Ryan brings us the goods and here is the Morning Skate….
The Morning After:
Yesterday’s scores:
Rangers 3, Bruins 2
Canadiens 3, Senators 0
Sabres 6, Devils 1
Flyers 5, Maple Leafs 2
Capitals 4, Thrashers 3 (OT)
Panthers 4, Islanders 3
Red Wings 5, Ducks 4
Blues 1, Penguins 0 (OT)
Predators 1, Stars 0
Blue Jackets 3, Blackhawks 2
Kings 6, Avalanche 4
Hurricanes 4, Coyotes 3 (OT)
Sharks 6, Oilers 1
Predictions record: 8-5
My 3 stars of the night:
1. Alexander Semin, WSH (3 Goals)… Semin scored all of Washington’s goals in regulation, helping them get to overtime and eventually get the ‘W’.
2. Brad Richardson, LA (3 Goals)
3. Jaroslav Halak, STL (31 Saves, Shutout)
Close but no cigar: J. Tavares, NYI; H. Zetterberg, DET; P. Rinne, NSH; A. Kostitsyn and C. Price, MTL; T. Vanek, BUF; H. Lundqvist, NYR; M. Richards, PHI; J. Pavelski, SJ
Quick-hit Observations:
– What the hell is going in New Jersey? First came the roster debacle, and now Ilya Kovalchuk was a healthy scratch, with practically no explanation from John MacLean after getting smoked by Buffalo. This team is making me scratch my head.
– What a weekend in St. Louis! The Blues took down the Blackhawks and Penguins in exciting fashion. Erik Johnson scored in overtime last night to beat Pittsburgh.
– The Hurricanes’ expedition around the globe came to an end with a big win in the desert, 4-3 over the Coyotes. They went 4-3 in their unusual road trip, which is pretty good if you ask me!
– In the Twitter ‘Hashtag Battle’ during the Kings/Avs game, more than $43,250 was donated to charity! Nice job, hockey fans!
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Tonight’s Slate:
Predators @ Lightning, 6:00 ET
Devils @ Rangers, 7:00
Sharks @ Flames, 8:00
Game of the Night:
San Jose Sharks (3-2-1) @ Calgary Flames (4-3-0)
8:00 ET… TV: Local Networks
2009/10 Season Series: Tied 2-2
Players to watch:
SJ- Joe Thornton
To no surprise, Captain Thornton has 7 points in 6 games.
CGY- Rene Bourque
Bourque came up huge on the road trip, especially in Nashville and Columbus.
Projected Goaltenders:
SJ- Antti Niemi (2010/11 stats: 1-2-0, 3.71 GAA)
CGY- Miikka Kiprusoff (2010/11 stats: 3-3-0, 2.49 GAA)
Injury Report:
SJ- None
CGY- Daymond Langkow (neck, out), Ales Kotalik (knee, out), David Moss and Adam Pardy (shoulder, out), Raitis Ivanans (head, out)
Game Thoughts:
After taking Edmonton behind the woodshed last night, San Jose makes the trek south to take on Calgary. This has usually been one of my favorite games to watch, but it has lost its lust in the last year or two. That said, I think it will be a good game tonight. The Flames have responded to their closed-door meeting while the Sharks will look to close out the road trip on a high note. Toss a coin for this one… it is heads. Flames in a shootout.
Prediction: Flames 3, Sharks 2 (SO)
The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Lightning over Predators
Devils over Rangers
