Capitals vs. Flyers

Washington vs. Philadelphia

Anytime Alexander Ovechkin and Sydney Crosby get together, it is quite a spectacle. This was the case on Sunday as Washington defeated Pittsburgh 5-2 behind Ovechkin’s goal an assist. He and his teammates will attempt to continue their winning ways when they welcome Philadelphia into the Verizon Center on Tuesday.

The Capitals (38-17-5) star has a league-best 43 goals and leads his team with 77 points. He has been effectively shutdown in both of these categories in his two meetings with the Flyers this season.

Over his past dozen games, Ovechkin has scored 12 times and tallied 18 points. He even got under the skin of Crosby in the waning moments of Sunday’s game.

Jose Theodore figures to get the start for the Capitals since he has fared well against the Flyers, going 4-1-0 with a 2.02 goals against average in his last five games.

Philadelphia (31-17-9) saw their three-game winning streak broken when they dropped a home game to Pittsburgh on Saturday as Crosby netted the game winner with 2:45 remaining in the game.

Crosby’s goal, by his own admission, was nothing spectacular. He simply took advantage of a mistake by Philly goalie Martin Biron, who failed to clear the pick after a Pascal Dupuis breakaway. The puck landed on Crosby’s stick and found its way to the back of the empty net.

Still the Flyers have won five out of their last seven, largely behind the efforts of Mike Richards and Mike Knuble. Each player has scored in the last three games. Richard has tallied nine points in those three games.

The rivals have split their last six games, including a pair this season with each team winning on their home ice.

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Devils vs. Senators

New Jersey Devils -150 vs. Ottawa Senators

Losers of four of their last five contests, the Ottawa Senators have underwent subtle changes. Earlier this season Ottawa’s top scores Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza were put on one line together and the offense flowed. It flowed so well, in fact, that the line was affectionately dubbed the “Pizza Line” because fans were receiving free pizza on a regular basis due to the Senators’ goal output, largely due to the actions of the three goal scores on the line.

But as old pizza tends to do, the line has become to grow stale. In the last four games, in which the team has gone 1-3-1, Ottawa (11-13-5) has scored four goals and coach Craig Hartsburg has decided to dole out the scorers to other lines to attempt to boost his teams offense. The new look Senators will travel to New Jersey to play the surging Devils (17-9-3), winners of 7 of their last ten.

During Ottawa’s latest slump, team scoring leader Heatley and Spezza have failed to notch a point and Alfredsson has only contribute a goal. Ottawa scored one goal, while Martin Gerber allowed four against the Thrashers Tuesday night. Gerber has started three of the past four games, but will be replaced by Alex Auld in New Jersey.

Replacing goaltenders is not a luxury in New Jersey, rather a necessity. The Devils were predicted to drop like a rock in the standings upon Martin Brodeur’s departure from the team due to a torn bicep early last month, but they have done just the opposite. Scott Clemmensen has filled his predessor’s shoes-er skates-quite admirably. Clemmensen is 9-1-1 in his last 11 games and has won five of his last six starts. Kevin Weekes was initially going to be New Jersey’s stop-gap solution, but Clemmensen’s strong play has promoted him to number one while the team awaits the return of Brodeur.

Helping Clemmensen is an offense that has scored 21 times in the last five games. Wednesday night at Buffalo, the Devils won 5-3 behind Patrik Elias’ two assists. Elias has nine goals and 23 points over his past 14 games.

New Jersey has won five of seven versus Ottawa at home. The teams split their four meeting a season ago.

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Canadians vs. Flyers

Montreal -120 vs. Philadelphia

Last season the Montreal Canadiens were riding high and were the odds on favorite to win the Eastern Conference. That was until they ran headlong into the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the playoffs. History somewhat repeated itself just over a month ago when the Canadiens, playing well, lost a home game to the struggling Flyers 2-1. Philadelphia then excelled on their longest winning streak of the season, six, while Montreal has not been the same since.

The Flyers (17-7-6) have quite an impressive record when you take into account that they were the last team in the NHL to record a victory when they started the season (0-3-3). Since that November 15 victory over Montreal, the Flyers lead the league with a 12-1-2 record.

Tuesday night they whipped the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 and claimed their fifth victory in a row. With a victory tonight against the Canadiens, the Flyers will match their longest streak. Mike Richards and Simon Gagne each recorded a goal and two assists. Philadelphia’s Captain, Richards, has been the key factor in the Flyers rise from the ashes by recording seven goals and eight assists.

The Canadiens (16-9-5) lost their third in a row, 3-2, in Carolina. Montreal committed a season-high 11 penalties which led to all three of the Hurricane goals. If Montreal loses to Philadelphia, they will be saddled with their first four-game skid since February 2007.

Montreal is looking to change their luck by starting backup Jaroslav Halak in net, who has a 2.27 goals against average. Starter Carey Price has been out for four games with a lower body injury. He will face the Flyers backup goalie, Antero Niittymaki. Flyers starter Martin Biron will miss his second straight game as he recovers from the flu.

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Devils vs. Penguins

New Jersey -120 vs. Pittsburgh

Many expected the New Jersey Devils to wither up and die away as they waited for the return of their franchise-star Martin Brodeur. Last month the net-minder underwent surgery and is not expected back until late winter. Doom and gloom was expected for the Devils because Brodeur had started nearly every game for New Jersey during his long and storied career, which, up until this season, was primarily injury-free.

The Devils (14-8-2) seemed lost and listless in the first couple of games sans-Brodeur, but have really gotten their game in order over the past few weeks. New Jersey beat Montreal 2-1 in overtime Saturday night for their second straight overtime win, they beat Philadelphia in an extra stanza two nights before. The Devils have won seven of their last eight, with four of those games either won in a shootout or overtime.

New Jersey’s only blemish in their past eight games was a regulation loss against Wednesday night’s opponent, Pittsburgh. New Jersey lost in Pittsburgh 4-1 back on November 29. In that game the Devils played more like people thought they would play without Brodeur. His replacement Scott Clemmensen has been solid, going 6-3-0 with a 2.32 goals against average and a 0.922 save percentage, which is actually better than Brodeur’s 0.916.

The reining Eastern Conference champions have looked nothing like their spring version in recent weeks. They come into Wednesday’s game losers of two straight and four of six. Besides beating New Jersey, they also won at Carolina. Monday night the Penguins (15-8-4) squandered a two-goal lead against Buffalo at home for a 4-3 loss.

The Penguins are playing slightly better, 8-4-2, on the road than at home, 7-4-2. New Jersey is 7-4-1 at Prudential Center. The teams have met twice before this season with the Devils winning in overtime on October 11 and Pittsburgh winning the most recent contest.

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Rangers vs. Penguins

New York -130 vs. Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has not been able to duplicate their winning ways from earlier this season in recent weeks. Since beating Buffalo on November 15, the Penguins (14-6-3) have alternated losses and wins ever since. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, the team they have been chasing, the Rangers, have not been winning consistently either. The two top teams within the Atlantic Division will meet up at Madison Square Garden tonight.

New York (17-8-2) had its three game winning streak snapped Sunday with an inexcusable shutout loss to the hapless Florida Panthers in a very listless home effort. Prior to the Rangers modest three game upswing, they had lost two straight.

While Pittsburgh has been rather inconsistent lately, Sidney Crosby has sprung to life. He has shaken off a slow start to catch fire with six goals in the last three contests and earned his second career hat trick in Saturday’s 4-1 home victory over New Jersey.

Even though Crosby was struggling, the Pens were flying high because of Evgeni Malkin. The NHL’s best with 39 points, Malkin has been on the score sheet, through at least one goal or assist, in 21 of Pittsburgh’s 23 games. However, the lethal duo has not excelled in Madison Square Garden. The Penguins have lost six straight there and are 2-7-3 in their last 12 in New York.

New York returned home to play the Panthers Saturday after a Thanksgiving weekend trip to Florida to play the Lightning in Tampa and the opening of a home-and-home set in Miami. In both games the Rangers needed to go to a shootout to claim victory, 3-2 over Tampa Bay and 4-3 over Florida.

The 4-0 loss to Florida forced Henrik Lundqvist from the net after the Panthers scored the third goal. Lundqvist has had an outstanding season by compiling 15 wins, best in the Eastern Conference. He has dominated Pittsburgh with a lifetime 9-4-2 record and 1.89 goals against average.

The Rangers won the first game over the Penguins this season on October 25 in Pittsburgh 3-2 in a shootout.

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Calgary vs. Los Angeles

Flames -165 vs. Kings

The Calgary Flames could not keep the momentum of their home-and-home sweep of their divisional rival Colorado Avalanche long enough to face the Detroit Red Wings. The defending cup champions throttled the Flames at the Joe Louis Arena this past Saturday night.

It has been a tough few weeks for the Flames (11-9-1). If you do not count they sweep of the hapless Avalanche, the Flames have lost six out of their last eight. Part of the problem for Calgary has been goalie Miikka Kiprusoff’s inconsistent play. Kiprusoff had missed a few games earlier this month and is 11-8-1 this season with a bloated 3.21 goals against average.

The Flames had had recent success against Colorado and were able to beat the Avalanche in the two games last week. They will hope this trend continues with another team whose number they own: the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings will make the trip to the Canadian Rockies and face off against the Flames Tuesday night. Calgary has beaten Los Angeles in seven of the last 10 contests.

Los Angeles (8-8-3) comes in losers of three of their last four games. Saturday night, the Kings were the victims of a frustrated Colorado bunch who has been preyed on by the Flames earlier in the week. Los Angeles lost 4-3 in a shootout at home.

Erik Ersberg and Jason LaBarbera have split time in goal for the Kings this season although Ersberg has a better record and goals against average. Ersberg was in goal for the shootout loss to Colorado.

The Kings are continuing to sink in the standings while the NHL points leaders, the San Jose Sharks continue to win. Los Angeles is in third place in the Pacific Division, but actually closer to last than first. The Kings are 16 points behind the Sharks and only three points out of last place. They are six points behind second-place Anaheim.

Calgary, meanwhile, is tied with Minnesota for second place in the Northwest Division, five points behind first-place Vancouver.

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Avalanche vs. Flames

Colorado -130 vs. Calgary

The Colorado Avalanche and the Calgary Flames will meet up for the second time in three days Thursday night as they will shift from Calgary’s Pengrowth Saddledome to Denver’s Pepsi Center to conclude their home-and-home series.

Colorado (8-9-0) had their four game winning streak snapped Tuesday night against Calgary, a rival that has consistently beat them recently. After the Avalanche claimed the season series from the Flames (10-8-1) a season ago, Calgary has won six of the last eight in the series, including the first three games played between the two rivals this season. Overall Colorado has lost six of their last nine affairs and find themselves in the Northwest Division cellar, four points behind fourth place Edmonton.

Calgary’s win was much needed as they had dropped five of their last seven. The Flames bounced back nicely against the Avalanche Tuesday night by claiming victory 4-1. This was after they were humbled by the NHL’s best team, San Jose last Thursday night. Calgary seemed to have all the answers for a toothless Colorado attack Tuesday night. The Avs’ defense was apparently waiting for their luggage at the airport because the Flames peppered goalie Peter Budaj with 52 shots on only 23 for Colorado. Budaj had to stand on his head at times to only allow in 4 goals, saving 48 fired his way.

The lackluster effort even promoted a players only meeting following the conclusion of the game.

Aging veteran Joe Sakic did not return to the Avalanche lineup Tuesday night and his status is still uncertain for the return home on Thursday. Sakic has accounted for 12 this season for the Avalanche.

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Red Wings vs. Oilers

Detroit -150 vs. Edmonton

The Edmonton Oilers got a much needed victory over Columbus Tuesday night as they powered over the Blue Jackets for a 7-2 win on the road in Columbus. Prior to that game, the Oilers had lost three straight and five out of seven. The good news for Edmonton is that they got a win and have momentum moving into their next game. The bad news is that the next game is against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Detroit Red Wings, who shutout the Oilers Monday night.

It is a home-and-home of sorts, except the Oilers (9-8-2) had a game between traveling to Detroit and welcoming the Red Wings (12-2-3) to Edmonton, whereas Detroit did not. Backup goal Ty Conklin was masterful in net for the Wings Monday night as he blanked Edmonton on 21 shots to record his fifth career shutout, but first with Detroit. The victory was especially sweet for Conklin because, not only was it his second straight start (both victories), but it was against the team he started his career with, the Oilers. It has truly been a good week for Conklin as his wife gave birth to his second child, a boy, this past Saturday.

Conklin has actually outplayed number one net minder Chris Osgood this season. Conklin has a 2.47 goals against average versus a ballooned 3.31 GAA for Osgood. Still, in 11 games played, Osgood has only lost once in regulation. Osgood, one of the cogs in Detroit’s cup run a year before is expected to get the start Thursday night.

Detroit is in first place in the Central by six points over second place Chicago while Edmonton’s recent struggles have dropped Edmonton into fourth place. However in the tightly packed Northwest Division, the Oilers are actually closer to first place Minnesota (3 points) than last place Colorado (4 points).

Despite the loss to Detroit earlier this week, Edmonton has more than held their own against the powerful Red Wings in recent years. Before Monday night, the Oilers had beaten the Red Wings six out of the last nine games.

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Rangers vs. Canucks

New York -145 vs. Vancouver

A battle of first place teams will take place in Madison Square Garden as the Eastern Conference points leader, Rangers welcome the Northwest leading Vancouver Canucks in a rematch of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final.

After a solid home stand, the Canucks hit the road and lost to the Islanders in overtime Monday night 2-1. Vancouver (10-6-2) has not lost in regulation since a 3-2 loss to Detroit on November 2, but the Canucks have lost their last two out of three games in overtime. Vancouver’s MVP, and possibly the NHL, so far this season has been Roberto Luongo. The netminder set an NHL record with 242 minutes and 36 seconds of shutout hockey that spanned 18:52 remaining in the third period of the November 2 loss to the Red Wings until 88 seconds left in regulation in Colorado on November 12. During the streak, Luongo shutout Nashville, Phoenix and Minnesota between the Detroit and Colorado games. The goalie has a 2.16 goals against average and is 10-5-2 on the season.

The Rangers (14-5-2) have a pretty good goalie of their own who has been propelling them to victory all season long. Henrik Lundqvist is 12-4-2 with a miniscule 1.92 GAA on the season. New York has won three straight, the last two coming in a shootout over Boston and Ottawa.

The Rangers also have not lost in regulation in some time, since November 8 to Washington. With their three game winning streak, New York has now apparently put behind them their rough stretch of losing four out of five games from November 1 through November 10.

The Rangers have not beaten the Canucks since 2004. Vancouver is looking to win their third straight game over the Rangers and have beaten New York in eight of the last ten meetings.

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Flames vs. Avalanche

Calgary -150 vs. Colorado

The Colorado Avalanche have been winning lately, while their division rival, the Calgary Flames have gone south lately. The two teams will begin a home-and-home series tonight as they first meet on in Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary.

Colorado (8-8-0) looks for their fourth straight victory tonight against a rival that has consistently beat them recently. The Flames (9-8-1) have won five of the last five of the last seven against the Avalanche, including the first two games played between the two this season, 5-4 and 3-0. Both games were played in the Pepsi Center in Denver.

The three game winning streak has done enough to make Colorado feel better about themselves, but has done nothing to lift them from the cellar of the Northwest Division. The three game winning streak has been offset by the five game losing streak which preceded it. Sweeping the home-and-home with Calgary would lift Colorado out of last place and would leapfrog the Flames as the teams are only separated by three points.

The last time out, on Saturday, the Avalanche’s Darcy Tucker scored the tying goal with 10 seconds left in regulation and also netted the shootout winner in the fifth round to earn Colorado a 3-2 win.

The Flames will hope to bounce back against the Avalanche after they were humbled by the NHL’s best team, San Jose last Thursday night. Calgary has had nearly a week to absorb the 6-1 loss, which gave the Flames their fifth loss in seven games. This is especially dispiriting for the Flames as they were coming off a six-game winning streak prior to their losing ways.

Aging veteran Joe Sakic’s return is unclear as he has missed the last two games because of a strained back. Sakic has contributed 12 points to his team this season, putting him third on the Avalanche.

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