Okay Ryan! Please stop picking the Devils….pretty please? Seriously here comes the Morning Skate and thanks.
The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Islanders 3, Rangers 1
Sabres 4, Devils 1
Blues 5, Hurricanes 2
Coyotes 4, Blue Jackets 1
Penguins 6, Canadiens 1
Senators 4, Panthers 3
Stars 4, Maple Leafs 3 (OT)
Predators 4, Wild 3
Avalanche 3, Flames 2
Sharks 2, Kings 1 (SO)
Predictions record: 5-5
My 3 stars from last night:
1. Sidney Crosby, PIT (3 Goals)
Sid had his best performance of the year, netting his third career hat trick. He also recorded nine shots.
2. Dwayne Roloson, NYI (34 Saves, 1 GA)
‘Roli the Goalie’ was all over the place, and led the Islanders to a win over their crosstown rivals.
3. Ryan Miller, BUF (31 Saves, 1 GA)
It was ‘Miller Time’ last night in Newark as the Sabres’ net-minder shutdown the Devils.
Dud of the Night:
Montreal Canadiens… Going into Pittsburgh with a 4-game win streak, I thought the Habs would have a chance at pulling off the upset. But as it turned out, they didn’t even show up at the arena! It was an awful performance, and they let the Pens’ top line do whatever they’d like.
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Tonight’s Slate:
Devils @ Bruins, 7:00 ET
Senators @ Lightning, 7:00
Capitals @ Thrashers, 7:00
Coyotes @ Blues, 8:00
Blackhawks @ Predators, 8:00
Red Wings @ Oilers, 9:30
Canucks @ Kings, 10:30
Games of the Night:
Washington Capitals (7-2-2) @ Atlanta Thrashers (4-3-1)
7:00 ET… TV: NHL Net. (US), Local Networks
Players to watch:
WSH- Alex Ovechkin
‘Ovie’ has scored his 11 goals in a total of 6 games (5 multi-goal games).
ATL- Rich Peverley
‘Pev’ is on a 5-game point streak, and must keep it going with Kovalchuk out.
Projected Goaltenders:
WSH- Jose Theodore (09/10 stats: 3-2-2, 2.47 GAA)
ATL- Ondrej Pavelec (09/10 stats: 3-2-1, 2.78 GAA)
Injury Report:
WSH- Eric Fehr (upper body, doubtful), John Erskine (hand, out), Boyd Gordon (back, out), Tomas Fleischmann (blood clot, out), Quintin Laing (swine flu, out)
ATL- Ilya Kovalchuk (foot, out), Nik Antropov (groin, questionable), Kari Lehtonen (back, out), Boris Valabik (ankle, out)
Game Thoughts:
This is a really big game for Atlanta. Even with Kovalchuk and possibly Antropov out, they need to beat the Caps. They went 0-3 last week, and need to gather some momentum. It’ll be difficult tonight as they take on a Caps team that is rolling. I think they’ll be too much once again for John Anderson’s crew.
Prediction: Capitals 5, Thrashers 2
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Vancouver Canucks (6-6-0) @ Los Angeles Kings (8-4-1)
10:30 ET… TV: Local Networks
Players to watch:
VAN- Henrik Sedin
While everyone else is dropping like flies, Henrik has been producing consistently.
LA- Anze Kopitar
Kopitar was held without a point last night, but still leads the league in that department. I smell a big game from him.
Projected Goaltenders:
VAN- Andrew Raycroft (1st start of the season)
LA- Jonathan Quick (Last night @ SJ: 29 Saves, 1 GA)
Injury Report:
VAN- Roberto Luongo (rib, out), Daniel Sedin (foot, out), Sami Salo (knee, out), Pavol Demitra (shoulder, out), Kyle Wellwood (toe, doubtful), Ryan Johnson (upper body, doubtful), Rick Rypien (groin, questionable), Jannik Hansen (hand, out)
LA- Justin Williams (upper body, doubtful)
Game Thoughts:
This is going to be a tough one for Vancouver. They’re coming off a tough loss to the Wings on Tuesday, and the news about Luongo’s injury (yet minor) has to have an effect on their psyche. Los Angeles shouldn’t be affected by the back-to-back, and put up a valiant effort at the Shark Tank. Look for the Kings to score in bunches on Raycroft…
Prediction: Kings 5, Canucks 3
The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Bruins over Devils
Lightning over Senators
Coyotes over Blues
Predators over Blackhawks
Red Wings over Oilers
