Top Line: Ilya Bryzgalov deal is the white flag for Oilers; more links

If anything, wiggy Ilya Bryzgalov will bring personality to Edmonton's net. (Alexander Nemenov/Getty Images) By Allan Muir An annotated guide to this

If anything, wiggy Ilya Bryzgalov will bring personality to Edmonton's net. (Alexander Nemenov/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:

• If Ilya Bryzgalov is the answer, these truly are desperate times in Edmonton.

• The upshot of Craig MacTavish's busy Friday night? "Wait'll next year, Edmonton fans."

• If there's a mercy clause in Ryan Miller's contract, he's probably ready to invoke it. Buffalo's goaltender was pelted with 34 shots through two periods (that's 85 total for his last five) as the Sabreshit rock bottom in a 6-2 loss to the Ducks.

• Uh-oh...Anaheim's power play is waking up.

• Kevin Dineen took the fall yesterday, but the problems in Florida go much deeper than the men behind the bench.

• The Panthers might have a buyer in Edmonton for one of their rapidly depreciating assets. At least, Jonathan Willis thinks so.

• The Flames addressed the absence of captain Mark Giordano by making a swap with their provincial rivals. They gave up a lot in promising Laurent Brossoit, but added a legitimate top-four defender to take the pressure off an overworked group.

• Speaking of the Flames, there was a nice tilt last night between Brian McGrattan and Patrick Bordeleau. Might want to move along to the next link if you're offended by the sight of two brawny lads chuckin' the mitts.

• Just days ahead of his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame next week, Chris Chelios is talking about a comeback at age 51. And yes, he's very serious.

• Brandon Saad has his heart set on making the American Olympic team. At this point, the kid looks like a dark horse, but can you rule him out?

• MacLean's has posted its full interview with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who recently published his book on the early days of professional hockey. There's some fascinating history here, along with the PM's take on what's wrong, and right, with the game today.

• Philly owner Ed Snider is looking for answers to his team's problems. Apparently, holding GM Paul Holmgren accountable for them hasn't crossed his mind. Going to be a long winter for Flyers fans.

• The Maple Leafs are looking to exorcise that Game 7 meltdown from their psyches as they take on the Bruins tonight in Boston.

• The Capitals are on pace to be the first team to lead the league in both power play and penalty kill since 1984-85. That should rank Adam Oates among the early Jack Adams contenders, eh?

• Chelsea Janes says being the NHL's Third Star of the Week really paid off for one Cap. Nice bit of timing there.

• Pat Hickey offers his perspective on the Michel Therrien/P.K. Subban controversy. Basically, this thing isn't going away until the coach leaves Subban on the ice for the final five minutes of a close game.

• "It'll look like me more in two months the hair comes back."

• Listening to his daughter cry led Ottawa banger Chris Neil to a career-altering decision.

• The Blues are tied for the third-fewest hits in the NHL, but at least one player believes they're the most physical team in the league.

• What St. Louis is doing on the penalty kill is tough to explain, but at least there's one easy way to address the problem.

• A year-old music video made by several of Russia's best players took on new life yesterday for some reason. If you somehow missed it all last December, it's worth a look. A listen, though? Not so much.

fateful shootout decision