Anaheim Ducks Ducks hope they ve found blueprint for success

SPORT-SCAN Anaheim Ducks 653860 Ducks hope they ve found blueprint for success Boston Bruins 653861 Bruins forward Nathan Horton is big in the clutch 653862 Marlborough hosting inaugural NHL Alumni Pro-Am 653863 Mystery projectile disrupts Bruins-Devils shootout 653864 When Bruins coach Claude Julien looks at Dougie Hamilton, he sees stars 653865 Sabres look for revenge Buffalo Sabres 653866 Miller looks to rebound quickly from bad game 653867 Day-after quick hits from Sabres-Leafs 653868 Kaleta out of hospital, but also out of Thursday's game 653869 Flying pretzels not slowing Bruins Calgary Flames 653870 Game Day: Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames 653871 Flames must win three in a row to stay on track in Hartley s plan 653872 Baertschi very doubtful to play on Thursday 653873 Butler itching to play after two games in press box 653874 Cervenka, Baertschi both absent Wednesday; Baertschi doubtful Thursday vs. Colorado 653875 Flames Future Jankowski beefing up 653876 Flames Wideman showing his net worth 653877 Flames' Butler draws back in against Avalanche 653878 Calgary Flames rookie Sven Baertschi 'very doubtful' for Thursday's game against Colorado, coach Hartley says Carolina Hurricanes 653879 Canes try to revive ailing power play Chicago Blackhawks 653880 Blackhawks Game Day: Wild night 653881 Rozsival close to return 653882 Blackhawks streak comes to an end in a 3-2 shootout loss to Wild 653883 Shootout loss stops Blackhawks perfect start 653884 Wild hand Blackhawks first loss, 3-2 Colorado Avalanche 653885 Avs coach Joe Sacco changes lines; Michael Sgarbossa set for NHL debut 653886 Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog to miss game at Vancouver with injury 653887 Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames: Game preview 653888 Avalanche's P.A. Parenteau gets off to good start and blends in 653889 Avs get shut out 3-0 at Vancouver Columbus Blue Jackets 653890 Blue Jackets: Top scorers yet to do their part 653891 Blue Jackets notebook: Aucoin, Nikitin are nicked up Dallas Stars 653892 Heika: Stars hoping call-up of top prospect Jamie Oleksiak can add much-needed grit 653893 Nieuwendyk calls up Stars' prospect Jamie Oleksiak: 'It's time to take a look' NHL 1/31/2013 DAILY BRIEF Detroit Red Wings 653894 Todd Bertuzzi's close call eye injury stirs talk of wearing visors 653895 Jimmy Howard and Damien Brunner giving Red Wings early boost 653896 Wings' Damien Brunner makes believer out of Mike Babcock 653897 Jordin Tootoo proving to be big hit with Wings 653898 Power play! Guide for bringing kids to a Detroit Red Wings game 653899 Red Wings' Jordin Tootoo fires up fans, teammates by scrapping, hitting and agitating 653900 Detroit Red Wings F Jordin Tootoo says fighting part of my DNA Edmonton Oilers 653901 The Oilers didn t win the Nick Schultz for Tom Gilbert trade. Nor did they lose it. 653902 Which positions are the Edmonton Oilers looking to fill at the draft? Head scout Stu MacGregor hints at the an 653903 Yakupov, encore Yakupov! Rookie sniper bats OT gamewinner out of the air in 2-1 win over Phoenix 653904 Yakupov scores overtime winner for Oilers 653905 Nail Yakupov and the rest of the Edmonton Oilers second line hope to get on track against Phoenix 653906 Dubnyk and Johnson have a history 653907 Edmonton Oilers battle for winning streak versus Phoenix Coyotes 653908 Edmonton Oilers beat Phoenix Coyotes on Nail Yakupov overtime goal 653909 Three consecutive first overall picks behind him, Edmonton Oilers head scout Stu MacGregor back to finding dia Florida Panthers 653910 Florida Panthers stuck in injury rut 653912 Marcel Goc eyes return to lineup after full practice Wednesday 653913 Preview: Panthers vs. Jets, Thursday 7:30 p.m. 653914 Panthers captain's 'Jovo Burger' to raise money for charity Los Angeles Kings 653915 Kings' Dustin Penner patiently waiting for his turn to play 653916 Kings winger Dustin Penner takes healthy approach to recent scratchings 653917 Power (Play) Outage Minnesota Wild 653918 Josh Harding gets the Wild cage tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks 653919 Former NHL player gets at least 4 years in Nevada prison in Las Vegas child sex case 653920 Wild, with points in 3 consecutive games, ends Chicago's winning streak 653921 Reusse: Leddy trade to Blackhawks remains a sore spot to fans 653922 Cullen scores early and late in shootout to help Wild win 3-2, hand Blackhawks 1st loss 653923 Backstrom's relief effort sparks Wild in shootout win 653924 Game recap: Wild over Blackhawks 653925 Coach, GM stay patient as Wild's Granlund adjusts 653926 Minnesota Wild: Look what happens when Pierre-Marc Bouchard shoots 653927 Minnesota Wild: Josh Harding to start in goal against Chicago Blackhawks

Wild Continued 653928 Minnesota Wild: Niklas Backstrom plays show stopper, beats Blackhawks 653929 Wild 3, Blackhawks 2 (SO): Niklas Backstrom replaces Josh Harding, rescues Minnesota 653930 Minnesota Wild: Matt Cullen keeps plugging along -- and scores Montreal Canadiens 653931 Scanlan: Subban sideshow irked teammates 653932 I have to learn to shut up : Ryan White 653933 Habs' win streak ends at four 653934 Brenda Branswell: Gilmore lights Habs torch 653935 Pat Hickey: With Subban, both sides win 653936 Dave Stubbs: Plekanec says Habs buying it 653937 About last night 653938 Subban back on the ice Nashville Predators 653939 Nashville Predators' Shea Weber diversifies shot beyond pure power 653940 Western Conference update 653941 Some Nashville Predators get new luxury on road trips 653942 Preview: Predators at Los Angeles Kings 653943 Nick Spaling's diary: Walk along the beach takes mind off hockey 653944 Nashville Predators hope to reverse two trends in L.A. 653945 Josh Cooper's hat trick 653946 Reigning Stanley Cup champions next up on Predators' road trip New Jersey Devils 653947 Devils: No immediate decision on Stefan Matteau; Cam Janssen put on waivers 653948 Devils get ready for Adam Henrique New York Islanders 653949 Isles McDonald Suspended for Hit 653950 Islanders Colin McDonald suspended two games for boarding Penguins Ben Lovejoy 653951 Isles gear for stingy Devils New York Rangers 653952 Shoulder Injury Sidelines the Rangers Captain 653953 Ryan Callahan out 10 days to two weeks with left shoulder subluxation, Rangers captain will miss four to six g 653954 Ryan Callahan, NY Rangers captain, undergoing MRI on shoulder Wednesday afternoon following injury in 2-1 win 653955 Crushed Ice: Michael Del Zotto, Carl Hagelin pace Rangers' 2-1 win over Flyers, help close with late shorthand 653956 NY Rangers captain Ryan Callahan out 10 to 14 days with partial dislocation of left shoulder 653957 Rangers Callahan to miss 10-14 days 653958 Injured Kreider starts skating again 653959 Philly's Max Talbot says he heard Ryan Callahan's shoulder 'pop' 653960 Callahan shoulder: Not worst-case scenario for Rangers (updated) 653961 Penguins at Rangers tonight Ottawa Senators 653962 Scanlan: Subban circus rolls into town 653963 Senators power through injury woes to beat Canadiens 653964 Morning skate update: Spezza out again, injury being evaluated 653965 Canadiens continue winning ways 653966 Ottawa Senators roll over Montreal Canadiens 5-1 653967 How badly is Ottawa Senators forward Jason Spezza hurt? Philadelphia Flyers 653968 Injured Scott Hartnell feels the Flyers' pain 653969 Flyers miss injured Scott Hartnell's scoring, presence 653970 NHL Week 3 Power Rankings: Flyers fall to No. 17 653971 Parent: As frustration mounts, Flyers must fight back 653972 Flyers hope practice will make perfect remedy for power-play woes 653973 Flyers focus on special teams in practice 653974 Hartnell can only watch as Flyers' power play struggles Phoenix Coyotes 653975 Edmonton Oilers beat Phoenix Coyotes in overtime 653976 Phoenix Coyotes power play improving 653977 Game Day: Oilers at Coyotes Pittsburgh Penguins 653978 Penguins notebook: Letang: Simple is better on power play 653979 Starkey: Penguins have issues 653980 Pens' Crosby: Adversity isn t end of the world 653981 Penguins make some changes, fight frustration 653982 Malkin still trying to re-adjust to smaller NHL rinks San Jose Sharks 653983 San Jose Sharks announce ownership change 653984 Hasso Plattner becomes new face of San Jose Sharks ownership group 653985 San Jose Sharks notebook: Dan Boyle misses practice, might sit out Thursday's game against Edmonton Oilers 653986 Demers ready, but who will sit? 653987 Plattner's deep pockets increase Sharks' NHL influence 653988 Sharks announce changes within ownership group 653989 Sharks notes: Stuart assists Niemi, McLaren waived 653990 Plattner: 'You cannot make money with a hockey team' St Louis Blues 653991 Blues updates: Elliott gets start, Sobotka moves up 653993 Sobotka rises to any occasion 653994 Ex-Blues boss Davidson embraces new challenge in Columbus 653995 Blues vs. Blue Jackets match-up box 653996 Blues updates: Elliott gets start, Sobotka moves up 653997 Davidson is in familiar role with Blue Jackets Tampa Bay Lightning 653998 Feaster feels right at home at Tampa Bay Lightning game 653999 Tampa Bay Lightning drop Panthers for fourth straight win 654000 Tampa Bay Lightning drop Panthers for fourth straight win 654001 Lightning's Tyrell keeps fighting to stay on ice 654002 Fennelly: Cory Conacher finding his way for Lightning 654003 Hockey family forges Tom Pyatt into NHL player 654004 Lindback shows progress, growing pains 654005 Former Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Jay Feaster says, "I still bleed Tampa blue" 654006 Lindback shows progress, growing pains Toronto Maple Leafs 654007 Mike Komisarek s adventures in injuring himself 654008 Mirtle: Second GTA team would be good for the Maple Leafs, too 654009 Leafs coach lightens up, opens his door 654010 Leafs focus on home front 654011 Maple Leafs' Mike Komisarek on eye injury: 'Don't take it out on your stick' 654012 Leafs defenceman Mike Komisarek might think twice about breaking his stick

Vancouver Canucks 654013 Roberto Luongo perfect as Canucks shut out Avalanche 3-0 654014 Game Within a Game 654015 Game Day: Roberto Luongo gets Avalanche call 'Tonight, Louie is No. 1' 654016 Canucks Hat Trick: Refreshing Kassian, Reality Check, Blueline progress 654017 Montrealers give huge thumbs-down to Leafs, thumbs-up to Oilers, and the old level-thumb to Canucks 654018 Canucks Gameday: Guess who's starting again in goal! (video) 654019 Canucks: Garrison s slump is just a learning curve 654020 Willes: So what's the deal with Kesler? It's only the biggest issue facing the Canucks 654021 The Provies Nightly Awards 654022 Gallagher: Is Luongo back to being No. 1? 654023 Canucks: Garrison busts out of slump with goal 654024 Canucks 3 Avs 0: Luongo gets the start, looks sharp and gets the shutout Washington Capitals 654025 One-timers: Caps strong start dampened by tough finish in Ottawa 654026 Don t panic (yet) about the Caps 654027 Washington Capitals evolution under Coach Adam Oates is a slow one 654028 Keith Aucoin capitalizing on Islanders chance 654029 Capitals notes: Stricter penalty calls require adjustment 654030 After stalling early, Washington Capitals looking for a jump-start Websites 654039 ESPN / Sources: Coyotes' sale in question 654040 ESPN / Need to know: Sharks unbeaten, Pens stunned 654041 ESPN / Preds digging deep hole with early slump 654042 ESPN / Toronto arena vote heats up expansion talk 654043 NBCSports.com / Dallas places Roy (groin) on IR 654044 NBCSports.com / Sens recall 2011 first-rounder Zibanejad 654045 NBCSports.com / 30-year-old Matt Anderson to make NHL debut tonight 654046 NBCSports.com / J.S. Giguere, the last remaining Whaler, says Hartford will always be special to me 654047 NBCSports.com / Oilers put Eager on IR, activate Peckham 654048 NBCSports.com / Burrows controversial shootout move legal, says ex-ref Fraser 654049 NBCSports.com / Brad Marchand says Jeff Skinner slew-foots all the time 654050 NBCSports.com / Ex-referee: Prust appropriately called for diving on Antropov hit 654051 NBCSports.com / Avs captain Landeskog to miss second straight game 654052 NBCSports.com / Isles McDonald suspended two games for boarding 654053 NBCSports.com / Sykora signs with Switzerland s SC Bern 654054 NBCSports.com / Avs Landeskog out vs. Edmonton with injuries suffered on Stuart hit 654055 NBCSports.com / Dallas Benn to make season debut tonight 654056 NBCSports.com / Helm s MRI (back) shows no structural damage, could be in Detroit lineup soon 654057 NBCSports.com / Huberdeau to stick with Florida for season 654058 NBCSports.com / Ex-NHLer Laraque s house raided by police in fraud investigation 654059 NBCSports.com / Pittsburgh s Niskanen out 2-4 weeks (ankle) 654060 NBCSports.com / Carlyle admits he overplayed Phaneuf in loss to Rangers 654061 NBCSports.com / Pens Dupuis on getting booed at home: You can t say they weren t right 654062 NBCSports.com / Chicago s Rozsival (knee) day-to-day, should resume skating tomorrow Websites Continued 654063 NBCSports.com / Skinner denies Boston s slew-footing accusations 654064 NBCSports.com / Bolts coach Boucher: Salo, Carle have made huge impact on team 654065 NBCSports.com / Devils waive Janssen 654066 NBCSports.com / Wild to start Harding against undefeated Hawks 654067 Sportsnet.ca / Spector on NHL expansion: Phoenix experiment evaporating 654068 USA TODAY / Tough guy Chris Nilan bares all in 'Last Gladiators' 654069 USA TODAY / Rumors swirl as deadline to purchase Coyotes nears 654070 USA TODAY / Rangers get lucky, Ryan Callahan to miss only 10-14 days 654071 USA TODAY / Things to know about Wednesday night's NHL games 654072 USA TODAY / Punched Out 654073 YAHOO SPORTS / Big deal in Big D: Stars look up to Jamie Benn for future twinkle Winnipeg Jets 654031 Noel still assessing lineup after road game loss 654032 Shaking off the rust 654033 Sin-bin visits down, but Jets still struggling with kill rate 654034 Scheifele still riding pine; Noel grows weary of probing 654035 Jets Wellwood still shaking head after going wide on Price 654036 Wright Jets back to show after Lightning-fast road to NHL 654037 There was no game to our game, but Jets coach Claude Noel won t commit to roster changes against Panthers 654038 Winnipeg Jets are finding their own identity SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129

653860 Anaheim Ducks Ducks hope they ve found blueprint for success posted by Eric Stephens ANAHEIM One measly point. Nothing more. It is all that will be reflected for the Ducks in the NHL standings after their 3-2 shootout loss to San Jose on Tuesday night. Five games into a season shortened to 48 because of a lockout, it may not seem to make much of a difference. But if one looks beyond the black and white, the Ducks can turn that defeat into something much more. A blueprint for success might have been found even if a fourth straight win at HP Pavilion that seemed in the cards evaporated in the final minutes of regulation. The Ducks played with passion from start to finish against an undefeated San Jose outfit that had won its previous five games by two goals or more and outscored opponents by a 23-8 count. Tenacious forechecking. Disciplined backchecking. Strong penalty killing. All of it was shown in an effort that would have earned them two points instead of one on most other nights. Oh, it was our best game of the season. Without a doubt, said Coach Bruce Boudreau, whose team is 3-1-1. When was the last time the Sharks were held to 18 shots in this building in overtime? I d probably don t remember [it s] too often. The Ducks were clearly the better team Tuesday. They weren t the only ones who felt that way. We ve got to be excited that we put points in the bank and were able to come back, Sharks coach Todd McLellan told the San Jose Mercury News. But we have to tell it like it was they were the better team. About the only thing that the Ducks lacked was a power play that is still trying to find itself and one needed save by goalie Jonas Hiller, who is also working out the kinks after staying in Orange County during the lockout. But while Logan Couture s game-tying goal with 2:45 left is one he might like back, Hiller focused on the strong effort by his teammates in front of him. If somebody s on a hot streak, somehow things like that go in, Hiller said. I felt we played really well. We can keep our heads up high. If we keep playing like that, we have a chance to win every night and that s what we need. Perhaps the defining thing they can take away is a grinding approach that was full of smart plays and long on substance instead of style. The Ducks have often been guilty of displaying too much of the latter. But this defeat to the Sharks and their 3-2 shootout win over Nashville may be revealing a group that is willing to get dirty and stick to their game when it falls behind. I think that s Anaheim Ducks hockey, to be honest, said Matt Beleskey, who scored his first goal in nearly a year. Chip it in, chip it out. Our skill guys are big, strong guys down low. Those are the games we need to play. Hopefully we can keep playing that way. Was this a one-off against an opponent they re always motivated to play? The Ducks have upcoming home games against rejuvenated Minnesota and their first matchup against the Stanley Cup champion Kings to prove that it wasn t. I hope it s a blueprint on effort, Boudreau said. Because I thought the effort was great. The thing that you have to see is can it be a consistent thing. We haven t run into a stretch of a lot of games in a lot of nights yet. So can we do this on an everyday basis? Time will tell. The Ducks looked at the battle against their Pacific Division rival as an early-season litmus test to see what kind of team they can be in facing the red-hot Sharks. Beauchemin said it answered some questions in their minds. We know when we play to our game plan and play the way we can, that we can beat any team, he said. We just proved it again [Tuesday night]. Everybody s got to buy into the game plan and play the same way every night. Orange County Register: LOADED: 01.31.2013

653861 Boston Bruins Bruins forward Nathan Horton is big in the clutch By Fluto Shinzawa Two years ago, when the Bruins made their Stanley Cup run, Nathan Horton was the late-game hero. In overtime of Game 7 in the first round, Horton scored the winning goal to propel the Bruins over the Canadiens. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final against Tampa Bay, Horton scored the night s only goal at 12:27 of the third period. This year, Horton has scored two of his three goals in the third period. The Bruins (5-0-1) have yet to lose in regulation. If Horton hadn t netted those third-period goals, the Bruins might be carrying two regulation losses. You re not always going to be at your best, but you pull through, Horton said after Tuesday s 2-1 shootout win over New Jersey. You re down a goal, you re down two goals, it doesn t matter. You just work hard and fight back. That s the kind of team we are and the kind of guys we are on this team. We all know we can come back when we re down. I think that s what makes us so good. Horton, who was out for nearly a full calendar year because of a concussion and the lockout, has answered all of his employer s questions. Through six games, Horton, Milan Lucic, and David Krejci have been the team s most consistent line. Horton has three goals and two assists. Lucic has a 2-2 4 line along with two fights. Krejci, between the two towers, has been the playmaker (one goal, five assists). You want to be able to rely on those guys, coach Claude Julien said. We have, and they ve certainly given us exactly what we need right now. Horton s game-tying goal against the Devils was a product of the line s best asset: speed. Krejci started the rush in the defensive zone. As he hit the defensive blue line, Lucic and Horton hit full stride as his wingmen. By the time Krejci had taken a return pass from Lucic, Horton was flying down the right wing. With a quick snap, Horton flipped a shot past Johan Hedberg with 4:05 remaining in regulation. On Jan. 23, Horton s snap shot helped the Bruins scratch out a point against the Rangers. The Bruins were down, 3-2, in the third period at Madison Square Garden. But Horton helped the Bruins take the game into overtime. After taking a pass from Gregory Campbell, Horton flung a shot through a Carl Hagelin screen that Henrik Lundqvist couldn t track. He s a machine, Julien said. It doesn t seem like he s skipped a beat. He s right back in great form. We re feeding off him, no doubt. Johnson looks good Adam McQuaid will be available to play against Buffalo Thursday. He didn t play Monday against Carolina because he was attending his grandmother s funeral, and he was a healthy scratch Tuesday. It s not guaranteed that McQuaid will return against the Sabres, given the consistent performances that Aaron Johnson has delivered on the No. 3 defense pairing. Johnson had two shots and three hits in 16:13 of ice time against the Devils. The thing we liked about him is that he s got good vision, Julien said of the ex- Blue Jacket. He sees the play well. He s a guy that s had decent points for a guy that s been in and out of the lineup. Sabres get tough The Bruins get their first look at the pumped-up Sabres, who added sandpaper and muscle during the offseason in Steve Ott and John Scott. Ott, who has a history of run-ins with the Bruins from his Dallas days, has one goal, one assist, and 13 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-8-inch Scott will be looking to take either Zdeno Chara or Milan Lucic to the box via a scrap. Scott has recorded one bout this season. On Jan. 21, ex-bruin Colton Orr staggered Scott with a body shot... Dennis Seidenberg played arguably his best game of the season against New Jersey. It was his third game back after missing two with a lower-body injury. Seidenberg had two shots and five hits in 23:03. He started the third-period breakout that led to Horton s tying goal... TD Garden security has not been able to identify the person who threw an object onto the ice during Tuesday s shootout. Boston Globe LOADED: 01.31.2013

653862 Boston Bruins Marlborough hosting inaugural NHL Alumni Pro-Am We are kind of excited to be in the middle of it, said NESC owner Larue Renfroe. It s a nice way to raise money for a worthy cause, and it brings the hockey community close togther. Boston Globe LOADED: 01.31.2013 By Craig Larson Bob Sweeney soaked up all the camaraderie, the goodwill, and the passion first-hand in Toronto two years ago during the Scotiabank Pro-Am -Alzheimer s Hockey Tournament, and thought, what a great concept. A festive weekend gathering of National Hockey League alums, lacing up their skates in a tournament, former pros sharing the locker room, the bench, and the ice with recreational men s league teams in a major fundraiser. The tourney, kicking off with a player draft of former NHL players, has generated $20 million-plus north of the border for the Gordie and Colleen Howe Fund, focusing on Alzheimer s disease research. The Toronto venture, entering its eighth year, serves as the blueprint for pro-ams that are run in Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. In his role as executive director of the Boston Bruins Foundation, Sweeney thought, why not Boston, or in this case, Marlborough? The last weekend in April, the inaugural NHL Alumni Pro-Am will become a reality at the New England Sports Center s six-rink facility, with the initial goal of raising $250,000 for the head-trauma unit at Boston Children s Hospital. The pro-am is a collaborative effort between the Bruins Foundation and the NHL Alumni Association, which opened up an office last fall at the Marlborough rink complex with former Buffalo Sabre and Ottawa Senator Jason Zent serving as the point man. Toronto is such a hockey mecca, there were 48 teams, and probably 1,000 people at the draft, we thought it would be a great fit for Boston, said Sweeney, a Boxborough native who spent the first six seasons of his NHL career working the pivot for the Black & Gold. We ve started it small, but so far, we are off to a great start. Plans call for 24 men s teams (35-and-over) to be slotted in an alumni draft on April 26 based on their fund-raising efforts, earning the opportunity to skate alongside Hall of Famers Ray Bourque and Brian Leetch and familiar names like Terry O Reilly, Rick Middleton, Tony Amonte, Mark Napier, and Sweeney, among others. Choosing one charitable cause was a difficult decision, said Zent, but concussions are really coming to the front burner, and it really resonates. For me, it s about the children, and raising the awareness. I am excited that we can make a difference with kids, and not just hockey players. The Bruins have been impacted by concussions as much as any team in the NHL over the past decade. Both Patrice Bergeron and Nathan Horton suffered season-ending hits, while Marc Savard will likely never play again, so this is near and dear to us, said Sweeney. Kim Jacobs, wife of Bruins principal Charlie Jacobs, serves on the board of trustees at Children s Hospital and has had a true passion for all of our charitable events, said Sweeney. Napier, executive director of the NHL Alumni Association, said it is important that the money raised stays in the community. The setup in Boston is perfect, he said, noting that he would like to see the model here serve as a template for events in New York and Philadelphia. It s a special thing, the former pros spend two and a half days with your team. The first day may be a bit awkward, but then you play the game, have beer and chicken wings, socialize, it s such a classy tournament. There s a real appeal to a lot of these guys, who would never have a chance to play with an ex-pro. Napier, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Canadiens and Oilers, takes delight in zipping a few passes that will knock the stick right out of their hands. Or, from his days as a speedy right-winger on the Montreal team that KO d the Bruins in a memorable Game 7 in 1979, sharing Don Cherry too many men on the ice stories, he added with a chuckle. We want to make this the No. 1 tournament in the world, with Marlborough serving as host.

653863 Boston Bruins Mystery projectile disrupts Bruins-Devils shootout By Matt Pepin What was that thing tossed on the ice during Tuesday's Bruins-Devils shootout? What do you think was thrown on the ice in the Bruins-Devils shootout? That's the question being bandied about Wednesday morning. The quick recap: A fan at TD Garden threw something -- many are saying some sort of food -- toward Devils goalie Johan Hedberg as the Bruins' Tyler Seguin attempted a penalty shot and scored. A do-over was ordered by the game officials, and Seguin scored again. A video posted to YouTube appears to show the fan launching the object and then zooms in on a fan the videomaker believes was the one who threw the thing. Update, 5:56 p.m.: Globe colleague Fluto Shinzawa reports that as of Wednesday afternoon, TD Garden security has not yet been able to identify the fan who threw the thing. Boston Globe LOADED: 01.31.2013

653864 Boston Bruins When Bruins coach Claude Julien looks at Dougie Hamilton, he sees stars By Kevin Paul Dupont Doug Hamilton is all of six games into his NHL career and things are looking good thus far for the 19-year-old Bruins defenseman. So good, in fact, that Boston coach Claude Julien sees a trace of greatness in the 6-foot-5-inch rookie. His body type, style of play and demeanor, Julien noted Tuesday, conjures up an image of Hall of Famer Larry Robinson, the ex-montreal defenseman. He s tall, and he s not going to run anybody through the boards, said Julien, prior to the Bruins defeating one of Robinson s former clubs, the Devils, 2-1, in a shootout Tuesday night at the Garden. But he s solid and he moves the puck well and sees the play well. I think everybody knows Larry was a pretty good player. Hamilton, the No. 9 pick in the June 2011 draft, only officially learned on Monday the Bruins would not send him back to his St. Catharines, Ontario, junior team. Now that he has played his sixth game, he is in Boston to stay for the season, and likely for years and years to come, providing Julien s assessment is correct. Thus far, Hamilton has shown himself to be a very effective passer and puckhandler, often triggering strong first passes out of the defensive zone (one leading to a Patrice Bergeron breakaway goal) and also able to tiptoe along the blue line, in possession of the puck, when Julien has rolled him out for the power play. There have been glimpses of him in games when it has been difficult to remember that he s a new kid on the Causeway block. His hockey sense is outstanding, his vision is extremely good, said Julien, rarely so effusive over young players, including the likes of Phil Kessel and Tyler Seguin. We know he s got the size, the skating, and everything else to play in this league. I think his composure is what seems to be really impressing a lot of people. He s made some big plays for us... right now, to me, he s not playing like a rookie, he s not playing like a first-year player. He s playing like a player that s been around for a while. McQuaid in town Adam McQuaid was given Monday off in order to return home to the Canadian Maritimes to attend his grandmother s funeral. The big blue liner, born in Charlottetown, PEI, was back in Boston Tuesday morning, needing extra time to route through Montreal because of bad weather. He did not play against the Devils. Management and coaches were really supportive, so that meant a lot, said McQuaid, referring to being able to skip Monday s game in Raleigh, N.C. She was a big part of my life... fortunately I was able to get there. McQuaid, a physical presence on the No. 3 defensive pairing, often with Andrew Ference, did not pick up a point in his first four games. Veteran Aaron Johnson, acquired as a free agent over the summer as a depth/insurance player, moved into the lineup in McQuaid s absence. McQuaid late in the summer required emergency surgery for a blood clot that settled high in his chest, just under the collarbone, and he did not tune up his game in Europe during the NHL lockout. The surgery and his time away from playing have at times been evident. His game remains somewhat under reconstruction. I m feeling better every game, he said. Probably part of that is just getting back into the groove of playing games, hopefully I ll just continue to improve. Yeah, I m feeling good... [the surgery] is not on my mind or anything when I m playing. Timing and strength remain factors in his rebuild. Probably a little bit of both, said McQuaid. I continue to do the physio side of it and I continue to get stronger. Having not played in such a long time it can be tough to get your timing back, like everyone else. Rough landing The game in Raleigh ended with the typically-calm Bergeron all riled up, irate at being what he felt was the victim of a slew foot dished out by slick Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner in the closing moments of Boston s 5-3 win. It was just emotions, just part of the game, said Bergeron, who traded shots and spirited words with Skinner prior to both clubs filing to their dressing rooms. I just told him what I thought and that s about it. The two players banged into one another behind the Boston net, causing both to fall backward, crash and tangle. Brad Marchand told WEEI.com Tuesday morning that Skinner slew foots all the time, leading Skinner to react with some dismay later in the morning. I don t think that s what happened, he told Raleigh News & Observer reporter Chip Alexander. I think [Bergeron] stepped in front of me and we both fell back. I looked at the [videotape] and my hips were open. I don t know how you can pull somebody back over your leg when your hips are open. I think my left foot was off the ice there and we were both off-balance. We got tangled up. I thought it was uncalled for the puck wasn t even close, a very even keeled Bergeron said late Tuesday morning. Seguin finally put a puck over the goal line Monday, connecting for his first goal of the season after potting 29 over the 82-game schedule last season. Of the top 35 goal scorers in 2011-12, only Jarome Iginla (Calgary) remains without a goal this season. Well, I think he is out of synch, said Julien, noting that Seguin played weeks of hockey in Switzerland, where the ice sheet is considerably bigger than in the 30 NHL rinks. I think where the puck battles are along the boards, [that s] somewhere where he s always going to have to work a little harder because he s always played center, and center you re always the support guy he didn t have to battle too much along the boards. Seguin in his two-plus seasons with the Bruins has been somewhat inconsistent, in his willingness to fight for pucks and battle through checks. His abundant speed and stick skills often allow him to steer clear of tough sledding. 60-minute men Neither club has suffered a loss in 60 minutes of regulation. The Devils fell to the Canadiens, 4-3, in overtime Sunday, and lost Tuesday in a shootout. The Bruins were rubbed out, 4-3, in overtime by the Rangers last Wednesday at MSG... Christopher Bourque, son of Bruins icon Ray Bourque, has yet to pick up a point in his six games with the Spoked-B. I wouldn t necessarily overanalyze it that way, said Julien, asked if he felt Bourque was frustrated or pressing. I think he s playing better and better. The numbers aren t there. But I think he s gaining confidence... The Bruins have six more back-to-back dates. The next one has Tampa at the Garden on Feb. 9, followed by the Bruins visit to Buffalo... The Bruins have collected at least one point in their first six games something they had not done since starting 5-0-1 in 1970-71, the October following their Stanley Cup season. Boston Globe LOADED: 01.31.2013

653865 Boston Bruins Sabres look for revenge Stephen Harris The good and loyal hockey fans of Buffalo have been very patient. They haven t had much choice. The Sabres, who face the Bruins tonight at the Garden, missed the playoffs last spring for the third time in five seasons. The two times they did finish in the top eight in the Eastern Conference during that span, they failed to get out of the first round of the postseason. The team reached the playoffs only four times in the past decade and, of course, the total number of Stanley Cups won by the Sabres since the franchise s inception in 1970 not counting the one they won in Bruce Almighty is zero. A recent low point for the Sabres and their faithful came Nov. 12, 2011, when Bruins winger Milan Lucic turned Ryan Miller into road kill, crashing into Buffalo s franchise goalie when he skated out to the circle to play a puck. The response of Miller s teammates wasn t much beyond a little tepid pushing and shoving. The Sabres went into that game 10-5-0. Their loss to the B s started a 7-12- 4 downturn, and they went on to miss the final playoff slot by just three points. So with all that as a backdrop, it wasn t terribly surprising during the summer when the Sabres acquired center Steve Ott from Dallas and picked up winger John Scott in free agency. Lest anyone is not familiar with these two gentlemen, Ott is one of the most notorious rats and cheap-shot artists in the league, and Scott is a 6-foot-8, 270-pound Goliath who in 152 career NHL games has one goal, four assists and 241 penalty minutes. It almost goes without saying that when longtime Sabres general manager Darcy Regier and coach Lindy Ruff added these two players, they were thinking about their impact against the Bruins. The conference-leading B s, who earned a day off yesterday after improving to 5-0-1 with Tuesday s 2-1 shootout win against the New Jersey Devils, were 4-1-1 last season against Buffalo. So the Sabres, for reasons of both practicality and revenge, clearly have something to prove this year against the Bruins and a generally more physical Eastern Conference. We all know what John s going to bring, Ruff said in a Buffalo News story a couple of weeks ago. He s a real character. He s been great in the room, great on the bench. He knows what he s here for. He can add the toughness that s needed. Teams come in and don t run around even if he doesn t fight. When you have a player of his magnitude when it comes to the physical sense and somebody does something really stupid against your team, they know they re going to have to deal with somebody who s really tough. No question, Scott is one tough customer. He has the reach and strength to hold off his opponent, and throws monstrous right-hand bombs. I know my role.... I m a fourth-line guy, Scott told the Buffalo News. Protect the team and keep the other team honest. Play physical. It took a little bit of time to get used to me being an enforcer. I wanted to see if I could be a defenseman or forward, chip in with the goal-scoring. I ve embraced it the last few years. My job is to protect the team. I enjoy doing it, I enjoy going out there and fighting and protecting my teammates. But the obvious question is: Will he help or hurt the Sabres if he goes on the ice? Scott played only four shifts, 1:58 in ice time, in the club s overtime loss to Toronto on Tuesday. And though he s played all six games in the young season, he s averaging just 3:25 on the ice. It would be a tough challenge for any Bruins player to drop the gloves with Scott, but how much impact can he really have? Ott s a different story. We ve seen the mayhem he can cause, and there s no reason to expect anything different from him tonight as the Sabres try to prove something against the B s. Bruins notes The condensed schedule hasn t even really set in yet for the Bruins (who have an utterly ridiculous month of March in which they play 17 games in 30 days), but they head right back on the road after practice tommorow. They face the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Saturday night. Then comes a rare break, with the next game not until Wednesday in Montreal.... Think the Toronto media has taken note of the terrific start for Dougie Hamilton? Think there might be a reminder or two that the Leafs price to get Phil Kessel (six games, no goals, three assists, minus-2 rating) from Boston was draft picks that turned into Tyler Seguin, Hamilton and Jared Knight? Hamilton, with four points (all assists) after six games, was No. 2 in scoring among rookie defensemen entering last night s games.... Goalie Tuukka Rask entered last night in the top five in goals-against average (fifth, 1.74), save percentage (fifth,.932) and wins (four).... The Bruins 188 hits through Tuesday tied them with the Rangers for most in the league. And their 60.7 faceoff win percentage was best in the league. Patrice Bergeron leads the B s at 65.5 percent on faceoffs, second in the NHL to Detroit s Pavel Datsyuk (66.7). Boston Herald LOADED: 01.31.2013

653866 Buffalo Sabres Miller looks to rebound quickly from bad game By Mike Harrington BOSTON Until Tuesday night, Ryan Miller was off to an excellent start in the Buffalo net. He seemed to be picking up where he left off from his stellar play last March that nearly single-handedly carried the Sabres into the playoffs. Then came the overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Miller hadn t given up a remotely questionable goal in his four previous starts but gave up three in that game, including Matt Frattin s winner with 1.5 seconds left in OT. Afterward, a stone-faced Miller sat in front of his locker pads still on pondering what happened. When he talked to reporters, he took full responsibility and said he needed to be better and expected to be better. The Sabres are 0-3-1 in their last four games and haven t been able to shake their doldrums after a 2-0 start. Miller needs to make sure one bad game doesn t turn into two or more and what a doozy of a chance he has Thursday night. The Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins (5-0-1). In TD Garden, where they are 4-0. In what s expected to be Miller s first start there in nearly 14½ months, since the infamous Milan Lucic bull rush over him on Nov. 12, 2011. You just have to try to remember how last year felt and compete again, Miller said. [Tuesday] I just didn t have it, for whatever reason. It was definitely the kind of game I needed to show up for and be better. The guys got me back into it. I tried to hang tight with it and then I had another letdown. Just let them down. The Sabres were off Wednesday, a fact that sounds odd with the team struggling. Coming off an overtime loss in which the defense struggled in its own end, the power play once again showed it could use plenty of fine-tuning and 18- year-old Mikhail Grigorenko often played to his age, there s no way coach Lindy Ruff would have given his players the day off. But Ruff has to be more judicious with his practice time in the shortened season and there are now black-and-white rules about days off the players get, both at home and on the road, in the new collective bargaining agreement. So the Sabres took Wednesday off and return to the ice for their morning skate Thursday at 11:30. They have a practice scheduled for Friday morning at 11 a.m. in the Bell Centre in Montreal but that one doesn t figure to be a heavy lift either because it comes in the wake of a game and latenight flight, and in advance of a matchup with the Canadiens on Saturday afternoon at 2. Miller has faced the Bruins since the Lucic incident, going 2-0 against them last February in First Niagara Center and stopping 71 of 72 shots. But Jhonas Enroth played the other two games in Boston last year. While a renewal of hostilities with Lucic John Scott, anyone? might be on the minds of Sabres fans, don t think Miller doesn t have even more ammunition against the Bruins now, too. Remember, he reportedly had a heated exchange with Boston owner and Board of Governors Chairman Jeremy Jacobs during negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA last month in New York. Miller downplayed the exchange when he returned to Buffalo for practice after the lockout ended, but the story of the dispute and Jacobs nearwalkout on the talks got wide play across North America. Through three games, Miller was fifth in the NHL in save percentage (.952) and sixth in GAA (1.67) while stopping 100 of the first 105 shots he faced. He s now dropped to 2.38 and.925 but still entered Wednesday 10th and seventh in the league, respectively, in those categories among goalies who have started more than one game. In his first four games, the goals against him were all deflections and screens, or unstoppable howitzers on power plays from stars Claude Giroux of Philadelphia and Alex Ovechkin of Washington. That changed Tuesday. Toronto s first goal, a rebound tap-in by Jay McClement, came after Miller simply whiffed on Nazem Kadri s 30-foot floater and the puck clanked off the goalpost. Just missed it, Miller said. Stupid. Cody Franson s second-period snap shot from the point beat Miller over the glove and it looked like there were no screen issues on the play. Then came the overtime winner, where Frattin beat Jordan Leopold and chipped the puck under Miller s arm with Miller on his knees instead of simply standing firm and taking the shot as time expired. Miller had bounced back in the third period with a couple of strong saves and looked sharper in the net than he had over the opening 40 minutes. But the overtime faux pas wiped away any good feelings. I was trying to feel better, he said. The first two periods weren t very good. Just have to regroup and get it together. Winger Patrick Kaleta was released Wednesday from Buffalo General Hospital after being held for observation overnight but did not travel here for Thursday s game. Ruff said Kaleta was being checked for neck problems after taking a hit from behind from Toronto s Mike Brown in the second period. Kaleta, who has a history of neck issues, left the ice groggily after the hit and was sent to the hospital. Nathan Gerbe, a scratch Tuesday, is likely to take Kaleta s spot in the lineup. Buffalo News LOADED: 01.31.2013

653867 Buffalo Sabres Day-after quick hits from Sabres-Leafs By Mike Harrington The Sabres are off today, a concession to the new CBA that mandates far more time away from the ice than the old one. No way -- and I mean no way -- Lindy Ruff would have taken today off in the past. There are too many things to work on. So the team is off to Boston later today and I'll be heading to the airport late this afternoon as well, with the next time on the ice coming at 11:30 a.m. Thursday for the morning skate in TD Garden. Still shaking my head about last night's 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto. Lots of little nuggets percolating in my mind: ---Jordan Leopold was standup after Matt Frattin's game-winning goal. Fair enough. But there's less than five seconds left. JUST TACKLE THE GUY. The same thing happened last March when the Sabres let Colorado's Gabriel Landeskog skate free and gave up a tying goal in the final second of regulation in an eventual shootout loss. Compare the plays. Jeez. ---First bad goal of the season against Ryan Miller. Turned out to be three bad goals in the same game. Can't happen. Read more about Miller's start to the season in Thursday's paper. Bruins fans will be waiting for him. ---Too many players already talking about how it was good to get a point. Leopold and Drew Stafford spewed that line. It's not. Not at home. Not against the Leafs, who had won once here in the last 13 trips. ---Lindy Ruff was unusually upbeat about things in his postgame presser. I think he's trying hard to cajole this team. Despite what Ruff said, I thought his defense corps was a trainwreck in much of this game in their own end. Christian Ehrhoff played nearly 29 minutes and was terrific but Tyler Myers is an absolute disaster right now ($12 million, anyone?) and Andrej Sekera didn't have a great night either, his pretty goal aside. Still too many giveaways, dropped coverages and goofy decisions. ---Neat factoid from the Sabres PR department: At 18 years, 258 days, Mikhail Grigorenko became the fifth-youngest player in Sabres history to score a goal. The four younger were Pierre Turgeon (18 years, 54 days on Oct. 21, 1987), Adam Creighton (18 years, 199 days on Dec. 18, 1983), Phil Housley (18 years, 221 days on Oct. 16, 1982) and Mike Moller (18 years, 243 days on Feb. 14, 1981). ---Loved what Mike Weber told me about assisting on Grigorenko's goal: "It was great for me to get a helper [on the first goal] for a guy who might be a star player in the league for a long time. I couldnâ t be happier for the kid. Heâ s got a lot of great potential and, I mean, heâ s 18 years old, so I think itâ s fair to say we can jump off his back a little bit and let him develop and grow and is he going to be a special player for a lot of years for us.â ---Speaking of Weber, he gave the Sabres plenty of aggressiveness in his first game, even doing a great job challenging Mike Brown after the backside hit that KO'd Patrick Kaleta. (**WGR's Paul Hamilton astutely pointed out John Scott was on the ice at the time and didn't engage Brown. with Weber coming across the ice to do so. If Scott isn't fighting in that spot, why the heck is he even on the team?). Buffalo News LOADED: 01.31.2013

653868 Buffalo Sabres Kaleta out of hospital, but also out of Thursday's game By Mike Harrington BOSTON -- Just landed at Logan Airport to official word from the Sabres on the status of injured winger Patrick Kaleta: He has been released from Buffalo General Hospital after being held for observation overnight but did not travel here for Thursday's game against the Bruins. Coach Lindy Ruff said Kaleta was being checked for neck problems after taking a hit from behind from Toronto's Mike Brown in the first period. Kaleta, who has a history of neck issues from his robust style of play, left the ice groggily after the hit and was sent to the hospital after X-rays were done at First Niagara Center. Ruff said after the game there was nothing concerning about the X-ray but it remains to be seen if that changed given the fact Kaleta was kept overnight. There is no timetable yet for Kaleta's return. Look for Nathan Gerbe, who was scratched for Tuesday's overtime loss to Toronto, to take Kaleta's spot in the lineup Thursday. Buffalo News LOADED: 01.31.2013

653869 Buffalo Sabres Flying pretzels not slowing Bruins By Mike Harrington Come on, admit it. I got you right from the headline of this post. But I'm not joking either. Did you see what happened at the start of the Bruins-Devils six-round shootout last night in TD Garden? The video above gives you the answer. Hall of Famer Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe recounts the doughy affair with this uproarious game story. (*Dupont wrote a photographer at rinkside said the object was a pretzel even if the YouTube author above said hot dog). At one point, Dupont notes that the referees were "strutting their officiating mustard and overall sense of fairness" in ordering a do-over on Tyler Seguin's goal because of the projectile coming out of the stands past goalie Johan Hedberg. At another, he said Seguin scored on his "dough-over" attempt. And on a third, he said of the shootout "Like a pretzel, this one was knotted" after a goal by New Jersey's Ilya Kovalchuk. Gut-busting stuff. Carbohydrates and Milan Lucic aside, the Sabres have a major issue come Thursday night. The Bruins are 5-0-1 for 11 points, tops in the Eastern Conference. They're 4-0 at home. They've given up just 12 goals and Tuukka Rask (1.74 GAA,.932 save percentage) is quickly making everyone forget about Tim Thomas' politics. No Stanley Cup hangover for the B's this year. They're hungry again. The Bruins are struggling on the power play at just 3 for 24 overall -- including 0 for 15 at home. But they lead the NHL in penalty killing, surviving 27 of 28 (16 of 17 at home, all 11 on the road). Buffalo News LOADED: 01.31.2013