Category Archives: NHL

NHL, Tyler Englander

Monday’s NHL Matchup to Watch (Flames at Kings)

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Flames at Kings

 

Preview:

Tonight the Calgary Flames will travel to Los Angeles  to take on the Kings, in the League’s most intriguing matchup on this Monday. This game could ultimately determine who gets into the playoffs and who doesn’t with the Kings holding onto the eighth and final playoff spot while the Flames are on the outside looking in, holding onto the nine seed. The Flames got off to a fast start this season, but have struggled recently, losing eight straight games. The Flames have to get back on track as they are in danger of falling considerably in the very tough Western Conference. The good news for the Flames is they won three of their last five against the Kings. Speaking of the Kings, they come into this one in the middle of a four game home stand that will conclude Saturday against the Sharks. The Kings have won the first two one their home stand and look to stay hot and get a win heading into the Christmas break.

Prediction:

With the Flames struggling, it makes me believe that they were pretenders earlier in the season and I don’t see a way that they go on the road to defeat the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Team Leaders:

Goals:

CAL- Jiri Hudler (13)

LAK- Tanner Pearson (11)

Points:

CAL- Mark Giordano (32)

LAK- Jeff Carter (32)

Plus/Minus (+/-)

CAL- T.J. Brodie (+15)

LAK- Tyler Toffoli (+14)

NHL, Tyler Englander

Sunday’s NHL Matchup to Watch (Maple Leafs at Blackhawks)

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Preview:

In the NHL’s most interesting matchup on this final Sunday before Christmas, the Toronto Maple Leafs will travel to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks. Both clubs are coming off losses yesterday, but the Leafs especially after giving up seven goals to depleted Flyers team. The Leafs are currently sitting in the first wild card spot of the Eastern Conference playoffs while the Blackhawks are sitting comfortably in second spot in the Western Conference. The Hawks come into this one with one of the league’s best offenses, but have played .500 hockey over their last ten games. Expect James Reimer to be in goal tonight for the Leafs as Jonathan Bernier gave up seven goals last night. On the Hawks side it is unlikely that Corey Crawford will play both ends of a back to back as he just recently returned from a leg injury. If Crawford doesn’t go it will be Antti Raanta in net.

Prediction:

Both these clubs are coming off a game last night so I would expect a sloppy game. With both these teams high powered offenses I would expect their to be a surplus of goals. With that being said I would expect the Blackhawks to rebound behind their stat duo of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

Team Leaders:

Goals:

TOR- Phil Kessel (17)

CHI- Patrick Kane (15)

Points:

TOR- Phil Kessel (36)

CHI- Patrick Kane (33)

Plus/Minus (+/-)

TOR- Mike Santorelli (+15)

CHI- Kris Versteeg (+15)

NHL, Tyler Englander

Wednesday’s NHL Matchup to Watch (Bruins at Wild)

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Boston Bruins at Minnesota Wild

(15-13-3)             (16-12-1)

Preview: With only three games on the NHL circuit tonight, it’s not a great night to be a hockey fan. With that being said, the most interesting game tonight is the Boston Bruins against the Minnesota Wild. Both teams will head into tonight’s game on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs are concerned, as they are both tenth in their respective conferences. Both teams are playing the second game of a back to back tonight.  Boston lost in a shootout last night in Nashville, while the Wild lost a high scoring affair against the Chicago Blackhawks. This game is important for both teams as they try to gain ground in the  standings, but with the Bruins on a tough road trip this is a must win for game for a team that has dropped seven of their last ten. The Bruins may get the boost they need as David Krejci may return tonight. The center has played in only eleven games this year registering three goals and seven assists. The Wild have a big question mark coming into this one, Who will be in Goal? Both Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper have come down with an illness, but neither have been ruled out for tonight’s game. The Wild have called up goalie John Curry from Iowa just in case neither Backstrom and Kuemper can play tonight.

Prediction: With both clubs coming off physical games yesterday expect this one to be a little bit sloppy. Both teams will play desperate, but with the uncertainty of who will be in goal for the Wild, I would give the upper hand to the Bruins.

Team Leaders:

Goals:

BOS- Reilly Smith (8)

MIN- Nino Niederreiter (14)

Points:

BOS- Patrice Bergeron (16)

MIN- Ryan Suter (17)

Plus/Minus (+/-)

BOS- Kevan Miller & Brad Marchand (+7)

MIN- Jonas Brodin (+15)

NHL, Tyler Englander

Monday’s NHL Matchup To Watch (Kings At Blues)

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Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues

(15-10-6)                        (20-8-2)

Preview:

In a potential thriller, the defending Stanley Cup Champion, Los Angeles Kings, take on the St. Louis Blues. Tonights game will be the first of two meetings between these two teams in three days. These two clubs are very familiar with one another as they have faced off in two of the last three Stanley Cup Playoffs. In their first matchup of the year, Kings Goalie, Jonathan Quick stole the show with a 43 save shutout against Ken Hitchcock’s team. In the past, the Blues have struggled against the Kings going 2-7-2 over the last four seasons. With Brian Elliott still out for the Blues, 24 year old netminder Jake Allen is expected to make the start. Allen has played in fifteen games this season, winning ten of them with 2.50 goals against average. With the Kings struggling to find offense, Los Angeles looks to finish off their road trip strong as they have lost two in a row while the Blues look to stay hot as they are riding a two game win streak.

Prediction: With the the Kings losing two in a row I expect them to come out and play desperate as they look to take advantage of the of rookie goalie, Jake Allen. The Blues have struggled in the past against the Kings and I expect that to continue as Jonathan Quick will step up big time to get his team back on track.

Team Leaders:

Goals:

LA- Tanner Pearson (11)

STL- Vladimir Tarasenko (17)

Points:

LA- Tyler Toffoli (23)

STL- Vladimir Tarasenko (32)

Plus/Minus (+/-)

LA- Tyler Toffoli (+14)

STL- Vladimir Tarasenko (+17)

NHL, Tyler Englander

Monday’s Hockey Matchup to Watch

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Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins:

(19-9-3)                           (19-6-4)

Preview: In the league’s most interesting game tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins. Both of these two clubs are in first place of their respective divisions and look to open up a larger lead heading into the short Christmas break. The NHL’s best player, Sidney Crosby, will miss his third straight game after being diagnosed with mumps. Radko Gudas will also be out tonight for the Lightning with an illness. The Lightning look to rebound coming off a disappointing loss to the Capitals, while the Pens look to secure two points after falling to the Blue Jackets in a shootout on Saturday. Look for this game to be won on special teams; as both the Lightning and Penguins average over ten minutes of penalty minutes per game. Even without Crosby, the Pens are still potent on offense and could create problems for Tampa Bay. With that being said, lets not overlook a very strong offensive team in Tampa Bay, who have one of the top first lines in hockey.

Prediction: Expect this one to be a high scoring game with the teams combining for at least seven goals. The Penguins offense is still explosive without Crosby and I expect them to pull out a win by a score of 4-3.

 

Team Leaders:

Goals:

TB- Steven Stamkos (17)

PIT- Evgeni Malkin (15)

Points:

TB- Steven Stamkos (34)

PIT- Evgeni Malkin (36)

Plus Minus(+/-)

TB- Tyler Johnson (+17)

PIT- Christian Ehrhoff (+14)

Justin Galus, NHL

Wednesdays Hockey Matchup to Watch

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Wednesday 12-3-14

Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues

(16-6-2)                            (15-8-1)

Preview: This game is divisional and both are currently in the playoffs if they were to start now. But unfortunately for both teams there is still a long road ahead. These two teams will face 3 more times after tonight. They have already played once this season on October 25th, and St Louis pulled out ahead with a 3-2 victory due to a game winning goal by Dmitri Jaškin. However this game will definitely not be the same. Both of the usual starting goalies won’t even be dressed in their jersey. Brian Elliot (Goalie for the Blues) is suffering a knee injury and Corey Crawford (Goalie for the Blackhawks) is out 3-4 weeks with a lower-body injury. Recently, the Blues signed Martin Brodeur, soon to be hall of famer who played the past 21 years with the Devils, to a 1 year contract year. He won’t get the start though, Jake Allen will. Jake Allen has almost played the same amount of games as the starter (Brian Elliot), totaling a record of 8-2-1 which isn’t very good for a normal backup. As for the Blackhawks, with Crawford out, Antti Raanta will start. Raanta has played 3 games and has a 1-2-0 record and has allowed 6 goals. Another key loss for the Blackhawks is Left Wing, Patrick Sharp. Although this is a huge loss, the Blackhawks forwards and defensemen are so strong throughout they will still put up a huge fight. That’s only if there goalie, Raanta, can keep them in it. This will be a battle of the goalies, but just like all hockey games, only one comes out on top and can take home the win.

My Prediction: I think the Blues will win this game because even though they do not have many top players I think their goalie will be able to stop the players on Chicago better than Raanta will for the Blackhawks.

Point Leaders:

CHI- Patrick Kane (23) STL- Vladimir Tarasenko (25)

Goal Leaders:

CHI- Jonathan Toews (10) STL- Vladimir Tarasenko (14)

Plus/Minus Leaders:

CHI- Kris Versteeg (10) STL- Vladimir Tarasenko (17)

Justin Galus, NHL

Friday’s Hockey Matchup to Watch

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Winnipeg Jets vs. Boston Bruins (H)

(12-9-3)                  (13-9-1)

Preview: These teams are both tied in points and rest in third place in each of their divisions. Therefore both of these would be qualified for the playoffs.  The Bruins haven’t decline in awhile and especially not after winning the Stanley Cup in 2011. This has happened due to their top notch players such as Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, and Tuukka Rask. This year Chara was injured and this made a big impact on the defense but with great forwards and an outstanding goalie, it was not surprising that they didn’t decline that much. The Winnipeg Jets, came into the league in 2011-2012 season. They used to be known as the Atlanta Thrashers but relocated and renamed. The team consists of many top players such as Evander Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, and Ondrej Pavelec. The main leader of the Winnipeg Jets defense is Dustin Byfuglien, who is well known throughout the league as a top defensemen. This will be a great game and I recommend watching it till the very end.

My Prediction: I think that the Boston Bruins will win because no matter the injuries Boston never seems to disappoint.

BOS- Patrice Bergeron (16) WPG-  Andrew Ladd (16)

Goal Leaders:

BOS-  Patrice Bergeron (5) WPG- Andrew Ladd (8)

Plus/Minus Leaders:

BOS-  Loui Eriksson (5) WPG- Bryan Little (13)

Justin Galus, NHL

Wednesday’s Hockey Matchup to Watch

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Washington Capitals vs. New York Islanders

(9-8-3)                                  (15-6-0)

Preview: This is a divisional game within the Metropolitan division. Right now the Islanders have 30 points, and the Capitals have 21. Tied with the Penguins for first in the division, they have been a definite underdog based off their record last year (34-37-11). The Capitals on the other hand are currently placed fourth in their division. The Rangers are placed third and play tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who is having a great season. With the Capitals only being down 1 point behind the Rangers, all Capitals fans (like myself) are hoping for a Ranger loss. You’re not an NHL fan if you don’t know the name Alexander Ovechkin. He has been in this league since 2004 and was drafted by the Capitals with the first overall pick. Tonight’s game will mark his 700th game in the regular season. There is no doubt that he has made a name for himself in this league and will be a key player to watch in the game tonight. For the Islanders, the key player to watch is John Tavares. He was also drafted first overall by the Islanders in 2009. Only being in this league 5 years he has proved himself worthy to be in this league. This is a game you won’t want to miss.

My Prediction: I predict the Washington Capitals because they are more determined and wanna take over 3rd place in the division. I an interview with NHL.com, Alexander Ovechkin said “It’s like a playoff mentality right now for us.”

Point Leaders:

WSH- Nicklas Backstrom (19) NYI- John Tavares (20)

Goal Leaders:

WSH- Alex Ovechkin (9) NYI- Brock Nelson (10)

Plus/Minus Leaders:

WSH- Nate Schmidt (6) NYI- Ryan Strome (9)

Justin Galus, NHL

Monday’s Hockey Matchup to Watch

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Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

(13-9-0)                                (13-4-2)

Preview: Both of these team are widely known by all NHL fans. In the past 6 years both of these teams have won the Stanley Cup. In 2009, the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings under coach Dan Blysma, who was fired this offseason. This was a tight series, having to play all 7 games. The penguins won game 7 with a game winning goal by Maxime Talbot, who currently plays for the Colorado Avalanche. In 2011, the Bruins won their first Stanley Cup against the Vancouver Canucks under coach Claude Julien. This series also went to all seven games, and in game 7 Patrice Bergeron scored the game winner. Bergeron has not left the Bruins since, and continues to perform at a high standard. Bergeron came out of an incredible season. Both of these teams consist of top NHL players and expect to see a high scoring game.

My Prediction: I think that the Bruins will win because they are in more need for a win to continue to try and climb to the top of their division. They currently place 3rd.

Point Leaders:

BOS- Patrice Bergeron (16) PIT- Sidney Crosby (26)

Goal Leaders:

BOS-  Patrice Bergeron (5) PIT- Patric Hornqvist (9)

Plus/Minus Leaders:

BOS-  Brad Marchand (5) PIT- Christian Ehrhoff (13)

Justin Galus, NHL

Sunday’s Hockey Matchup to Watch

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Sunday 11-23-14

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks

Preview: 2 years ago the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, and since have not declined. Currently they place 3rd in the Central Division. Although you might think that this will be an easy win, that is not the case. The Canucks consist of many top players such as the Sedin twins and Ryan Miller.  The Sedin twins consist of Daniel and Henrik Sedin. They were both drafted by Vancouver and were the first and second overall picks in the 1999 NHL draft. They both have been in the league for so long that Daniel Sedin will hit his 1000th game in his career tonight. The top players on the Blackhawks are Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Corey Crawford.  These players create such a well built team that is hard to stop.

My Prediction: I think that the Blackhawks will win because they have more players that are more consistent and talented. These players will produce more points and eventually win this game.

Point Leaders:

CHI- Jonathan Toews (18) VAN- Henrik Sedin (20)

Goal Leaders:

CHI- Jonathan Toews (9) VAN- Radim Vrbata (9)

Plus/Minus Leaders:

CHI- Kris Versteeg (7) VAN- Nick Bonino (7)