HOCKEY LAST NIGHT: FLU KEY TO WIN, AS LEAFS ROUT RANGERS

The stuff you may have missed, as you hoped no one would notice that you came to work with a spud gun in a duffel bag.

Leafs 9 Rangers 2: The Rangers were lifeless, as they have the dread "flu bug" going through their room.

Anyone who has Henrik Lundqvist in their pool probably felt a little nauseous as well after the Leafs lit him up like the Sassafraz fire. (What, too soon?) Lundqvist let in three shots in a row at one point.

Thank god those in the platinum seats didn't see most of the goals, as being reminded of the Sassafraz blaze would have reduced most of the bluebloods to tears, if they could actually cry. Which most of them can't. (Botched facelifts, you know.)

It just goes to show that you can't count any NHL team from, oh, about two weeks before Christmas until about a week to 10 days after. For a degenerate Pro-Line player, this is terrible, but Leafs fans don't mind, although Darcy Tucker did leave the game with a possible broken hand.

Senators 3 Sabres 1: Glass half full time... give the Sens credit for splitting on a four-game road trip where they played without Wade Redden the entire time. Ray Emery was solid, although Buffalo didn't get enough traffic in front of him, especially on a 5-on-3 power play late in the second. Once the Sens took Buffalo's best shots in that period, the third was catered to them.

Habs 6 Penguins 3: Welcome back to earth, Sidney Crosby.

Canucks 2 Wild 1: Not a whole lot to see here, other than Roberto Luongo stopping Nick Schultz on an out-of-the-box breakaway in the second period to keep Vancouver tied going into the final period, where Matthias Ohlund popped the game-winner. No wonder TV ratings for Canucks telecasts are down this year.

NHL Scoreboard

Today's better games: Devils-Rangers, 7 p.m.; Avs-Blackhawks 7 p.m.

67'S VAULT IT

I have idly wondered if Senators owner Eugene Melnyk buying the junior Mississauga Ice Dogs is just a smokescreen for getting an Ontario Hockey League team into Scotiabank Place -- or using the threat of such to help get control of some of the city-owned sports facilities such as Lynx Stadium or Frank Clair Stadium. Probably not, but a good conspiracy theory is hard to resist and there's been little news on what's happening with the sale and relocation of the Ice Dogs, who have to clear out so Melnyk can move his St. Mike's Majors to the Hershey Centre next season.

The Ottawa Sun hockey writer Bruce Garrioch was an intermission guest on The Team 1200 radio broadcast of yesterday's 67's game against the Majors at Scotiabank Place (a 4-1 Ottawa win) and did say that the Ice Dogs seem likely to remain in Ontario. He ruled out the league going back to Cornwall after a 14-year absence, but said Brantford has come up.

The announced attendance for the game, 3,587, topped seven of the other 16 OHL games played Friday and Saturday -- and it was a neutral-site afternoon game going on at the same time when a lot of people were probably busy with holiday decorations. It wouldn't be impossible to get that up to 5,000 for the Kanata Ice Dogs or whoever. Anyways, just a thought.

Back with more later. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.