Pierre McGuire's In The Crease

After Sidney Crosby scored a power-play goal against the Canadiens last Thursday and then won the game for Pittsburgh in a shootout, he received a call from former Montreal coach Scotty Bowman. Crosby, who grew up a Canadiens fan, thought it was a prank. But he soon realized it was the real Bowman calling to say how much he enjoyed Crosby's performance.... With wing Rick Nash out for another month with a sprained left knee, the slumping Blue Jackets are in need of offense. Don't be surprised if they make a deal for Maple Leafs forward Jason Allison (above right), who missed 2003--04 due to postconcussion syndrome but was a 30-goal scorer four seasons ago.... The Red Wings had the best record in the NHL (15-3-1) at week's end, and they can credit some of their success to the scouting talents of defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and forwards Tomas Holmstrom and Henrik Zetterberg. Under their recommendation Detroit G.M. Ken Holland signed a pair of journeymen, right wing Mikael Samuelsson and defenseman Andreas Lilja. Through Sunday, Samuelsson had 12 points and Lilja had a +10 rating.

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BRAD WHITE/WIREIMAGE.COM (ALLISON)