Four teams will appear on Sunday

It is reported that four NHL teams will hit the ice on Sunday with one game from each conference. The action begins at 5, when the Atlanta Thrashers host the Tampa Bay Lightning at Philips Arena. It's the second of back-to-back games for both teams and the Thrashers lost at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

At 10 p.m. the Vancouver Canucks host the Chicago Blackhawks in Western Conference semifinal. Chicago, which crushed the Calgary Flames on Thursday and the Oilers in Edmonton on Saturday, is going for a sweep in the Western Canada. Put on your favourite NHL jersey and support your favourite team!

Crosby carries Olympic torch in Nova Scotia

Yesterday thousands of people got together in a downtown street in Halifax to watch Pittsburgh Penguins captain and Nova Scotia native Sidney Crosby carry the Olympic torch. Crosby wore an official torchbearer's uniform (not pittsburgh penguins jersey), which features a green-and-blue Vancouver Olympics logo on one side. He ran about 300 yards, carrying the torch in his right hand before passing the torch to snowboarder Sarah Conrad.

Crosby is one of 12,000 torchbearers who will carry the flame across Canada which began in Victoria last month. The relay will reach every Canadian province and territory leading up to the Winter Games in Vancouver in February. He flew to Ottawa for the game against the Senators last night.

Brookls Orpik is sidelined for two weeks

It is announced on Thursday that Penguins' defenseman Brooks Orpik will be out of the lineup for the next two weeks because of a lower-body injury. "He's got a two-week injury, lower body," head coach Dan Bylsma said. "We were excited that he was doing better than we feared. He's doing well. We got some good news and he'll hopefully be around 14 days." Orpik left the game on Tuesday night in Boston in the first period after falling into the boards and did not come back to the game. Now the Penguins have lost a player in each of their past three games, and four in the last two weeks.

Forward Tyler Kennedy left after team warm-ups at Los Angeles on Nov. 5 and has been out ever since. Then the team lost defenseman Kris Letang after he suffered a shoulder pain on Nov. 7 at San Jose. And only three days later, the team is marching without Orpik. It is regrettable for fans not to see them playing on the ice in the penguins jerseys.

Penguins sign first-round pick Despres

Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero announced that The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed their 2009 first-round draft pick Simon Despres to a three-year entry level contract.
Despres will continue to play this season with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. This defenseman, who was selected by Pittsburgh in the June NHL Entry Draft, has three points in five games with Saint John this season.

Despres posted 32 points in 66 games with Saint John last season, adding four assists in four playoff games. He recorded 14 points in 64 games as a only 16-year-old rookie.

Panthers term with Dominic Moore

Florida Panthers General Manager Randy Sexton announced that the club has termed on a one-year deal with Dominic Moore. Moore has played in 305 career National Hockey League games for the Rangers, Penguins, wilds, Maple Leafs and Sabres, scoring 35 goals with 65 assists and 200 PIM.

Moore was traded from Maple Leafs to Sabres at the deadline last season. Prior to playing in the NHL, he played four years at Harvard, recording a best 51 points during his senior season. Moore was drafted by the Rangers in the third round in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.