Around the NHL - 17 Oct

Blackhawks fire Denis Savard
By RICK GANO, AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP)—Nevermind that Denis Savard was a Hall of Fame player and one of the Chicago franchise’s most popular figures. When the team looked sluggish in the preseason, the front office took note.

After four games and just hours after the Blackhawks’ first win of the season, Savard was out as the coach, replaced Thursday by Joel Quenneville.

The Blackhawks, who have missed the playoffs nine of the past 10 seasons, improved to 1-2-1 following a 4-1 home victory over Phoenix on Wednesday night.

“I’m proud of what we accomplished last year with the young kids in the lineup. I hope for them to do well,” Savard told The Associated Press by phone. “It’s a tough day, no question. I’m hurt. I worked hard to do the best I could to get the team on its way to the Stanley Cup.”

General manager Dale Tallon said the evaluation process had been ongoing since training camp and the decision was an organizational one. He said the Blackhawks lacked the kind of energy in preseason that they displayed at the end of last season, when they won 40 games.(Click here to view the full article)

• Rolston suffers ankle sprain in win over Thrashers
  The New Jersey Devils’ 1-0 win on Thursday was both sweet and sour for Brian Rolston.

  Rolston, who began his career with the Devils, scored his first goal in his second stint with the team before later suffering a high right ankle sprain.

  A former first-round pick of New Jersey in 1991 who played parts of his first six seasons with the franchise, Rolston left the game midway through the third period with the injury. The 35-year-old lost his balance before crashing into the end boards behind Atlanta’s net and did not return.

  Following the game, Rolston was on crutches when he left the locker room. (Yahoo! Sports)

• Wild RW Gaborik out vs. Panthers
  Minnesota Wild star right wing Marian Gaborik is out of the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Florida Panthers due to a lower body injury. (Yahoo! Sports)
  
  
• Senators still waiting on status on captain Daniel Alfredsson
  Whenever Daniel Alfredsson has been out injured in the past, the Ottawa Senators have often looked very much like a hobbled team.

  It’s a situation they’ll need to remedy if forced to contend a little longer with their captain’s status up in the air while he recovers from knee surgery.

  Alfredsson had his right knee scoped last Friday to remove a bone chip and, despite making a quicker-than-expected return to the ice earlier this week, is questionable for a pair of weekend games.
  

Game Results: