In The Crease

Oilers right wing Pat Falloon, the No. 2 pick in the 1991 draft
(by the Sharks), has been able to rekindle his foundering career
for two reasons. First, coach Ron Low persuaded Edmonton
management to stick with Falloon, an off-season free-agent
pickup, even after Falloon had a terrible training camp. Second,
Falloon, who has played his way out of three other
organizations, is finally in top-notch physical condition at age
26. Through Sunday he had nine goals and had been a force on the
power play....

Representatives of Canadiens star right wing Mark Recchi, an
unrestricted free agent at season's end, will meet with the
Montreal brass on Jan. 16 and 17 to discuss Recchi's future with
the club....

It looks as if the Lightning let another top young prospect get
away. In the lopsided deal that sent franchise defenseman Roman
Hamrlik to the Oilers for rugged backliner Bryan Marchment and
two mediocre prospects in December 1997, the Lightning threw in
the rights to Paul Comrie, a center at the University of Denver,
to complete the trade. Two weeks ago the 20-year-old Comrie was
named MVP of the Denver Cup tournament, where scouts compared
him to Doug Weight, Edmonton's No. 1 center....

If the Senators are going to make an impact in the postseason,
their weak power play (16th in the league) must improve. One
reason Ottawa has struggled with the man advantage is the
inconsistent play of defenseman Igor Kravchuk. What's more,
Kravchuk signed a lucrative contract (four years, $9.8 million)
during the spring, making it virtually impossible to trade him....

Look for Coyotes rookie center Daniel Briere to be a big point
producer during the second half of the season. General manager
Bobby Smith opened up ice time for Briere when he traded veteran
center Cliff Ronning to Nashville earlier in the season....

If Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood doesn't snap out of his recent
funk--in games against the Coyotes, the Predators and the Blues
late last month he allowed 14 goals on only 76 shots--Detroit
will be hard-pressed to win a third straight Stanley Cup.