Ryan brings us some Saturday Morning Skate….we will not spare the innocent in spreading the message of hockey.
The Morning After:
Yesterday’s scores:
Red Wings 4, Canadiens 2
Senators 3, Devils 2
Avalanche 4, Thrashers 2
Stars 2, Hurricanes 1 (SO)
Oilers 4, Lightning 3 (SO)
Ducks 3, Flames 2 (SO)
Predictions record: 5-1
My 3 stars of the night:
1. Jimmy Howard, DET (36 Saves, 2 GA)… Howard made some huge saves to keep Detroit on top of Montreal in the third period.
2. Andrew Raycroft, DAL (22 Saves, 1 GA)
3. Tomas Fleischmann, COL (1 Goal, 1 Assist)
—
Tonight’s Slate:
Flyers @ Bruins, 7:00 ET
Penguins @ Sabres, 7:00
Canadiens @ Maple Leafs, 7:00
Red Wings @ Devils, 7:00
Thrashers @ Islanders, 7:00
Avalanche @ Capitals, 7:00
Rangers @ Blue Jackets, 7:00
Hurricanes @ Blues, 8:00
Panthers @ Predators, 8:00
Stars @ Coyotes, 8:00
Lightning @ Canucks, 10:30
Wild @ Kings, 10:30
Blackhawks @ Sharks, 10:30
Games of the Night:
Philadelphia Flyers @ Boston Bruins
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks
Records:
Overall: Flyers (18-7-5) … Bruins (16-8-3)
Last Ten: Flyers (6-1-3) … Bruins (5-3-2)
Away/Home: Flyers (8-2-3) … Bruins (7-5-2)
Season Series: 1-0 Bruins
Players to watch:
PHI- Danny Briere
Briere ranks fifth in the league with 16 goals and scored twice on Thursday.
BOS- Zdeno Chara
Big Z has had a nice bounce-back season thus far, but needs to have a big effort tonight.
Projected Goaltenders:
PHI- Sergei Bobrovsky (2010/11 stats: 14-4-3, 2.29 GAA)
BOS- Tim Thomas (2010/11 stats: 14-2-2, 1.49 GAA)
Injury Report:
PHI- Dan Carcillo (knee, out), Matt Walker (hip, out), Ian Laperriere (head, out)
BOS- Mark Stuart (finger, out), Marco Sturm (knee, out), Trent Whitfield (Achilles, out)
Game Thoughts:
This marks the second meeting between these two rivals, with Boston coming out on top last week in Philly. However, the Flyers normally play pretty well in Boston, so this promises to be a good one. The B’s are 4-0-1 in December and Thomas has a good record against the Flyers. With that being said, I’m going with the orange and black in what looks to be a toss-up.
Prediction: Flyers 3, Bruins 2 (SO)
—
Dallas Stars @ Phoenix Coyotes
8:00 ET… TV: Local Networks
Records:
Overall: Stars (17-9-2) … Coyotes (13-8-6)
Last Ten: Stars (7-2-1) … Coyotes (6-3-1)
Away/Home: Stars (6-6-1) … Coyotes (5-4-4)
Season Series: 1-0 Stars
Players to watch:
DAL- Loui Eriksson
In their meeting last month, Eriksson racked up four points.
PHX- Scottie Upshall
Call it a gut feeling, but I can see Upshall having a bust-out game tonight.
Projected Goaltenders:
DAL- Andrew Raycroft (Last night vs. CAR: 22 Saves, 1 GA)
PHX- Ilya Bryzgalov (2010/11 stats: 11-5-6, 2.56 GAA)
Injury Report:
DAL- Kari Lehtonen (lower body, doubtful), Toby Petersen (hand, out), Mark Fistric (groin, doubtful), Krys Barch (foot, out)
PHX- Kurt Sauer (concussion, out)
Game Thoughts:
Dallas and Phoenix battle for Pacific Division supremacy tonight in the desert. The Stars are fresh off a shootout win over Carolina last night, while the ‘Yotes are looking to rebound from a loss on Thursday. Dallas won their first meeting – convincingly – 6-3, so I see the Coyotes bouncing back and returning the favor.
Prediction: Coyotes 4, Stars 2
—
Chicago Blackhawks @ San Jose Sharks
10:30 ET… TV: Local Networks
Records:
Overall: Blackhawks (16-12-2) … Sharks (14-10-4)
Last Ten: Blackhawks (7-3-0) … Sharks (5-5-0)
Away/Home: Blackhawks (8-4-2) … Sharks (7-4-2)
Season Series: 1-0 Sharks
Players to watch:
CHI- Duncan Keith
Keith has six points in the last six games and needs to have a strong two-way game.
SJ- Logan Couture
The rookie is on fire, racking up eight points in five December games.
Projected Goaltenders:
CHI- Corey Crawford (2010/11 stats: 8-4-0, 2.40 GAA)
SJ- Antti Niemi (2010/11 stats: 5-7-1, 3.47 GAA)
Injury Report:
CHI- Patrick Kane (ankle, out), Marian Hossa (lower body, out), Fernando Pisani (upper body, doubtful), Jassen Cullimore (lower body, questionable)
SJ- Devin Setoguchi and Kent Huskins (upper body, out)
Game Thoughts:
Just two weeks ago, ex-Hawk Antti Niemi got the best of his former ‘mates in a 5-2 win for San Jose. Tonight, Chicago will look to answer back at the start of a quick two-game jaunt out west. While Team Teal is good on home-ice, Crawford is going for his eighth straight victory and is undefeated on the road (4-0, 1.50 GAA). Go with the ‘Hawks in a tight contest.
Prediction: Blackhawks 4, Sharks 3
—
Lock of the Night:
Kings over Wild… Jonathan Quick has fared well against the Wild in his career, and the Kings will make sure they get the ‘W’ before going off on a long road trip.
The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Sabres over Penguins
Canadiens over Maple Leafs
Red Wings over Devils
Islanders over Thrashers
Capitals over Avalanche
Blue Jackets over Rangers
Blues over Hurricanes
Predators over Panthers
Canucks over Lightning
