put yourself down right off the bat it makes it harder." Bruins forward Daniel Paille on his penalty shot: "I tried to go just over the pad but it was just unfortunate that it didn t go in I had a lot of pressure on it and I thought I felt good with it but sometimes they go in, this time it didn t." Canucks goalie Cory Schneider on saving Paille's penalty shot: "I ve seen him rip it glove side a couple times, so I kept it high and just presented it to try to take it away early and he kind of cut across and fortunately I had it in a good spot." Boston Globe LOADED:

13 Boston Bruins A homecoming for Canucks goalie Cory Schneider January 07, 2012 By Lenny Neslin, Boston.com Staff, Globe Staff Today was the first time Cory Schneider took the net at TD Garden since his days as Boston College's netminder from "It was a great feeling," Schneider said of playing on familiar ice. "As a college player I didn't know if I would ever get the chance to play here again, so to be able to come back and have this opportunity in front of a lot of friends and family and people at home watching, it was really cool." Schneider was a part of two Frozen Four finals teams before forgoing his senior season to enter the NHL draft. But today most of the crowd wasn't on his side. Throughout the game fans chanted, "We want Luon-go," referring to Roberto Luongo, the Canucks' usual starter. "Different vibe but we got a good taste of it last year so it's nothing new. It was a great atmosphere to play in. It was fun for me to play in front of people who have grown up cheering for me and supporting me my whole life." Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault didn't share his reasoning on choosing Schneider over Luongo. Schneider was able to block out the distractions in a game filled with 32 penalties and several delays for fights, stopping 36 shots in the Canucks' 4-3 victory. He said, as a goalie, he couldn't get involved with any of the fighting. "I have to worry about stopping the puck so I don't want to get distracted and get caught up in that stuff," Schneider said. "As a goalie it's not my place to be grabbing guys and jumping guys unless I have to and/or their guy gets in there." Boston Globe LOADED:

14 Boston Bruins Power play proves key in Bruins' loss January 07, 2012 By Lenny Neslin, Boston.com Staff, Globe Staff Bruins goalie Tim Thomas didn't see any dirty plays from either squad, just high emotion levels. "Let's not kid ourselves here: These are two teams that don't like each other, so what do you expect?" Bruins coach Claude Julien said. Both teams were charged with 15 penalties and spent more than 50 minutes in the penalty box. But it was the Canucks who capitalized, converting on four of 11 power plays while the Bruins scored three even-strength goals and missed seven chances with a man advantage. Julien credited the Canucks' power play, ranked best in the NHL, rather than placing blame on his team's penalty kill. "Two of those power-play goals were good goals," Julien said. "You've got to give them credit. We killed 1:40, around that amount of time, five-onthree. I thought we did a great job, and when they scored, it was because we blocked a shot and it went on their sticks, so what can you do about those kind of things? Thomas admitted it was tough to get in rhythm with the high number of penalties and play stoppages. "Every time we started to get momentum we have a power play or a long power play to kill," he said. "You know I think we were really coming back there in the second period and I thought we were going to take the game over. "Five-on-five we dominated play." Boston Globe LOADED:

15 Boston Bruins Bruins caught short Vancouver scores big on power play By Steve Conroy Sunday, January 8, Boston Bruins In case anyone forgot what playoff hockey can be like, the NHL scheduled a Bruins-Canucks matinee yesterday at the Garden. And quite frankly, it was more entertaining than some playoff games. The game featured 107 minutes in penalties, a rousing scrap 3:54 after the first puck dropped, a penalty shot, two players ejected and a back-and-forth contest on the scoreboard. The only thing it didn t provide for the boisterous sellout crowd was a Bruins victory. The Canucks, looking to atone for the embarrassment they foisted upon themselves in the Stanley Cup finals last June, were their usual annoying selves, but managed to score four power-play goals on 11 tries and beat the Bruins, 4-3. Let s not kid ourselves here, said coach Claude Julien. We ve got two teams that don t like each other, so what do you expect? The buildup from last year is still there, but I ll reiterate what I said this week. It s only a twopoint game and that s how we ll approach it. But there was a lot that happened last year in the playoffs that carried over to (this) game. As much as the referees tried to control it, it became a challenge. It could be a challenge for the Bruins in the near future, too. Even though Milan Lucic s game misconduct was rescinded by the league after the game, Brad Marchand s ejection for clipping may warrant further penalty from the league. Vancouver won the game on special teams. Not only did they cash in on an abundance of power plays, the Canucks also forced the Bruins to go 0-for-7 on their man-advantages, and goalie Cory Schneider stoned Daniel Paille on a second-period penalty shot. Right off the bat, the teams let the refs know they wouldn t have an easy afternoon. Some stickwork on a line change capped by an Alex Burrows stick blade to Shawn Thornton s throat led to a gaggle of Canucks jumping Thornton near the Vancouver bench. When the dust settled, the Bruins got three minors and the Canucks just one on top of a host of misconducts and fighting majors. That created a Vancouver 5-on-3, but it would take a reconvening of the Warren Commission to determine just how the refs reached that conclusion. The Bruins did a good job of killing it off until, with 13 seconds left on the two-man advantage, a blocked shot went right to Ryan Kesler, who beat a helpless Tim Thomas. It was a little shocking (to be killing a 5-on-3), but we ve faced adversity before and normally we try to kill those, said Paille. Unfortunately, today we didn t kill it. But the Bruins bounced back on a Marchand goal later in the first period and, after Paille was stopped on a penalty shot early in the second, Rich Peverley gave the Bruins their only lead of the game. Benoit Pouliot stole the puck from Alexander Edler as the Canucks appeared to believe there was going to be an icing call and fed Peverley, who beat Schneider shortside. The Canucks scratched back, tying the game on a Burrows tip of a Cody Hodgson shot with Tyler Seguin in the box for a questionable tripping call. But the game turned in Vancouver s favor at 18:47 of the second, when Marchand was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct after he gathered a puck along the boards, saw Sami Salo coming, ducked and sent the defenseman flying head over heels. Henrik Sedin scored on a nice tip with 12.3 seconds left to give the Canucks the lead again, 3-2. Then 1:09 into the third, Hodgson drilled a shot over Thomas shoulder off the rush and Vancouver had a 4-2 lead. The Bruins scrapped back with a David Krejci goal at 1:51, but could not get the equalizer, even pulling Thomas before Vancouver defenseman Dan Hamhuis took a delay-of-game penalty with 30 seconds left. It was great entertainment, but not the Bruins best-executed game, to be sure. We had some pretty big obstacles to overcome, and some of it was losing two real good players out of your lineup and having a short bench. That didn t help, said Julien. But having said that, had we stayed out of the box and not given them the power plays that we gave them, I really felt 5-on-5 we controlled the play. That s where our strength is, and unfortunately, when you give up four power-play goals in a game, you ve got to look at yourself and take the blame. It s as simple as that. Boston Herald LOADED:

16 Boston Bruins Marchand s in trouble But not necessarily with Julien By Steve Conroy / Bruins Notebook Sunday, January 8, Boston Bruins Coach Claude Julien wasn t about to criticize the referees for their judgment in giving Brad Marchand a major penalty and a game misconduct for lowbridging Vancouver Canucks defenseman Sami Salo in the second period of yesterday s 4-3 Bruins loss at the Garden. The penalty, which could earn Marchand a suspension from the NHL, is officially called clipping. Given a chance to defend his player, Julien took something of a macro view of things to do so. We all have our opinions on what is going on with the game and the hits and everything else. All I m going to tell you is what I ve always told my players, that they need to protect themselves, Julien said. The last thing I want my players to do is get hit and then end up with a concussion, and they have to protect themselves. Whether it s the right way or the wrong way, it ll depend on how the league looks at it. I d rather have a guy take a two-minute penalty than turn his back to the play, stand up straight, than get his face knocked into the glass and be out for maybe the rest of the year with a concussion, or maybe end his career like (B s center Marc) Savard. So I think we have to really look at those kinds of things. In my opinion, if guys start protecting themselves the way Marchand did, maybe guys will stop taking runs at other guys because that s the consequences you end up paying for taking runs at guys, too. Who knows where we re going to go with this? I know we re all trying hard to fix that part of the game, but it s still there and it s still not fixed. Salo left the game with what was termed an upper-body injury and Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault said his player will be re-evaluated today. Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa took shots at Marchand, who also scored, and the B s. We play hard, but we are a disciplined team, Bieksa said. That s what separates us from them. They obviously play hard, but they tend to do stupid things. The Marchand hit was a pretty stupid thing and I m sure he ll be getting a phone call for that one (from the league). There is no reason for that, but we made them pay. We got to score two goals on that power play and that s the game. He s got to live with that. The same type of play happened twice last year in the Stanley Cup finals, first with Vancouver defenseman Dan Hamhuis undercutting Milan Lucic and then with Marchand doing it to Daniel Sedin. Neither player was penalized with an ejection, though Hamhuis actually suffered an injury that knocked him out of the series. Not a Weise move Canucks winger Dale Weise thought he had Shawn Thornton suckered into taking a two-minute minor penalty when, off a center-ice faceoff, the two talked, and at the puck drop, Thornton dropped his gloves but Weise stayed put. The referees, however, were wise to Weise s ploy and sent both players off for matching minors. He said, Let s go,? Thornton said. I don t know if he was talking to me or someone else but (referee Dan O Rourke) heard him and (referee) Don VanMassenhoven heard him, and that s why he went with me, I m assuming. You ll have to ask him. But Donny said, Wait until the puck drops, and I said, Of course. I heard (Weise) say, We ll go. Maybe he was talking to (defenseman Adam) McQuaid.?.?. but, I thought it was, obviously, go time..?.?. After the big scrum at the beginning of the game, Nathan Horton and Weise broke apart from the pack and staged a long, brutal fight. The bout ended with Horton wrestling Weise to the ice. Gregory Campbell fought the Canucks Maxim Lapierre prior to the Thornton-Weise incident, without a clear winner. Paille checks in Daniel Paille, the B s player representative, supported the NHLPA s putting the breaks on the league s realignment plan Friday night, echoing union concerns about travel and unbalanced conferences. With the collective bargaining agreement set to run out Sept. 15, some look at the NHLPA s action as the first shot across the bow in what could be a contentious negotiation. I don t see it that way, Paille said. Obviously for us as a union, we try to follow every rule as we can and to me, I don t see it that way at all. It s a small step right now that fell short for the league, but there s (a) bigger picture to worry about. This shouldn t matter..?.?. Paille was stopped on a penalty shot 23 seconds into the second period by Vancouver goalie Cory Schneider. I never really had a set plan, Paille said. I just kind of wanted to fake one side and then I found his glove was a little bit higher, but he got a quick glove on it and he made a good save..?.?. The Canucks also lost third-liner Andrew Ebbett, possibly for the season, when he broke his collarbone on a hit delivered by defenseman Dennis Seidenberg. Vigneault said surgery could be performed on Ebbett as early as today. Boston Herald LOADED: