There is a reason why Sunday Breakfast is the best and Ryan brings us an excellent Morning Skate as always.

The Morning After:

Yesterday’s scores:

Kings 4, Bruins 3 (SO)

Lightning 2, Sabres 1

Canadiens 2, Maple Leafs 0

Panthers 4, Islanders 1

Flyers 5, Capitals 4 (SO)

Predators 2, Hurricanes 1 (SO)

Blues 3, Devils 2

Wild 5, Rangers 2

Avalanche 4, Stars 3 (SO)

Blackhawks 7, Canucks 1

Blue Jackets 3, Sharks 0

Predictions record: 7-4

My 3 stars of the night:

1. Rick Nash, CBJ (3 Goals)… Captain Nash netted a hat trick to help Columbus get their first win in San Jose since 2004.

2. Carey Price, MTL (30 Saves, Shutout)

3. Mike Santorelli, FLA (2 Goals)

Close but no cigar: M. Garon, CBJ; J. Quick, LA; J. Halak, STL; P. Rinne, NSH; M. Hejduk, COL; M. Smith, TB; M. Richards, PHI

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Tonight’s Slate:

Islanders @ Thrashers, 5:00 ET

Flames @ Red Wings, 5:00

Oilers @ Ducks, 8:00

Coyotes @ Canucks, 9:00

Game of the Night:

Calgary Flames @ Detroit Red Wings

5:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:

Overall: Flames (8-10-0) … Red Wings (12-3-2)

Last Ten: Flames (3-7-0) … Red Wings (7-2-1)

Away/Home: Flames (3-5-0) … Red Wings (8-1-2)

Season Series: 2-0 Red Wings

Players to watch:

CGY- Jarome Iginla

Can Iginla carry over his success from scoring a hat trick on Friday?

DET- Nicklas Lidstrom

Lidstrom has gone two games without a point… he’s due!

Projected Goaltenders:

CGY- Miikka Kiprusoff (2010/11 stats: 7-9-0, 2.70 GAA)

DET- Jimmy Howard (2010/11 stats: 10-1-2, 2.34 GAA)

Injury Report:

CGY- Olli Jokinen (undisclosed, questionable), Daymond Langkow (neck, out), Adam Pardy (shoulder, out), Raitis Ivanans (concussion, out), Ales Kotalik and Ryan Stone (knee, out)

DET- Kris Draper and Chris Osgood (groin, out)

Game Thoughts:

The Red Wings host the Flames tonight after blowing two points on Friday to Minnesota. Calgary is coming off a big win over Chicago two nights ago, looking to continue that momentum. Kiprusoff hasn’t had the best success against Detroit, who has had Calgary’s number in recent years. I fully expect the Wings to bounce back and get the ‘W’.

Prediction: Red Wings 3, Flames 1

The rest of tonight’s predictions:

Thrashers over Islanders

Ducks over Oilers

Canucks over Coyotes

Videos from tonight.  Enjoy them and tomorrow we begin again.  Have a great night and thanks for all the support the last couple days.  It has truly been appreciated.

Good night.

Thanks to Julie for helping us out once again.  Hey it never hurts to ask for a little help now and then.  Here is her latest.....

I was watching Carolina play Pittsburgh the other night when it hit me... it is really a great time to be a hockey fan.  A great time--right now.  Whether you realize it or not, it is a special, special time in the NHL.  Seemingly every day, we have new names gracing the scoresheets, we have new players who come, new players who go, some who take up as solid team players, others who take up as the players who say "hop on my back, I'll take you there", the current and future stars of the league.

Every team has at least one player who is special to watch, whether it be because his skating is just that much better than his teammates', or because his positional play makes it look like he sees the game in a crystal ball, or because his puckhandling leaves everyone in awe.  Maybe he's a goal scorer.  Maybe his shot is strong, maybe its accurate.  Maybe he's a defenseman who makes his goaltenders' job that much easier.  Or maybe he is the goaltender, making the most difficult saves look easy.

Sure, you can look back, say that no player will ever be as good as Gretzky was, that no goaltender will come close to being to their team what Patrick Roy was to his, or what Terry Sawchuck was to the entire league, to the sport itself.  You can say that no defenseman will ever be as talented as Bobby Orr, or Ray Bourque.  You can say we may never see another player like Mario Lemieux, or another leader like Steve Yzerman.

And maybe we won't.  Gretzky holds records that may never be broken.  But to watch hockey today and pine for the "good old days" just means that you're missing out on seeing and truly appreciating some players who one day, future fans of the sport will look back on and say about them the same things we do about the guys like Roy, Gretzky, Howe and others.

So who should you watch?  Well, there's the obvious--Sidney Crosby (PIT) and Alexander Ovechkin (WAS).   Then there are the players like Ilya Kovalchuk (NJD), the Sedin twins (VAN), Steven Stamkos (TB).  There are players who are household names, there are players that any hockey fan worth his (or her!) salt knows, and there are the players what fly under the radar and eventually become known, and right now, there are a lot of them out there.

Its because of that, and because of the new rules, whether you think them good (no 2-line pass) or bad (instigator, trapezoid), the number of teams and the occasional off-ice drama (Phoenix), that it is a great time to be a fan.  Things are changing, the players are evolving, the game itself is evolving.  There are always new players coming in, and there are always older players retiring, but right now it seems like a new era--a changing of the guard.  The stars from years ago are gone--the guys like Forsberg, Sakic, Modano, Brodeur, Lemieux... some still hang on, some are still relevant (Selanne), but for the most part it's been almost as if all the big names of the past are gone and the league's been waiting for the new Sakic's, the new Bourque's, the new Yzerman's...

They're here.  All you have to do is watch

Sadly there will not be much posting today as I take a day to pay my respects to the greatest man in my life.  Please read below and I will always be thankful for that hockey dad that was better than any other.

What is weird is you think this would get easier. But no pictures could do much justice on a day like this I suppose. Six years ago today, I lost the one man who put up with me better than anyone else -- my Dad. Though the good memories far outweigh the bad...maybe I long for simpler days when my father was still here having a good hearty laugh at something he saw on television.

November 20th, 2004 changed my life forever. My father dropped dead of a massive heart attack that still leaves a deep void in my family. My dad was always the one that told me to keep on chasing your dreams no matter where it takes you. Well the dream took me to California and back home and maybe just maybe other places as well. One thing is certain, my father left an undeniable mark on my life and my family's as well.

Dad was the one who took me to hockey practices no matter what time they were in the morning. He was there for every step of my career and well he was the first one who was on the ice when I broke my ankle in three places ending my competitive career. Laughably and only my dad could say this but he asked me "after they give you some pain pills, do you want some ice cream?" It is funny but true...only my father could say something like that.

He also took me to my first Devils game. I can remember Lloyd Lindsay Young there and the Devils winning 4-3. Ironically I do not even remember who the Devils played that night but it really did not matter. I was hooked! Hockey has been an integral part of my life ever since. My father proudly taught me that if you have to sacrifice a little and work hard for it then to do it! Boy was he right!

Of course, he was more than just a hockey dad. He taught me about life and everything about living it. Sure I would have liked to learn more but that was not meant to be. One of the first things I learned when he died was not to be so bloody selfish with things. Hey I was...I admit it. That and dropping 100 pounds was probably a good thing. Part of me just did not want to die because of a heart condition. My brother Mark unfortunately has the same enlarged heart valve. Hopefully modern medicine is a little more advanced in the future.

Simply this is for the man that put up with me for 29+ years and I am still not sure how. So I raise a hearty cider up to the man who was the one person that loved me no matter how many stupid things I did and I did plenty. Father, this one's for you!

And yes it has been six years but at times it really still feels like five minutes ago. We will always miss you and we will never forget.  It really makes the loss of Pat Burns a little more sobering but at the same time this reminds me of the good times.

****Sticky Post-It Note:****

Dad....take your teeth out of the corn. (Yes my Dad had false teeth and really did get them stuck in the corn and then still was talking). Honest true story....thanks for the memories father.

Simply our POTN may not necessarily be fair to some but even though Jarome Iginla got a hat trick, it just cannot trump a guy who collapsed and tonight shut out the Washington Capitals.  Congrats to Ondrej Pavelec on winning the POTN this night.

So a 29 save effort by Pavelec gets him the nod tonight.  The Washington Capitals are a team who just does not get shut out normally and yet Pavelec was able to keep his composure enough to make some very good saves and post the SO on his fantasy stats which was much needed.

Who will be the winner for Saturday?  I do not know but there will be a ton of debate as it is a big night in the National Hockey League.  Congrats to Ondrej Pavelec and get ready for another weekend of hockey.