Ryan was smart not to pick the Devils.  As a matter of fact, we project the Devils losing into early 2011 as well.  Now, the Morning Skate.  The dig out is almost complete.

The Morning After:

Yesterday’s scores:

Hurricanes 4, Maple Leafs 3

Penguins 6, Thrashers 3

Capitals 3, Canadiens 0

Bruins 4, Lightning 3

Blues 3, Blackhawks 1

Stars 4, Predators 2

Sabres 4, Oilers 2

Ducks 3, Coyotes 1

Canucks 6, Flyers 2

Predictions record: 6-3

My 3 stars of the night:

1. Sidney Crosby, PIT (2 Goals, 2 Assists)… Crosby extended his point streak to 25 games with another dazzling performance, tallying four points. He now has 50 points during the streak – more than anyone else’s overall total.

2. Ryan Kesler, VAN (2 Goals, 1 Assist)

3. Semyon Varlamov, WSH (25 Saves, Shutout)

—

Tonight’s Slate:

Rangers @ Devils, 7:00 ET

Penguins @ Islanders, 7:00

Hurricanes @ Senators, 7:30

Sharks @ Wild, 8:00

Red Wings @ Stars, 8:30

Kings @ Coyotes, 9:00

Games of the Night:

Los Angeles Kings @ Phoenix Coyotes

9:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:

Overall: Kings (22-12-1) … Coyotes (16-12-7)

Last Ten: Kings (7-2-1) … Coyotes (4-5-1)

Away/Home: Kings (9-10-0) … Coyotes (6-5-4)

Season Series: 1-0 Coyotes

Players to watch:

LA- Dustin Brown

Captain Brown has been red-hot in December (19 points, 12 games).

PHX- Shane Doan

Doan has been putting up points consistently in the last month.

Projected Goaltenders:

LA- Jonathan Quick (2010/11 stats: 18-7-1, 1.86 GAA)

PHX- Jason LaBarbera (2010/11 stats: 4-5-1, 3.17 GAA)

Injury Report:

LA- Willie Mitchell (lower body, out), Alexei Ponikarovsky (lower body, questionable), Scott Parse (hip, out)

PHX- Radim Vrbata (lower body, doubtful), Taylor Pyatt (upper body, out), Kurt Sauer (concussion, out)

Game Thoughts:

The Kings continue their four-games-in-five-nights stretch tonight against the ‘Yotes. Dave Tippett’s club lost last night to the Ducks and will be looking to rebound. L.A. has turned on the jets in the last couple weeks, playing a lot better on the road. This will be a good game in the Pacific Division, and I think the Kings make it five in a row.

Prediction: Kings 3, Coyotes 2

—

Wednesday Game of the Week:

Detroit Red Wings (23-9-4) @ Dallas Stars (22-11-4)

8:30 ET… TV: Local Networks

Season Series: 2-0 Stars

Prediction: Red Wings 3, Stars 2 (SO)

More to come from this game…

—

The rest of tonight’s predictions:

Rangers over Devils

Penguins over Islanders

Senators over Hurricanes

Sharks over Wild

Still running a very abbreviated schedule….hopefully will be back bigger and better in the New Year.

The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Devils 3, Thrashers 2
Hurricanes 6, Capitals 3
Blue Jackets 1, Red Wings 0 (OT)
Lightning 2, Bruins 1
Senators 4, Canadiens 2
Flames 4, Oilers 1
Sharks 3, Coyotes 2 (SO)
Wild 4, Kings 3
Predictions record: 4-3-1

My 3 stars from last night:
1. Eric Staal, CAR (2 Goals, 3 Assists)
The Staal/Jokinen/Cullen line was firing on all cylinders in D.C., and Staal picked up 5 big points in the upset.
2. Rene Bourque, CGY (3 Goals)
Bourque scored a goal shorthanded, on the power play, and at even strength in the Flames’ win in Edmonton.
3. Steve Mason, CBJ (34 Saves, Shutout)
‘Mase’ was terrific vs. the Wings last night, putting in his best outing of the season.
Honorable Mention: E. Belanger, Z. Parise, M. Smith, J. Jokinen, C. Neil, J. Howard, M. Kiprusoff
—

Tonight’s Slate:
Penguins @ Sabres, 7:00 ET
Blue Jackets @ Islanders, 7:00
Blackhawks @ Stars, 8:00
Predators @ Blues, 8:00
Canucks @ Coyotes, 9:00
Wild @ Ducks, 10:00

Games of the Night:
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Buffalo Sabres
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Penguins (26-12-1) … Sabres (23-11-4)
Last Ten: Penguins (6-3-1) … Sabres (6-2-2)
Away/Home: Penguins (13-5-0) … Sabres (12-5-4)
Season Series: 1-0 Penguins

Players to watch:
PIT- Evgeni Malkin
‘Geno has 4 points in the last 2 games, and has fared well vs. Buffalo in his short career.
BUF- Tim Connolly
Connolly had 3 big points in St. Louis, and is on a 3-game point streak.

Projected Goaltenders:
PIT- Marc-Andre Fleury (09/10 stats: 22-10-1, 2.44 GAA)
BUF- Ryan Miller (09/10 stats: 21-8-3, 1.98 GAA)

Injury Report:
PIT- Mark Eaton (lower body, questionable)
BUF- Derek Roy (upper body, doubtful), Patrick Kaleta (lower body, questionable), Nathan Gerbe (groin, questionable)

Game Thoughts:
This is a big game for the Sabres. They dropped a shootout decision to these Pens a week or so ago, and need to get more separation from Boston. Crosby and company are coming off a tough loss to the Leafs, looking to rebound with a ‘W’. It will be a close game, and I think the Sabres pull it out in overtime.
Prediction: Sabres 3, Penguins 2 (OT)
—
Vancouver Canucks @ Phoenix Coyotes
9:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Canucks (23-16-0) … Coyotes (24-13-3)
Last Ten: Canucks (7-3-0) … Coyotes (6-2-2)
Away/Home: Canucks (7-10-0) … Coyotes (15-5-0)
Season Series: First meeting

Players to watch:
VAN- Mason Raymond
Raymond is hot right now, but has never tallied a point vs. Phoenix. Will that change tonight??
PHX- Shane Doan
The ‘Yotes will look to Doan tonight, as he has 6 points in the last 5 games.

Projected Goaltenders:
VAN- Roberto Luongo (09/10 stats: 19-12-0, 2.28 GAA)
PHX- Jason LaBarbera (09/10 stats: 2-3-0, 2.33 GAA)

Injury Report:
VAN- Pavol Demitra (shoulder, out), Mathieu Schneider (personal, out), Ryan Johnson (foot, questionable), Michael Grabner (ankle, out)
PHX- Daniel Winnik (arm, out), Kurt Sauer (headaches, out)

Game Thoughts:
This shall be a very interesting game down in Phoenix tonight. Doan and company are coming off a tough shootout loss in San Jose last night, while Vancouver had a day of rest after impressive back-to-back wins over rivals. It’s tough to get a feel for this game since they’ve split their 8 matchups in the desert since the lockout. Even if Bryzgalov doesn’t start, you can’t go against a team that has won 9 straight at home, can you?
Prediction: Coyotes 3, Canucks 2

The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Blue Jackets over Islanders
Blackhawks over Stars
Blues over Predators
Ducks over Wild

You can follow the Red Light District on Twitter @RLDhockey!