HOCKEY LAST NIGHT: WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH ALFIE?

Late to the game on this (sometimes, you get home and you have to crash... after a couple games of Madden 06), but the Daniel Alfredsson trade rumours have been flying all over the Ottawa media since yesterday morning.

Sens fans are fairly split -- the "Nos" on a "trade Alfie" poll are running at about 54% at this hour.

We have some thoughts why Swedes and Finns, who wear the "C" on 4 of the 6 Canadian-based National Hockey League teams, might be better suited to that role than North American players. We'll share them tomorrow when there's a little more time.

It says here, though, that trading Alfredsson would smack of being a move sparked by desperation. Never make a trade out of desperation, or just to satisfy the fans or media's desire to see the team do something.

Leafs 4 Lightning 2: Enjoy it, and move on, Leafs fans... how often will this team get goals from 3 different defencemen in the same game? Goalie Andrew Raycroft had some mojo working -- the Lightning had a goal disallowed and hit the post in the third period.

Predators 5 Oilers 3: Nashville's Vernon Fiddler scored on Dwayne Roloson on his team's first shot and it just snowballed from there for Edmonton. Nashville earned it, but it was a gift win for a team who played in Vancouver the night before.

Red Wings 3 Flames 2: How long until the speculation starts that Darryl Sutter will replace Jim Playfair and go behind the bench again? The Flames gave up 2 goals in the first 6 minutes and mustered just 15 shots all night -- yet the Wings still barely won. How many depressed Detroiters used those tickets they had to buy in order to see the Tigers (lose) in the World Series?

Rangers 4 Ducks 3 (OT): Jaromir Jagr puts the OT winner; technically, the Ducks are still "unbeaten."

Pens 4 Kings 3 (OT): Evgeni Malkin was The Decider, scoring the OT winner to give him seven goals in six games. Ouch for both L.A.-area teams, who each lost in overtime, on a power-play goal.

Malkin became the first NHLer since the league's first season, 1917-18, to score in his first games -- the first since the days of 60-minute hockey, when players never came off the ice.

Avs 5 Blue Jackets 3: Columbus should be thanking their lucky stars for Calgary and Phoenix's pathetic starts -- that's spared them the label of most disappointing team in the Western Conference to date. The Jackets are averaging 2.2 goals per game.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.