Morning Skate (12/19)

A very busy Saturday in the NHL....Ryan has you all covered.



The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Devils 4, Senators 2
Sabres 5, Maple Leafs 2
Panthers 6, Hurricanes 3
Lightning 6, Blues 3
Blackhawks 5, Bruins 4 (SO)
Canucks 3, Capitals 2
Predictions record: 4-2

My 3 stars from last night:
1. Mason Raymond, VAN (2 Goals)
Raymond was all over the place for the Canucks, and scored 2 big goals to lift the Canucks to victory.
2. Jeff Halpern, TB (2 Goals)
Halpern scored 2 enormous goals for the Bolts in their win in St. Louis.
3. Radek Dvorak, FLA (1 Goal, 2 Assists)
Dvorak’s 3 points really keyed the Panthers’ big win over Carolina.
Dud of the Night:
Vesa Toskala & Brian Elliott… Both goalies had embarrassing blunders last night. Toskala’s glove seemingly had a hole in it, while Elliott looked kind out of it as he stood as statue as the puck popped up in the air, and bounced in off his tush.
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Today’s Slate:
Rangers @ Flyers, 1:00 ET
Red Wings @ Stars, 3:00
Coyotes @ Ducks, 4:00
Predators @ Flames, 4:00
Penguins @ Sabres, 7:00
Devils @ Thrashers, 7:00
Bruins @ Maple Leafs, 7:00
Canadiens @ Islanders, 7:00
Panthers @ Hurricanes, 7:00
Wild @ Senators, 7:00
Blue Jackets @ Avalanche, 9:00
Capitals @ Oilers, 10:00

Games of the Day:
Nashville Predators @ Calgary Flames
4:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Predators (21-11-3) … Flames (20-10-4)
Last Ten: Predators (6-2-2) … Flames (5-4-1)
Away/Home: Predators (9-5-2) … Flames (9-5-1)
Season Series: 1-0 Flames

Players to watch:
NSH- Patric Hornqvist
‘Horny’ has been a key contributor this week with 6 points in 3 games.
CGY- Jarome Iginla
‘Iggy’ has been struggling lately, but has gaudy career numbers vs. Nashville.

Projected Goaltenders:
NSH- Dan Ellis (09/10 stats: 7-5-1, 2.65 GAA)
CGY- Miikka Kiprusoff (09/10 stats: 17-8-4, 2.18 GAA)

Injury Report:
NSH- Jordin Tootoo (foot, out)
CGY- Cory Sarich (undisclosed, out)

Game Thoughts:
Red-hot Nashville makes their way to the Saddledome today to take on the offensively challenged Flames. Barry Trotz’s club has 18 goals in the last 3 games, but has struggled in Calgary since the last couple years. This should be a hard-hitting, tight-knit affair… and I’ll say the Flames come out on top in this matinee affair.
Prediction: Flames 3, Predators 2
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Pittsburgh Penguins @ Buffalo Sabres
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Penguins (24-10-1) … Sabres (21-10-2)
Last Ten: Penguins (7-2-1) … Sabres (7-3-0)
Away/Home: Penguins (12-5-0) … Sabres (12-5-2)
Season Series: First meeting

Players to watch:
PIT- Evgeni Malkin
‘Geno is on a 3-game point streak, and has great career numbers vs. Buffalo.
BUF- Derek Roy
Roy scored a big goal vs. Toronto last night, and plays much better at home.

Projected Goaltenders:
PIT- Marc-Andre Fleury (09/10 stats: 18-8-1, 2.43 GAA)
BUF- Patrick Lalime (09/10 stats: 1-2-0, 3.51 GAA)

Injury Report:
PIT- None
BUF- Patrick Kaleta (head, questionable), Nathan Gerbe (groin, questionable), Chris Butler (ankle, out)

Game Thoughts:
HSBC Arena should be buzzing tonight with the Penguins in town. Dan Bylsma’s gang has fared pretty well over the last few years in Buffalo, and should benefit from Lalime starting instead of Miller. The Sabres are cruising as of late, winning 5 of 6. If the Pens’ power play can get going, I like their chances.
Prediction: Penguins 3, Sabres 2
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New Jersey Devils @ Atlanta Thrashers
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Devils (24-8-1) … Thrashers (18-12-3)
Last Ten: Devils (8-2-0) … Thrashers (5-5-0)
Away/Home: Devils (11-2-1) … Thrashers (8-6-2)
Season Series: 1-0 Thrashers

Players to watch:
NJ- Zach Parise
Parise has gone 9 games without a goal… that ends tonight!
ATL- Rich Peverley
This guy is amazing, as he continued his torrid pace with Atlanta on Thursday with 3 points.

Projected Goaltenders:
NJ- Martin Brodeur (09/10 stats: 21-8-1, 2.10 GAA)
ATL- Johan Hedberg (09/10 stats: 9-4-0, 2.33 GAA)

Injury Report:
NJ- David Clarkson (leg, out), Paul Martin (arm, out), Dainius Zubrus (knee, out)
ATL- Kari Lehtonen (back, out), Mark Popovic (foot, out)

Game Thoughts:
New Jersey, one of the hotter teams in the league, heads to the ATL to take on the upstart Thrashers. They’ve won their last four meetings at Philips Arena, and are looking for revenge after Atlanta won in Newark in October. John Anderson’s club is a little inconsistent at home, so I’ll take the road-warrior Devils…
Prediction: Devils 4, Thrashers 2

The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Rangers over Flyers
Stars over Red Wings
Ducks over Coyotes
Maple Leafs over Bruins
Canadiens over Islanders
Hurricanes over Panthers
Senators over Wild
Avalanche over Blue Jackets
Oilers over Capitals

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