PHT’s Morning Skate takes a look around the world of hockey to see what’s happening and what we’ll be talking about around the NHL world and beyond.
Jason Spezza is ready to return from a hip injury. The Senators have been doing great in his absence, but forward Erik Condra hopes that the rest of the team doesn’t rely too much on Spezza too much now that he’s back. (Ottawa Sun)
Editor’s Note: Pro Hockey Talk’s partner FanDuel is hosting a $2,000 Fantasy Hockey league for Tuesday night’s NHL games. It’s just $10 to join and first prize is $400. Starts Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Here’s the FanDuel link.
Mark Streit thinks that Switzerland’s silver medal showing in the 2013 World Championship will give them some added momentum going into the Winter Olympics. (CSN Philly)
The New Jersey Devils had every intention of letting defenseman Eric Gelinas stay in AHL Albany for a while so that he could work on his game. It was only injury concerns that led to him being recalled on Monday. (The Star-Ledger)
Defenseman Erik Gustafsson is back to practicing with the Philadelphia Flyers. He hasn’t played since Dec. 21 due to a knee injury, but there’s an outside chance that he’ll return Sunday. (CSN Philly)
The Anaheim Ducks credited the passionate crowds at their home games for their success at the Honda Center this season. Anaheim is 17-0-2 at home. (Ducks.nhl.com)
The argument for Sidney Crosby being regarded as the frontrunner for the Hart Trophy with half the season in the books. (NHL.com)