When the whole family is under the weather….things come in a little late err on the back burner. Oops.
The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Sabres 3, Oilers 1
Kings 5, Hurricanes 2
Devils 3, Ducks 1
Capitals 5, Islanders 4 (SO)
Red Wings 9, Blue Jackets 1
Blackhawks 3, Avalanche 2 (SO)
Predictions record: 6-0
My 3 stars from last night:
1. Niklas Kronwall, DET (2 Goals, 1 Assists)
Kronwall helped lead the Wings to a huge win with 3 points.
2. Ryan Miller, BUF (28 Saves, 1 GA)
Edmonton couldn’t find a way to beat Miller in the 3rd, as he came up large when it counted.
3. Alexander Semin, WSH (2 Goals, SO Goal)
Semin’s pair of goals (plus a shootout tally) helped the Caps solve the Islanders.
Dud of the Night:
Columbus Blue Jackets… Giving up nine goals in a game is horrific to say the least. But to have it happen on home-ice against a division foe is even worse! Steve Mason gave up eight goals in the loss as his sophomore slump continues. It’s safe to say Ken Hitchcock’s 1,000th game was, well, a disappointment.
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Tonight’s Slate:
Senators @ Flyers, 7:00 ET
Thrashers @ Rangers, 7:00
Panthers @ Bruins, 7:00
Devils @ Penguins, 7:30
Canucks @ Red Wings, 7:30
Wild @ Lightning, 7:30
Predators @ Blues, 8:00
Canadiens @ Coyotes, 9:00
Stars @ Sharks, 10:30
Games of the Night:
Ottawa Senators @ Philadelphia Flyers
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks
Records:
Overall: Senators (8-5-2) … Flyers (9-4-1)
Last Ten: Senators (5-3-2) … Flyers (6-3-1)
Away/Home: Senators (3-2-0) … Flyers (6-2-1)
Season Series: First meeting
Players to watch:
OTT- Milan Michalek
The Sens will need Michalek’s speed & skill to pull out a win.
PHI- Ray Emery
Who else would it be!? How will he play against former ‘mates??
Projected Goaltenders:
OTT- Pascal Leclaire (09/10 stats: 6-4-1, 2.71 GAA)
PHI- Ray Emery (09/10 stats: 9-3-1, 2.27 GAA)
Injury Report:
OTT- Anton Volchenkov (elbow, out)
PHI- Danny Briere (quad, out), Simon Gagne (hernia, out), James van Riemsdyk (finger, probable), Ryan Parent (groin, doubtful), O-K Tollefsen (concussion, out)
Game Thoughts:
This very well may be the headline game tonight as Emery goes toe-to-toe with the team he internally destroyed a couple years ago. I have a feeling he’s going to put together a stellar effort. Ottawa won 3 of 4 from Philly last year, but is a tricky team to figure out this season. I like Philly by two…
Prediction: Flyers 4, Senators 2
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New Jersey Devils @ Pittsburgh Penguins
7:30 ET… TV: NHL Net. (US), Local Networks
Records:
Overall: Devils (12-4-0) … Penguins (12-6-0)
Last Ten: Devils (9-1-0) … Penguins (5-5-0)
Away/Home: Devils (8-0-0) … Penguins (5-3-0)
Season Series: 1-0 Devils
Players to watch:
NJ- Zach Parise
Parise is on a tear right now, and had 2 points the last time these two met.
PIT- Sidney Crosby
He’s gone 5 straight games without a point… will that streak stop here??
Projected Goaltenders:
NJ- Martin Brodeur (Last night vs. ANA: 31 Saves, 1 GA)
PIT- Marc-Andre Fleury (09/10 stats: 10-5-0, 2.49 GAA)
Injury Report:
NJ- Johnny Oduya (lower body, out), Paul Martin (arm, out), Jay Pandolfo (shoulder, out), Dean McAmmond (illness, doubtful)
PIT- Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Max Talbot (shoulder, out), Sergei Gonchar (wrist, out), Tyler Kennedy (groin, questionable), Brooks Orpik (hip, questionable)
Game Thoughts:
The Devils are the hottest team in the East right now with six straight wins, and won last night against Anaheim. Pittsburgh has gone 7-plus periods without scoring, so you figure they’re due! You also know the Devils are going to lose on the road at some point. I think it ends tonight, as the Pens eek out a ‘W’.
Prediction: Penguins 2, Devils 1 (SO)
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Vancouver Canucks @ Detroit Red Wings
7:30 ET… TV: Local Networks
Records:
Overall: Canucks (10-9-0) … Red Wings (8-5-3)
Last Ten: Canucks (6-4-0) … Red Wings (5-2-3)
Away/Home: Canucks (3-7-0) … Red Wings (5-1-1)
Season Series: 1-0 Red Wings
Players to watch:
VAN- Mikael Samuelsson
Samuelsson returns to Detroit with 8 goals and 14 points this season.
DET- Pavel Datsyuk
He had a 2-point effort last night in Columbus, and had 3 points in Vancouver a few weeks ago.
Projected Goaltenders:
VAN- Roberto Luongo (09/10 stats: 6-6-0, 2.80 GAA)
DET- Chris Osgood (09/10 stats: 6-3-2, 2.77 GAA)
Injury Report:
VAN- Daniel Sedin (foot, doubtful), Pavol Demitra (shoulder, out), Michael Grabner (ankle, out), Jannik Hansen (hand, out), Alexandre Bolduc (shoulder, out)
DET- Johan Franzen (knee, out), Valterri Filppula (wrist, out), Jason Williams (leg, out), Andreas Lilja (head, out)
Game Thoughts:
Both clubs come into this one receiving the opposite end of blowouts. Detroit took Columbus behind the woodshed, while Vancouver left St. Louis dazed and confused on Tuesday. The Canucks are also looking a bit of payback from last month’s close loss to the Wings. Nine goals is a lot, and to score a few more the next night may be too tall of a task. I like the Canucks in a mild upset.
Prediction: Canucks 3, Red Wings 2
The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Rangers over Thrashers
Bruins over Panthers
Lightning over Wild
Predators over Blues
Coyotes over Canadiens
Sharks over Stars
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