- After hobbling off with what appeared to be a leg injury sustained during the first period of the Sharks‘ game in Dallas, Brent Burns won’t return to the lineup until at least Saturday’s contest against the Nashville Predators. Martin Havlat and Tommy Wingels didn’t skate yesterday and it’s possible they won’t play tonight either. [CSN Bay Area]
- Todd McLellan is spot-on when discussing the ridiculous “losing the room” trope trotted out to justify seemingly every coaching change in the NHL: “There’s always talk about whether you have ‘lost the room.’ You hear people use that phrase about losing your players’ attention or about a team losing confidence, and I always wonder, where does that happen — do you lose it at the mall?” [Mercury News]
- How have clubs in the newly realigned conferences, as proposed by the NHL, fared against their newfound conference rivals over the years? [Pension Plan Puppets]
- More on realignment from Elliotte Friedman, in addition to this sobering tidbit about the Sharks’ recent draft record: “For years, the Sharks were among the most successful draft selectors in the NHL. They traded up to get Logan Couture in 2007. They have some great late-round finds: Ryane Clowe (sixth round), Joe Pavelski (seventh), Douglas Murray (eighth). One of the reasons they are struggling now is this pipeline has slowed: only one player — Charlie Coyle — they chose from the 2009-12 drafts has reached the NHL. He’s in Minnesota. Every other team has at least one man from those drafts on their roster.” [CBC]
- A fascinating look at the Washington Capitals‘ effectiveness in the neutral zone last season under both Bruce Boudreau and Dale Hunter. [Japers’ Rink]
- NHL referees are currently on pace to call 650 more interference penalties than a season ago. Of course this is the one year the Sharks’ power play stinks. [Backhand Shelf]
- Chicago absolutely curb-stomped the Oilers at even-strength last night en route to yet another victory. Just hand them the Cup already. Or, more accurately, hand them a first-round loss to the Minnesota Wild because that’s how batshit the Stanley Cup Playoffs are. [Boys on the Bus]
- With the NHL’s goals-per-game rate stagnating, here are ten ways to boost scoring. [Grantland]
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