Morning Skate: Tuesday, 3/3

Tonight’s Slate:
Flyers @ Bruins, 7:00 ET
Hurricanes @ Capitals, 7:00
Panthers @ Thrashers, 7:00
Kings @ Blue Jackets, 7:00
Devils @ Maple Leafs, 7:30
Flames @ Senators, 7:30
Penguins @ Lightning, 7:30
Oilers @ Predators, 8:00
Ducks @ Blackhawks, 8:30
Red Wings @ Blues, 8:30
Wild @ Canucks, 10:00
Stars @ Sharks, 10:30

Games of the Night:
Game #1: Philadelphia Flyers @ Boston Bruins
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Flyers (33-18-10) … Bruins (42-12-9)
Last Ten: Flyers (6-3-1) … Bruins (3-4-3)
Away/Home: Flyers (15-10-6) … Bruins (21-4-5)
Season Series: Tied 1-1

Players to watch:
PHI- Mike Richards
Boston must keep him in check on the PK as Richards has 7 shorties this year.
BOS- Phil Kessel
Did Kessel snap out of a slump with his 2-point performance vs. the Caps??

Projected Goaltenders:
PHI- Antero Niittymaki (08-09 stats: 14-5-5, 2.61 GAA)
BOS- Tim Thomas (08-09 stats: 27-8-6, 2.06 GAA)

Injury Report:
PHI- Kimmo Timonen (flu, probable)
BOS- Milan Lucic (upper body, doubtful), Petteri Nokelainen (eye, out), Marco Sturm (knee, out)

Game Thoughts:
The last time these two met, the Flyers beat the B’s and sent them into a rut. Boston will try to reverse those fortunes and beat Philly tonight… they’ll have to do it without Lucic. This is a potential 2nd round matchup, and I expect this to be played like a playoff game. At home, I like the Bruins… but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Flyers bounce back and get the win.

Prediction: Bruins 2, Flyers 1
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Game #2: Edmonton Oilers @ Nashville Predators
8:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Oilers (31-26-5) … Predators (31-28-4)
Last Ten: Oilers (5-3-2) … Predators (6-3-1)
Away/Home: Oilers (16-14-1) … Predators (19-11-2)
Season Series: 2-1 Predators

Players to watch:
EDM- Ales Hemsky
He always seems to do well against Nashville, but must play more consistently down the stretch.
NSH- Joel Ward
Ward is turning into the complete package for the Preds.

Projected Goaltenders:
EDM- Dwayne Roloson (February stats: 6-6-2, 2.52 GAA)
NSH- Pekka Rinne (February stats: 9-2-1, 1.72 GAA)

Injury Report:
EDM- Ethan Moreau (eye, out), Lubomir Visnovsky (shoulder, out)
NSH- Martin Erat (groin, questionable), Radek Bonk (upper body, out), Alexander Sulzer (shoulder, out), Scott Nichol (concussion, out)

Game Thoughts:
This is a crucial game in the Western Conference playoff race. The Preds are off their massacre vs. Detroit, so a letdown should be expected. Edmonton, on the other hand, has lost 6 straight in Nashville. A key matchup tonight is the Preds’ PP (29th) vs. the Oilers PK (27th). Something’s gotta give here, so I’m gonna go with the home team.

Prediction: Predators 3, Oilers 1
The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Capitals over Hurricanes
Panthers over Thrashers
Blue Jackets over Kings
Devils over Maple Leafs
Flames over Senators
Penguins over Lightning
Blackhawks over Ducks
Red Wings over Blues
Canucks over Wild
Sharks over Stars

For more predictions and analysis on the NHL like this, stop by the Red Light District.