Ryan brings us the Morning Skate….with pancakes and sausage.
The Morning After:
Yesterday’s scores:
Islanders 3, Ducks 2
Rangers 4, Coyotes 3 (SO)
Hurricanes 3, Thrashers 2 (SO)
Canadiens 4, Bruins 3
Blues 6, Kings 4
Senators 3, Wild 1
Sharks 4, Stars 3 (OT)
Flames 5, Maple Leafs 2
Oilers 6, Blue Jackets 3
Predictions record: 3-6
My 3 stars of the night:
1. Cam Ward, CAR (45 Saves, 2 GA)… Ward came up big time and time again for the ‘Canes, allowing them to make the comeback to top Atlanta.
2. Jordan Eberle, EDM (2 Goals)
3. Kristian Huselius, CBJ (3 Goals)
Close but no cigar: L. Omark and T. Hall, EDM; D. Setoguchi, SJ; O. Jokinen, CGY; M. Pacioretty, MTL; V. Sobotka, STL; D. Girardi, NYR; R. DiPietro, NYI
Quick-hit Observations:
– That Boston/Montreal game was one of the more enjoyable I’ve watched this year. It had a little bit of everything, along with the feel of a very important game. The Habs snapped their three-game skid and extended their division lead to four points.
– Kings/Blues was another fun game to watch; a lot of back-and-forth action. It also included some heated animosity in the third period! Considering their injury woes, the win for the Blues had to feel like a huge confidence boost.
– After blowing a late lead to Preds on Wednesday, the Sharks dug deep and picked up a huge two points in Dallas last night. Though it came in overtime, they are back in the top eight and Logan Couture scored his fifth game-winner of the season.
– Dion Phaneuf certainly heard the boos in his return to Calgary, but his former ‘mates got the last laugh.
– For the second straight night, Carolina completed a comeback against a divisional foe; this time, they beat the Thrashers in a shootout to creep closer to the eighth seed in the East.
– Linus Omark scored a goal last night… I wonder if anyone felt it was ‘disrespectful’.
—
Tonight’s Slate:
Predators @ Devils, 7:00 ET
Sabres @ Panthers, 7:30
Red Wings @ Blackhawks, 8:30
Senators @ Avalanche, 9:00
Game of the Night:
Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks
8:30 ET… TV: NHL Net. (US), Local Networks
Records:
Overall: Red Wings (20-7-3) … Blackhawks (16-14-3)
Last Ten: Red Wings (6-3-1) … Blackhawks (5-4-1)
Away/Home: Red Wings (8-3-1) … Blackhawks (8-9-0)
Season Series: 1-0 Red Wings
Players to watch:
DET- Henrik Zetterberg
Zetterberg has eight points in his last five games.
CHI- Troy Brouwer
The ‘Hawks need their secondary scoring to step up tonight.
Projected Goaltenders:
DET- Jimmy Howard (2010/11 stats: 17-5-2, 2.60 GAA)
CHI- Corey Crawford (2010/11 stats: 8-6-1, 2.51 GAA)
Injury Report:
DET- Mike Modano (wrist, out)
CHI- Patrick Kane (ankle, out), Marian Hossa (lower body, out), Fernando Pisani and Viktor Stalberg (upper body, questionable)
Game Thoughts:
The best rivalry in the Western Conference is set to renew its acquaintances tonight. Division-leading Detroit makes their way to the Windy City to take on the Blackhawks for an important contest. The Wings have been able to fend off the rest of the division, while Joel Quenneville’s ‘Hawks need to re-group after a three-game skid. Detroit took the first meeting, but I like Chicago tonight.
Prediction: Blackhawks 4, Red Wings 2
The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Devils over Predators
Sabres over Panthers
Avalanche over Senators
