Morning Skate Deluxe: Saturday, 1/31

Today’s Slate:
Red Wings @ Capitals, 12:30 ET
Rangers @ Bruins, 1:00
Kings @ Canadiens, 2:00
Ducks @ Avalanche, 3:00
Penguins @ Maple Leafs, 7:00
Panthers @ Islanders, 7:00
Stars @ Blue Jackets, 7:00
Thrashers @ Hurricanes, 8:00
Flyers @ Blues, 8:30
Sabres @ Coyotes, 9:00
Wild @ Canucks, 10:00
Blackhawks @ Sharks, 10:30

Games of the Day:
Game #1: Detroit Red Wings @ Washington Capitals
12:30 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Red Wings (31-10-7) … Capitals (30-15-4)
Last Ten: Red Wings (5-3-2) … Capitals (5-4-1)
Away/Home: Red Wings (15-6-5) … Capitals (19-3-1)
Season Series: 1st Meeting

Players to watch:
DET- Marian Hossa
Hossa has been extremely consistent since the New Year, and needs to continue that success if Zetts is out again.
WSH- Alexander Semin
In 31 games played, Semin has not earned a point in just 4 of those games!! And the team is 1-3 in those 4 games.

Projected Goaltenders:
DET- Ty Conklin (08-09 stats: 16-6-1, 2.31 GAA)
WSH- Jose Theodore (08-09 stats: 17-9-2, 2.81 GAA)

Injury Report:
DET- Henrik Zetterberg (back, questionable), Brad Stuart (ribs, out), Darren McCarty (sports hernia, out)
WSH- Brent Johnson (unknown, questionable), Tom Poti (groin, doubtful), Brian Pothier (concussion, out)

Game Thoughts:
This game means more to Washington than Detroit, without a doubt. The Caps aren’t what you’d call on fire, and need a big win over a team like the Wings to get out of their mini-funk. For Detroit, they’re 0-3-1 in the last 4 games… trouble in Motor City?? Nope, just a speed-bump; that could be bad news for Washington. Nonetheless, I think Ovechkin will be enough for the Caps to get the ‘W’ today in what will be a fun game to watch.

Prediction: Capitals 4, Red Wings 3
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Game #2: New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins
1:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Rangers (29-17-4) … Bruins (35-8-6)
Last Ten: Rangers (6-3-1) … Bruins (6-2-2)
Away/Home: Rangers (13-9-2) … Bruins (18-3-3)
Season Series: 1-0 Rangers

Players to watch:
NYR- Marc Staal
Staal needs to play a sound defensive game.
BOS- Milan Lucic
Look for ‘Looch’ to bring more of a physical presence in today’s game.

Projected Goaltenders:
NYR- Henrik Lundqvist (08-09 stats: 24-14-3, 2.61 GAA)
BOS- Tim Thomas (08-09 stats: 21-5-5, 2.15 GAA)

Injury Report:
NYR- Ryan Callahan (flu, probable)
BOS- Manny Fernandez (back, doubtful), Petteri Nokelainen (undisclosed, questionable), Marco Sturm (knee, out)

Game Thoughts:
Boston has to have a bit of a mean streak after losing the way they did against New Jersey on Thursday. I think they’ll be able to rebound after that tough loss. The Rangers were walloped 6-2 in Pittsburgh as they had a disastrous 3rd period. This game will come down to goaltending, and I believe Thomas will play slightly better than Lundqvist.

Prediction: Bruins 3, Rangers 1
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Game #3: Chicago Blackhawks @ San Jose Sharks
10:30 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Blackhawks (27-14-6) … Sharks (36-6-5)
Last Ten: Blackhawks (4-5-1) … Sharks (8-2-0)
Away/Home: Blackhawks (12-9-3) … Sharks (23-1-2)
Season Series: 2-0 Sharks

Players to watch:
CHI- Patrick Sharp
If the ‘Hawks win, Sharp will be a key element to the victory.
SJ- Milan Michalek
He’s starting to heat up with 8 points in the last 5 games.

Projected Goaltenders:
CHI- Nikolai Khabibulin (08-09 stats: 14-4-5, 2.35 GAA)
SJ- Evgeni Nabokov (Last 2 Games: 2-0, 2 Shutouts, 55 Saves)

Injury Report:
CHI- Kris Versteeg (finger, questionable), Brent Sopel (elbow, out)
SJ- Dan Boyle (upper body, questionable), Brad Lukowich (sports hernia, out), Torrey Mitchell (leg, doubtful), Jeremy Roenick (shoulder, out)

Game Thoughts:
San Jose is on a mission like we’ve never seen before. ‘Nabby’ has picked up 2 consecutive shutouts since the ASG, and they’ve extended their lead in the West to 8 points over Detroit. Chicago is coming off a bad loss in LA, but had a good win in Anaheim before that. I believe we’ll see a mixture of those two teams. The ‘Hawks will fall just short against San Jose for the third time this season.

Prediction: Sharks 4, Blackhawks 2
The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Canadiens over Kings
Ducks over Avalanche
Maple Leafs over Penguins
Panthers over Islanders
Stars over Blue Jackets
Hurricanes over Thrashers
Flyers over Blues
Sabres over Coyotes
Canucks over Wild