After a solid home win last night against Calgary, the Blackhawks have today off before taking on Minnesota tomorrow night. In the meantime, let’s take a look at some of the news from around the league:
**With the recent string of solid performances from goaltender Scott Darling, last night’s outing from Antti Raanta showed the Finnish netminder isn’t gonna lose his spot without a fight. (Sun-Times)
**New defenseman Tim Erixon played well in last night’s game against Calgary, his first with the ‘Hawks. Erixon was acquired in a trade that sent Jeremy Morin to Columbus yesterday. (Chicago Tribune)
**After suspicious symptoms late last week, the Penguins have confirmed that star player Sydney Crosby has contracted the mumps. (Penguins)
**Speaking of mumps, add New York Rangers forward Derrick Brassard to the list of players infected, as well. (Rangers)
**After 16 seasons in the NHL, goaltender Tomas Vokoun has announced his retirement. (PHT)
**Potential Las Vegas expansion owner William Foley is reportedly considering naming the franchise the Las Vegas Black Knights. (PHT)
**Speaking of the Las Vegas expansion, Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshinsky offers up 10 possible names for the club in Friday’s Wysh List. (Puck Daddy)
**Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber left Saturday night’s game with an upper body injury after taking an opponent’s skate to the armpit. Hopefully it’s not too bad of an injury, but that’s certainly an inconvenient place to have stitches, especially for a great slap shooter like Weber (SBN NHL)
**The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild are reportedly considered the front runners to host next season’s Stadium Series. It could mean a sad goodbye to Minnesota Wild outdoor hockey game jokes. (SBN NHL)