NHL Central Division News

“We're alive for another couple of days.”

Milan Hejduk and Wojtek Wolski scored second-period goals 35 seconds apart to help the Colorado Avalanche clinch a playoff berth with a 4-2 comeback victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. via TSN.ca

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“The first 41 games, we close that game out with a win. We don't give up any chances, we continue to pressure and forecheck and play hard. The first thing we said when they came in after the first was outwork a hard-working team.”

Vying for one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference, the Nashville Predators know they need to get all the points they can.

The Predators trailed by three goals just 7 minutes in, replaced their starting goalie and then pulled off an improbable comeback capped by Rich Peverley's overtime goal to beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3 on Tuesday night.

'This is a tremendous two points,' Peverley said. 'We can't afford to lose any of these games. We need to get two points as many times as we can. It was a big character builder because we knew we could come back and win. We have to carry that into the next game.' Read more

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“I don't think it was a great surprise to us because we were very confident in both our rules and how we've applied them.”

M. J. Masotti Jr., Reuters The Competition Bureau "found no evidence that the NHL engaged in anti-competitive acts" when it assessed a US$238-million bid to purchase the Nashville Predators by Canadian ... via National Post

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Ken Hitchcock will serve as coach of Team Canada at next month's world hockey championship, according to a Canadian Press report. via CBC

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“He's been a leader since he's been here, and he definitely gave us a wake-up call. That was kind of the turning point in the game. He helped us snap out of it.”

When the Blackhawks traded for Craig Adams in January, the thought was the veteran winger could provide leadership when the team needed it most. That time was last weekend, and Adams came through with his stick and words to help the Hawks stay alive for a postseason berth.

Adams, acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 17, scored a game-winning short-handed goal Saturday night to defeat the St. Louis Blues , and then the winger sparked his teammates with an impassioned speech during the first intermission of Sunday night's win over the Columbus Blue Jackets . Read more

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“My grandmother lived to 104, my grandfather to 103 and my dad was well into his 90s”

Former Detroit Red Wings player Gordie Howe waves to the crowd during an 80th birthday celebration at Joe Louis Arena, Sunday, March, 30, 2008, in Detroit. via Slam Sports

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“As little hockey as I've watched down the stretch, I think I'll be watching a lot of it the last three days of the season when we're not playing and we're hoping for good results from the out-of-town scoreboard”

It's white knuckle time in the NHL.

The final week of the regular season sees playoff spots still very much up for grabs in both the Eastern and Western Conference. The Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers begin the week on the outside looking in.

"It seems like it's going to come right down to the wire with the teams we're fighting for playoff positions with," Predators goaltender Dan Ellis told The Canadian Press on Monday. "You just keep watching that scoreboard. You're in the playoffs, you're out of the playoffs, you're in the playoffs - we just have to control or own destiny and put together some wins so we don't have to worry about what the other teams are doing." Read more

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“No doubt they conducted the inquiry to the best of their abilities to reach their conclusion, and did what they deemed best to protect the interests of Canadian consumers of professional hockey.”

The Competition Bureau ruled Monday that the National Hockey League did not contravene anti-competition laws in its treatment of Research in Motion Ltd.'s co-CEO Jim Balsillie in his failed attempt to buy the ... via TSN.ca

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Patrick Kane scored the only goal in a shootout, and the Chicago Blackhawks remained in the hunt for a playoff berth with a 5-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night.

After Nikolai Khabibulin denied Joakim Lindstrom to open the shootout, Kane deked to his forehand and slipped a backhander past Fredrik Norrena. Khabibulin clinched the victory with a pad stop on Rick Nash on the final attempt.

Jonathan Toews, Jason Williams and Patrick Sharp scored power-play goals for the Blackhawks, who pulled within three points of eighth-place Nashville in the Western Conference with three games remaining. Read more

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“I've been treated like an angel and I don't know where they got it”

The Detroit Red Wings celebrated Gordie Howe's 80th birthday with a ceremony before Sunday's game against the Nashville Predators.

Howe, who actually turns 80 on Monday, was presented with a framed No. 17 jersey _ his number his rookie year before he got No. 9 his second season. He also was presented with a leather jacket; part of his bonus when he signed was a leather Red Wings jacket.

Christopher Ilitch, the son of team owner Mike Ilitch, announced via a taped message that the team was also giving Howe a 48-inch high-definition television. Read more

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