Ryan brings us the Morning Skate at the perfect ice temp for an arena…yes it is still that nice outside. It really is perfect for skating.

The Morning After:

Yesterday’s scores:

Kings 5, Red Wings 0

Thrashers 4, Senators 3 (OT)

Predators 5, Islanders 0

Flames 3, Blue Jackets 2 (OT)

Avalanche 7, Blackhawks 5

Stars 3, Sharks 2 (SO)

Predictions record: 3-3

My 3 stars of the night:

1. Jonathan Quick, LA (51 Saves, Shutout)… Quick put together an epic performance, turning away all 51 Detroit shots!

2. Matt Duchene, COL (2 Goals, 1 Assist)

3. Anders Lindback, NSH (28 Saves, Shutout)

Close but no cigar: J. Iginla, CGY; B. Little, ATL; P. Hornqvist, NSH; T. Fleischmann and P. Stastny, COL; A. Kopitar, LA; T. Brouwer, CHI; A. Raycroft, DAL

—

Tonight’s Slate:

Penguins @ Flyers, 7:00 ET

Maple Leafs @ Oilers, 9:00

Game of the Night:

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Philadelphia Flyers

7:00 ET… TV: VERSUS

Records:

Overall: Penguins (21-8-2) … Flyers (19-7-5)

Last Ten: Penguins (10-0-0) … Flyers (6-1-3)

Away/Home: Penguins (11-3-1) … Flyers (10-5-2)

Season Series: 2-1 Flyers

Players to watch:

PIT- Chris Kunitz

Kunitz has seven points in his last seven games.

PHI- Chris Pronger

Crosby’s the hottest player in the league; can Pronger contain him?

Projected Goaltenders:

PIT- Marc-Andre Fleury (2010/11 stats: 14-6-1, 2.31 GAA)

PHI- Sergei Bobrovsky (2010/11 stats: 14-4-2, 2.21 GAA)

Injury Report:

PIT- Evgeni Malkin (knee, questionable), Jordan Staal (hand, out), Chris Kunitz (undisclosed, questionable), Mike Comrie (lower body, out)

PHI- Matt Walker (hip, out), Ian Laperriere (head, out)

Game Thoughts:

Tonight may be the closest we come to seeing a playoff game in December as these Keystone State rivals battle for division supremacy. The streaking Penguins (winners of 12 straight; Crosby with points in 18 straight) put it on the line in Philly. You know the Flyers will do their best to put an end to those streaks, and the fans want it just as bad. It will be a great back-and-forth game with the Flyers coming out on top.

Prediction: Flyers 5, Penguins 3

The rest of tonight’s predictions:

Oilers over Maple Leafs

Thanks again Ryan. As things slowly get back to normal…we do here as well on the blog. First up, Morning Skate time!!!

The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Blackhawks 4, Lightning 0
Avalanche 3, Flames 2
Predictions record: 1-1

My 3 stars from last night:
1. Marian Hossa, CHI (1 Goal, 1 Assist)
Hossa picked up a key assist and a highlight-reel, back-breaking goal in Chicago’s easy win.
2. Chris Stewart, COL (1 Goal, 1 Assist)
Stewart’s contributions on the first 2 goals were just enough to lift the Avs to first place in the division.
3. Antti Niemi, CHI (18 Saves, Shutout)
Niemi didn’t have the biggest workload last night, but did get the shutout.
—

Tonight’s Slate:
Flyers @ Bruins, 7:00 ET
Senators @ Maple Leafs, 7:00
Thrashers @ Rangers, 7:00
Panthers @ Islanders, 7:00
Predators @ Blue Jackets, 7:00
Sabres @ Canadiens, 7:30
Coyotes @ Red Wings, 7:30
Kings @ Canucks, 10:00

Games of the Night:
Phoenix Coyotes @ Detroit Red Wings
7:30 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Coyotes (19-11-2) … Red Wings (16-11-5)
Last Ten: Coyotes (7-2-1) … Red Wings (5-4-1)
Away/Home: Coyotes (7-6-2) … Red Wings (9-6-2)
Season Series: 1-0 Coyotes

Players to watch:
PHX- Shane Doan
Doan has just 1 point in the last 5 games, and needs to get going tonight.
DET- Todd Bertuzzi
Bertuzzi has doubled his goal total for the season in the last 2 games.

Projected Goaltenders:
PHX- Ilya Bryzgalov (09/10 stats: 18-8-2, 1.95 GAA)
DET- Chris Osgood (09/10 stats: 7-5-4, 2.70 GAA)

Injury Report:
PHX- Kurt Sauer (headaches, out)
DET- Johan Franzen and Niklas Kronwall (knee, out), Dan Cleary (shoulder, out), Valterri Filppula (wrist, out), Jason Williams (leg, out), Andreas Lilja (head, out)

Game Thoughts:
This is a key Western Conference showdown tonight in Detroit, with the ‘Yotes and Wings jostling for playoff position. Phoenix has lost 6 straight at the Joe, while Detroit has won 2 in a row in dramatic fashion. At home, I like the Wings…
Prediction: Red Wings 3, Coyotes 1
—
Los Angeles Kings @ Vancouver Canucks
10:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Kings (21-10-3) … Canucks (18-14-0)
Last Ten: Kings (8-1-1) … Canucks (6-4-0)
Away/Home: Kings (11-6-1) … Canucks (12-4-0)
Season Series: 2-0 Canucks

Players to watch:
LA- Jarret Stoll
Stoll has been very valuable to LA this year, and recently had a 6-game point streak.
VAN- Alex Burrows
Burrows is really turning it on, which is great news for the Canucks.

Projected Goaltenders:
LA- Jonathan Quick (09/10 stats: 19-9-3, 2.60 GAA)
VAN- Roberto Luongo (09/10 stats: 14-10-0, 2.45 GAA)

Injury Report:
LA- Ryan Smyth (upper body, out), Brandon Segal (knee, out)
VAN- Alexander Edler (arm, out), Pavol Demitra (shoulder, out), Michael Grabner (ankle, out)

Game Thoughts:
I’m very interested to see how this one plays out. The Kings are red-hot, but may be due a letdown after such a great week (4-0). Vancouver is 2-0 on their current 8-game home-stand, and need to continue to rack up the points. I’ll take the Canucks in a tight one…
Prediction: Canucks 3, Kings 2

The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Bruins over Flyers
Maple Leafs over Senators
Rangers over Thrashers
Islanders over Panthers
Blue Jackets over Predators
Canadiens over Sabres

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