Puck Daddy Viewing Guide: Geritol in Jersey, Ovi hearts Hurricanes
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: "The San Jose Sharks warm up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center."
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Preview: Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes, 7:00 p.m. ET
Preview: Anaheim Ducks at New Jersey Devils, 7:00 p.m. ET
Preview: New York Islanders at New York Rangers, 7:00 p.m. ET
Preview: Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:00 p.m. ET
Preview: Florida Panthers at Winnipeg Jets, 8:00 p.m. ET
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Five things to know about tonight's NHL games ...
1. Ovi's favorite natural disasters are Hurricanes. In his last five games against the Carolina Hurricanes, Alexander Ovechkin has four goals and three assists. Ovi continues to lead the league in goal scoring at 28 and currently sits at 399 total goals in his career.
2. Old Guy vs. Old Guy. Looking at the stat-sheet Jaromir Jagr, a spritely 41 years-old, is having a better season than opponent, 43 year-old Teemu Selanne. Jagr leads the Devils in points at 29 (12-17=29), making him trade-bait for a contender come the deadline. Selanne is in unfamiliar territory. The Finnish Flash has declared this season to be his last and that's probably a good thing. Teemu's minutes have decreased, as has his scoring (4-5=9). With a goal tonight, Jagr ties Mark Messier on the all-time goal list at 694; Selanne is 15 goals away from Messier's spot with 679.
3. Stadium Series game preview, part 2. The New York Rangers and New York Islanders will be meeting January 29th at Yankee Stadium as part of the NHL's 32,490,384 game Stadium Series. In the first match of the season series back on Long Island, the Rangers beat the Isle, 3-2. Despite both teams having less-than-stellar records, NHL.com reports the rivalry is as wild as ever. On thing to pay special attention to is the play of Henrik Lundqvist. King Henrik was flattened by Pittsburgh's Chris Kunitz in the Rangers' last game. He was able to finish the game but was seen getting a neck massage prior to taking the net for a shoot-out New York ended up losing.
4. Canucks trying to look past broken streak. Prior to last night's loss in Dallas, the Vancouver Canucks were riding a seven game win streak which kept them in playoff contention within the ultra-competitive Western Conference and the gnarly Pacific Division. Vancouver wants to avoid post-streak let down and they couldn't have picked a more difficult opponent to go against. The NHL's top team, the Chicago Blackhawks, love playing the Canucks and want to feed on the sorrows of the 'Nucks. Chicago won't have Luongo to light up in net; backup Eddie Lack gets the nod after Bobby Lou started yesterday.
5. Zach Bogosian returns for Jets against confident Panthers. In their last 10 games, the Winnipeg Jets are 4-5-1 and the spotlight is getting even brighter on head coach Claude Noel. Noel will at least have defenseman Zach Bogosian back in the lineup tonight but it may not be enough against the surging ... Florida Panthers? The Panthers are 7-3-0 in their last 10; winning seven of their last eight games.
Bold Prediction: Eddie Lack throws a shutout and goes on win-streak just to jumpstart the goalie debate for the billionth time.
