Puck Headlines: Can Sami help end the Blackhawks' swoon?

Here are your Evening Puck Headlines and Previews: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

Preview: Chicago Blackhawks at Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. EST; TV: CSNC, FSOH). So now it's the Blackhawks' turn to be the slumping team that everyone gets panicky about potentially fumbling a postseason berth away. The defense has been slumping, the offense has seriously missed Patrick Sharp. The Hawks are going to finally get Samuel Pahlsson into the lineup tonight; at the very least, maybe he helps stabilize the special teams and enables Chicago to move some pieces around the lineup. The BJs have lost three of their last four at home against the Blackhawks.

Curtis Joseph would like to be your ancient, affordable backup goalie next season. [Sun Media]

• Here's what the overtime charity point has done for overtime: "In the nine seasons since that rule change [in 2000], the probability of games going to overtime has increased by 21% compared with the nine seasons before the change." [WSJ, via College Hockey News]

Preview: New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. EST; TV: MSG+, FSS, Yahoo! Sports). The Devils playing the night after the Martin Brodeur celebration is like a high school kid having to take an Algebra final the day after prom: It's either going to a euphoric carryover or an exhausted beating. Kevin Weekes gets the start tonight, trying to close the gap between he and Brodeur to just 446 wins.

• "David Puddy" congratulates Brodeur on his historic accomplishment. "No, I said no more face painting, and as you can see this is not my face." [Stanley Cup of Chowder]

• So what would shock you more: Seeing Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins at a Britney Spears concert, or hearing he was rather depressed after discovering she -- gasp! -- lip-syncs? Keep Looch away from Ashlee Simpson.[WEEI]

Preview: Dallas Stars at Calgary Flames (9 p.m. EST; TV: TSN, NHLN). Should be Marty Turco against Miikka Kiprusoff, but that wasn't settled as of late afternoon. It's Olli Jokinen's Calgary debut, and the first time the Stars are back in the city since someone said something about sloppy something or others.

• The San Jose Sharks have been "teh suck" (as the kids say) in the first period lately. Strong words from Milan Michalek: "It's killing us lately, the starts. And we have to get better than that. We can't just start from the second period, when we're losing 3-0 and we have to say something in the locker room and then everybody gets going. We have to get going from the first minute. We were talking about it for a month and it still doesn't work. We have to do something about that." [Working the Corners]

• Guy Carbonneau meets the press, talking about the shock of getting canned by the Montreal Canadiens and dropping the tantalizing nugget that "one day the truth will come out." [Habs Inside/Out]

Preview: Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. EST; TV: FSS, FSW). Nashville is 14-4-1 against their conference since the All-Star break, which is quite pimp. Five points behind Nashville, this is pretty much must-win time for the Duckies.

• Kevin Paul Dupont believes the Detroit Red Wings will take home the President's Trophy. Sorry, Islanders fans. [Snapshots]

• University of Michigan coach Red Berenson on why there are fewer Canadian kids coming through the NCAA system: "I think what's happened is that the Canadian Hockey League has done a good job of contaminating these kids in terms of their eligibility." [Globe & Mail]

• The NHL explains the mess with the Devils game, Center Ice and NHL Network last night. And evidently it involves placing all the blame on cable providers. Even though the NHL knew it was forcing a Center Ice blackout. [Sporting News]

• Finally, an interesting little video on how fighting has attracted fans to the ECHL Stockton Thunder, and how the team's enforcer approaches brawling:

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