Morning Skate: October 31

Happy Halloween, hockey fans! Stay safe today...

The Morning After:
Yesterday’s scores:
Rangers 2, Maple Leafs 0
Panthers 3, Canadiens 1
Bruins 4, Senators 0
Flyers 6, Islanders 1
Penguins 3, Hurricanes 0
Red Wings 5, Predators 2
Blues 4, Thrashers 3 (SO)
Blackhawks 3, Wild 1
Stars 4, Sabres 0
Avalanche 5, Blue Jackets 1
Lightning 3, Coyotes 0
Capitals 7, Flames 2
Kings 3, Devils 1
Sharks 5, Ducks 2
Predictions record: 11-3

My 3 stars of the night (Goalies):
1. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (36 Saves, Shutout)… Despite Toronto’s bleak offense, I don’t think any team would have beaten Lundqvist last night.
2. Brent Johnson, PIT (33 Saves, Shutout)
3. Jonathan Quick, LA (39 Saves, 1 GA)
Close but no cigar: T. Thomas, BOS; T. Vokoun, FLA; A. Raycroft, DAL; D. Ellis, TB; M. Turco, CHI
My 3 stars of the night (Skaters):
1. Jay McClement, STL (3 Goals)… One of the more unlikely offensive heroes carried St. Louis back to a victory.
2. Pavel Datsyuk, DET (2 Goals, 1 Assist)
3. Alex Ovechkin, WSH (2 Goals, 1 Assist)
Close but no cigar: N. Backstrom, WSH; J. Carter, PHI; D. Heatley, SJ; P. Dupuis, PIT; J. Stoll, LA; D. Keith, CHI, C. Stewart, COL

Quick-hit Observations:
- The Capitals finally busted out offensively, tearing Calgary to shreds, 7-2. They scored six in the second period, including two from Ovechkin just 12 seconds apart which gave the Caps a 3-2 lead.
- St. Louis showed a lot of character by coming back against Atlanta to win in a shootout. Who knew ‘Jay McClement’ and ‘hat trick’ would belong in the same sentence?!
- The Central Division is crazy. Four teams with 13 points or more, and any of Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, or St. Louis could win that division!
- I thought the Penguins picked up an important win in Carolina last night, rebounding from their tough loss at home to Philadelphia on Friday. That said, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang should be watched closely as they are banged up.
- The Sabres, last year’s Northeast champs, are reeling as we speak. Ryan Miller may not have enough magic in him to get this team to the playoffs.
- How about those Tampa Bay Lightning? They are now 7-2-1 and Stamkos has 19 points. No, this isn’t a fluke.
- Fans in Los Angeles booed Ilya Kovalchuk non-stop. Judging by the team’s results this month, Kings fans should have cheered that Kovy didn’t end up in L.A.

Sausage Morning Links:
- CNNSI… In this photo gallery, SI looks at the scariest masks in hockey history!
- Globe and Mail… Eric Duhatschek looks at the two-goaltender system.
- From the Rink… Why are NHL playoffs priorities different from the regular season?
- Yahoo!… Here is a Q&A with Gary Bettman, as he speaks about concussions and blindside hits (among other things).
- View From My Seats… Matt breaks down a few players that have quickly gone from underrated to overrated.

Video of the Day:


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There are no games today. What am I gonna do???