Articles by Doug Stolhand

PHILADELPHIA – Pittsburgh Penguins forward Gary Roberts sat out Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night because he was sick.

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues on Tuesday signed a pair of first-round picks from recent drafts, forwards T.J. Oshie and Lars Eller.Oshie, 21, was the 24th overall selection of the 2005 draft.

DALLAS – Being down 3-0 in the Western Conference final isn’t even the worst part for the Dallas Stars.This is: Dallas has yet to lead the Detroit Red Wings for a single second in any game this series.

BOSTON – The Boston Bruins have re-signed forward Chuck Kobasew to a multi-year contract extension Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

HALIFAX – One by one, they filed onto the ice with huge smiles – kids in replica Team Canada jerseys, wives clutching cameras, grandparents simply taking it all in.

QUEBEC – Miracle upsets are on the minds of Norway and Switzerland going into the quarter-finals of the IIHF World Hockey Championship on Wednesday.

HALIFAX – Although still much in the hunt for gold on the ice, Canada will likely be out of the medals when it comes to putting bums in seats.

PHILADELPHIA – Much has been said and written about Evgeni Malkin’s superb play when Sidney Crosby went down with injury this season.But it also should not be forgotten that the Pittsburgh Penguins, nearing a Stanley Cup final berth, may not even be here had it not been for how Ty Conklin stepped in for the injured Marc-Andre Fleury this season.

VOORHEES, N.J. – Braydon Coburn’s swollen and battered face looked much worse than the young Philadelphia Flyers defenceman said it felt.Just two days after a deflected puck caught him near his left eye, Coburn sat in front of reporters and television cameras Tuesday morning to discuss his status and what happened in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final.

PHILADELPHIA – Penguins centre Jordan Staal will fly home to Thunder Bay, Ont., on Wednesday morning to attend his grandfather’s funeral. The Pittsburgh player is expected to return to Philadelphia the same night.

PHILADELPHIA – Penguins centre Jordan Staal is expected to play in tonight’s Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference final at Philadelphia before flying to Thunder Bay, Ont.

HALIFAX – Eric Staal has left the Canadian team at the IIHF World Hockey Championship after the death of his grandfather.He travelled back to Thunder Bay, Ont.

Movements in the world of hockey Monday:National Hockey LeagueCAROLINA HURRICANES-Agreed to terms with D Bryan Rodney on a one-year contract.

Scoring summary from Monday’s NHL game:Red Wings 5 at Stars 2First Period1. Detroit, Datsyuk 6 (Zetterberg, Rafalski) 9:272. Dallas, Grossman 1 (Modano, Morrow) 15:133.

DALLAS – This is how ridiculously good the Detroit Red Wings are playing: They lose the NHL’s top scorer this post-season and their regular-season scoring leader steps up with the first hat trick of his entire career while one of his linemates scores a demoralizing short-handed goal.

MONTREAL – The Montreal Canadiens have signed Calgary Hitmen forward Ryan White to a three-year contract.White, 20, recorded 28 goals and 44 assists with the Hitmen during the 2007-08 season and led the team in scoring the past three seasons.

DALLAS – Pavel Datsyuk scored twice in the first period then again with 2:41 left, and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Dallas Stars 5-2 Monday night to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

TORONTO – The comeback is complete.Brent Aubin scored a pair of goals as the Toronto Marlies became the 14th team in American Hockey League history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit, dropping the Syracuse Crunch 3-2 in Game 7 of the North Division final.

PITTSBURGH – A year ago Georges Laraque would have never been on the ice with two minutes left in a big playoff game. In fact, he probably would have been in the press box.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – With the latest technology and the oldest mind games, coach Ron Wilson led the San Jose Sharks to more victories than any NHL club over the past four seasons.