NHL: All quiet on Lecavalier; Habs inquire about Marian Gaborik

It is all quiet on the Vincent Lecavalier front. A trade appears unlikely but it is expected that the Canadiens will pick up their pursuit of Lecavalier this evening. Sources also indicate the Montreal Canadiens have inquired about the negotiating rights for Marian Gaborik. A deal appears unlikely because Gaborik has made it known he will test free agency. Teams are looking into him though.

The Latest buzz from the NHL GM meetings in Pittsburgh

Rumor Mill Heating Up NHL GM’s have convened in Pittsburgh for the annual GM meetings, trade winds and free agent talk is starting to heat up. Here’s the latest. Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell has his most important off-season ahead for him as his star forward Ilya Kovalchuk is entering the final year of his contract. Word is Waddell will be aggressive in free agency and will make a strong run at the Sedin twins with Waddell prepared to make long-term offers to both players worth as much as $6 million per season. *Another player on the Thrashers radar is San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau according to a league source. The asking price is steep. *The Atlanta Thrashers have approached

Malkin wins 1st NHL scoring title; Penguins win regular season finale

Pittsburgh 3 РMontreal 1 Saturday night was a night of celebration for the Penguins as the team won their season finale 3-1 against the Montreal Canadiens and remain in the hunt for the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Max Talbot and Kris Letang added shorthanded goals and Marc Andre Fleury made 29 saves to record his 35th win of the season. Evgeni Malkin (35) also scored for the Penguins who outshot the Canadiens 41-30. With a Carolina loss Saturday afternoon, the Penguins (99 pts) will finish no worst than 5th in the Eastern Conference and will face their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers (99 pts)  in the first round. A Flyers regulation loss to the Rangers Sunday afternoon

Habs Tanguay out for tonight’s game

Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Tanguay will miss tonight’s game against the Penguins. Defenseman Andrei Markov will also be sidelined. Enforcer Georges Laraque will return to the lineup after being a surprise scratch against the Bruins on Thursday who are the most physical team in the NHL. Canadiens Lineup

Friday’s Practice Report; Bylsma impressed with Boucher’s performance

The Penguins went through a 50 minute workout this morning that began around 11:00 a.m. Forward Miroslav Satan did not practice but was at Mellon Arena talking to teammates and team personnel. Satan has cleared re-entry waivers and is currently on the trip to Montreal with the Penguins Max Talbot and Hal Gill were both practicing this morning. Talbot and Gill were healthy scratches against the Islanders. Interim coach Dan Bylsma indicated after practice that Satan

Hurricanes rout Islanders, Rangers get key win

Playoff positioning heating up The Carolina Hurricanes (97 pts) won their 9th straight game, routing the NHL-worst New York Islanders 9-0 Tuesday night. The Hurricanes kept pace with the Philadelphia Flyers for the #4 spot in the Eastern Conference The Flyers currently hold the tiebreaker because they have three games remaining while the Hurricanes only have two games remaining. In Tuesday’s win Eric Staal had three goals and an assist, and finished with a club-record fourth hat trick of the season, while Cam Ward made 12 saves to record his 39th win of the season. The Islanders were outshot 57-12 Rangers 3 ‚Äì Canadiens 1 The Rangers got a much a needed win and are now two points ahead of

Playoff races heating up

(4) Philadelphia (37-22-10, 84 pts) Games remaining: 13 (6 Home, 7 Away) Latest Buzz: Flyers have three games in hand on the #5 Pittsburgh Penguins (38-26-8, 84 pts). The Flyers are 1-4 against the Penguins this season. The two rivals meet on Sunday. (5) Pittsburgh (38-26-8, 84 pts) Games remaining: 10 (6 Home, 4 Away) Latest Buzz: Pittsburgh in the middle of a 8 game homestand are 9-0-2 in their last 11 games. A team that no one wants to play down the stretch. Pittsburgh returns to action on Friday against LA. (6) NY Rangers (37-26-8, 82 pts) Games remaining: 11 (6 Home, 5 Away) Latest Buzz: 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, Rangers have the look of a playoff

Canadiens fire coach Guy Carbonneau

The Montreal Canadiens have fired coach Guy Carbonneau and replaced him with general manager Bob Gainey. Montreal (35-24-7) went into a free fall in late January and February, losing 10 of 13. The Canadiens, 5-4-1 in their previous 10 games, won 3-1 at Dallas on Sunday in their last game with Carbonneau as coach. Source: SI.com

Georges Laraque demands a trade

Montreal Canadiens enforcer Georges Laraque has indicated he wishes to be traded, reports P.J. Stock on the TEAM 990 in Canada. Laraque signed a three year deal worth $1.5 million per season in the summer. The Edmonton Oilers could be a potential trade partner. They offered Laraque a four year deal in the summer but Laraque decided to accept the Canadiens offer so he could play in front of his mother The Toronto Maple Leafs could also be interested.