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TGIF: Five NHL games to watch this weekend

Ben Bishop, Kyle Okposo

Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30) makes a save on a shot as New York Islanders right wing Kyle Okposo (21) closes in during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

AP

Saturday: San Jose at Tampa Bay (2 p.m. ET)

If I had a vote for the Vezina Trophy, and I had to vote right now, I’d vote for Ben Bishop. And I’d do it with very little hemming and/or hawing, because this guy has been unbelievable. After 34 starts, he’s 23-5-4 with a .938 save percentage and 1.80 goals-against average. Sure, I’d have to consider Josh Harding, Semyon Varlamov, Tuukka Rask and Carey Price. And if there was one little thing that might make me think twice, it would be total minutes played, since I think there’s a lot to be said for a goalie’s workload, and Bishop only ranks 11th in that category. But Bishop has been so good, and his play has been so important to his team with Steven Stamkos out, I just couldn’t pick anyone else.

Saturday: Montreal at Toronto (4 p.m. ET)

It’s Hockey Day In Canada this Saturday, with all seven Cup-less-since-1993 squads in action. I feel like we haven’t written much about the Habs this year, so here’s something to chew on: Montreal is one of those rare teams with a defenseman, PK Subban, as its leading scorer. There are two ways to look at this. On the bright side, it’s great to have a d-man with the ability to lead an NHL team in points. But on the other hand, it doesn’t say much about the forward corps, currently led by Tomas Plekanec and his 30 points in 48 games. I fully expect general manager Marc Bergevin to try and address this, perhaps not before the trade deadline, but in the offseason.

Saturday: Anaheim at St. Louis (8 p.m. ET)

I’m not sure there’s a team I’m more curious to see in the playoffs than Anaheim. Despite all the success the Ducks have had this regular season, I get the sense potential opponents (or at least the fans of those potential opponents) would rather face the Ducks than the Blackhawks, Blues, Kings, or Sharks. Maybe my senses are wrong there, but if they’re right, I think it has a lot to do with guys like Nick Bonino, Andrew Cogliano and Cam Fowler playing such big roles for Anaheim. Even though Fowler was highly touted going into the 2010 draft and will play for the United States at the Olympics, people may still look at Anaheim’s roster and think, “Look at these guys. We can beat these guys.” The Ducks haven’t been past the first round of the playoffs since 2009, which may also have something to do with it.

Sunday: Boston at Chicago (12:30 p.m. ET)

On NBC. Streaming live, too. The first meeting between the ‘Hawks and Bruins since Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. Neither club has been winning as much as it would like lately, but if I had to pick one that should be concerned, I’d pick the Bruins. The loss of Dennis Seidenberg for the season can’t be overlooked, and I think general manager Peter Chiarelli needs to address it before the trade deadline. Zdeno Chara will be 37 by the time the playoffs start. Everyone knows he’s in fantastic shape, but how many more runs at the Cup will the B’s have with him as a truly elite defender? Even Nicklas Lidstrom couldn’t play forever, and he sure didn’t play the same way as Chara.

Sunday: Washington at NY Rangers (7:30 p.m. ET)

On NBCSN. Streaming live, too. Caps fans may not like hearing this (or they may love hearing this, based on some of my previous predictions), but I think there’s a good chance Washington misses the playoffs this year. Here’s how the standings look today:

Standings

Note the far-right column containing regulation/overtime wins. Now note how many more ROWs that teams below the Caps in the standings have in comparison. That says something. Washington also ranks in the bottom 10 of the NHL in possession stats, which, unlike a team’s record in the shootout, are strongly correlated with the overall quality of a team.