from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,

- I asked a few people who've seen New York Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist: "What do you see there? What's wrong?" There are two things mentioned. First, the team defence is not good, which can make any goalie look bad. The second is that he looks smaller. In September, Lundqvist said he felt faster in the new equipment. But a couple of guys pointed out that playing as deep as he does, there are more shooting holes than ever. When you've got time, you can find them.

- The word on Philadlephia Flyers forward Claude Giroux -- three points in eight games -- is he is trying to do way too much. You can see him forcing plays that aren't there, especially as the losses and injuries mount. One thing teams look for in their best players is, do they raise their game when things are going badly? He's trying yet not succeeding.

- In a year in which the free-agent market for defencemen is limited, other teams believe the Los Angeles Kings will work to lock up both Matt Greene and Willie Mitchell. There have been some preliminary talks with Greene.

- I'm not sure how relevant Ryan Miller's no-trade list is anymore. Should the Sabres decide to deal him, Miller would probably be willing to go anywhere he believes is a better situation. He's a free-agent after the season, so any risk is short term. Edmonton makes little sense for him or them. But if someone else on the list gives him a shot at the playoffs, would it surprise anyone if he changed his mind?

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