Morning Skate (2/9)

Ryan throws it down on a busy Tuesday...well busy for the snow birds that is.



The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Sharks 3, Maple Leafs 2
Flyers 3, Devils 2
Avalanche 5, Blues 2
Coyotes 6, Oilers 1
Ducks 4, Kings 2
Predictions record: 4-1

My 3 stars from last night:
1. Matthew Lombardi, PHX (2 Goals, 3 Assists)
Lombardi came up with 5 big points in Phoenix’s dominant win over the Oilers.
2. Corey Perry, ANA (1 Goal, 2 Assists)
Perry was spectacular last night, scoring a huge answer-goal after Getzlaf went down to injury.
3. Chris Stewart, COL (1 Goal, 2 Assists)
Stewart picked up a Gordie Howe hat trick vs. the Blues.
Honorable Mention: E. Nabokov, B. Yip, M. Richards, R. Lang, S. Koivu
Dud of the Night:
Jeff Carter… By now you have probably seen the Carter hit on Devils defenseman Anssi Salmela, and there are a lot of differing opinions. If you break it down, it was a ‘clean’ hit by the book. But it was cheap, and the result of it was bad (initially) on Salmela’s part… he appears to be ok, only suffering a broken nose and a few lost chicklets on what looked to be worse. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Carter get away with it, but I’d like to see him suspended for at least a game or two – especially since there was no penalty on the play.
---

Tonight’s Slate:
Bruins @ Sabres, 7:00 ET
Predators @ Islanders, 7:00
Panthers @ Hurricanes, 7:00
Flames @ Senators, 7:30
Canucks @ Lightning, 7:30
Red Wings @ Blues, 8:00
Stars @ Blackhawks, 8:30

Games of the Night:
Calgary Flames @ Ottawa Senators
7:30 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Flames (29-21-9) … Senators (33-22-4)
Last Ten: Flames (3-4-3) … Senators (9-1-0)
Away/Home: Flames (15-8-6) … Senators (21-8-3)
Season Series: First meeting

Players to watch:
CGY- Matt Stajan
Stajan only has 1 point in 4 games with Calgary, but is familiar with the Sens.
OTT- Milan Michalek
I have a hunch Michalek will have a good game…

Projected Goaltenders:
CGY- Miikka Kiprusoff (09/10 stats: 26-17-9, 2.19 GAA)
OTT- Brian Elliott (09/10 stats: 19-12-3, 2.51 GAA)

Injury Report:
CGY- Rene Bourque and Ales Kotalik (undisclosed, questionable), Nigel Dawes (leg, questionable), Craig Conroy (knee, out), David Moss (shoulder, out)
OTT- Nick Foligno (leg, out), Erik Karlsson (shoulder, out)

Game Thoughts:
Calgary and Ottawa will face off in what should be an interesting game. Brent Sutter’s club has played better since unloading Jokinen, but is a little banged up right now. Cory Clouston’s gang had their 11-game win streak snapped in Toronto, and is looking to get back on track. I think they will if Elliott plays like he did before Saturday…
Prediction: Senators 3, Flames 1
---
Vancouver Canucks @ Tampa Bay Lightning
7:30 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Canucks (35-20-2) … Lightning (25-21-11)
Last Ten: Canucks (8-2-0) … Lightning (7-2-1)
Away/Home: Canucks (12-13-1) … Lightning (16-6-6)
Season Series: First meeting

Players to watch:
VAN- The Sedins
The twins have combined for just one point in February… they’re due!
TB- Martin St. Louis
St. Louis is currently on a 6-game point streak, and has had success vs. Vancouver in 11 career games.

Projected Goaltenders:
VAN- Roberto Luongo (09/10 stats: 30-15-2, 2.32 GAA)
TB- Antero Niittymaki (09/10 stats: 15-9-5, 2.41 GAA)

Injury Report:
VAN- Willie Mitchell (concussion, out), Kevin Bieksa and Michael Grabner (ankle, out), Alexandre Bolduc (shoulder, out)
TB- David Hale (leg, out), Paul Ranger (personal, out)

Game Thoughts:
Vancouver makes their way to Florida on their North American tour to take on the Lightning. They are red-hot, having gone 6-1-1 in their last eight. The Canucks are 2-2 on their current road trip, having to come from behind every time; they need to get ahead early tonight. This game is a virtual toss-up… I think I’ll take Tampa.
Prediction: Lightning 3, Canucks 2 (OT)

The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Bruins over Sabres
Predators over Islanders
Hurricanes over Panthers
Red Wings over Blues
Blackhawks over Stars

You can follow the Red Light District on Twitter @RLDhockey!
Don’t forget about our new podcast, which starts on February 16!