Morning Skate (12/3)

Ryan did you pick New Jersey again? :P Just kidding....here is the Morning Skate.....



The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Bruins 4, Lightning 1
Canucks 5, Devils 2
Panthers 6, Avalanche 5 (SO)
Wild 5, Predators 4 (OT)
Predictions record: 2-2

My 3 stars from last night:
1. Stephen Weiss, FLA (3 Goals, SO Goal)
Weiss lifted his team to victory, with a hat trick and the shootout winner.
2. Matt Duchene, COL (2 Goals, 1 Assist)
The rookie may have had his best game, though in a losing effort.
3. Jason Arnott, NSH (2 Goals, 1 Assist)
Arnott did all he could to help the Preds win, notching three points on the night.
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Tonight’s Slate:
Islanders @ Thrashers, 7:00 ET
Canadiens @ Sabres, 7:00
Maple Leafs @ Blue Jackets, 7:00
Panthers @ Capitals, 7:00
Oilers @ Red Wings, 7:00
Canucks @ Flyers, 7:00
Avalanche @ Penguins, 7:30
Ducks @ Stars, 8:30
Flames @ Coyotes, 9:30
Senators @ Kings, 10:30
Blues @ Sharks, 10:30

Games of the Night:
Vancouver Canucks @ Philadelphia Flyers
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Canucks (15-12-0) … Flyers (13-10-1)
Last Ten: Canucks (5-5-0) … Flyers (4-6-0)
Away/Home: Canucks (5-8-0) … Flyers (8-4-1)
Season Series: First meeting

Players to watch:
VAN- Alex Burrows
He and the Sedins are showing the same chemistry from late last year.
PHI- Mike Richards
With the team’s recent struggles, Captain Richards needs to step up on and off the ice.

Projected Goaltenders:
VAN- Roberto Luongo (Last night @ NJ: 27 Saves, 2 GA)
PHI- Brian Boucher (09/10 stats: 2-3-0, 2.01 GAA)

Injury Report:
VAN- Pavol Demitra (shoulder, out), Michael Grabner (ankle, out), Alexandre Bolduc (shoulder, out)
PHI- Danny Briere (flu, probable), Simon Gagne (hernia, out), Blair Betts (shoulder, out), Darroll Powe (shoulder, out), Jared Ross (head, questionable), O-K Tollefsen (concussion, out)

Game Thoughts:
Vancouver is coming off a great win last night in New Jersey, 5-2. The top line is playing well again, and Luongo is rounding into form. But they’ll be facing a mad Flyers team, which may not be good news. They’ve lost 5 of 6, dropping to 9th in the conference standings. Back home, take the boys in orange.
Prediction: Flyers 4, Canucks 3
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Calgary Flames @ Phoenix Coyotes
9:30 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Flames (17-6-3) … Coyotes (15-11-1)
Last Ten: Flames (6-2-2) … Coyotes (5-4-1)
Away/Home: Flames (10-1-3) … Coyotes (8-5-0)
Season Series: 1-0 Flames

Players to watch:
CGY- Olli Jokinen
Is he finally starting to get in Calgary? He has picked up a point in 8 of the last 9 games.
PHX- Matthew Lombardi
He faces his former ‘mates, and has been inconsistent this season.

Projected Goaltenders:
CGY- Miikka Kiprusoff (09/10 stats: 15-5-3, 2.27 GAA)
PHX- Ilya Bryzgalov (09/10 stats: 14-8-1, 2.12 GAA)

Injury Report:
CGY- Rene Bourque (undisclosed, probable), Cory Sarich (undisclosed, questionable)
PHX- Ed Jovanovski (lower body, questionable), Peter Mueller (upper body, questionable), Kurt Sauer (headaches, out)

Game Thoughts:
The Flames are hot – literally! They’re the best road team in the league, and ripped through November so easy that a caveman could’ve done it. The desert has been kind to them, as they’ve won 6 of the last 7 in Phoenix. Dave Tippett’s crew has been playing good hockey of late, but don’t match up well with these guys.
Prediction: Flames 3, Coyotes 1

The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Thrashers over Islanders
Sabres over Canadiens
Blue Jackets over Maple Leafs
Capitals over Panthers
Red Wings over Oilers
Penguins over Avalanche
Stars over Ducks
Kings over Senators
Sharks over Blues

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