As alluded to below, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in town to face the Flames (7PM MST). Sportsnet West for us prairie folk, Leaf$TV for those back in Honest Ed land.

I haven't heard who's in the nets for either team yet; since both the Flames and the Leafs are playing the 1st half of back-to-backs, I assume all four goalies will get a start this weekend. My guess would be that the Flames save Kipper for the Canucks tomorrow, meaning that Tellqvist will either face the Flames #2 tonight (Sauve) or the Oilers #2 tomorrow (check hourly).

This pic was lifted from some Hungarian website; I knew the Senators had been punking on Belfour so far this year, but I clearly didn't appreciate the full extent of the thing.

Apparently Yelle, Nilson, and Warrener are all ready to return to the lineup tonight. Ritchie, on the other hand, is out for 3-4 weeks with a sprained MCL. Digression:

I don't believe in the eye-for-an-eye theory of NHL punishment, but a 2-game suspension to Spacek for what he did to Ritchie seems really damn inadequate. The phrase "that's not part of hockey" is overused. Charging across the ice to hit a guy from behind is not good strategy or sportsmanship, and it'll generally earn you an ejection, but I've seen it dozens of times in NHL games. Likewise, someone punching another guy in the head when he's facing the other direction: it's risible and should be punished severely, but it's not rare like a 5-goal game. It's not part of the way hockey should be played, but my eyes and memory tell me that yes, it is a (small) part of hockey.

But diving at another guy's legs while he's skating full speed? From (A) 90-degrees, (B) a full stop, and (C) the player's bench? What the hell? That is not part of hockey.

If you do something that never, ever, happens because of the risk of serious injury, and it does, in fact, result in serious injury, then your punishment should in some way reflect the length of that serious injury. [/digression]

Flames need a win tonight, because I think the Canucks are probably due for one tomorrow. Let's go 4-2 for the boys in Red. Go Flames.