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O’Reilly update; Snider rips Flyers’ special teams; Canucks’ crease controversy continues (Puck Headlines)

Harrison Mooney

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Via Mark Lazerus, I present the lamest promotion ever. I mean, it gets a little better if you attend every home game, the Wild score 5 goals in each, and you use all your tickets at once to save $1.20 at the pump. Actually, no, it still doesn't.

• Special teams are a huge issue for the Philadelphia Flyers right now, and Ed Snider is pissed: "We better damn get our special teams straightened out or we’re in trouble," he said. "That’s what it’s all about in today’s game -- special teams -- because 5-on-5, it’s hard as hell to score nowadays.” [Philly]

• Dave Tippett believes Mike Smith will be ready by the weekend. [Coyotes]

• Ryan O'Reilly update! His mysterious foot injury is a minor sprained ankle. Nothing serious. As for his contract status: "It doesn’t seem good. Very little, if any, contact is going on between Avalanche management and O’Reilly’s agent Mark Guy – and his other agent, Pat Morris. Morris, from the Newport Sports Agency and a longtime agent, is also heavily involved with negotiations with the Avs – at least when there were any." [Denver Post]

• Roberto Luongo gets his second straight start for the Canucks Wednesday versus the Avalanche. Why? Here's a theory: "It’s also possible that Vigneault is trying to split up the starts as much as he possibly can now, in the off chance that a Luongo trade occurs later on this season, and he winds up having to use Schneider with more frequency down the stretch. If the Canucks are planning a long playoff run, it sure makes sense to make sure their guy — presumably, Schneider — is well-rested for when it starts." The other theory, of course, is that the Canucks have yet another controversy on their hands. [PITB]

• Markham, Ontario is a little closer to having an NHL-ready arena after city council voted Tuesday against a motion to withhold public financing from the project. [Edmonton Journal]

• Gabriel Landeskog will miss his second straight game since being hit by Brad Stuart. [PHT]

• Sharks GM Doug Wilson on how the Sharks have succeeded where other warm-weather expansion teams have failed: "It goes to the top of the organization. The ownership has vision and truly commits to the community and the facilities. It's not what you say, it's what you do. We take the relationship with our fans very, very seriously." A shorter, equally apt answer would have been: we consistently don't suck. [Wall Street Journal]

• The Ducks lost to the Sharks on Tuesday night, and Bruce Boudreau loved every minute of it. [OC Register]

• "If the city of Edmonton weren't dead-set on giving Daryl Katz his dream arena, what else would $550 million buy?" Good stuff, although "110 million sour patch kids" should have been somewhere on this list. [Copper and Blue]

• Amazing story here about a trainer who saved a hockey player with "two minutes to live" after the player had his wrist slashed during a game. [Prep Rally]

• Via Colin Utley, someone might need to tell Washington Capitals fan that his vanity license commemorates an event that has yet to happen:

• After being hit versus the Maple Leafs, Patrick Kaleta spent last night in hospital and was released this morning. He's at home and won't travel with the team to Boston. [Kevin McGran]

• The new math curriculum in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is hockey-focused, because Canada. [Saskatoon News]

• An Alberta city has set the Guinness world record for the most players in an exhibition hockey game, with 350. [World Record Academy]

• Cam Janssen is on waivers, so if you're a GM looking for a guy who speaks his mind... [NHL]

• Should Edmonton put in a claim for Janssen? No. [Edmonton Journal]

• Crazy theory: The Flyers might score more goals and win more games if they hit the net with more shots. [Broad Street Hockey]

• Throwing a little water on Grigomania in Buffalo. [Buffalo Wins]

• After the success of their flash fans ad from last year's Super Bowl, Budweiser will be reaching out to hockey fans again this year. This teaser seems to indicate that the ad will be some sort of tribute to the goal light: