nhl notebook

Some players want the puck. Some players want to duck. Coaches usually know who’s who. Because when you go deep into a shootout — like this week’s 13-rounder between the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks — you don’t want a wallflower. “Once you’re past six, seven players, instead of the atmosphere getting louder and tighter, it gets more fun because guys that think they’d never have a shot … they’re there,” Flames coach Bob Hartley said. Flames forward Brandon Bollig remembers an 11-turn shootout when he was with Chicago. “And all 11 forwards shot — but me, so that’s pretty funny,” Bollig said. “In the minor leagues, I used to shoot a decent amount. In juniors, too.” Defenceman Kris Russell, as a rookie with the 2007-08 Columbus Blue Jackets, got the tap one night in the midst of a long shootout. “Hit the post,” said Russell, cracking a grin. “I was so nervous I just didn’t want to fall or something.” Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne has been cleared to return from a knee injury that kept him out the past three weeks, and he will start Thursday night against Anaheim. Nashville re-assigned goalie Marek Mazanec to Milwaukee in the AHL on Wednesday, and coach Peter Laviolette said after practice Wednesday that they pushed back Rinne’s return to err on the side of caution. Rinne hurt his knee Jan. 13 against Vancouver and missed eight games as well as what would have been his first All-Star Game. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist sat out against Boston on Wednesday night, four days after being struck in the throat with a puck. Lundqvist remained in Saturday’s game against Carolina, following the shot by Brad Malone, and then played again Monday in a win over Florida. On Wednesday, coach Alain Vigneault said the star goalie would miss the game for an undisclosed reason relating to being struck in the throat. He said it wasn’t a concussion and added the club was “investigating” the issue.