Mike Richards

Center - LAK

GOALS: 1 | ASST: 1 | PTS: 2
SOG: 7 | +/-: -2

Mike Richards is still smiling and laughing.

It's toward the end of his third round of interviews with reporters in the Kings' dressing room at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, and there is the ex-Flyers captain -- the exact same guy who could, at times, be indignant and condescending with the media in Philadelphia -- still standing in his equipment, sweat dripping after a long practice, just giddy talking hockey and the start of a new chapter in his life and career.

Richards, who talked to NHL.com after a smattering of Swedish reporters walked away, can honestly assess his frame of mind now that he feels fully adjusted to life in L.A.

CHICAGO -- A lot of teams might not worry all that much about an injury to the third-line center.

It's different for the Chicago Blackhawks, though, who often are asked about the health of 25-year old center Dave Bolland -- the sparkplug for an energizing, gritty checking line that usually makes life miserable for opposing star forwards.

When Bolland is healthy, everything lines up the right way for the Hawks. Their top two lines are loaded with highly skilled players and centered by stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Add Bolland's line -- capable of affecting the game at both ends of the ice -- and the Hawks really have something special.

Subtract Bolland from the middle of that third line, however, and it becomes a pretty big deal. The Hawks struggle to fill the void and it usually becomes a gaping hole. That's why Bolland's undisclosed upper-body injury in the preseason drew so much attention.

A stronger, fresher and, if you can believe it, hungrier Jonathan Toews is entering his fifth NHL season with a healthy understanding that winning in this League actually isn't as easy as it may have once seemed.

Toews gained his newfound perspective in the months after completing one of the most topsy-turvy seasons of his hockey life, one in which his Chicago Blackhawks were left for dead only to rise to near historic heights before crashing in the most heart-wrenching way.

The difficulties of last season coupled with the emotional playoff series against Vancouver forced Toews to gain a stronger appreciation for what he and his teammates accomplished in winning the Stanley Cup two seasons ago.

"You definitely realize how tough it is to do what you did the year before, and maybe that was a blessing in disguise that we did win (in 2010)," Toews told NHL.com. "I don't think a lot of us realized how good we were and how unique our situation was (two seasons ago). Maybe if you do and you know all those things, and you're a guy that has been in the League for 15 years and has been that close a number of times, you're putting way more pressure on yourself not to screw that opportunity up. This past season we realized how difficult it actually is whereas in the moment of two seasons ago we were winning games, having fun and it seemed all so simple."

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks had a number of players who needed a break from hockey after losing Game 7 of their first-round playoff series to the rival Vancouver Canucks.

Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson was one of them. Mentally he was drained and physically he was aching after trying unsuccessfully to defend the Hawks' 2010 Stanley Cup title.
 
"I needed to heal a little bit," Hjalmarsson said following a recent team charity event. "It was a short summer last year, but I'll take that any day if we go all the way. Still, it's not too fun to go out the way we did, coming back from 0-3 and losing. It took a while to be happy again, but it's been a good summer. I feel like I'm in good shape and I just can't wait to get the season started."

That was the general feeling among all Hawks players in July at the annual fan convention. Unlike a year ago, when they practically dreaded the start of training camp, the Hawks are driven once again to get back to the top.

VOORHEES, N.J. -- Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky looks to be about the same 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds he measured when he arrived here for training camp last year. However, the player currently getting in shape for training camp has grown immeasurably entering his second season in the National Hockey League.

Bobrovsky told NHL.com he's more confident on and off the ice, especially in one very important area -- his grasp of the English language.

"Yes, I think so," he said in his first extensive English-language interview when asked about his comfort level with the language. "I'm one year being here and I'm studying English, learning English."

NEW YORK -- Chris Drury has served mostly as a proverbial punching bag for Rangers fans since arriving from the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent in the summer of 2007.

In three full seasons, Drury never exceeded 58 points with the Rangers. This came after finishing his time in Buffalo with two straight 30-goal seasons, including 37 the season before he came to New York. This season has been a nightmare for the 34-year-old; injuries kept him in the press box and infirmary for all but 23 of the first 81 games.

Everyone is having a hard time explaining Corey Perry's hot streak in March.

And that includes Corey Perry.

"You just go into every game expecting to play well," said Perry, who was named the NHL's First Star for March on the strength of his 15 goals in 14 games. "Things happened in March that don't happen very often. It's one of those things where you go out, play your game and see what happens. Hopefully there's more to come."

The Anaheim Ducks feel the same way. Perry's individual success has coincided with the team's ascension in the Western Conference standings. The Ducks entered March in 11th place, three points out of eighth; they finished March in seventh place with 93 points, six points clear of ninth place and just two points behind fourth-place Phoenix.

DENVER -- Bright spots have been rare for a Colorado Avalanche team whose season turned sour two months ago. The play of David Jones has been one of them.

The 26-year-old forward is having a career year and battling Matt Duchene for the team goal-scoring lead one year after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"I always thought I could play at a high level," Jones told NHL.com. "It was tough being hurt because I think I was on my way to doing that last year. It's nice to have some success this year and hopefully I can keep it going and carry it into next year."

At 6-feet-2 and 210 pounds, Jones is the classic power forward, except that he also owns deceptive speed for a player his size. So there was more than the usual concern when he suffered such a serious knee injury in a game at Minnesota on Nov. 28, 2009.

Logic dictates that at some point Teemu Selanne will have to slow down.

Right?

At 40 years young, Selanne scored his 22nd career hat trick Monday, plus had 2 assists as the Ducks beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-4. He is the first player 40 or older in NHL history to score 3 times and add 2 assists in one game.

The 5-point night matched his career-best single-game output (he had 3 goals and 2 assists Feb. 24, 2008), and gave him 75 points, eighth in the League. It's also the third-best season by a player 40 or over in League history. Only 40-year-olds Johnny Bucyk (83 points in 1975-76) and Gordie Howe (103 points in 1968-69) had more points than Selanne at the same age. With six games remaining, and the way Selanne is scoring -- he now has 7 goals and 4 assists in his last five games -- he could pass Bucyk's total.

Ryan Getzlaf's voice barely was audible above the whine of a nearby Zamboni, but his message still got through to Anaheim Ducks teammate Corey Perry.
 
Perry was answering questions from a small contingent of reporters about his remarkable season following a light practice last Friday, and Getzlaf wasn't about to let a prime opportunity to razz his top-line buddy pass.
 
"Come on Perrs, let's go!" he shouted. "You don't need to talk so much about your season! Just say, 'I owe it all to my linemates! I've only scored 7 goals this year … with 35 tap-ins!'"