Ryan rolls out Sunday Brunch for us…what a guy he is!
The Morning After:
Yesterday’s scores:
Coyotes 5, Bruins 2
Blue Jackets 3, Sharks 2 (OT)
Rangers 6, Sabres 3
Stars 5, Islanders 4 (SO)
Maple Leafs 5, Senators 1
Canadiens 3, Penguins 2
Capitals 7, Devils 2
Lightning 5, Thrashers 3
Blues 2, Flyers 1 (OT)
Predators 4, Ducks 1
Kings 2, Canucks 1 (SO)
Predictions record: 7-4
My 3 stars of the night:
1. Derek Stepan, NYR (3 Goals)… Stepan made his first hat trick in his first NHL game look way too easy!
2. Alex Ovechkin, WSH (2 Goals, 1 Assist)
3. Radim Vrbata, PHX (2 Goals, 1 Assist)
Close, but no cigar: Michael Cammalleri & Carey Price, MTL; Steven Stamkos, TB; Brendan Morrow, DAL; Valterri Filppula, DET
Quick-hit Observations:
– Start printing the playoff tickets in Toronto! They are 2-0, beating rivals Montreal and Ottawa. In all seriousness, the Leafs are playing with something they didn’t have at this time last year: confidence. It also helps that Giguere is showing flashes of his old self.
– Are the Rangers about to prove me wrong? Stepan’s tremendous debut engineered an unexpected onslaught from the Blueshirts’ offense – against Ryan Miller, no less.
– I am surprised that the Penguins have started 0-2 in their new building. The opposing goalie has shown up on both nights, though, as Bobrovsky and Price were outstanding in their own right.
– If you’re overlooking the Predators, you are making a huge mistake. I’ll leave it at that!
– We need to see more games with vintage jerseys. The Kings and Canucks got it right last night with classic looks.
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Today’s Slate:
Bruins vs. Coyotes, 10:00 AM ET (Prague)
Panthers @ Oilers, 8:00
Kings @ Flames, 8:00
Games of the Day:
Boston Bruins vs. Phoenix Coyotes
NHL Premiere Series: Prague, Czech Republic
10:00 AM ET… TV: NHL Network (US & CAN), Local Networks
Players to watch:
BOS- David Krejci
Look for the Czech native to have a solid game.
PHX- Radim Vrbata
Another Czech, Vrbata, lit up the scoreboard yesterday with 3 points.
Projected Goaltenders:
BOS- Tim Thomas (2009/10 Stats: 17-18-8, 2.56 GAA)
PHX- Ilya Bryzgalov (Yesterday vs. BOS: 40 Saves, 2 GA)
Injury Report:
BOS- Marc Savard (concussion, out), Marco Sturm (knee, out), Trent Whitfield (Achilles, out)
PHX- Derek Morris (groin, doubtful)
Game Thoughts:
Nothing like hockey and brunch mixed into one! Phoenix came out like gangbusters yesterday, showing that last year may not have been a fluke. Bryzgalov continued his dominance of Boston with a 40-save performance. I expect it to be lower-scoring today, and you have to think the B’s will go all out so they don’t have to go back home without much to show for.
Prediction: Bruins 3, Coyotes 2
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Los Angeles Kings @ Calgary Flames
8:00 ET… TV: Local Networks
2009/10 Season Series: 3-1 Flames
Players to watch:
LA- Anze Kopitar
Kopitar got banged up a bit last night in Vancouver; how will he bounce back?
CGY- Jarome Iginla
Captain Iginla must lead the way as the Flames look to rebound.
Projected Goaltenders:
LA- Jonathan Bernier (09/10 stats: 3-0-0, 1.30 GAA)
CGY- Miikka Kiprusoff (Thursday @ EDM: 29 Saves, 4 GA)
Injury Report:
LA- Matt Greene (shoulder, out), Scott Parse (lower body, out)
CGY- Daymond Langkow (neck, out), Matt Stajan (shoulder, out), Ales Kotalik (knee, out), David Moss (shoulder, out)
Game Thoughts:
Los Angeles went into Vancouver last night and found a way to beat their postseason nemesis from a year ago in a shootout. Calgary, meanwhile, was embarrassed and shut out by rival Edmonton on opening night. This is a hard game to pick; the Flames will surely have a better effort, but could be facing an unfamiliar foe in Bernier. Calgary pulls it out in overtime.
Prediction: Flames 2, Kings 1 (OT)
The rest of today’s predictions:
Oilers over Panthers
