Ryan brings us the Morning Skate again…and do bring punch and pie…..

The Morning After:

Yesterday’s scores:

Bruins 5, Islanders 2

Sabres 6, Sharks 3

Flyers 4, Maple Leafs 1

Panthers 3, Capitals 0

Rangers 5, Senators 3

Blues 4, Blue Jackets 1

Wild 3, Coyotes 2

Kings 2, Flames 1

Predictions record: 6-2

My 3 stars of the night:

1. Tomas Vokoun, FLA (36 Saves, Shutout)… Vokoun came up large for the Panthers as they shut-down Washington for their third straight win.

2. Danny Briere, PHI (2 Goals, 1 Assist)

3. Andrew Brunette, MIN (2 Goals)

—

Tonight’s Slate:

Canadiens @ Red Wings, 7:00 ET

Devils @ Senators, 7:30

Avalanche @ Thrashers, 7:30

Hurricanes @ Stars, 8:30

Lightning @ Oilers, 9:00

Flames @ Ducks, 10:00

Game of the Night:

Montreal Canadiens @ Detroit Red Wings

7:00 ET… TV: CBC, NHL Net. (US), Local Networks

Records:

Overall: Canadiens (18-8-2) … Red Wings (17-6-3)

Last Ten: Canadiens (6-3-1) … Red Wings (5-3-2)

Away/Home: Canadiens (7-4-0) … Red Wings (10-3-2)

Season Series (09/10): 1-0 Red Wings

Players to watch:

MTL- Tomas Plekanec

‘Pleks’ has been up and down in the last month or so, but needs to have a good game tonight.

DET- Johan Franzen

‘The Mule’ has been scoring consistently in recent weeks.

Projected Goaltenders:

MTL- Carey Price (2010/11 stats: 17-7-2, 1.92 GAA)

DET- Jimmy Howard (2010/11 stats: 15-4-2, 2.54 GAA)

Injury Report:

MTL- Scott Gomez (lower body, questionable), Andrei Markov (knee, out)

DET- Mike Modano (wrist, out)

Game Thoughts:

The Canadiens are getting Detroit either at the right time or the wrong time – I’d opt for the latter. Mike Babcock and company have lost three in a row (twice at home), and will be looking to turn things around tonight. Their Original Six foe is solid on the road and has won three straight, so this won’t be a gimme for the Wings. Nevertheless, I like Detroit to get the ‘W’ in this one.

Prediction: Red Wings 4, Canadiens 2

—

The rest of tonight’s predictions:

Devils over Senators

Avalanche over Thrashers

Stars over Hurricanes

Oilers over Lightning

Ducks over Flames

Ryan once again brings us the Morning Skate complete with bells and whistles and really just some great hockey information.

The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Maple Leafs 3, Islanders 2
Devils 4, Hurricanes 2
Blue Jackets 3, Panthers 0
Sabres 3, Capitals 0
Blues 1, Red Wings 0
Oilers 3, Lightning 2
Blackhawks 2, Rangers 1 (OT)
Wild 1, Avalanche 0
Flames 3, Thrashers 1
Kings 5, Sharks 4 (OT)
Predictions record: 7-2-1

My 3 stars from last night:
1. Ty Conklin, STL (42 Saves, Shutout)
‘Conks’ was dominant in Detroit, and had to be, as the Blues held on to a 1-0 lead most of the way.
2. Ryan Miller, BUF (35 Saves, Shutout)
Miller came up big – again – for the Sabres, making numerous highlight-reel saves against the Caps.
3. Steve Mason, CBJ (32 Saves, Shutout)
Mason, who led the NHL in shutouts a year ago, picked up his first shutout of the season.
Honorable Mention: H. Lundqvist, D. Doughty, A. Greene, N. Backstrom, J. Tavares
Dud of the Night:
Wild/Avs game… We’re barely into December, and I’m willing to say that last night’s game in Colorado will go down as the most boring game of the year! Both power plays were nonexistent, and it was a snooze-fest until the last 30 seconds, when the Avs actually showed some desperation. Avalanche fans should get their money back…
—

Tonight’s Slate:
Senators @ Flyers, 7:00 ET
Maple Leafs @ Bruins, 7:00
Penguins @ Canadiens, 7:30
Blue Jackets @ Predators, 8:00
Thrashers @ Canucks, 10:00
Coyotes @ Kings, 10:30

Games of the Night:
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Montreal Canadiens
7:30 ET… TV: NHL Net. (US), Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Penguins (20-10-1) … Canadiens (15-14-2)
Last Ten: Penguins (6-3-1) … Canadiens (5-3-2)
Away/Home: Penguins (10-5-0) … Canadiens (9-6-2)
Season Series: 2-0 Penguins

Players to watch:
PIT- Sidney Crosby
Sid has been a Habs killer since coming into the league, and has 5 points in 2 games against them this year (including a hat trick).
MTL- Tomas Plekanec
In the last 13 games, Plekanec has 14 points.

Projected Goaltenders:
PIT- Marc-Andre Fleury (09/10 stats: 17-8-1, 2.45 GAA)
MTL- Carey Price (09/10 stats: 9-10-2, 2.69 GAA)

Injury Report:
PIT- Alex Goligoski (undisclosed, questionable), Chris Kunitz (lower body, out)
MTL- Andrei Markov (Achilles, out), Brian Gionta (leg, out), Jaroslav Spacek (knee, questionable), Paul Mara (upper body, questionable), Benoit Pouliot (wrist, out)

Game Thoughts:
Montreal has found a spark, resulting in a dominant 3-game winning streak. Dan Bylsma’s gang has dropped a pair of tough games at home, and is looking to get back on track. They’ve won both decisions against the Habs this season, both coming at the Igloo. It’s hard to pick against a hot Montreal team, but the Pens usually play well in Montreal.
Prediction: Penguins 4, Canadiens 3 (SO)
—
Atlanta Thrashers @ Vancouver Canucks
10:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Thrashers (15-10-3) … Canucks (16-14-0)
Last Ten: Thrashers (5-4-1) … Canucks (6-4-0)
Away/Home: Thrashers (9-4-1) … Canucks (10-4-0)
Season Series: First meeting

Players to watch:
ATL- Maxim Afinogenov
He doesn’t have the best numbers vs. Vancouver, but has been hot over the last month or so.
VAN- Ryan Kesler
He’s been inconsistent lately, but usually plays his best hockey while at home.

Projected Goaltenders:
ATL- Ondrej Pavelec (09/10 stats: 8-7-3, 3.03 GAA)
VAN- Roberto Luongo (09/10 stats: 12-10-0, 2.44 GAA)

Injury Report:
ATL- Kari Lehtonen (back, out)
VAN- Alex Edler (upper body, doubtful), Pavol Demitra (shoulder, out), Michael Grabner (ankle, out)

Game Thoughts:
This could be a tricky game for Vancouver, heading into a long home-stand. The Thrashers fought hard, but couldn’t salvage a point in Calgary last night. They are a pretty good road team, and are desperate for a win. At home, though, I think the Canucks will be able to pull out 2 points… but it won’t be easy!
Prediction: Canucks 3, Thrashers 2

The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Flyers over Senators
Bruins over Maple Leafs
Predators over Blue Jackets
Coyotes over Kings

You can follow the Red Light District on Twitter @RLDhockey!