He was the most sought after player in Boston on Thursday, which was a far cry from his situation last summer.

	CHIRPIN'
	"My mother called me and she said, 'You're only 27.' I guess I got hit one too many times the night before." -- Bruins' forward P.J. Stock, who mistakenly told fans he was 28 in his hilarious journal entry on the team's website BostonBruins.com.
	THE NUMBER
	3 The number of goals scored by 22-year-old Tampa forward Brad Richards through 26 games. Richards, in his third pro season, had 21 goals his first season and 20 last year. "I'm very disappointed in my goals," said Richards. On the flip side, Richards has 20 assists, putting him on pace for better than 60. If he makes it, he'd surpass his career-high for points (62), set the last two years.
	WHO'S HOT
	Marian Hossa had put together a league-best 13-game point streak before being shutout by the Blackhawks on Dec. 4. The Senators forward had 12 goals and 10 assists from Nov. 6-30. He started a new streak Thursday night with a goal against St. Louis.
	WHO'S NOT
	Buffalo center Tim Connolly, who went into the weekend with a conference-worst plus/minus ranking of minus-13.
	THIS WEEK'S SIGN ...
	... the Earth is off its axis: Montreal forward Mariusz Czerkawski and his $2.6 million salary clearing waivers. He was dealt to the Canadiens from the Islanders on draft weekend for tough forward Aaron Asham, who found himself a healthy scratch earlier this season, too. Czerkawski, who doesn't lack for talent, cut his teeth in Europe and may find himself back there in the not-too-distant future.

Goaltender Byron Dafoe, who signed with the Atlanta Thrashers late last month ending 142 days of unrestricted free agency, made his return to the FleetCenter against his former team amid great fanfare. The good-natured player, who was the odd-man out in a game of musical free-agent goaltenders when Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour landed the two most coveted spots in Detroit and Toronto, respectively, said he's enjoying his new home.

The Thrashers are young and inexperienced, but supremely talented. They're one or two character veterans away from becoming a bona fide force in the Eastern Conference and their development has resembled earlier Ottawa Senators teams.

Dafoe will no doubt shore up a position that at the start of the season was a disaster. He has played only four games, helping his team capture five of a possible eight points, including one in Thursday's overtime loss to the Bruins, but already he is paying big dividends.

"This is the first time we've had a proven No. 1 goaltender," said coach Curt Fraser. "He doesn't only play for us, but he's a real good leader. He's given us a boost of confidence. Now, instead of looking back and wondering whether that big save is going to be there or not, they know he's going to make the save."

For awhile, Dafoe didn't know if he'd have a team this year. Unrestricted free agency has been a boon to many players -- with Bill Guerin and Bobby Holik at the top of last summer's list of benefactors -- but the glut of goaltenders forced Dafoe to play a waiting game, which wasn't easy. When he was injured and had to sit out, Dafoe understood why. But to be as healthy as he's ever been but not have a job, that was a different story.

"It was very difficult," he said. "I wanted to be playing hockey. But I had to be patient. It was out of my control."

Now that he's back, he's continuing to work on his timing, particularly on rebounds. He got plenty of practice against his former teammates, who peppered him with 40 shots.

"It was strange, I have to admit," said Dafoe. "A couple of times I was pinching myself to remember which team I was playing for. I'm happy those guys are doing well. They're a good bunch of guys. But the bottom line is, I'm happy to be where I am."

Depth chart