Monday's news: Dangerous hits still the NHL's hot topic

Get ready for a busy week of Nashville Predators hockey, as the team plays 9 of its remaining 13 games at home to close out the regular season over the next four weeks. Also, on nights when the Predators aren't playing, we'll have Scoreboard Watch threads here to keep tabs on the competition. Tonight, for example, Detroit heads out west to take on the Calgary Flames.

If you haven't checked out the On The Forecheck Facebook Page, be sure to do so; besides the conversation taking place over there, I've also set up photo galleries featuring the desktop wallpapers that Aditya publishes (so you can browse them all in one place), along with some of the other imagery that's been featured here.

Radio Note: The Thom Abraham Show will have two hockey guests this afternoon, as the NHL Network's Craig Button will be on during the 3:00 hour, and Barry Trotz calls in during the 5:00 hour.

After the jump, we have reaction to yesterday's Preds victory in Los Angeles, as well as a look at two dangerous incidents from yesterday that are the talk of the league this morning...

Predators News

Preds On The Glass: Predators End Successful Road Trip with 3-2 Win Over Kings
Buddy applauds the way the Preds stormed the net in the third period. Be sure to stop by and check out his sexy new 3-column layout...

The View from 111: Kings De-Throned by Predators 3-2
Mark thinks the boys are well prepared for the dogfight that remains in the regular season.

Predators postgame quotes " LA Kings Insider
Rich Hammond, who blogs for the L.A. Kings, has all the Predators reactions after the game yesterday.

Game Day in LA-LA Land... and a rant... - Paul McCann
Paul takes Nate Rau of the Tennessean out to the woodshed for his angle on the Predators/Sports Authority story from Friday, and also lauds Jessica Bliss for her piece on "Partner".

What The Puck: Weekend Wrap Up: California Nightmare Became Sweet Dream
Rachel looks forward to seeing a couple ex-Predators at Bridgestone Arena when Philadelphia comes in tomorrow.

Around the NHL

Ovechkin's Hit Vs. Lapierre's Hit: You Make The Call - From The Rink
Yesterday, Alex Ovechkin boarded Chicago's Brian Campbell, resulting in injuries that will likely put "Soupy" out for the rest of the regular season. Mike Chen asks (with video accompaniment) whether it compares to last week's Maxim Lapierre/Scott Nichol incident. Personally, I thought it was a legitimate hit and hockey play, but in a dangerous spot on the ice. A couple feet closer to the boards (or further away) and it's a non-issue. If they want to suspend Ovi for a game, I'm OK with that, but nothing more.

Steve Downie Precedes His Reputation Again With A Slewfoot On Sidney Crosby - SB Nation
What in the world is going on in the NHL these days? As if Matt Cooke wasn't enough of a gutless puke, Tampa's Steve Downie makes a clear effort to injure Sidney Crosby. This isn't just a slew-foot, watch the video as Downie pulls alongside Crosby, and deliberately puts his weight into Crosby's leg to take him down and twist his knee at the same time. In 30+ years of watching hockey, I've never seen this blatant an attempt to injure another player. If Downie doesn't receive a massive suspension for this, the NHLPA should demand Colin Campbell be fired.

Purple Crushed Velvet - LA Kings Blog: Counting My Eggs Before They're Hatched...But Whatever.
This Kings fans really doesn't want to see L.A. meet Nashville in the playoffs.

A closer look at the NHL's busiest callups - The Globe and Mail
James Mirtle presents a list of which players have shuffled the most between the NHL and AHL, with Alexander Sulzer among the leaders. He surmises that salary cap considerations are behind a rise in the level of callups, although in Sulzer's case, he has a one-way contract, so it's more a case of Franson surpassing him on the depth chart.

Video: Senators' Jason Spezza Does It All By Himself - SB Nation
Coast-to-coast goals are increasingly rare in the NHL, making Jason Spezza's latest a dandy treat.

Lastly, check out Don Cherry from Saturday night's Coach's Corner, in which he lambastes Matt Cooke ("a gutless, backstabbing little *$%!")  for not just his hit on Marc Savard, but his history of career-threatening hits: