NHL: Fisher better than he expected

Thirty-seven-year-old Mike Fisher began practising with the Predators on Monday, the next step in coming out of retirement and rejoining the team’s active roster. “It felt a little weird at first to be back out there,” Fisher told the Tennessean. “Everything comes back quick as far as drills and fitting in, all that stuff. But I’ve still got to keep skating and make sure I get in good shape. I actually feel better than I thought I would at this point.”

ROCK BOTTOM: The question is being asked in Chicago whether the Blackhawks have hit rock bottom. They’ve dropped seven straight games, managing just one point in an overtime loss to Calgary on Feb. 3. It’s their longest regular-season skid since a nine-game slide in 2011-12. “It’s been a tough little while here,” Patrick Kane told the Chicago SunTimes. “We’re just trying to find something to build off of, and we just can’t do it right now. So it’s been frustrating.”

WILD RIDE: The Minnesota Wild have gone 9-2-2 in their last 13 games to gain a three-point edge, heading into Wednesday, on Los Angeles and Anaheim for the final wild-card spot in the West. “It’s definitely going to be tight, I don’t think anyone doubts that,” defenceman Jared Spurgeon told the team’s website. “The last little bit here, we as a group feel, we are improving as a team and getting closer to where we want to be.” Kevin McGran