Ryan brings us the Christmas Eve edition of The Morning Skate.  It feels like I have known Ryan Porth for years now and really wanted to wish him and his family a Merry Christmas.  Now the quickie AM Skate.

THE MORNING SKATE

The Morning After:

Yesterday’s scores:

Penguins 3, Capitals 2 (SO)

Panthers 4, Sabres 3

Islanders 5, Devils 1

Lightning 4, Rangers 3 (SO)

Bruins 4, Thrashers 1

Canadiens 4, Hurricanes 2

Canucks 7, Blue Jackets 3

Blues 4, Red Wings 3

Senators 2, Predators 1

Flames 3, Stars 2 (SO)

Wild 3, Avalanche 1

Kings 3, Oilers 2 (SO)

Sharks 4, Coyotes 1

Predictions record: 8-5

My 3 stars of the night:

1. Vancouver’s top line (10 points combined)… The Sedin twins and Alex Burrows combined to rack up 10 points in the Canucks’ big win over the Jackets.

2. Patrick Marleau, SJ (2 Goals, 1 Assist)

3. Josh Bailey, NYI (2 Goals, 1 Assist)

Close but no cigar: P. Berglund and J. Halak, STL; M. Cullen, MIN; S. Thornton, BOS; C. Higgins, FLA; S. Crosby and M. Fleury, PIT; J. Thornton, SJ; M. St Louis, TB; J. Johnson, LA

Morning Links:

– ESPN… Scott Burnside’s extensive recap of last night’s thriller in Washington.

– From the Rink… A handful of teams are facing make-or-break weeks.

– View From My Seats… Matt has some mid-season projections, including a surprise winner in the Southeast.

– SB Nation… A recap of the second episode of 24/7, which aired on HBO on Wednesday.

– Spector’s Hockey… The latest trade rumors out of Calgary.

Thanks for the post complete with bow Ryan.

It’s Christmas Eve!!

The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Bruins 6, Thrashers 4
Islanders 3, Maple Leafs 1
Rangers 4, Panthers 1
Capitals 5, Sabres 2
Canadiens 5, Hurricanes 1
Wild 3, Oilers 1
Penguins 8, Senators 2
Flyers 5, Lightning 2
Blackhawks 3, Red Wings 0
Stars 3, Blue Jackets 1
Coyotes 4, Ducks 0
Blues 2, Flames 1 (SO)
Predictions record: 7-4-1

My 3 stars from last night:
1. Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT (45 Saves, 2 GA)
Fleury’s 23-save performance in the 1st period alone was good enough to get the 1st star… just spectacular!
2. Evgeni Malkin, PIT (3 Goals)
It’s difficult to give two of three stars to Penguins, but Geno’s hat trick set the tone for their onslaught on Ottawa.
3. Antti Niemi, CHI (33 Saves, Shutout)
The ‘Hawks shutout the Wings for the 2nd straight time, and this time Niemi shut the door.
Honorable Mention: N. Backstrom (both), I. Bryzgalov, M. Savard, B. Guerin, B. Betts, H. Lundqvist, V. Prospal, J. Halak, A. Auld, T. Plekanec
Dud of the Night:
Ottawa Senators… The Sens continued their road woes with a pitiful performance – after period one. Once Captain Daniel Alfredsson left due to injury, it was downhill from there. They gave up 5 goals in the 2nd, and 3 power play goals overall to the 28th best man advantage in the league.