Morning Skate (12/20)

We will be back to normal tomorrow...the snow has been shoveled away. Thanks Ryan. Podcast at 8pm ET.



The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Rangers 2, Flyers 1
Stars 4, Red Wings 3
Ducks 4, Coyotes 2
Predators 5, Flames 3
Penguins 2, Sabres 1 (SO)
Devils 5, Thrashers 4
Maple Leafs 2, Bruins 0
Canadiens 3, Islanders 0
Hurricanes 3, Panthers 2
Senators 4, Wild 1
Avalanche 5, Blue Jackets 2
Capitals 4, Oilers 2
Predictions record: 10-2

My 3 stars from last night:
1. Alex Ovechkin, WSH (2 Goals, 1 Assist)
Trailing 2-0 after the 2nd, Ovie put the Caps on his back in the 3rd with a pair of goals and a helper.
2. Karlis Skrastins, DAL (2 Goals, 1 Assist)
This could be the first and last time Skrastins is one of the 3 stars! His 3 points and GWG in the 3rd lifted Dallas.
3. Jaroslav Halak, MTL (40 Saves, Shutout)
Halak turned away all 40 shots thrown at him by the Isles.
Honorable Mention: J. Gustavsson, H. Lundqvist, W. Wolski, D. McAmmond, A. Markov, M. Goc, J. Neal
Dud of the Night:
Steve Mason… Four saves on seven shots in eight-plus minutes of play. Yeah, that was Mason’s night. He continues to suffer from the sophomore slump, and names like Blaine Lacher and Jim Carey (one-year wonders) creep into your mind when you think about last year’s Calder winner.

Saturday Fantasy Roundup:
Ryan’s Picks:
F- E. Malkin (-1, 4 PIM)
F- P. Kessel (nada)
D- L. Visnovsky (-1)
G- J. Hiller (39 Saves, 2 GA)
Michael’s Picks:
F- D. Penner (-1, 2 PIM)
F- B. Ryan (PPG, -1, 2 PIM)
D- T. Kaberle (1 G, +2)
G- M. Kiprusoff (15 Saves, 4 GA)
Chris’ Picks:
F- I. Kovalchuk (1 A, +1)
F- J. Carter (nada)
D- A. Markov (2 PPG)
G- O. Pavelec (37 Saves, 5 GA)
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Tonight’s Slate:
Red Wings @ Blackhawks, 7:00 ET
Blues @ Canucks, 10:00

Game of the Night:
Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Red Wings (18-12-5) … Blackhawks (22-8-3)
Last Ten: Red Wings (6-3-1) … Blackhawks (6-3-1)
Away/Home: Red Wings (7-6-3) … Blackhawks (15-3-1)
Season Series: 1-0 Red Wings

Players to watch:
DET- Todd Bertuzzi
Bertuzzi picked up 3 points yesterday, and will need to keep it up with Zetterberg out.
CHI- Marian Hossa
This will be Hossa’s first game against his former ‘mates!

Projected Goaltenders:
DET- Chris Osgood (09/10 stats: 7-5-4, 2.70 GAA)
CHI- Cristobal Huet (09/10 stats: 15-7-2, 2.09 GAA)

Injury Report:
DET- Henrik Zetterberg and Dan Cleary (shoulder, out), Johan Franzen, Jonathan Ericsson, and Niklas Kronwall (knee, out), Valterri Filppula (wrist, out), Jason Williams (knee, out), Andreas Lilja (head, out)
CHI- Dave Bolland (back, out), Niklas Hjalmarsson (flu, probable), Ben Eager (upper body, out), Adam Burish (knee, out)

Game Thoughts:
This historic Original Six rivalry renews for the first out of two times this week. Hossa will be facing Detroit for the first time since walking away on July 1. Mike Babcock’s crew usually plays well in Chicago, but I don’t know if they can get it done with half of the Grand Rapids Griffins on the team. They’ll get a point, but I think the ‘Hawks will be too much.
Prediction: Blackhawks 4, Red Wings 3 (SO)

The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Canucks over Blues