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Around the Rink - Thursday, December 9th

bluesvsbluejackets

James O’Brien

Let’s take a look at Thursday’s five games. As always, all the start times are Eastern Standard Time (ET).

7:00 pm

Florida @ Washington

All of a sudden, the Penguins have a three-point lead over the Capitals for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Washington played in one less game than Pittsburgh, though, so they can make up some solid ground against the lowly Florida Panthers. With a 12-2-2 home record, odds are pretty good that the Caps will break their three game losing streak.

NY Islanders @ Boston

The Bruins just went above .500 at home with their last win against the Buffalo Sabres and they have a great opportunity to get even better in Boston against the Isles. The Islanders haven’t won a game on the road in 10 straight games ... so yeah, it’s a good chance for Tim Thomas and company to gain ground against Montreal.

San Jose @ Buffalo

The Sharks absolutely stole a win from the Philadelphia Flyers last night, so they have the momentum. The Sabres, on the other hand, don’t have much momentum but do have the advantage of being well rested. One good thing is that each team is starting to get their act together as of late.

Philadelphia @ Toronto

Both of these teams might be a little angry; the Flyers dropped that game at home against the Sharks while the Maple Leafs ran into the buzz saw known as the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. We’ll see if Philly can get back on track against an up-and-down Toronto bunch.

7:30 pm

NY Rangers @ Ottawa

These teams met last weekend, with Chris Kelly scoring a hat trick to help the Senators win 3-2. The Rangers are still in a much more comfortable position to make a run for the playoffs overall, though, as they’re in the “upper middle class” while the Senators are mired in the “lower middle class.”

8:00 pm

Columbus @ St. Louis

While the Blues are just banged up (Andy McDonald recently joined the wounded ranks along with T.J. Oshie and David Perron), the Blue Jackets seem to switch between great and dreadful every couple weeks. Both teams are competitive yet flawed, just like the many middle-of-the-pack squads that comprise most of the Western Conference.

9:00 pm

Minnesota @ Phoenix

The Coyotes are starting to look like that team that gave the Detroit Red Wings serious headaches in the playoffs last summer (7-2-1 in their last 10 games) while things are bleak enough for the Wild that people are pining for the times of Jacques Lemaire.

10:30 pm

Calgary @ Los Angeles

After beating the Red Wings and Panthers in Los Angeles, the Kings now have twice as many wins at home (10) than on the road (5). It seems like the SoCal bunch is getting things together after a stunning fall from grace while the Flames are barely staying in front of the Oilers to avoid being the worst team in the Western Conference. You’d think this would be an easy one for the Kings, but you never know.