Puck Daddy Viewing Guide: 12 games on tap; most NHL teams back in action
Here is the Puck Daddy Viewing Guide: Spotlighting five things to watch for during tonight's slate of games. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.
Create-a-Caption: "Kevin Bieksa #3 of the Vancouver Canucks sports a Pink Shirt on Anti-Bullying day as teammate Jason Garrison #5 puts his arm around him after their game-day skate before their match against the St. Louis Blues ... February 26 is Pink Shirt Anti-Bullying Day in Vancouver with a goal to raise awareness about bullying."
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Preview: Montreal Canadiens @ Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:00 p.m. EST
Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets @ New Jersey Devils, 7:00 p.m. EST
Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs @ New York Islanders, 7:00 p.m. EST
Preview: Chicago Blackhawks @ New York Rangers, 7:00 p.m. EST
Preview: San Jose Sharks @ Philadelphia Flyers, 7:00 p.m. EST
Preview: Detroit Red Wings @ Ottawa Senators, 7:30 p.m. EST
Preview: Washington Capitals @ Florida Panthers, 7:30 p.m. EST
Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning @ Nashville Predators, 8:00 p.m. EST
Preview: Phoenix Coyotes @ Winnipeg Jets, 8:00 p.m. EST
Preview: Carolina Hurricanes @ Dallas Stars, 8:30 p.m. EST
Preview: Los Angeles Kings @ Calgary Flames, 9:30 p.m. EST
Preview: Minnesota Wild @ Edmonton Oilers, 9:30 p.m. EST
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Five things to know about tonight's NHL games ...
1) Back to school night. With the exception of a few teams, nearly all of the NHL is playing their first game back after the Olympic break this evening.
2) Silly season. We are just days away from the trade deadline and the rumors are ramping up. Will the 'big names' (Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan, Martin St. Louis, Mike Cammalleri, etc.) involved allow their play on the ice be impacted by all the speculation?
3) LA is offensive. Well it looks like the Kings remembered how to score goals, at least for one game. LA put up six goals on Colorado last night. Prior to the break, they misremembered the object of hockey is to put the puck in the net as many times as possible.
4) Everyone is still watching you, Ovi. It's been a rough few weeks for Alexander Ovechkin. Now that he's back in Washington, everyone is curious as to which Alex they're going to get back. Is it the guy who scored like crazy prior to the Olympics? Could it be a sad sack on his own island after the disappointment in Sochi? If he was hoping to be out of the spotlight for a while, that's not happening while the Caps make a run for the post-season.
5) Broken D-Fence. The Penguins were already down defenseman Kris Letang heading into the Olympic break and will remain that way for an indefinite amount of time. Now they're without d-man Paul Martin due to a broken hand. Brooks Orpik is still on the team and that isn't the best news. So things aren't great in Pittsburgh as far as the blueline is concerned. Here's to hoping Olli Maata learned A LOT while playing for Team Finland.
Bold prediction: Martin St. Louis has another four goal game just to stick it to Steve Yzerman. Lightning win 4-1.
