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Around the rink - Thursday, December 16th

Brian Gionta;  Andrei Kostitsyn;

Montreal Canadiens Brian Gionta, right celebrates with teammate Andrei Kostitsyn after scoring the third goal against Ottawa Senators during third period National Hockey League action Tuesday Dec. 7, 2010 in Montreal. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

AP

The Habs and Bruins get to renew acquaintances in Montreal tonight in an Original Six throw down of the ages. It wouldn’t be any fun without a little controversy though, wouldn’t it? Elsewhere, Dion Phaneuf returns to Calgary, the Isles try to win anything, and the Rangers look to roll on against the Coyotes. All times are Eastern.

7:00 pm

Anaheim @ NY Islanders

The Islanders look to snap out of yet another funk and they’ll have Radek Martinek and Milan Jurcina back on the blue line to make it happen. They’ll need it to shut down Anaheim’s top line of Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry. Those three have been carrying the offensive load for the Ducks of late. Disappointingly, Teemu Selanne is likely out of the lineup again as he makes perhaps his final East Coast swing in his career.

Phoenix @ NY Rangers

The Rangers look to continue Phoenix’s misery hangover and build off of a big win over Pittsburgh last night. Phoenix was shutout by New Jersey last night 3-0 and they’ll need a more complete effort tonight against a Rangers team playing without Ryan Callahan who’s out at least six weeks with a broken hand.

Carolina @ Atlanta

Carolina avoided disaster against Florida last night, but if they pull the same “get down 3-0 and work back” routine against Atlanta, they could be in for a long night. Oddly enough, this is the first time these two divisional foes have met this season. Can the Thrashers handle rookie sensation Jeff Skinner? What can Carolina do to rein in defenseman Dustin Byfuglien? One thing helping Carolina tonight, they won’t have to face Ondrej Pavelec as Chris Mason gets the start.

Boston @ Montreal

These two hated rivals square off once again in an Original Six battle in Quebec. The Habs got a win over Boston in Beantown already this year winning 3-1 thanks to Carey Price. Price and Tim Thomas get to face each other again tonight and this time, the Bruins roll into town angry after a tough loss to Buffalo. The Habs, meanwhile, look to shake their tough 5-3 loss to Philly out of their minds. Expect goals to be at a premium between these two.

8:00 pm

Los Angeles @ St. Louis

The Kings roll into St. Louis and won’t have to deal with dueling Johnsons. Erik Johnson will be out of the lineup for the Blues to face off against fellow American Jack Johnson. The Kings are hoping their 5-0 win over Detroit on Monday is a sign that things are returning to normal for them. After an extended cold streak, Jonathan Quick tossed up a 51-save shutout to keep the high-powered Wings off the board while the offense blew up for five goals. If they build off that, it doesn’t bode well for the Blues who were humbled by Detroit last night 5-2.

Ottawa @ Minnesota

When these two met up in Ottawa last year, the Wild’s equipment trailers caught fire and destroyed everything they had. So far everything is safe for the Senators on their return trip. Instead, the Sens are floundering and tonight they’ll reward local boy Brian Lee with his first start in over 20 games so he can play in front of his family. It’s a nice touch and an opportunity for the Sens to showcase Lee for a potential trade.

8:30 pm

San Jose @ Dallas

Dallas gets Kari Lehtonen back in goal tonight and both teams are looking to get hot. San Jose dropped a tough one in Nashville last night, and two in a row going back to their shootout loss to Dallas on Monday night. The Sharks have lost three of their last four and they could sure use Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski getting back to normal. Logan Couture has been doing the bulk of the heavy lifting of late for the Sharks. Yeah, he’s a rookie. Dallas may be leading the Pacific Division but the Sharks are just three points behind them.

9:30 pm

Toronto @ Calgary

Dion Phaneuf makes his return to Calgary tonight. After spending almost five seasons there, count on Phaneuf getting a mixed response from Flames fans who have seen their team’s fortunes turn as ugly as they have for the Leafs of late. Perhaps everyone goes home unhappy after this one? Toronto is looking to keep it going after beating Edmonton soundly the other night. Calgary is hoping to build off their overtime win over Columbus. Keeping Jarome Iginla scoring would do a lot to help that out.

Columbus @ Edmonton

Speaking of Edmonton and Columbus, these two meet up hoping to put their previous losses behind them and for Edmonton the inconsistency is almost expected out of them. For Columbus on the other hand, it’s a bit more frustrating for them as they go from looking like one of the tougher teams in the West to complete pushovers. Which Jackets team shows up against the youthful Oilers? Rick Nash will have a say in how that goes.