Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Antero Niittymaki probably has the inside track because he got Finland the silver medal at the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy, and he has playing well for the Lightning.

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There's a sense of entitlement there with Kiprusoff, the Calgary Flames goalie who stoned the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 on Friday night.

"Sounds like what Patrick Roy would say," said an NHLer.

The only difference is that Kiprusoff isn't Roy, who's one of the four or five best goalies of all time. He's really good, but there's another goalie in Minnesota, Niklas Backstrom, who is just as good, along with Niittymaki.

Kiprusoff also doesn't wave the Finnish flag much.

Flyer Laperriere one tough customer

Ian Laperriere can play on my team any time, and not because he's all-world when it comes to giving good quotes.

The former Colorado Avalanche winger took a Jason Pominville slapper in the kisser on Friday, lost four teeth, had his lip sliced open and took somewhere between "50 and 100 stitches" in his mouth, according to the Philadelphia Flyers team physician.

But he came back wearing a facemask for the third period.

The only problem is that Laperriere, the wittiest player in the NHL, begged off talking after the game against the Buffalo Sabres because his mouth was loaded with bloody gauze.

"A ferocious warrior," said Flyers coach John Stevens. None better.

Leclaire laughs off freak injury

Ottawa Senators goalie Pascal Leclaire should be sour after all the injuries he has had in his short NHL career, but instead of going postal when a shot smacked him in the face and broke his cheekbone while sitting on the Senators bench, he laughed it off.

"Next time, I'm there I'll wear a construction helmet," Leclaire joked. He'll probably need some facial reconstruction.

"Maybe I'll look into calf or (abdominal) implants, too. I'll have to check out the prices."

Leclaire has had a C-plus season in Ottawa (2.71 goals-against average and .901 save percentage). The Senators have two good young goalies in Brian Elliott, and hotshot junior Robin Lehner.

And ...

The New Jersey Devils have been blessed to have Martin Brodeur in net. He has played more minutes (60,280) than any other goalie The other 25 goalies in the Devils' history have mustered 67,364 minutes. Brodeur had a tough time with the noon start in Boston Friday. "I can handle chicken and spaghetti as my pre-game meal at 10 in the morning, but 8:30? That's tough," he said.