Morning Hits: Laviolette, Sedin’s, Thornton, Selanne, Lightning, Rielly and the Senators
  • TSN: (Dreger) If the Flyers don’t get off to good start in the first 10 to 15 games, coach Peter Laviolette could be in trouble. Moves could extend past Laviolette to Paul Holmgren and Ron Hextall. (LeBrun) With the Canucks not being able to lock up the Sedin’s before the season started doesn’t mean there should be huge alarm bells going off, but things may not be going “swimmingly either. (LeBrun) Joe Thornton could circle back to the Sharks in the near future to see about getting a contract extension.
  • Eric Stephens: The Ducks plan is to rest Teemu Selanne in their 12 back-to-back games, targeting 70 games for him.
  • Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Morgan Rielly will make his NHL debut tonight. The Senators second line will be very important in any Senators success this season.

    “We’re very encouraged by the play of Kyle Turris, Clarke MacArthur and Cory Conacher through the exhibition as far as consistently giving us that secondary offensive threat,” Senators coach Paul MacLean told ESPN.com on Friday morning ahead of his team’s season opener in Buffalo. “I think that’s going to be important for our team, like any team, is to have people who can come behind that first group and be a threat.”