Morning Skate: February 1

Tonight’s Slate:
Bruins @ Hurricanes, 7:00 ET
Senators @ Devils, 7:00
Panthers @ Maple Leafs, 7:00
Islanders @ Thrashers, 7:00
Blackhawks @ Blue Jackets, 7:00
Penguins @ Rangers, 7:30
Flyers @ Lightning, 7:30
Canadiens @ Capitals, 7:30
Avalanche @ Blues, 8:00
Flames @ Predators, 8:00
Kings @ Wild, 8:00
Canucks @ Stars, 8:30
Coyotes @ Sharks, 10:00

Games of the Night:
Pittsburgh Penguins @ New York Rangers
7:30 ET… TV: VERSUS, Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Penguins (31-15-4) … Rangers (29-20-3)
Last Ten: Penguins (6-3-1) … Rangers (5-5-0)
Away/Home: Penguins (14-6-3) … Rangers (12-11-2)
Season Series: 2-1 Rangers

Players to watch:
PIT- Jordan Staal
Staal has seven points in the last six games.
NYR- Ryan Callahan
The two-way forward is set to make his return from a broken hand.

Projected Goaltenders:
PIT- Marc-Andre Fleury (2010/11 stats: 23-11-2, 2.19 GAA)
NYR- Henrik Lundqvist (2010/11 stats: 21-16-3, 2.29 GAA)

Injury Report:
PIT- Sidney Crosby (concussion, out), Evgeni Malkin (knee, out), Mark Letestu (lower body, out), Mike Comrie (hip, out)
NYR- Brandon Dubinsky (leg, out), Dan Girardi (ribs, questionable), Alex Frolov and Erik Christensen (knee, out), Ruslan Fedotenko (shoulder, out), Derek Boogaard (concussion, out)

Game Thoughts:
The Pens and Rangers have had some good battles this year, and I wouldn’t expect it to be different tonight. Both teams are on the mend as the Rangers are getting some bodies back; Crosby and Malkin are inching closer for Pittsburgh. New York has taken two of three, but the road team has won every meeting. It’s a big game at MSG, and I like Pittsburgh here…
Prediction: Penguins 3, Rangers 2
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Philadelphia Flyers @ Tampa Bay Lightning
7:30 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Flyers (33-12-5) … Lightning (31-15-5)
Last Ten: Flyers (8-2-0) … Lightning (7-3-0)
Away/Home: Flyers (17-5-3) … Lightning (16-4-2)
Season Series: 2-0 Lightning

Players to watch:
PHI- Danny Briere
Briere had 16 points in 12 January games.
TB- Steven Stamkos
In two games against Philly, Stammer has four goals and five points.

Projected Goaltenders:
PHI- Sergei Bobrovsky (2010/11 stats: 21-6-3, 2.42 GAA)
TB- Dwayne Roloson (2010/11 stats: 13-16-1, 2.52 GAA)

Injury Report:
PHI- James van Riemsdyk (groin, questionable)
TB- Ryan Malone (undisclosed, questionable)

Game Thoughts:
The Lightning will continue their epic 12-game home-stand tonight as they welcome in the conference-leading Flyers. It will be a good test for Guy Boucher’s crew, who has already beaten the Flyers twice on the road this year. Look for Philadelphia, one of the league’s best road clubs, to get a little revenge on the Bolts. Should be a good one!
Prediction: Flyers 4, Lightning 3
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Vancouver Canucks @ Dallas Stars
8:30 ET… TV: Local Networks

Records:
Overall: Canucks (31-10-9) … Stars (30-15-5)
Last Ten: Canucks (4-2-4) … Stars (7-2-1)
Away/Home: Canucks (17-3-5) … Stars (16-6-4)
Season Series: 2-0 Canucks

Players to watch:
VAN- Christian Ehrhoff
With Edler shelved, Ehrhoff will need to step it up starting tonight.
DAL- Brad Richards
The consistent Richards had 15 points in 11 January games.

Projected Goaltenders:
VAN- Cory Schneider (2010/11 stats: 8-2-2, 2.35 GAA)
DAL- Kari Lehtonen (2010/11 stats: 22-11-5, 2.57 GAA)

Injury Report:
VAN- Alex Edler (back, out), Andrew Alberts and Alexandre Bolduc (shoulder, out), Sami Salo (Achilles, out), Aaron Rome (knee, out), Guillaume Desbiens (hand, out)
DAL- Jamie Benn (undisclosed, doubtful), Tom Wandell and Jeff Woywitka (shoulder, questionable), Toby Petersen (lower body, out)

Game Thoughts:
Just last week, the Canucks thrashed Dallas 7-1 on home-ice; they also won 4-1 in Big D earlier this year. Don’t you think Marc Crawford’s gang will have those losses in the back of their minds? Me too. The Stars will look to get off to a good post-break start after a rocky week prior to the festivities in Raleigh. I expect this to be a close game, with Dallas finally solving Vancouver.
Prediction: Stars 3, Canucks 2 (OT)


The rest of tonight’s predictions:
Hurricanes over Bruins
Devils over Senators
Maple Leafs over Panthers
Thrashers over Islanders
Blackhawks over Blue Jackets
Capitals over Canadiens
Predators over Flames
Wild over Kings
Sharks over Coyotes
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Morning Links:
- SI… Michael Farber with a great piece on the amazing All-Star Game response from Raleigh.
- Sporting News… Craig Custance also chimes in on the great show that Raleigh put on this weekend.
- Pro Hockey Talk… Anze Kopitar’s All-Star experience is profiled.
- Nashville City Paper… Cleared to practice, Jordin Tootoo is now setting his sights on getting back in game-shape.
- Icethetics… The Lightning have made some bold changes in their uniform scheme for next year. What is wrong with what they have now??
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Video of the Day:


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