HockeyMonday musings on the NHL

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P.K. Subban-gate

Montreal Canadiens rookie defenceman P.K. Subban will enter hostile territory when his team visits the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

It was six days ago that Flyers captain Mike Richards made his strange post-game comments about Subban, calling him cocky and threatening that somebody will get him for his on-ice antics. Subban and his teammates were confused as to exactly what Subban did wrong.

Subban was unavailable after Montreal's impressive 2-0 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs on HNIC on Saturday evening, but Canadiens captain Brian Gionta remarked that he neither was concerned about Subban nor would he sit him down for a little chat before the game against the Flyers.

"He's got a pretty good head on his shoulders," Gionta said. "He understands it's a team game.

"We beat them here, but it's not an easy building to go in. We have to be on our game."
The Habs beat Philadelphia 3-0 at the Bell Centre last Tuesday.

Savard discusses Campbell's e-mails

Boston Bruins centre Marc Savard is inching closer to a return to action after his bout with post-concussion syndrome as the result of a devastating head check from Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke. Savard spoke to reporters in Boston about the Colin Campbell e-mail controversy on the weekend, in which Campbell wrote in a three-year-old message that Savard was "a little fake artist."

"I have nothing against [Campbell]," Savard said. "I think that stuff was private stuff and I think that stuff that he was saying got interpreted in a bad way. It had nothing to do with the Cooke incident.

"I played for [Campbell on the New York Rangers] and I think that was one of the ways when I first came in the league to stay in the lineup, was to draw penalties. I think he encouraged it at the time, if you asked him. So I think that's what he was referring to, but it had nothing to do with the Cooke situation."

Iginla picking up steam

Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla has scored five goals and added an assist in two games since being assured by Flames management that he won't be asked to waive his no-movement clause this season.

The increased production for the 33-year-old Iginla, who has two more seasons remaining on his deal that pays him a salary of $7 million US, gives him eight goals in 19 games this season. This is close to his 20-game output to begin a year in the five seasons since the 2004-05 lockout.

Iginla scored 12 goals after 20 games last season, 11 each in 2008-09, 2007-08, 2006-07 and 2005-006.

This week's comparison

When the Canadiens decided not to re-sign captain Saku Koivu a couple summers ago and instead trade for Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers, the Habs received a younger but more expensive player in Gomez. Who would you rather have on your team right now?

The 30-year-old Gomez has struggled this season with only two goals and six points. In total, he has 14 goals and 65 points in 98 games for the Canadiens. He also has four more seasons, including this one, remaining on his $7.36-million-a-year deal.

The 35-year-old Koivu has nine goals and 13 points this season for 28 goals and 65 points in 94 games for the Anaheim Ducks. Including this year, Koivu has two seasons left on his contract that pays him $2.5 million a year.

Odds and ends

With their 13-game losing streak, that has included two overtime losses, the New York Islanders are approaching club record territory. Two decades ago, the Islanders slumped with a 14-game winless streak, one shy of the club record set in the franchise's inaugural 1972-73 season. Who do the Islanders play in their next two games this week? On Wednesday, they have the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets, who have won three in a row, and the struggling New Jersey Devils at home on Friday ... Ken Holland, 55, watched his 1,000th game as the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings general manager last week. With Holland as GM and Mike Babcock as coach, the Red Wings have won 270 games since the 2004-05 lockout ... Forgot to add this note last week: Former Quebec Nordiques and Flames coach Pierre Page was hanging out in Detroit. Page coaches Salzburg EC in Austria and was amid a break. He was invited by Babcock to spend a week with the Red Wings and share information.

Games I won't miss this week

1. In a rematch of the Eastern Conference final and less than a week after Richard's comments about Montreal's Subban, the Canadiens visit the Flyers on Monday.
2. The day after U.S. Thanksgiving means afternoon hockey. Among the games is a rematch of the first-round playoff series between the Ottawa Senators and Penguins in Pittsburgh on Friday.
3. Stick around on Friday evening for a match between two of the hottest teams, when the Red Wings travel to Columbus to meet up with the Blue Jackets.

(Photo of P.K. Subban by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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