Dan’s Daily Links: Blues Practice Brawl, Flyers Goalie Woes

The St. Louis Blues are unraveling. After a promising offseason in which they acquired Ryan O’Reilly and boasted one of the best defense corps in the NHL, it’s gone downhill faster than a Pittsburgher making a left turn as the traffic light turns red. The Edmonton Oilers overpriced gamble goalie gamble is paying off handsomely. Casey DeSmith is doing more than stopping pucks for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers have a mess in goal which may not be solved until the summer.

The Blues have lost 10 of 14. The promise of their season has evaporated. Zach Sanford wasn’t happy with defenseman Robert Bortuzzo who wasn’t happy with Sanford. It was a pretty good scrap (Fox 2 Now TV).

Remember wondering which street hockey ball to use based on the temperature? Bring the wrong ball and your shins were black and blue or you played with a mush ball. Now, the NHL is experimenting with a temperature-smart puck…inspired by beer cans. God bless Canadians (Yahoo Canada).

New Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher needs a goalie. Badly. But the scuttle is the Flyers will wait until the summer to chase a big name (NBC Sports Philadephia).

You’re forgiven if you say the groans and complaints about Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli’s choice of a backup goaltender. It’s not often a team tosses millions at a 30-year-old no-name netminder. But it’s working for Edmonton and Mikko Koskinen (Sportsnet).

Hitchcock is riding Koskinen while starter Cam Talbot deals with issues. And the Oilers are winning. Sound familiar?

How is your fantasy team? (One of mine is awesome. One…needs work). The folks at NHL.com are offering a few tips including the top 10 waiver wire pickups (NHL.com)

Casey DeSmith is saving the Penguins season and earning trust (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

The Hockey News has learned 10 things about the NHL season. A few teams which we’re not talking about are making a mark. And somehow there are a few Lady Gaga references. I can think of A Million Reasons not to make that reference. It’s just a Bad Romance. Well, there goes my Poker Face, eh?  (The Hockey News)

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