Ryan has to stop picking on my Devils….seriously! At any rate here is The Morning Skate complete with splashdown pool.
The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Red Wings 2, Bruins 0
Lightning 2, Maple Leafs 1 (OT)
Thrashers 5, Canadiens 4
Canucks 4, Rangers 1
Penguins 4, Ducks 3
Predictions record: 3-1-1
My 3 stars from last night:
1. Antero Niittymaki, TB (40 Saves, 1 GA)
He was terrific in the Bolts’ overtime win in Toronto. He was under siege in the last few minutes and in overtime.
2. Chris Osgood, DET (29 Saves, Shutout)
‘Ozzie’ picked up a shutout in the Motown snoozer.
3. Rich Peverley, ATL (1 Goal, 2 Assists)
He’s on fire right now, and his one (and a half) goals were the reason why the Thrashers won in Montreal.
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Tonight’s Slate:
Islanders @ Sabres, 7:00 ET
Capitals @ Devils, 7:00
Sharks @ Blue Jackets, 7:00
Hurricanes @ Panthers, 7:30
Flames @ Stars, 8:30
Coyotes @ Avalanche, 9:00
Games of the Night:
Washington Capitals (8-2-4) @ New Jersey Devils (8-4-0)
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks
Players to watch:
WSH- Alexander Semin
With Ovechkin out, Semin needs to fill his shoes starting tonight.
NJ- Travis Zajac
Zajac has played very well this year, but has just 1 point in the last 3 games.
Projected Goaltenders:
WSH- Semyon Varlamov (09/10 stats: 5-0, 3.20 GAA)
NJ- Martin Brodeur (09/10 stats: 7-4, 2.42 GAA)
Injury Report:
WSH- Alex Ovechkin (upper body, out), Eric Fehr (ribs, questionable), John Erskine (hand, questionable), Boyd Gordon (back, out)
NJ- Patrik Elias (groin, out), Paul Martin (arm, out), Johnny Oduya (lower body, doubtful), Jay Pandolfo (shoulder, out)
Game Thoughts:
The Devils are perfect on the road, but just 1-4 at home… it’s hard to figure out! Brodeur & company will look to turn it around at ‘The Rock’ against Washington. He has historically dominated them, but has been bad at home. The Ovie-less Caps are looking for a victory after two straight losses, and the Devils are a bit short-handed on the back end.
Prediction: Capitals 4, Devils 2 (Thank you Ryan!)
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Phoenix Coyotes (9-5-0) @ Colorado Avalanche (10-3-2)
9:00 ET… TV: Local Networks
Players to watch:
PHX- Mikkel Boedker
Called up from the AHL yesterday, Boedker will look to give the Coyotes a spark up front.
COL- Paul Stastny
I expect Stastny to have a really solid game tonight.
Projected Goaltenders:
PHX- Ilya Bryzgalov (09/10 stats: 8-3, 1.78 GAA)
COL- Craig Anderson (09/10 stats: 10-3-2, 2.11 GAA)
Injury Report:
PHX- Kurt Sauer (headaches, out)
COL- Darcy Tucker (concussion, out), Peter Budaj (swine flu, probable), Ruslan Salei (back, out), Cody McLeod (eye, probable), T.J. Galiardi (ankle, out), Matt Hendricks (groin, out), Tom Preissing (knee, out)
Game Thoughts:
11 of the Avs’ first 15 games have come on the road… so I’m sure they’re chomping at the bit to play in front of the home faithful. They’ll look to stop a two-game skid against a Phoenix team that has been solid on the road, as well. Anderson has been tantalizing at home, and I look for that success to continue tonight.
Prediction: Avalanche 3, Coyotes 1
The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Sabres over Islanders
Sharks over Blue Jackets
Panthers over Hurricanes
Stars over Flames
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