7:00 p.m.
Toronto @ Boston
Phil Kessel has been playing better of late without the stats to show for it, but facing off with the Bruins in Boston might be the exact wrong thing for him to deal with at the moment. The fans in Boston hate him and now the Leafs begin life without Kris Versteeg after dealing him to Philadelphia yesterday. The Bruins will be happy to not be facing the Red Wings who beat them in back-to-back games over the weekend. Given how poorly Toronto’s done against Boston of late, this game isn’t shaping up to be any good for the Leafs.
7:30 p.m.
Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay
It’s the top two teams in the Eastern Conference and while the Lightning handled them easily the last time they met, the Flyers will be likely bringing Kris Versteeg into action for the first time. Tampa Bay is in the midst of their 12-game home stand and they’ve gone 5-2-0 so far on it. Being able to put one over on the Flyers in this game means they could, if they win in regulation, get within two points of the Flyers for the top spot in the East.
Buffalo @ Montreal
Different things on the line here for both teams. Buffalo would like to put their awful loss to the Islanders behind them and catch Atlanta for ninth in the East standings and move within two points of Carolina for eighth. The Canadiens would like to get the shot at passing the Bruins for the lead in the Northeast Division. The Habs are just one point behind Boston and while the Bruins are also playing tonight, at the very least keeping pace with them should be the key. If the Habs bring the same intensity they brought in their 3-0 win over Toronto, the Sabres are going to have a rough night. The big wonder for the Sabres is whether or not Ryan Miller will get a rest after getting shelled for seven goals against the Isles in his last start.
NY Islanders @ Ottawa
Well, someone’s got to watch this game, don’t they? Ottawa is hoping their win over Edmonton in their last game will help them permanently snap out of their funk. Going up against a game and gutsy Isles team doesn’t sound like a recipe for success. What to look for here: Whether or not Michael Grabner can keep his tremendous play going for New York as the rookie has 24 goals now to lead the team. John Tavares and P.A. Parenteau trail him with 21 each. Who’d have thought the Isles would have three 20-goal scorers at this point in the season?
8:00 p.m.
San Jose @ Nashville
The Sharks look to get back on the good side of things against a team they know all too well by now. After dropping two in a row against the Devils and Panthers, heading into Nashville to deal with the always tough Predators sounds like a rude awakening for the Sharks. Nashville has won two in a row and three of their last four. They’re hoping that the Sharks will be busy looking ahead as it’s their last game of a seven game road trip. The Sharks have gone 4-2-0 on this road swing as it is helping them fight their way into the mix for the Pacific Division lead.
Vancouver @ Minnesota
After such a tough loss to St. Louis last night and losing defenseman Andrew Alberts to a broken wrist the Canucks will call on Yann Sauve to join their vastly depleted defensive corps for the time being. With the Canucks having to deal with their kryptonite-like nemesis in the for of the Wild, it shapes up to be another rough ride for the Canucks. The Wild seem to play their best games against Vancouver and with the team playing even better of late, expect life to be rough on Vancouver in St. Paul. The Wild roll into this game winners of three straight and seeking to keep up with the joneses in the wild Western playoff races.
9:00 p.m.
Dallas @ Edmonton
Could the Oilers be the slump buster the Stars have been hoping for? Dallas had better hope so, but it won’t be easy for them. Top scorer Brad Richards is out with an injury. For Dallas it could be a view of what life would be like without their top playmaker if he was to depart the team as a free agent during the summer. Losing to Edmonton would hammer home how important Richards is to their success. Beating the Oilers would make for a tremendous confidence boost given how the team has struggled lately. For Edmonton, they’d like to get some pride back after losing to Ottawa over the weekend.