NHL Game Previews & Matchups

Tuesday, January 8th (All times eastern)

CAROLINA HURRICANES (21-19-4) AT BOSTON BRUINS (21-16-4), 7 P.M.

The Boston Bruins will aim for their fourth consecutive victory tonight when they welcome the Carolina Hurricanes for a battle at TD Banknorth Garden.

The Bruins have won three in a row directly on the heels of a six-game losing streak — their longest slide of the season. The three victories have come at the start of a five-game homestand, which ends Thursday against Montreal.

Boston ended its skid with a win over Atlanta on New Year’s Eve and then defeated Washington and New Jersey. The latest triumph came Saturday against the visiting Devils, as P.J. Axelsson had a goal and two assists to lead the Bruins to the 4-3 triumph.

Marco Sturm chipped in with a goal and an assist, while Phil Kessel had a pair of helpers for Boston.

Tim Thomas was solid between the pipes, stopping 42-of-45 shots in the win. Dennis Wideman and Marc Savard also tallied for the Bruins.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have dropped four of their last five contests and are coming off Saturday’s close setback in St. Louis. Manny Legace made 27 saves for his third shutout of the season and the Blues held on for the 1-0 victory at Scottrade Center.

It was the first time Carolina played in St. Louis since October 15, 2002, a game St. Louis won by a 2-1 score.

Michael Leighton gave up the only goal on 19 shots for the Hurricanes, who are first in the Southeast Division, but hold just a three-point lead over Atlanta.

Boston is 11-6-2 as the host this season, while the Hurricanes are 11-11-2 on the road.

Carolina posted a home win over the Bruins on December 28 in the first meeting between the clubs this year. The Hurricanes have taken two in a row, four of five and seven of the last nine encounters with the Bruins.

Boston has also been defeated in two straight and six of its previous seven home tilts against the Hurricanes.

BUFFALO SABRES (19-18-3) AT NEW JERSEY DEVILS (23-15-3), 7 P.M.

The Buffalo Sabres will try to avoid their first seven-game losing streak in over four years when they visit the New Jersey Devils tonight at the Prudential Center.

The Sabres have dropped six in a row for the first time since March 18-27, 2006. Another setback this evening would give Buffalo its first seven-game slide since December 4-19, 2003.

Buffalo’s most recent setback came Sunday in Atlanta as the Thrashers posted a 5-2 triumph behind a two-goal performance from Marian Hossa.

Thomas Vanek and Clarke MacArthur scored for the Sabres, and Ryan Miller struggled, allowing four goals on 29 shots.

The Sabres are playing the middle portion of a three-game road trip tonight and are just 8-10-2 as the visiting club this season. Buffalo has dropped its last three tests as the away team.

The Devils had begun the new year with back-to-back wins, but were handed their first loss of 2008 this past Saturday in Boston. P.J. Axelsson had a goal and two assists to lift the Bruins past Jersey, 4-3, at TD Banknorth Garden.

Dainius Zubrus had a goal and an assist for the Devils, who lost for just the second time in seven games. Johnny Oduya and Travis Zajac also scored in defeat.

Kevin Weekes, who was making a rare start in net for the Devils, made 21 saves.

Weekes is the backup to future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur and is 2-2-1 in six games (five starts) this season. Brodeur will be back in net tonight after getting his day of rest.

New Jersey is 12-5-0 in its first 17 games at the Prudential Center. The Devils have won four in a row and nine of their last 10 home contests.

The Devils beat Buffalo on December 28 in another matchup at the Prudential Center. New Jersey has won three of four and five of the last seven encounters with the Sabres.

The Sabres have also lost two in a row and 10 of their last 11 tests in New Jersey, although this is just Buffalo’s second-ever stop in Newark.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (15-22-5) AT NEW YORK RANGERS (20-17-5), 7 P.M.

Somebody will pick up their first win of 2008 this evening, as the New York Rangers welcome the free-falling Tampa Bay Lightning to Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers have dropped their last three games, but that slide is nothing compared to the funk Tampa Bay is currently going through.

The Lightning have dropped seven straight, 10 of 11 and 12 of their last 14 contests and are now the worst team in the Eastern Conference with just 35 points on the year.

Tampa Bay hasn’t been defeated in eight straight contests since January 12-25, 2001.

Tampa Bay’s latest setback came Saturday in Ottawa, as the Senators pulled off an overtime victory. Mike Fisher scored with 1:43 left in OT to lift Ottawa to the 4-3 decision at Scotiabank Place.

In the extra session, Fisher side-stepped Tampa Bay defenseman Brad Lukowich at the left circle and fired a wrister through the five-hole of Johan Holmqvist.

Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier each posted a goal and an assist for Tampa Bay. Holmqvist, making his first start since December 27th, allowed four goals on 27 shots in defeat.

The Lightning are 0-1-2 so far on their four-game road trip that ends tonight. Tampa Bay has a dreadful 3-14-3 record as the visiting team this year and has lost five straight and 10 of its previous 11 road tilts.

The Rangers went 0-2-1 in their recent tour of Western Canada, as they lost games in Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton. The Oilers notched a 3-2 shootout win over New York on Saturday, as Sam Gagner scored the game-winner in the deciding session.

Gagner was the first shooter for Edmonton and his quick wrister was slowed down by Henrik Lundqvist, but it retained enough momentum to trickle across the goal line. Mathieu Garon then made saves on Scott Gomez and Jaromir Jagr to seal the win for Edmonton.

Dan Girardi and Chris Drury each scored a goal for the Rangers, who fell to 7-9-5 on the road this year. Lundqvist made 21 saves in the losing effort.

New York is 13-8-0 as the home club this year and is kicking off a three-game homestand this evening. The Blueshirts will also welcome Philadelphia and Montreal.

The Rangers are 2-0 against the Lightning this season and have won three straight and six of the last 10 encounters overall. Tampa Bay has also dropped three straight and four of its previous five stops at MSG.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (20-15-4) AT ATLANTA THRASHERS (21-21-1), 7 P.M.

The Philadelphia Flyers will aim for their fifth win in six tries tonight, when they visit the Atlanta Thrashers for a battle at Philips Arena.

The Flyers notched a 3-2 win Saturday evening in Toronto as Mike Richards scored the game-winner with just 2:51 to play.

On the power play after Ian White was called for interference, Mike Knuble attempted a sweeping shot from the left side of the net that Andrew Raycroft stopped, but Richards was sitting at the right side and slammed home the rebound.

The Flyers certainly had problems on defense in the win as they surrendered a franchise-record 56 shots.

Antero Niittymaki made 54 saves and Steve Downie and Jeff Carter each scored a goal for the Flyers. Niittymaki will be in net again tonight, as he starts back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Philadelphia is 12-10-0 as the visiting team this year and is 3-1-0 on its current six-game road trip. The Flyers will complete the swing Thursday against the New York Rangers.

The Flyers did lose winger Joffrey Lupul to injury in the win, as teammate Derian Hatcher slammed into him after checking Toronto’s Alex Steen. Lupul, who has 16 goals and 35 points this season, suffered a concussion and spinal cord contusion. He is expected to miss at least two weeks.

Philly will also be without a trio of players tonight as defenseman and team captain Jason Smith (shin), and forwards Scottie Upshall (ankle) and Sami Kapanen (dental) will sit out this evening’s tilt.

On the other hand, Philly is finally expected to get star forward Simon Gagne back this week after a two-month absence while recovering from a concussion. Gagne is coming off back-to-back 40-goal seasons, but hasn’t played since November 7. He is not expected to play tonight, but could return Thursday against the Rangers.

The Thrashers have won two of their last three contests and are coming off Sunday’s easy win over visiting Buffalo. Marian Hossa scored twice as the Thrashers beat the Sabres, 5-2, at Philips Arena.

Pascal Dupuis, Colin Stuart and Ilya Kovalchuk also tallied for the Thrashers, while Johan Hedberg made 37 saves in the win.

Kovalchuk extended his point streak to six games and is first in the NHL in goals (34) and third in points (59).

Todd White has also notched a point in six straight games for Atlanta, posting a goal and six helpers during the run.

The Thrashers are playing the third tilt of a five-game homestand and are 11-10-0 as the host this season.

Philadelphia has won seven straight, 10 of 11 and 12 of the last 14 meetings with the Thrashers. The Flyers beat visiting Atlanta, 4-0, in the first matchup of the year on October 16.

Philly has also taken five straight in Atlanta.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (19-19-3) AT MONTREAL CANADIENS (20-13-8), 7:30 P.M.

A pair of Original Six franchises will tangle tonight in Montreal, as the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

The Canadiens, who will celebrate their centennial next season, are honoring 82 seasons of the rivalry between the Habs and Blackhawks with a pre-game ceremony before tonight’s game. Former Montreal greats such as Guy Lafleur and Henri Richard will be in attendance as will Chicago hockey legends Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito.

According to Canadiens’ stat keepers, Montreal leads the all-time regular season battle against the Blackhawks, as the Habs are 299-148 with 103 ties versus Chicago.

Tonight marks Chicago’s first stop in Montreal since February 1, 2004, when the Canadiens notched a 6-4 decision. The Habs have won five of the last seven meetings overall.

The Blackhawks come into tonight’s contest in the midst of a five-game losing streak, the club’s longest slide of the year. Chicago’s last six-game slide came from March 16-28 of last season.

Chicago’s latest setback came Sunday against visiting Detroit in a more common example of an Original Six rivalry. Chris Osgood made 19 saves as the Red Wings knocked off their divisional foe by a 3-1 count at the United Center.

Rene Bourque scored the lone goal while Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 25 shots in the loss for the Blackhawks.

Chicago’s slide has a great deal to do with injuries as the team is currently without a handful of regulars, including exciting rookie centerman Jonathan Toews (knee) and defensemen Brent Sopel (broken finger) and James Wisniewski (knee).

The Blackhawks are just 7-9-2 as the visiting team this year and have lost three straight and seven of their previous eight road tilts.

Montreal is also coming off a setback as it dropped a close home game against Washington on Saturday. Mike Green scored the overtime winner to lift the Capitals to the 5-4 decision at the Bell Centre.

Tomas Plekanec notched a goal and two assists for Montreal, which has still earned at least a point in five straight games (3-0-2). Alexei Kovalev chipped in a goal and an assist, while Carey Price stopped 24 shots in defeat.

Montreal is completing a three-game homestand tonight and has a disappointing 7-7-5 record in front of its rabid fans. The Habs will then kick off a four- game road trip Thursday evening in Boston.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (23-16-2) AT FLORIDA PANTHERS (19-20-3), 7:30 P.M.

The red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins will try to extend their six-game winning streak this evening, when they visit the Florida Panthers at the BankAtlantic Center in the finale of a home-and-home series.

The Penguins are in the midst of their longest winning streak of the season and haven’t won seven straight since reeling off 10 consecutive victories from January 28-February 15, 1999.

Pittsburgh’s recent surge has moved the club within a point of New Jersey for first place in the Atlantic Division.

The latest victory for the Penguins came Saturday against the visiting Panthers, as Pittsburgh notched a 3-0 victory behind the fourth career shutout from Ty Conklin. Sidney Crosby posted a goal and an assist to lead the Penguins on offense.

Evgeni Malkin also had a goal and a helper for the Penguins, who have also won seven of their last eight contests. Tyler Kennedy also tallied in the win.

Conklin was brilliant, stopping all 35 shots faced, while improving to 7-0-0 on the year and earning his second shutout this season.

Crosby is even with Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf for the longest current point streak in the NHL, as both have reached the scoresheet in eight consecutive games. Crosby has two goals and 12 assists during the run.

Tonight marks the opener of a three-game road trip for Pittsburgh, which is 11-8-0 as the visiting club this year. The Pens will also stop in Tampa Bay and Atlanta.

The Panthers, meanwhile, have lost four of their last five games and were handed the recent whitewashing in Pittsburgh. Tomas Vokoun made 28 saves for Florida in the loss.

Florida is 9-9-2 as the host club this season and has dropped three straight games in Sunrise.

Pittsburgh has won the last three meetings against the Panthers, but has also dropped eight of its previous 10 stops at BankAtlantic Center.

COLORADO AVALANCHE (22-16-3) AT DETROIT RED WINGS (32-8-3), 7:30 P.M.

The Avalanche picked a good time to halt their season-high losing streak as Colorado will need a little bit of momentum tonight when it heads to Detroit to battle the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

The Avalanche were in the midst of a four-game losing streak, their first since November of last season, before downing the New York Islanders, 2-1, in overtime on Saturday. Colorado avoided its first five-game slide since 1998.

Marek Svatos scored the game-winning goal with 2:55 left in overtime, lifting a backhander over Islanders netminder Rick DiPietro.

Jordan Leopold also scored and Jose Theodore made 23 saves for the Avalanche. Theodore recorded his first win since a 9-5 triumph over the St. Louis Blues on December 9th.

Theodore had lost his previous two outings, as he continues to play behind Peter Budaj on the depth chart. Budaj, though, has allowed three goals in each of his last three starts and in four of his last five outings.

Brett Clark collected an assist on Leopold’s marker as both he and Svatos posted their 100th career points.

The Avalanche, of course, are playing without both Joe Sakic (hernia surgery) and Ryan Smyth (broken right ankle).

Colorado, which is four points behind first-place Calgary in the Northwest Division, begins a five-game road trip tonight. The Avs are 6-10-3 as the visiting team this year and will also play in Washington, Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay.

While the Avalanche halted a recent skid, the Red Wings have done nothing but win this season. Detroit’s current winning streak reached three games on Sunday after a 3-1 victory over Chicago.

Chris Osgood made 19 saves to post his fourth straight win in net. He has an amazing 19-2-1 mark this year to go along with a 1.68 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.

However, Detroit has been rotating between Osgood and Dominik Hasek this year in net, so Hasek could be the starting goaltender tonight. Hasek is 13-6-2 with a 2.21 GAA and .896 save percentage this season.

Henrik Zetterberg scored his team-leading 26th goal of the season, while Daniel Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson each scored a goal as the Red Wings won for the seventh time in eight games and lead the NHL, Western Conference and Central Division with 67 points.

Cleary lit the lamp in his third straight game, while Nicklas Lidstrom has four assists over his last three games.

Tomas Holmstrom missed his eighth straight game because of a right knee injury and remains day-to-day. He hasn’t played since December 20.

Defenseman Chris Chelios will hit another milestone tonight, as he when he steps on the ice for his first shift, he will pass Maurice “Moe” Roberts as the second-oldest player to play a game in NHL history.

Roberts last skated in a game at the age of 45 years and 347 days. He set that mark during the 1951-52 season as he came in as an injury replacement while working as a trainer for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Ironically, one of the players skating against Roberts on that day was Gordie Howe, who went on to pass Roberts as the oldest player to ever skate in an NHL game (52 years, 6 days).

Detroit owns the league’s best home record at 17-3-1, and play the first of back-to-back games as the host. The Red Wings welcome Minnesota to town on Thursday.

The Red Wings earned a 4-2 win in Colorado on December 27 in the first meeting of the season between the clubs this year. Detroit has won nine of its last 11 against the Avs and five of seven in Motown.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (19-17-6) AT ST. LOUIS BLUES (20-14-5), 8:30 P.M.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will conclude a four-game road trip tonight with a stop in St. Louis to tangle with the Blues at Scottrade Center.

Columbus is 1-2-0 on the trip so far after losing to San Jose, 3-2, on Saturday. Patrick Rissmiller’s first career two-goal game helped the Sharks defeat the Blue Jackets.

Andrew Murray and Sergei Fedorov tallied for Columbus. Pascal Leclaire allowed two goals on 15 shots, but Fredrik Norrena took over between the pipes at the beginning of the third and finished with three saves.

Leclaire, who leads the NHL with seven shutouts, was pulled early due to illness and will not play tonight. He has a pair of shutouts versus the Blues this season.

Netminder Steve Mason was recalled from the OHL and added to the roster on an emergency basis. Mason was recently named the MVP as the top goaltender at the 2008 World Junior Championships after helping lead Canada to its fourth straight gold medal. He went 5-0-0 with a 1.19 goals-against average in the tournament.

Columbus is 6-11-2 as the road team this year and failed to win back-to-back road games for the first time since October 23 and 31. The Blue Jackets opened their current trek with a win in Anaheim last Wednesday before defeating Los Angeles the following day.

The Blue Jackets will next return home for three games, starting with a visit from St. Louis on Friday. However, this is not a home-and-home set, as the Blues will wrap their current four-game homestand on Thursday against Dallas.

After losing the opener of their residency against Edmonton in overtime, the Blues posted a 1-0 victory over Carolina on Saturday. Manny Legace left the Oilers game early due to illness, but was in net over the weekend and made 27 saves for his first shutout of the season. It was also the 21st shutout of Legace’s career.

Lee Stempniak scored the lone goal on assists from Ryan Johnson and Jay McKee for the Blues, who have won two of their last three.

The victory halted a four-game home losing streak for the Blues, who are 12-7-3 as the host this year.

St. Louis and Columbus are in second and third place, respectively, in the Central Division, though the Blues are 22 points behind front-running Detroit.

Legace, named the NHL’s first star on Monday for his play last week, has two shutouts over his last three starts, including the game he left early. He has given up just one goal in his last 199 minutes of action, stopping 78-of-79 shots faced for a 0.30 GAA and .987 save percentage.

Columbus won the first two meetings of the season against St. Louis — both 3-0 wins at home — before the Blues posted a 3-2 victory at the Scottrade Center on November 16.

The Blue Jackets have posted a win in eight of the last 13 in the series and four of six in St. Louis.

PHOENIX COYOTES (21-18-1) AT CALGARY FLAMES (22-14-7), 9 P.M.

Phoenix has finally hit its stride at home, Now the Coyotes will aim to continue their winning ways on the road tonight, as they are set to battle the Calgary Flames at Pengrowth Saddledome.

Phoenix has won four straight games overall, including three in a row at home to push its mark as the host to 8-10-1. The Coyotes have also claimed victory in five straight as the visitor for the second time this season and hold a 13-8-0 road mark this season. The club won just 13 games away from home in all of last season.

The Coyotes last loss on the road came on December 13 against the New York Islanders.

Phoenix is currently on its third four-game winning streak of the season and is trying to win five straight for the first time since a seven-game run from December 28-January 9 of last season.

The Coyotes extended their streak on Saturday, downing Anaheim, 3-2, in a shootout. Peter Mueller scored the lone goal in the extra session, using a quick snap shot that sailed past Jean-Sebastien Giguere low on the right side.

Ilya Bryzgalov stopped all three Ducks shooters and ended with 29 saves in defeating his former team for the second time this year. Bryzgalov is now 12-8-1 since being claimed off waivers from Anaheim on November 17.

Shane Doan and Steven Reinprecht tallied in regulation, and Mueller also added an assist for the Coyotes. Doan, the Coyotes’ leading scorer with 34 points, returned after missing one game with a hand injury, while Reinprecht has five goals and an assist over his last four games.

Phoenix begins a four-game road trip tonight and will also play in Edmonton, Vancouver and Minnesota on the tour.

Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky will coach his 200th game tonight, but is just 88-100-11 behind the bench for Phoenix.

Calgary is on an impressive run of its own, as the Flames have won five in a row and are 12-1-3 since December 4. Calgary, which leads Vancouver by one point for first place in the Northwest Division, won six in a row from December 9-18.

The Flames blew a two-goal lead on Saturday in Los Angeles, but rallied back for a 6-4 victory. Daymond Langkow and Kristian Huselius had a pair of goals and an assist each.

Huselius has been on a tear over his last five games, posting six goals and six assists in that span.

Jarome Iginla added his 32nd goal of the season, which is tied for second in the NHL, and his two assists gave him 60 points on the season, also second in the league. Iginla has seven goals during Calgary’s run.

Robyn Regehr also scored for the surging Flames and Miikka Kiprusoff made 30 saves. Kiprusoff has won all five games during Calgary’s win streak.

The Flames have won three in a row in the road and are 10-7-6 in Calgary this year. The club also hosts the Islanders on Friday.

These two teams are meeting for the first time this year since the Flames took three of four last year against the Coyotes. Calgary has also won five of six and 11 of the last 14 against Phoenix, including three straight and six of the last seven as the host.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (20-17-4) AT VANCOUVER CANUCKS (23-14-4), 10 P.M.

The Canucks haven’t lost at home in regulation in over two months. Vancouver will try to extend that streak tonight, as it welcomes the New York Islanders to General Motors Place.

Vancouver hasn’t been handed a regulation defeat at home since November 1 against Nashville. Since then, the Canucks have gone 11-0-2 at GM Place and have won five straight and 10 of their last 11 as the home team. The club is 12-6-2 overall at home this year.

The Canucks played the first of back-to-back home tests on Thursday, defeating the New York Rangers, 3-0. Roberto Luongo made 28 saves for his sixth shutout of the season, tied for second in the league. It was his 38th career shutout.

Ryan Kesler, Jason Jaffray and Daniel Sedin each scored for the Canucks, who have won three of their last four games overall and trail Calgary by one point for the top spot in the Northwest Division.

Sedin has four goals and one assist in his last four games, while twin brother Henrik has one goal and five assists over his last four tests.

Vancouver will play in San Jose on Thursday.

The Islanders have lost three straight games, including the first two contests of their current five-game road trip. After losing an overtime decision to Colorado on Saturday, New York was blanked, 4-0, by Edmonton on Monday.

The club failed to solve Oilers netminder Mathieu Garon, who stopped all 34 shots fired his way.

Rick DiPietro, meanwhile, turned away 29-of-33 shots for New York, which is 7-10-2 on the road this year and will also visit Calgary and Ottawa on its current road swing.

The Islanders are making their first stop in Vancouver since a 4-3 setback on March 11, 2003. The teams have split two matchups since, with the Canucks notching an 8-1 victory in New York in the most recent meeting on January 14, 2006.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS (20-19-2) AT LOS ANGELES KINGS (15-26-2), 10:30 P.M.

The Nashville Predators will try to get back on the winning track tonight when they meet the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.

The Predators dropped a 5-2 game to Anaheim on Monday in the opener of a three-game road swing. Ryan Getzlaf and Chris Kunitz had a goal and an assist each to help the Ducks down Nashville.

Marek Zidlicky had a goal and assist, as the Predators had a three-game winning streak snapped. J.P. Dumont netted a goal in his fifth straight game and leads the team with 15 goals.

Dan Ellis finished with 32 saves between the pipes, allowing all five Anaheim goals after giving up just three in his previous three starts. Alexander Radulov had a six-game point streak (5 goals, 4 assists) halted in the loss.

Nashville should be without the services of Jordin Tootoo tonight, as he is sidelined with a groin injury.

The Predators are 8-12-1 on the road and will wrap their road trek on Saturday in Columbus.

The Kings dropped a frustrating game on Saturday, falling to Calgary 6-4. Brad Stuart, Ladislav Nagy and Anze Kopitar all scored third-period goals to turn a 3-1 deficit into a one-goal edge. However, the club failed to hold on.

Alexander Frolov had a goal and two assists for the Kings, who fell to 1-2-0 on a season-long six-game homestand. Jason LaBarbera stopped 21-of-26 shots in the loss.

The Kings have been without Michael Cammalleri and his 15 goals and 14 assists since December 22 due to strained rib cartilage and he is again questionable for tonight.

Los Angeles is 9-14-1 at home this year and still have tests with Toronto and Dallas left on this current residency.

The Kings and the Predators have split two meetings so far this year, with each team winning on home ice. When the teams met in LA on October 23, the Kings posted a 6-0 victory, with Cammalleri’s two goals and LaBarbera’s 17 saves leading the way.

Nashville, though, has won two of the last three in the series and four of the last six. However, the Kings have won five of the last seven in LA.

Popularity: 6% [?]