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	GMs Want Rule Change on Head Shots 03/11/10 at 03:02 PM EST After three days of meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, the National Hockey League's general managers have put forward a recommendation for a rule change to address hits to the head in league games. The following language was agreed to unanimously by the group: "A lateral, back pressure or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and or the principal point of contact is not permitted. A violation of the above will result in a minor or major penalty and shall be reviewed for possible supplemental discipline." "We felt there is a degree of responsibility - moreso to the player receiving the hit - when a guy's coming straight at you. But it's that blindside hit that we find is so disturbing and it's tough to protect yourself in our game, with the speed," said NHL senior vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell. Continued at TSN.ca
	Habs Looking to Strengthen Playoff Spot 03/11/10 at 03:03 PM EST (Sports Network) - The Montreal Canadiens continue their push for a postseason berth when the surging club continues its current homestand with tonight's bout against the Edmonton Oilers from the Bell Centre. Montreal has won its last three games and is 4-1-0 since returning from the Olympic break. That outstanding stretch has put the Canadiens into seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings at the moment, two behind Philadelphia for the No. 6 spot and two ahead of rival Boston in the pecking order. The Habs continued their strong play with Tuesday's 5-3 triumph over Tampa Bay in the opener of this three-game residency. Mathieu Darche scored twice and Scott Gomez recorded a goal and two assists to lead the offense, while Jaroslav Halak made 28 saves in a solid showing between the pipes. Continued at TSN.ca
	Oilers Fans Rooting for First Overall Pick 03/11/10 at 03:01 PM EST EDMONTON -- With playoffs out of the question and a top-two lottery pick in mind, some fans of the Edmonton Oilers want losses instead of wins for the balance of this season. That's not a sentiment shared in the Oilers dressing room. In the upside-down race in the standings that will land the 30th-place team no worse than the second pick in the NHL Entry Draft, and a chance to select Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin, fans on websites around the Internet were lamenting the two-game winning streak the Oilers took into Tuesday's game against Ottawa. Likewise, they weren't unhappy about a 4-1 loss to the Senators, dropping the Oilers to 21-39-6, six points back of the 29th-place Toronto Maple Leafs, who beat Boston 4-3. Continued at TSN.ca
	Gaborik Still Fully Confident in Rangers 03/11/10 at 02:59 PM EST His team is on the outside of the playoff race, and at the time of the interview had been on the wrong end of three-straight games, scoring just once in the last two. But Wednesday morning from Prudential Center, New York Rangers right wing Marian Gaborik talked like a believer. "It's going to come," Gaborik said. "We'll be good. We'll be fine." How, you may ask, can a team in the Rangers' predicament still be confident? It's a good question, and a fair one, considering: * After breakdowns in front of the net and a porous power play led to a 6-3 loss to the Devils Wednesday night, the Rangers haven't won in four straight and are 10-12-5 since New Year's Day. They are three points behind Boston for eighth in the Eastern Conference, but the Bruins have two games in hand. Continued at NHL.com
	Devils Are Not a One-Man Team 03/11/10 at 02:58 PM EST When the New Jersey Devils acquired Ilya Kovalchuk from the Atlanta Thrashers, he immediately became the focal point -- the left wing of attention, if you will -- on a team that was in desperate need for an offensive shot in the arm. The Devils' fortunes seemingly became inexorably linked to Kovalchuk's performance. Sure, they have 40-goal scorer Zach Parise, but he never had his game dissected the way Kovalchuk has since arriving in New Jersey on Feb. 4. Kovalchuk was supposed to be the catalyst, the savior that allowed the Devils to compete with the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins in the battle for Eastern Conference supremacy. But during a 6-3 win against the New York Rangers on Wednesday, the Devils showed why they can be a dangerous team come playoff time -- they're not a one-man show. Continued at NHL.com
	Wallin Performing Well in Shutdown Role 03/11/10 at 11:48 AM EST The Sharks acquired veteran Niclas Wallin from the Carolina Hurricanes last month because they knew they could use one more shutdown defenseman — and so far he has been exactly that. But they also were aware they were getting someone who has been a clutch playoff performer, a 35-year-old veteran who became known as "The Secret Weapon" in Carolina because all three of his postseason goals came in overtime. According to Wallin, that says more about playoff hockey than it does about him. "It shows how everybody is involved, how everybody needs to chip in to win in the playoffs," said Wallin, who isn't known for his offensive skills and has scored more than two goals only once in nine NHL seasons. Continued at The Mercury News
	Bernier Has a Sports Hernia 03/11/10 at 11:45 AM EST This should explain a lot. The Canucks have learned Steve Bernier has a sports hernia which has limited his skating and kept him off the ice since March 2. The small abdominal tear requires surgery and the early indication is he will miss about four weeks. That means he could still return for the first round of the playoffs. Bernier first started having issues, and missing games, in January. It was thought then he had a groin injury. Bernier left the Canucks last week and saw an abdominal specialist Tuesday in Vancouver, when he was diagnosed with a sports hernia. Continued at The Vancouver Province
	Flyers Playing Smart and Disciplined 03/11/10 at 11:40 AM EST These Flyers aren't your father's Broad Street Bullies. Oh, they aren't pacifists. They still play with an edge, still are the NHL's most penalized team. But since Peter Laviolette became their coach in early December, the Flyers are playing with more smarts and more discipline. Never was that more evident than in the last two games, when their self-control contributed to victories over Toronto and the New York Islanders. Continued at The Philadelphia Daily News
	Wild Vets Aim to Stop Lackluster Play 03/11/10 at 11:03 AM EST After Wednesday's extremely optional practice in Mendota Heights that included seven skaters, two goalies and no head coach, Niklas Backstrom and Andrew Brunette chatted at center ice for five minutes. It was the look of two very frustrated veterans, especially after a shootout loss the night before in which the Wild somehow was able to muster a paltry 11 shots on goal against a Florida team that leads the league in shots allowed. "Very disappointing. One of the most disappointing," Backstrom said Wednesday. "It was a game we must have. We're fighting for our lives, and that's how we play." Continued at The Star Tribune
	Modano Turned Down Being Traded 03/11/10 at 11:01 AM EST BUFFALO, N.Y. – Three teams were pursuing Mike Modano at the trade deadline, but Modano said he did not want to waive his no-trade clause and leave the only NHL franchise for which he has played. Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk confirmed Wednesday night that he asked Modano the day before the March 3 trade deadline if he wanted to pursue a move. Nieuwendyk said he did not actually negotiate with another team, because he first had to establish whether Modano was open to leaving. Nieuwendyk said he did not want to reveal the teams, but Modano said one was Washington. Continued at The Dallas News
	Panthers' D-Men Logging Big Minutes 03/11/10 at 10:58 AM EST DENVER -- Five of the Panthers' six defensemen have logged big minutes in the past three games since Dennis Seidenberg was traded to Boston. On Tuesday, Keith Ballard went five seconds short of 30 minutes on the ice. On Saturday, Ballard and Bryan McCabe surpassed the 25-minute mark. On March 3, McCabe went 27:27 -- his season average is 22:27. With the Panthers trading veteran defensemen Seidenberg and Jordan Leopold last week, coach Pete DeBoer has been running with five on the blue line. Rookie Keaton Ellerby -- who played in his fifth NHL game Tuesday in Minnesota -- hasn't seen much playing time because he has yet to hit the seven-minute mark in any of the previous three games. Continued at The Miami Herald
	Zetterberg's Slump Prompts Shakeup 03/11/10 at 10:55 AM EST Detroit -- Henrik Zetterberg didn't pull any punches. When asked what he felt about his season overall, he said, "It hasn't been fantastic, that's for sure. It's something I am not happy about, but you can't look back. I just have to keep going, work hard and do things right." There are many NHL players who would happily take Zetterberg's numbers this season -- 18 goals and 53 points in 58 games. But for Zetterberg -- who has four straight 30-plus goal seasons -- they are well below his standard. Continued at The Detroit News
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