March 7th

OHLUND MAY BE SIDELINED FOR SEASON

The Vancouver Canucks learned that defenceman Mattias Ohlund has bone chips in his left knee.

In an attempt to reduce the swelling in the joint, Ohlund has been administered anti-inflammatory drugs. He will be given four to six days to see if the swelling has gone down enough to return to play. If Ohlund has not recovered enough to play at that time, he will undergo arthroscopic surgery.

Ohlund would miss the rest of the regular season as a result of the surgery. Even if Ohlund avoids surgery now and is able to continue playing, he will still have to go under the knife after the season.

Back during the 2002-03 season, Ohlund also experienced bone chips and missed a total of 22 games, but was able to return to play in 13 playoff games.

To offset the loss, the Canucks called up Luc Bourdon from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.


SABRES ASSIGN MACARTHUR TO ROCHESTER

Buffalo Sabres forward Clark MacAthur was demoted to AHL Rochester, opening a roster spot for the anticipated return of veteran Jochen Hecht.

MacArthur had been a healthy scratch for three games before returning to the lineup in a 3-1 loss to Washington on Wednesday. He had 15 points (8-7) in 37 games with Buffalo this season, but was limited to two goals and two assists in his past 15 games.

Hecht has been cleared to practice after missing seven games with a groin injury and could return for the Sabres' next game at Carolina on Saturday.


PLAYOFF STANDINGS

(RANK-TEAM--PTS--GP)

WEST

1-DETROIT*--94--68
2-DALLAS*--87--70
3-CALGARY*--79--67
4-SAN JOSE--84--67
5-ANAHEIM--83--70
6-MINNESOTA--79--68
7-COLORADO--78--68
8-VANCOUVER--76--67
------------------------------------------------
9-NASHVILLE--76--68
10-PHOENIX--73--68
11-CHICAGO--72--67
12-COLUMBUS--70--68
13-ST LOUIS--68--67
14-EDMONTON--67--67
15-LOS ANGELES--59--69

EAST

1-MONTREAL*--83--68
2-PITTSBURGH*--83--69
3-CAROLINA*--77--70
4-NEW JERSEY--82--67
5-OTTAWA--81--69
6-NY RANGERS--79--68
7-BOSTON--77--67
8-PHILADELPHIA--76--68
-------------------------------------------------
9-BUFFALO--73--68
10-WASHINGTON--72--68
11-NY ISLANDERS--71--69
12-TORONTO--70--69
13-FLORIDA--70--70
14-ATLANTA--65--68
15-TAMPA BAY--59--67

(* DIVISION LEADER)

If the playoffs started today...

West
(1) Detroit vs (8) Vancouver
(2) Dallas vs (7) Colorado
(3) Calgary vs (6) Minnesota
(4) San Jose vs (5) Anaheim

East
(1) Montreal vs (8) Philadelphia
(2) Pittsburgh vs (7) Boston
(3) Carolina vs (6) NY Rangers
(4) New Jersey vs (5) Ottawa

DIVISION RACES

(PL-TEAM--PTS--GP)

NORTHWEST

1-CAL--79--67
2-MIN--79--68
3-COL--78--68
4-VAN--76--67

PACIFIC

1-DAL--87--70
2-SJ--84--67
3-ANA--83--70

NORTHEAST

1-MON--83--68
2-OTT--81--69
3-BOS--77--67

ATLANTIC

1-PIT--83--69
2-NJ--82--67
3-NYR--79--68

SOUTHEAST

1-CAR--77-70
2-WAS--72--68


ART ROSS TROPHY (Points Leader)

1-Alex Ovechkin--Was--92
2-Evgeni Malkin--Pit--89
3-Vincent Lecavalier--TB--80

MAURICE RICHARD TROPHY (Goal-scoring leader)

1-Alex Ovechkin--Was--54
2-Ilya Kovalchuk--Atl--43
3-Jarome Iginla--Cal--40


Todays NHL Schedule (Central Time)

(15) Lightning @ (4) Devils 6pm
(14) Edmonton @ (12) Blue Jackets 6pm
(6) Wild @ (14) Thrashers 630pm
(4) Sharks @ (11) Blackhawks 730pm
(9) Predators @ (3) Flames 830pm