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Okay, let's lift the twig to the rafters and rip three slappers into another NHL weekend:
Modano's milestone
Stars center Mike Modano could reach the 1,000-point plateau with a single goal or assist against the Avalanche in Dallas on Friday night. The 32-year-old Modano, a natural talent who transformed himself into a complete player in the late 1990s, reached 999 with a pair of assists against the Capitals on Wednesday. Among the league leaders with 22 points, Modano is on pace for the first 100-point season of his career. If he fails to hit the scoresheet on Friday, you can watch him go for the personal milestone against the Blue Jackets on Sunday night (ESPN2, 7 p.m.). Modano will be the 64th player -- and fifth U.S.-born player -- to reach 1,000 points.
Biting the hand that once fed him
| |  | | | Joseph |
An old dog comes home on Saturday night when Curtis Joseph leads the Red Wings into an Original Six battle against the Maple Leafs in Toronto. Expect the Leafs faithful to welcome their former puckstopping hero with open arms and a long ovation. The sophisticated hockey fans in TO know when a mistake has been made -- and it was a mistake to let Cujo leave via free agency last summer. No doubt, Joseph would love to beat his former mates on their ice -- once he gets the start from Dave Lewis. If he does, we figure he'll skate off with a win and first-star honors.
Storm front across the Southeast
| |  | | | Fedotenko |
The Lightning and Hurricanes faceoff in a key Southeast Division game Sunday afternoon in Raleigh. In their first meeting, on Oct. 12 in Tampa, Ruslan Fedotenko scored a pair of goals as the Lightning rolled to a 5-1 win. The game was marred (some might say, enhanced) by several fights and stick fouls, as the clubs combined for 169 penalty minutes. In the aftermath, Tampa tough guy Chris Dingman was slapped with a two-game suspension by the league as a result of a high-stick against Carolina's Jesse Boulerice. These two teams, who'll likely be battling for playoff position throughout the season, will probably get after one another on Sunday. It should be fun to watch.
See you Monday.
E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.
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