Tonight’s Slate:
Bruins @ Devils, 7:00 ET
Thrashers @ Islanders, 7:00
Capitals @ Rangers, 7:00
Senators @ Flyers, 7:00
Kings @ Blue Jackets, 7:00
Stars @ Maple Leafs, 7:30
Lightning @ Penguins, 7:30
Predators @ Panthers, 7:30
Blues @ Red Wings, 7:30
Hurricanes @ Wild, 8:00
Coyotes @ Avalanche, 9:00
Ducks @ Flames, 9:00
Canucks @ Sharks, 10:00
Games of the Night:
Game #1: Boston Bruins (24-5-4) @ New Jersey Devils (19-9-3)
7:00 ET… TV: VERSUS, TSN2
Players to watch:
BOS- Phil Kessel
This red-hot Bruin can get to game #18 in his point streak tonight.
NJ- Patrik Elias
Elias is quietly on a major tear, and usually does well against the B’s.
Projected Goaltenders:
BOS- Tim Thomas (08-09 stats: 13-3-3, 2.15 GAA)
NJ- Scott Clemmensen (08-09 stats: 11-3-1, 2.30 GAA)
Injury Report:
BOS- Patrice Bergeron (concussion, out), Marco Sturm (knee, out), Aaron Ward (ankle, questionable), Andrew Ference (leg, out), Petteri Nokelainen (upper body, out)
NJ- John Madden (flu, questionable), Bryce Salvador (upper body, questionable), Martin Brodeur (elbow, out)
Last Ten Games:
Bruins (9-1-0) … Devils (7-2-1)
Season Series:
1st Meeting
Game Thoughts:
Two of the hottest (and best) teams in the East will face-off tonight in Jersey. On one side of the ring, we have the Boston Bruins. This is a group that thrives off of team chemistry and great goaltending. They have a comfy lead atop the Northeast Division with 52 points. On the other side stands the New Jersey Devils, a team that has surprised many by keeping up with the rest of the conference with Brodeur injured. This should be a great game, and Versus finally got one right!
Prediction: Bruins 3, Devils 2
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Game #2: Washington Capitals (20-11-3) @ New York Rangers (22-12-2)
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks
Players to watch:
WSH- Nicklas Backstrom
I just have a feeling that the overshadowed Backstrom could have a great game tonight.
NYR- Michal Rozsival
Rozsival has temporarily turned it around, as he scored 2 goals and was a +2 on New York’s Pacific swing.
Projected Goaltenders:
WSH- Brent Johnson (08-09 stats: 10-5-2, 2.55 GAA)
NYR- Henrik Lundqvist (08-09 stats: 18-10-2, 2.50 GAA)
Injury Report:
WSH- Alexander Semin (back, questionable), Sergei Fedorov (ankle, doubtful), Tyler Sloan (leg, questionable), John Erskine (concussion, out), Chris Clark (forearm, out), Tom Poti (groin, probable), Jeff Schultz (finger, out), Brian Pothier (concussion, out)
NYR- None
Last Ten Games:
Capitals (7-3-0) … Rangers (5-5-0)
Season Series:
1-0 Capitals
Game Thoughts:
I really like the chances of Ovechkin and Backstrom shining tonight at MSG. They’ll be looking to rebound from their 7-1 loss to Philly on Saturday. The Blueshirts could come into this one a bit sluggish coming off the Western road trip. This one will certainly be interesting.
Prediction: Capitals 4, Rangers 1
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Game #3: Vancouver Canucks (19-12-3) @ San Jose Sharks (26-4-3)
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks
Players to watch:
VAN- Ryan Kesler
Secondary scoring will be necessary for the Canucks to top San Jose.
SJ- Ryane Clowe
Clowe is slowly becoming a force on the man advantage.
Projected Goaltenders:
VAN- Curtis Sanford (Last night vs. ANA: 24 Saves, 3 GA)
SJ- Evgeni Nabokov (08-09 stats: 18-3-2, 2.58 GAA)
Injury Report:
VAN- Roberto Luongo (groin, out), Sami Salo (ribs, out), Rick Rypien (sports hernia, out), Ryan Johnson (finger, out)
SJ- Milan Michalek (upper body, probable), Jeremy Roenick (shoulder, out), Torrey Mitchell (leg, out)
Last Ten Games:
Canucks (5-4-1) … Sharks (7-1-2)
Season Series:
1st Meeting
Game Thoughts:
This could very well be a dominating victory for the Sharks tonight. Vancouver’s legs may be heavy after holding on to beat Anaheim last night. That’s definitely the last thing you need when you’re going into The Tank. The Sharks are 17-0-2 at home, and I don’t look for the Canucks to put a dent in that record.
Prediction: Sharks 5, Canucks 2
The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Islanders over Thrashers
Flyers over Senators
Blue Jackets over Kings
Stars over Maple Leafs
Penguins over Lightning
Predators over Panthers
Red Wings over Blues
Wild over Hurricanes
Avalanche over Coyotes
Flames over Ducks
Upset Alert- Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay
The Pens won an emotional overtime game last night in Buffalo, and it seems like Lecavalier & St. Louis kill the Pens in Pittsburgh once a year. I envision an off-night for Crosby and company, but will it be enough for the Bolts to shock ‘em in the Igloo??
For more predictions and analysis on the NHL like this, stop by the Red Light District.
