Your morning shot of hockey to go with your coffee.
January 22nd, 2014

LAST NIGHT’S SCORES:

Quick Hits today. Here are yesterday’s picks in case you missed them. Asterisk indicates who I picked:

Panthers down Sabres 4-3 – Timmy T does it again for Florida. Thomas stopped 32 shots from the Sabres with Ryan Miller stopped 18 of the Panthers’ 22. Is Tim Thomas trying to make a case as a possible replacement goalie on the US Olympic Team if Jimmy Howard’s knee injury is worse than we think?

Devils dominate Blues 7-1 – WHAT!? I’m still not sure how this happened. St. Louis controlled the puck well; they actually won the turnover battle and they outshot the Devils. The big difference here was that New Jersey was able to converted 3 of their 4 power plays while the Blues went 0 for 3. I have a feeling their next in St. Louis will have a very different result.

Islanders cruise over Rangers* 5-3 – The Isles were down 3-1 halfway through the second period but then they scored four straight goals to cruise to victory. The big guns for the Islanders played a big part in this game. John Tavares had three assists, Kyle Okposo had two assists, and both Thomas Vanek and Frans Nielsen each had a goal and an assist. These two teams will meet a week from tonight at Yankee Stadium.

Sens blank Caps 2-0 – Craig Anderson stepped up big time in this game stopping all 34 shots the Caps fired at him. 0 came from Alex Ovechkin as he was scratched from the lineup due to an unspecified lower body injury. This was a game of turnovers, a battle the Sens lost actually. With the loss, the Capitals’ losing streak extends to six games and the team continues to fall down the standings.

Blue Jackets drop Kings 5-3 – While the Caps have lost six straight, the Blue Jackets have won seven straight and put themselves right back in the thick of the Metropolitan race. They sit in fourth place only two points behind the Flyers for third and three behind the Rangers for second place. The Blue Jackets not only outshot the Kings, but they also blocked 18 of the Kings’ shots.

Stars blast Wild 4-0 – The Wild only 18 shots. Not to take anything from Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen, but that’s a pretty easy explanation for why the Wild not only lost but were shutout. The Stars doubled-up the Wild with 36 shots, but if they want to bring themselves back into the playoff conversation, they’ll have to improve on the 2 for 7 on the power play.

Leafs beat Avs* 5-2, extend streak to six – Phil Kessel carried the Leafs again with two goals. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon also scored twice, showing that the future is bright for the Avs. Ultimately, James Riemer stepped up big in third for the Maple Leafs stopping 16 of 17 Colorado shots.

Canucks edge Oilers* 2-1 – Well it was a stretch, but this is the result that would’ve been expected. The big story in this game was turnovers: the Canucks gave it away 11 times while the Oilers let it go 16 times.

Jets down Ducks at home 3-2 – THEY FINALLY GO DOWN IN REGULATION!!! That’s the third time the Ducks have lost at home this year and the first time it’s happened in regulation. What a streak, but it did have to end eventually. Ondrej Pavelec stopped 40 of 42 Ducks shots while the Jets’ veterans, Andrew Laad, Blake Wheeler, and Evander Kane, scored their three goals. Neither Corey Perry nor Ryan Getzlaf made a negative impact on this game, but they only combined for one point.

0-3 last night, eh huh huh huh. 56-53 on the season now.

The Flyers/Hurricanes game was postponed until today because of the snowstorm yesterday.

Highlight of the Night:

GAMES  TONIGHT:

The Flyers return home tonight to host the Carolina Hurricanes after the snow postponement yesterday. This is the third of four meeting between these two division foes, the first in Philadelphia; the Hurricanes have won both of the meetings so far. A lot has changed since the Flyers blew a late 1-0 lead on November 5th. The Flyers have charged ahead into the top three of the Metropolitan Division while the Hurricanes have been near the bottom of the standings. Carolina has been playing relatively well as of late and are now only seven points back of the Flyers for third place. The key for the Flyers will be to play a complete game. Keeping guys in front of the net, finishing checks, tape-to-tape passes, and no dumb penalties. The puck drops at 6 from the Wells Fargo Center and you can catch this one on the Comcast Network.

LET’S GO FLYERS!!!

Three other games around the league tonight: Canadiens @ Penguins at 7, Blackhawks @ Red Wings at 8, and Coyotes @ Flames at 9:30. Pens over Habs: The Pens’ home streak may have ended but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still deadly at home. Blackhawks over Red Wings: If the Blues could do it, the Blackhawks can certain do it. And they’ll love doing downing their Original Six Rival on their home ice. Props to NBCSN for picking another actual  rivalry for “Wednesday Night Rivalry” for the second week in a row. Coyotes over Flames: Both teams are cold, but Calgary is colder. Phoenix only trails Minnesota by four points for the final Western Conference playoff spot so they’ll need to turn it around.