Morning Skate: October 31

To celebrate Halloween, here is a deluxe version of the Morning Skate, covering all 11 games on tonight’s schedule!! Let’s see if I have any spooky picks…

The Morning After:
Last night’s scores:
Islanders 4, Capitals 3 (OT)
Penguins 4, Blue Jackets 3 (SO)
Sabres 3, Maple Leafs 2 (OT)
Wild 3, Rangers 2
Blackhawks 3, Canadiens 2
Panthers 6, Stars 5 (SO)
Ducks 7, Canucks 2
Sharks 3, Avalanche 1
Predictions record: 5-0-3

My 3 stars from last night:
1. Steven Reinprecht, FLA (3 Goals, 1 Assist)
2. Tim Connolly, BUF (2 Goals, 1 Assist)
3. Bobby Ryan, ANA (2 Goals, 1 Assist)
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Tonight’s Slate:
Hurricanes @ Flyers, 1:00 ET
Oilers @ Bruins, 1:00
Thrashers @ Senators, 2:00
Devils @ Lightning, 3:00
Sabres @ Islanders, 7:00
Maple Leafs @ Canadiens, 7:00
Wild @ Penguins, 7:30
Panthers @ Blues, 8:00
Stars @ Predators, 8:00
Ducks @ Coyotes, 9:00
Red Wings @ Flames, 10:00

Games of the Night:
Carolina Hurricanes (2-6-3) @ Philadelphia Flyers (5-4-1)
1:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Players to watch:
CAR- Eric Staal
PHI- Danny Briere

Projected Goaltenders:
CAR- Cam Ward (09/10 stats: 2-6-3, 2.89 GAA)
PHI- Ray Emery (09/10 stats: 5-3-1, 2.62 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
Carolina is arguably the worst team in hockey right now, and it won’t help that they’ll be going up against a desperate Flyers club. It won’t matter who’s in net… Flyers win big!
Prediction: Flyers 5, Hurricanes 1
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Edmonton Oilers (7-5-1) @ Boston Bruins (5-5-1)
1:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Players to watch:
EDM- Shawn Horcoff
BOS- Patrice Bergeron

Projected Goaltenders:
EDM- Nikolai Khabibulin (09/10 stats: 2-6-3, 2.89 GAA)
BOS- Tuukka Rask (09/10 stats: 1-1-1, 3.17 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
I’m guessing Rask gets the call for Boston since they play tomorrow in New York. The Oilers survived a major scare against Detroit on Thursday. Should be a good game, and I like Boston in a close one.
Prediction: Bruins 4, Oilers 3 (OT)
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Atlanta Thrashers (4-4-1) @ Ottawa Senators (6-3-2)
2:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Players to watch:
ATL- Zach Bogosian
OTT- Daniel Alfredsson

Projected Goaltenders:
ATL- Johan Hedberg (09/10 stats: 1-1, 3.12 GAA)
OTT- Pascal Leclaire (09/10 stats: 4-2-1, 2.72 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
The Thrashers have lost four straight since starting 4-1. They’ll look to get back on track, but Ottawa has been a house of horrors for them. The Sens catch the Thrashers sleepwalking today…
Prediction: Senators 4, Thrashers 2
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New Jersey Devils (7-4-0) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (4-3-3)
3:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Players to watch:
NJ- Zach Parise
TB- Steven Stamkos

Projected Goaltenders:
NJ- Martin Brodeur (09/10 stats: 6-4, 2.58 GAA)
TB- Mike Smith (09/10 stats: 2-2-3, 3.17 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
New Jersey puts their perfect road record (6-0) on the line in Tampa today as they take on the Bolts. Tampa’s riding high after Thursday’s win, and I think they’ll get payback on the Devils.
Prediction: Lightning 3, Devils 2
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Buffalo Sabres (8-1-1) @ New York Islanders (3-4-5)
7:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Players to watch:
BUF- Drew Stafford
NYI- John Tavares

Projected Goaltenders:
BUF- Ryan Miller (Last night vs. TOR: 33 Saves, 2 GA)
NYI- Martin Biron (09/10 stats: 0-3-2, 3.45 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
Both of these clubs picked up overtime wins last night, and are looking to build on their current winning streaks. If Miller is in net for the Sabres, I think they could roll the Isles.
Prediction: Sabres 4, Islanders 1
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Toronto Maple Leafs (1-7-3) @ Montreal Canadiens (6-7-0)
7:00 ET… TV: CBC, NHL Net. (US)

Players to watch:
TOR- Matt Stajan
MTL- Brian Gionta

Projected Goaltenders:
TOR- Vesa Toskala (09/10 stats: 0-2-1, 5.57 GAA)
MTL- Carey Price (09/10 stats: 2-5, 3.44 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
If it ends up being Toskala vs. Price, it’ll undoubtedly be the most entertaining game of the night (whether it’s good or bad). This game could go either way, but I just see the Habs simply out-scoring the Leafs
Prediction: Canadiens 5, Maple Leafs 4
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Minnesota Wild (4-9-0) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (11-2-0)
7:30 ET… TV: Local Networks

Players to watch:
MIN- Mikko Koivu
PIT- Alex Goligoski

Projected Goaltenders:
MIN- Josh Harding (09/10 stats: 0-2, 5.51 GAA)
PIT- Marc-Andre Fleury (09/10 stats: 9-1, 2.07 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
I think the Wild will show up in Pittsburgh as Casper for Halloween! Coming off a win last night at home, Minny will be due for a down game. Even without Malkin, look for the Pens to smoke the Wild.
Prediction: Penguins 5, Wild 1
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Florida Panthers (3-7-1) @ St. Louis Blues (5-5-1)
8:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Players to watch:
FLA- Nathan Horton
STL- Paul Kariya

Projected Goaltenders:
FLA- Tomas Vokoun (09/10 stats: 1-7-1, 3.65 GAA)
STL- Chris Mason (09/10 stats: 3-3-1, 2.69 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
The Panthers won a thriller in Dallas last night, but I think they’ll come up on the short end of the stick here. St. Louis is desperate to get some momentum going, and will handle the Panthers.
Prediction: Blues 3, Panthers 0
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Dallas Stars (6-2-5) @ Nashville Predators (5-6-1)
8:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Players to watch:
DAL- James Neal
NSH- Shea Weber

Projected Goaltenders:
DAL- Marty Turco (09/10 stats: 4-2-3, 2.26 GAA)
NSH- Pekka Rinne (09/10 stats: 3-3, 2.74 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
Nashville has something going here. They’ve responded since the embarrassing losses, and won two games this week in different styles. The Stars may be the better team, but not on this night.
Prediction: Predators 3, Stars 2
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Anaheim Ducks (4-6-1) @ Phoenix Coyotes (8-4-0)
9:00 ET… TV: Local Networks

Players to watch:
ANA- Ryan Getzlaf
PHX- Radim Vrbata

Projected Goaltenders:
ANA- Jonas Hiller (09/10 stats: 4-4, 3.06 GAA)
PHX- Ilya Bryzgalov (09/10 stats: 7-3, 1.77 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
Anaheim trounced Vancouver last night, and could have scored too many goals (if there’s ever such a thing). I think they’ll get shutdown by Dave Tippett’s stout defense. Go with the ‘Yotes…
Prediction: Coyotes 4, Ducks 1
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Detroit Red Wings (4-4-3) @ Calgary Flames (7-3-1)
10:00 ET… TV: CBC, Local Networks

Players to watch:
DET- Pavel Datsyuk
CGY- Jay Bouwmeester

Projected Goaltenders:
DET- Chris Osgood (09/10 stats: 3-2-2, 3.40 GAA)
CGY- Miikka Kiprusoff (09/10 stats: 7-2-1, 3.09 GAA)

Game Thoughts:
After getting off to hot start vs. the Avs, Brent Sutter’s club waltzed through the rest of the game and lost 3-2. I don’t see that happening again. Detroit has goaltending issues, and the Flames light the lamp at home.
Prediction: Flames 4, Red Wings 3