Thursday . . .

The Moose Jaw Warriors will be without their leading scorer when the WHL playoffs get underway. F Quinton Howden suffered a broken collarbone during Wednesday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Tigers in Medicine Hat and will miss up to six weeks. Howden has 65 p will be out of the Moose Jaw Warriors lineup for 4-6 weeks with a broken collarbone. Howden suffered the injury in the Warriors 3-2 shootout loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers Wednesday. He leads the Warriors in assists (37) and points (65) and is second in goals (28), one behind F Brendan Rowinski. . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath also was injured in Medicine Hat and is listed as being out day-to-day with an upper body injury. . . . The Warriors play the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Friday.
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The Kamloops Blazers have signed F Lyndon Martell, 16, a list player who started the season with the major midget Cariboo Cougars and finished with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Martell had 23 points in 10 games with the Cougars and 31 points in 44 games with the Spruce Kings. He was named the Spruce Kings’ rookie of the year. Martell practised with the Blazers on Thursday and will stay with them through the end of the regular season but isn’t expected to play in any games.
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It may be a bit late, because Prince George won’t make the playoffs, but the Cougars have F Brett Connolly back at practice. Connolly has missed 53 games with hip problems and won’t play either of two games this weekend. But he hopes to play in a doubleheader against the visiting Chilliwack Bruins on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . What kind of a season have the Cougars had? Well, consider that Connolly has played 12 games and has 13 points, good for 13th on the team’s list of leading scorers. . . . Still, he remains one of the top-rated players for June’s NHL draft and will attend the Central Scouting combine in Toronto in May. . . . G Alex Wright, who suffered a broken collarbone on Jan. 8, also is back practising and will be be on the bench Friday against the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . Prince George D Kurt Torbohm (broken hand) and D Jesse Forsberg (shoulder) won’t play again this season.
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F Brayden Schenn of the Brandon Wheat Kinghs has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Schenn, 18, was taken fifth overall in the NHL’s 2009 draft. He already has played one game in the NHL, that coming Dec. 14 against the Canucks in Vancouver after he signed a one-day amateur tryout agreement. Schenn leads the Wheat Kings with 56 assists and 85 points in 54 games. . . . He is the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs D Luke Schenn.
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The Regina Pats, who won’t make the playoffs, have F Dyson Stevenson, a fifth-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, practising with them. He spent the season with the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires, but there season is over.
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You may remember that things got a bit messy last summer when Brent Sutter left as head coach of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and then signed as head coach of the Calgary Flames. Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger has a good piece right here that looks at that situation and more.
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If you’re wondering about the Federal Hockey League, which is to begin play in the fall, there’s a bit right here. And, no, Reggie Dunlop is nowhere to be found.
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — denotes division leaders, who are seeded one-two):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Calgary (5) 47-17-1-2-97
dx-Brandon (5) 45-18-1-3-94
x-Saskatoon (6) 43-16-3-4-93
x-Kootenay (5) 40-22-3-2-85
x-Red Deer (6) 38-24-0-4-80
x-Medicine Hat (5) 36-23-3-5-80
Moose Jaw (6) 32-24-4-6-74
Swift Current (4) 34-30-0-4-72
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Prince Albert (5) 31-31-3-2-67
x — clinched playoff spot.
Thursday: Swift Current 0 at Calgary 2.
Friday: Moose Jaw at Brandon; Medicine Hat at Kootenay; Swift Current at Red Deer; Lethbridge at Regina.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (6) 45-18-1-2-93
dx-Vancouver (6) 39-22-2-3-83
x-Everett (6) 42-19-3-2-89
x-Spokane (6) 40-21-3-2-85
x-Portland (5) 40-24-2-1-83
x-Kelowna (5) 31-30-2-4-68
x-Kamloops (4) 30-32-2-4-66
x-Chilliwack (6) 29-31-1-5-64
x — clinched playoff spot.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Vancouver at Kamloops; Tri-City at Chilliwack; Seattle at Kelowna; Spokane at Portland; Everett at Prince George.
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THURSDAY:
In Calgary, G Martin Jones stopped 27 shots to earn his second straight shutout as the Hitmen dumped the Swift Current Broncos, 2-0. . . . Jones has a WHL-leading seven shutouts this season and a franchise-record 15 in his career. . . . The Hitmen, who are first overall, have won four straight games and nine of 11. . . . Calgary has blanked its opponent on nine occasions this season. . . . Calgary F Tyler Fiddler opened the scoring with his 28th goal of the season at 12:16 of the first period. . . . Calgary D Matt MacKenzie got his sixth, on the PP, at 3:51 of the third. . . . Calgary was 1-for-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-for-3. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 31 shots. . . . Calgary F Jimmy Bubnick, who missed seven games with a shoulder injury, returned to action. . . . Attendance was 7,468. . . . The Broncos had won three in a row. . . . Calgary F Joel Broda had his four-game goal streak end. . . . The Hitmen went 4-0 versus the Broncos, outscoring them 14-4. . . . WHL goaltenders have put up 81 shutouts this season, the seventh-highest total in league history. That number last season was 92. The record is 141 from 2004-05.