• Sam Carchidi on how rule changes have "softened" the NHL.
  
• Mike Richards was named the NHL's first star of the week.
• Wayne Fish of the Bucks Co. Courier Times has more on Richie.
• Ed Moran tells us the Flyers have to focus on more than just one Washington superstar tonight.

• Bill Meltzer's game preview at Hockeybuzz (the only guy at that site who knows what he's talking about...)
  

• Now that Ryan Miller is out, the Sabres will rely on Patrick Lalime to bring them to the playoffs.
• The Tampa Tribune thinks Vinny Lecavalier will stay in Tampa.
• Some Maple Leafs trade talk from the Toronto Sun.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post has his take on John Tortorella's hiring in NYC. These two have a past....

• The Town of Hempstead had a meeting regarding the Lighthouse Project, the proposed arena project for the New York Islanders that is probably one of the biggest development projects in town history. The town supervisor is not at the meeting -- she's on vacation
• NY Rangers Blog can't wait for Torts' post-game pressers.
• Puck Daddy has more on the Tortorella hiring.

One more thing: the trade deadline, that glorious day where we all sit by the computer all day hoping our savior scrolls across the screen while pretending to do real work, is just 8 days away. SBN has all of your trade deadline coverage centralized in one place, at the SBN NHL Trade Deadline Hub. I'll be here all day on trade deadline day, analyzing all the deals from a Flyers point of view.