I figured it is a good day to get a discussion thread going for Tuesday's games since there is only 1 game Monday (between the last place teams in their respective conferences) that has no appeal coupled with the fact that I took a couple of days off work.
12 games on tap. I'll give a very brief rundown of the matchups. Please add your thoughts and pertinent stats to these games.
PHL at BOS The Flyers are still under .500 on the road (15-16) and still must accumilate points to solidify their playoff standing. The Bruins are 21-9 at home, but only 4-5 in their last 9 home tilts. A lot of trade talks for these 2 teams. There will be a lot of talented forwards in this game.
CAR at WAS The Canes are coming off a disappointing loss to the Thrashers and need to get this game to OT to at least get a point. The Caps are coming off a home drubbing to the Panthers and at this point, the only motivation is getting the 2nd seed over NJ.
FLA at ATL The Panthers are coming off a big win at the Caps and need to string some wins together. Florida has alternated wins and losses in their last 8 games. This is the last of a 5 game road trip. Check Vokoun's status. The Thrashers have been scoring a lot of goals recently. 6 of their last 7 games have gone over. Kovalchuk has had a big 2nd half of the year.
LA at CLB The Kings have lost 3 in a row and have dropped in the standings. Playoffs are very unlikely. The BJ's scored only 3 goals in 3 games on their road trip to Western Canada. CLB needs to win this game at home. All 3 games this year between these teams included a shutout.
NJ at TOR Marty is back... seemingly in midseason form. The Devils are looking for that 2nd seed in the East with an outside chance of 1st. The Leafs have won 4 games in a row, but have almost no chance at the playoffs. The Leafs have beaten NJ both times this year, but are only 11- 19 at home.
CAL at OTT The Flames were rolling along pretty good before laying an egg at home vs the Bolts. Winning their division is likely, but they still need to pick up games like this. Ottawa has lost 5 of 6 and are playing out the string.
PIT at TB No Crosby, no problem for the Pens. They have won 3 games in a row including 2 impressive wins on the road to get back into the playoff hunt. They can't afford to have a hiccup in this game vs a bottom feeder. The Bolts are coming off a win in Calgary, but are only 11-20 at home.
EDM at NAS Big game for both teams. The Oilers are a game above .500 on the road, but face a very good home team. The Preds have won 4 in a row including the rout of Detroit. Nashville has won 11 of the past 12 games in this matchup. The other teams in the West do not want to see this game go to OT.
ANH at CHI The Ducks are hanging in there, but the trade deadline talk is still hanging over them. They need at least a point in this game. The Hawks have been going thru the motions as the 4th seed has been theirs since November. They don't seem too motivated lately. Toews has been on fire, but the Hawks need to get Havlat going and Kane completely healthy.
DET at STL The Wings are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Preds and look to rebound. If the Blues get at least a point in this game, they may become a buyer on Wednesday instead of selling Tkachuk. They will owe it to the guys on the team who have busted their balls to keep the team together and make a push for a spot in the playoffs. Mason has been on fire since Legace was demoted. He has allowed exactly 1 goal in each of the last games (all unders). The Blues PK has been excellent and they have recently won most of the games that have been tied in the 3rd period instead of losing them like they were earlier in the year.
MIN at VAN Huge game for the Wild. They have at least 1 game in hand on their competition in the West, but need to start winning games again. The Wild have lost 3 in a row and 6 of 8, while the Nucks have won 8 of 10. Vancouver has an outside chance of chasing down Calgary for the NW title.
DAL at SJ The wheels are off again in Dallas. They had a 6 game homestand and lost the last 5 games to put their playoff position in jeopardy. The injury to Richards has hurt the PP. Ott is suspended as well to go with the earlier injuries to Morrow and Zubov. Been a long year for coach Tippett. Turco should be back in goal again and needs to get hot agian for the Stars to win on a regular basis as their scoring will continue to slide.
The Sharks are coming off a 4 game road trip where they only scored 6 goals, but managed to win 2 of those games. Check the status of Nabokov.
No lines are up yet in these games, but should be soon.
What teams do you guys like? Why?