Sabres Slashes: Facing the Western Conference

The Buffalo Sabres have gotten off to a great start to the season. The team has yet to suffer a loss in regulation and is 4-0-1 on the season. The Sabres are playing the game the right way while using their speed to get in on the forecheck. The team has balanced scoring with all four line contributing in some way. The Sabres look to continue their good play as they take on four Western Conference teams this week.

The struggling Dallas Stars come to town today in a matinee game that see the puck drop at 3 p.m. On Wednesday night, the California trip begins for the Sabres as they take on the surprising Anaheim Ducks. On Thursday night, the Sabres take on the mediocre Los Angeles Kings. The west coast trip ends with a game against the San Jose Sharks, who need to get things together early in this season and the addition of Patrick Marleau may be the boost the team needs.

Monday, Oct. 14, 2019- Stars @ Sabres- 3 p.m.

The Dallas Stars are coming into Buffalo with a 1-4-1 record in six games, which isn't the ideal start for the team. The Stars are struggling in every facet of the game, and it has cost them in the standings. The team hasn't been able to put the puck in the net so they need to find a way to finish. Another way to get the offense done is to cap hit on some power play chances since the Sabres aren't very good at killing penalties. The team needs to avoid the penalty box since the Sabres are the best team in the early going at cashing in on their power play opportunities. 

The Sabres need to get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd in the game, and get momentum early. The Stars are a mediocre team at killing penalties so cashing in on the power play will help the Sabres get some goals. The Sabres should try to use their speed especially on the entries to force the Stars defensemen to back into their zone. The Stars may be struggling but the Sabres can't get lazy or too comfortable if they have a lead. The Sabres want to have the lead entering the final period of play since they are 4-0-0 when they have the lead entering the third period.

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019 - Sabres @ Ducks- ESPN+

The Ducks have been a surprising team so far in the early going since most people expected them to struggle, but great goaltending has kept them in games. John Gibson has been spectacular in the four games that he has played. He is 3-1-0 with a 1.26 goals against average and .961 save percentage. Ryan Miller was good in his one game he has started in so far this year. The Ducks will need good goaltending when facing the Sabres, since they will get their chances and goals. The Ducks need to be physical and establish the forecheck early in the game to get some second chances. Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler are to dangerous players from the back end, who can move the puck and pick up points. The Sabres want to be aware of them when they are on the ice.

The Sabres should take care of the puck since the Ducks have the speed and players to make a team pay for their mistakes. The goaltending is going to be a key in this game for the Sabres so saves need to be made. The Sabres will need to get shots on net and make sure there is plenty of traffic in front for rebounds and deflections. The team need to match the speed of the Ducks, who have some young kids on the roster.

Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019 - Sabres @ Kings- 10:30 p.m.

The Kings have started out the season as most expected and that is up-and-down. They have a 2-2-0 record and the biggest problem has been the struggles of Jonathan Quick. Quick has not looked good in net all season, and he'll need to find a way to get it back. The Kings should avoid the penalty box because the Sabres will cash in on the man advantage. The team needs to avoid turnovers and limit mistakes to have a shot at winning the game. The goalie, whether Quick or Jack Campbell, needs to make the easy saves and not allow any soft goals. 

The Sabres need to get pucks on the net because of the Kings' goalie struggles. The Sabres should pressure the puck carrier to force some turnovers and get even more chances. The team will probably need to work for their space and be patient with the puck, when they have it. The Sabres need to shut down the Kings' top line because they've combined for 13 points in the early going. 

Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019 - Sabres @ Sharks- 10:30 p.m.

The Sharks finally got its first win of the season and are 1-4-0 in five games so far this season. The Sharks should try to set the tone early and get off to a better start to the game since they haven't scored very many first period goals this season. The team needs to get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd in the game and get some momentum. It would be beneficial to the Sharks if the team could find a way to finish and get some pucks in the net. They'll need to find a way to stop Jack Eichel and Victor Olofsson, who have managed to lead the Sabres to a good start.

The Sabres should get the first goal of the game since they are 4-0-0 when scoring the first goal. The Sabres need to know where Brent Burns and Logan Couture are when on the ice since these two can produce points. The team could stand to get off to better starts and get more goals in the first period. The Sabres want to win the even strength battle since the Sharks have a decent penalty kill and can score on the power play.

Sabres Slashes Weekly Prediction

The Sabres will finish the week with a 2-1-1 record. The first win of the week comes against the Ducks in overtime on Wednesday night. The second win of the week comes against the Kings on Thursday night. The Sabres lose in overtime to the Sharks on Saturday night, and will lose in regulation to the Stars on Monday afternoon. Victor Olofsson will keep his hot streak going and score a few goal this week, and Kyle Okposo will get some points this week. 

Flying Forward: Some Games, Finally!

The Philadelphia Flyers have only played one game on the season, but it was part of the NHL Global Series so the rest came with playing in the game. The team looked good, played with the pace that new head coach Alain Vigneault wants. There were still too many turnovers, but Carter Hart played a solid game and cleaned up some of those turnovers. The Flyers got the win without the top line getting any points. The depth scoring is going to be a major factor in how well the team does this season.

The Flyers will finally be able to play some more games, but it will only be two this week. They play its official home opener on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019, against the New Jersey Devils. Wayne Simmonds makes his return to Philadelphia after being traded to the Nashville Predators last season. The team then has off until Saturday night when they face the Vancouver Canucks on the road. The time off should affect how they play, but if the team looks sluggish to start against the Devils, I wouldn't be surprised.

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019- Devils at Flyers- 7:30 p.m.- NBCSN

The Devils have struggled to keep the puck out of its net to start the season, and that is something that needs to be fixed. The team will need to match the pace of the Flyers, who should come out flying since its the team's official home opener. The Devils need to have a better start to this game, they only have one goal in the first period in two games. The goaltenders, whether it be MacKenzie Blackwood or Cory Schneider, need to make saves for this team to get a win. 

The Flyers have to have their skating legs early in this game to set the pace at which they want to play. The team should try to get the first goal to keep the crowd in the game, and to get the Devils off their game. The Devils haven't been good on the penalty kill so the Flyers want to take advantage of its power play opportunities. The key to this game will be how the Flyers play at even strength, and whether or not they play a clean, solid defensive game. 

Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019- Flyers at Canucks- 10:00 p.m.

The Canucks may be struggling to start the season, but they may have one of the more entertaining young stars in Elias Pettersson. Pettersson was one of the bright spots on the Canucks last season, and I expect him to be just that again this season. The Canucks need to get him and Brock Boeser going, and they can do that by having them use their speed and get pucks on net. The Canucks are a better team when playing the lead rather than chasing the game, so they need to get the first goal of the game. 

The Flyers managed to get a win in their first game without getting a point from Claude Giroux, Kevin Hayes, or Jakub Voracek. If the Flyers want to get the two points the team will need to get some production from this line. The Flyers want to establish a good forecheck early in the game to force the Canucks into turning the puck over. The Flyers need to get the first goal of the game because the Canucks have struggled when trailing especially after the first period. 

Flying Forward Prediction

The Flyers will go 2-0-0 this week and get four of a possible four points. It won't come easy because of the lack of playing games, and the travel schedule. The goaltending will steal a game this week, and the other game will be a close, defensive battle. Kevin Hayes will have a big week for the Flyers, scoring a few goals and assisting on a few others. 

Preds Prey: Two Home, One Road

The Nashville Predators are coming off of a week where they split its first two games of the season. There were mixed results in the games as well as on the ice. In the first game, the Predators got off to a slow start, but the goals started coming in the second period. In the team's second game of the season, the Red Wings won the third period, so they won the game. 

The Predators start its week off on Tuesday night against a winless San Jose Sharks team, but that doesn't mean this game will be an easy win. On Thursday night, the Capitals visit Bridgestone Arena, and Evgeny Kuznetsov will be in the lineup after serving his suspension. The Predators end its week with a quick pit stop in California to take on the Los Angeles Kings. This week could either help or hurt the team in the standings. 

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019- Sharks at Predators- 8 p.m.- NBCSN

The Sharks will come out ready to play tonight since they have a 0-3-0 record.  The whole team has looked bad and has been outplayed in every game this season. If the Sharks want to get its season back on track, they should start with finishing its chances, and getting the big boys on the scoreboard. In three games, the Sharks have three goals, and Logan Couture is the leading scorer with two points. Yes, the offense getting on track will help, but the goalies just need to be better by not allowing any soft goals. 

The biggest problem for the Sharks has been the inability to score goals. The Predators need to get the first goal of the game since the Sharks are 0-3-0 when the opposition scores first. If the team can get establish the forecheck, then it could be a very long game for the Sharks. The Preds would benefit from getting pucks on the net when the opportunity is there because Aaron Dell and Martin Jones have been anything but sharp. This would be a good game to get the depth scorers involved since the Sharks can't keep the puck out of its net. 

Thursday, Oct, 10, 2019- Capitals @ Predators- 8 p.m.

The Capitals have looked good in its three games so far this season, but they have the potential to get even better with the addition of Kuznetsov to the lineup. The addition of Kuznetsov balances out the Capitals' lines. The Capitals have struggled to play a full, 60-minute game on the season, and that will be one key to winning this game. The power play hasn't been horrible to start the season, but they've only scored two power-play goals in 11 opportunities. The key to winning the game against the Predators will be keeping its top six forwards off the score sheet.

The Predators will want to take advantage of their power play opportunities since the Capitals are only killing 71.4% of the penalties taken. The goaltender, whether Juuse Saros or Pekka Rinne, can't allow any soft goals,  but will have to make some outstanding saves. The Predators need to keep the top six forwards of the Capitals in-check to have a shot at getting two points. The biggest key to this game will be getting everyone involved for the Predators, whether on the score sheet or just by playing his position.

3.) Saturday, Oct, 12, 2019- Predators at Kings- 6 p.m.

The Kings haven't seen much action on the ice up to this point in the season. The team has only played one game and will hit the ice for the second time on Tuesday night. The Kings' top line did most of the damage in its first game of the season, and are going to have to continue its play if the Kings want two points in this game. The special teams will need to be sharper since the Predators have a decent power play, and the Kings need to take advantage of its man-advantage opportunities. The key to winning the game is better goaltending since the Predators have a solid top six, who can convert on its chances. 

The Predators should look to get the first goal of the game to take the home crowd out of the game. The Predators defensemen can move the puck from the backend, so they should get involved early with the stretch pass. Kyle Turris is a key player for the Predators this season, and if he can get going early that would help the team tremendously. The Preds should use its speed to enter the offensive zone to create chances. The key to this game for the Predators will be to stop the Kings' top line because as they go the Kings go. 

Preds Prey Prediction

The Predators play two games at home this week and one on the road. The team has the potential to go 3-0-0, but I don't think that this happens because the Capitals get even better with the addition of Kuznetsov to the lineup. Sure, the Sharks will be a desperate team, but the Predators take charge of the game after that first 10-minute push by the Sharks. The Kings come out and give the Predators a little bit of a hard time, but the Preds take care of business in the end. The team finishes the week with a 2-0-1 record. The overtime loss comes against the Capitals.

Matt Duchene will have another big week for the Predators on the stat sheet. In two games, he has five assists for five points. The forward will get his first goal against the Sharks, and that will give him the confidence to get more. The Predators will get the power play figured out and Duchene will contribute to it. Duchene has a combined 38 points against the Sharks and Kings in 41 career games played against the two teams. 

Lightning Strikes: Four Games in Seven Days

The Tampa Bay Lightning is looking to extend its lead in lead in the Atlantic Division, but it won't be an easy road ahead. The Bolts face the Florida Panthers on the road on Sunday night. The next three games are at home against the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens.

1.) Sunday, Feb. 10 @ Panthers- 6 p.m.

The Lightning will take on the Panthers, who are looking to get back into the playoff positioning. This will be a game that features the first and third ranked power plays in the League. The Bolts have outscored the Panthers 14-8 in three game played this season and are 3-0-0 against them.

The Lightning Win If...

They play a solid even strength game and manage to stay out of the penalty box. The Panthers have allowed 125 even strength goals against this season, but have one of the best power plays in the League. The Lightning do have the second best penalty kill in the League, but they are only killing 80% of penalties taken on the road. The Bolts have played a solid even strength game all season and have outscored the opposition by 25 goals while playing 5-on-5.

Matchup of the Game

It will be interesting to watch the Panthers power play go up against the Lightning penalty kill. The Panthers power play is third in the NHL, which ranked them third in the NHL at 27%. The home power play is actually better at 28%. The Lightning penalty kill has improved immensely and is now second in the League (84.7%), but the penalty kill is not as good on the road (80%) as it is on home ice (89.5%). 

Game Prediction

The Lightning will win this game 2-1, which means the goalies are going to make some saves. It is an  important game for both team with the Lightning wanting to build on their Atlantic Division lead, while the Panthers are fighting to get back into a playoff spot. The Bolts goals will come from J.T Miller and Brayden Point with the Panthers lone goal being scored by Vincent Trocheck.

2.) Tuesday, Feb. 12 vs. Flames- 7:30 p.m.-ESPN+

The Bolts take on the Flames, who bring plenty of speed to this game. In the only game against this season, the Lightning managed to pull out the win in the shootout. These two teams each have the speed, talent and can put the puck in the net so this should be a fast-paced hockey game with some goals scored. 

The Lightning Will Win If...

They can manage to slow down the Flames' top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm. The line has combined for 199 points so far this season. The line has a combination of speed, playing and finishing ability. The Lightning need to establish a good forecheck early in this game, get plenty of shots on net and make the Flames defend in their own zone. The Bolts should also try to limit their mistakes especially in the neutral zone with the Flames transition speed.

Matchup of the Game

The teams are very close in style, but the main difference has been the goaltending. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Louis Domingue have done a great job in stopping the puck for the Lightning this season. The goaltending duo of Mike Smith and David Rittich has had its problems this season. The goaltending has improved since Rittich has taken over the starting job, but they are still letting in soft goals. If the Flames want to win this game then the goalie needs to make the routine stops.

Game Prediction

The Flames will tie the game late in regulation to force overtime. The Lightning will lose 4-3 in the extra session. The Flames goals will be scored by Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm,  Sam Bennett and James Neal. The Bolts goals will go to Yanni Gourde, Mathieu Joseph and Steven Stamkos. 

3.) Thursday, Feb. 14 vs Stars- 7:30 p.m.-ESPN +

The Stars have been one of the more inconsistent teams because they lack a balanced lineup. The Stars are basically a one line team with the other three lines pitching in once every few games or so. The Lightning can't overlook this team or they will not get two points out of a very winnable game. The Bolts beat the Stars 2-0 earlier in the season on the road. 

The Lightning Will Win If...

The team gets off to a fast start and continues it throughout the game. The Stars have been outscored big time by the opposition in the first periods of games. It is almost like the Stars aren't ready for the start of the game, but get better as the game goes on. The Bolts have outscored the opposition in the first period but by less than 10 goals, so they want to improve on their starts.

Matchup of the Game

Tyler Seguin has been everything for the Stars this season after signing his contract in the offseason. He doesn't have as many points as the team would like, but he has really picked up his play of late. He leads the team in goals (22), assists (29) and points (51). Nikita Kucherov got off to a slower than usual start, but that hasn't affected his play this season. He leads the team in assists (59) and points (81) with Brayden Point, who just happens to be Kucherov's centerman, leading the team in goals (31). These two players have the potential to do some damage in the game.

Game Prediction

The Lightning manage to win this one because of its depth scoring by a score of 3-1. They'll get a late empty net goal to seal the win. The one Stars goal will be scored by Tyler Seguin with Alexander Radulov adding a primary assist. The three Lightning goals will come from Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point.

4.) Saturday, Feb. 16 vs. Canadiens- 7 p.m.- NHLN

The Montreal Canadiens have been on of the surprise teams in the NHL this season. They have three lines that have the potential to score and have gotten decent goaltending. The power play has probably been one of the down falls on this team and it is ranked 30th in the League (13.5%). This should be a good fast paced game that may very need overtime to decide the game.

The Lightning Will Win If...

They get plenty of pucks on net with traffic in front of the opposing goalie. The Lightning should want to take away the goalie's eyes especially if Carey Price is in net for the Canadiens. The Bolts should play with their speed to try to get to loose pucks and then make sure that they establish a forecheck early in the game. 

Matchup of the Game

One of the goaltenders if going to steal this game for his team especially if the starters are Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy. These goalies can make the routine save and make highlight reel saves. Price has been playing well of late and Vasilevskiy has been playing decent since coming back from his broken foot. The teams are going to have to get the goalies moving from post to post and get plenty of traffic in front for deflections.

Game Prediction

The Habs are going to get some revenge for the two earlier loses to the Bolts this season by winning 3-2 in overtime. The two games have seen the two teams combine for 16 goals. The Lightning have 10 goals in the season series while the Canadiens have scored six times. The Canadiens goals will come from Max Domi, Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher. The Lightning goal scorers are Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. 

Lightning Strikes Weekly Prediction

The Lightning will finish a tough week with a 2-0-2 record and grab six points in the standings. 

Preds Prey: Nashville Predators Second Half Resolutions

The Nashville Predators ended the first half of the season in a good position despite key players spending some time on the IR. The Predators, like most NHL teams, should have some resolutions for the second half of the season.

Resolution #1: Health and Cohesion

The Predators need to get healthy and stay healthy to get some kind of run going down the stretch. They saw key players miss a chunk of time due to injury, but some have returned. After the Christmas break, Viktor Arvidsson and P.K. Subban returned to the lineup, but Filip Forsberg is still out and could be for a few more weeks. The team is currently without Colton Sissons and Kyle Turris, who are key players in the lineup. 

The Predators can only hope that they can get all of their players back and into the lineup so they can start building some chemistry and contributing on a nightly basis. 

Resolution #2: Find a Road Game

The Predators started the season winning eight straight road games, but then managed to go winless in their next 10 on away from Bridgestone Arena. They finally ended the road winless streak in Washington on New Years Eve. If the team wants to be in a good position heading into the postseason then they'll need to figure out a way to to get over the problems on the road. 

If they want to straight out the road woes then the Predators will need to limit the amount of times that they give up the first goal on the road. They gave up the first goal in nine of the ten games during the winless streak. The Preds need to get off to better starts, which includes getting the first goal and setting the pace early with a big play. The biggest key to a better road record is going to be getting Pekka Rinne on track since he is a different goalie on the road versus at home. 

Resolution #3: Light It Up on the Power Play

The Preds need to find a way to get the power play going since they are too talented to have one of the worst power plays in the League. They have been without key players at points this season, but the power play should still be better than what it is. 

One of the key problems with the power play has been the overpassing instead of getting a shot on net when it is there. They are also looking for the perfect play, but if a lane is open then the shot needs to get on goal. The Predators should get some bodies in the front of the net for deflections and rebounds. They just really need to try to keep it simple and not overthink while up a man. The biggest key to getting the power play back on track is to get more puck and player movement instead of standing still on the ice. 

Preds Prey: First Half Headlines

The Nashville Predators are just past the midway part of the season, and are sitting in a nice place in the standings despite the rough first half.

There are many headlines to choose from for the first half for this team, but here are the five that stood out the most, in no particular order.

Injuries to Key Players

The Predators were hit hard by the injury plague in the first half of the season, and it hit a lot of important players in the lineup. In the month of November, they were particularly hit hard with three key players heading to the injured reserve, some are back, but others are still waiting to rejoin the team. On Nov. 10, the team took its first hit with, forward Viktor Arvidsson being placed on injured reserve. Then three days later, defenseman P.K. Subban was injured and the team learned that he would be joining Arvidsson on the IR. The team thought they were in good shape, but on Nov. 30, Filip Forsberg was injured and placed on the IR. 

Arvidsson and Subban made their return to the lineup on Dec. 27 at home against the Dallas Stars. Forsberg is still on the IR, but is expected to return to the lineup sometime in January. They were just the three major injuries so far this season, but there have been plenty of other ones. Kyle Turris, Colton Sissons and Yannick Weber are currently out of the lineup with no exact date for a return to the lineup. 

Rough Times on the Road

The Preds started the season by going 8-0-0 away from Bridgestone Arena, but then mid-November came and they couldn't but a win on the road. They went 0-8-2 over their next 10 road games, but are somehow sit just two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the lead in the Central Division. They ended a six game losing streak overall with a win against the Washington Capitals on Dec. 31. The win also ended a 10-game road losing streak. It seems like the road struggles kind of coincided with the loss of Subban and Arvidsson to injury.

During the 10-game road winless streak, the Predators only score the first goal of the game once and that was on Dec. 18 when they were facing the Chicago Blackhawks. During the eight game win streak on the road to start the season, they scored the first goal in every game except two. Another part of the road problem, has been Pekka Rinne, who is much better playing on home ice. During the eight game win streak, the Preds only gave up three or more goals a total of four times, but they did it six times during the winless streak. The opposition managed to score five goals in a game a total of four times, and that can't happen if they want to get some points and climb the standings.

Power Play Struggles

The Preds' power play has been anything but lights out this year. They have chances on the man advantage, but they can't seem to cash in on them. The team had 139 power play opportunities in the first half and only managed to score on 21 of them. They also gave up five shorthanded goals against, and finished the first half ranked 27th.

The Predators can get into the offensive zone and setup on the power play, but the problem begins after that happens. They tend to look for the perfect play and are really pass happy. If the shot is there with no one in the lane and some traffic in front then just get the puck on net because you never know that can happen. They need to stop looking for the pretty or perfect play and make the right one. The Predators have zero power play goals in 24 games played, one power play goal in 11 games played and have only scored two power play goals five times this season. 

Pekka Rinne

Rinne put up some solid numbers in the first half, but they could have been even better. In 29 games, he was 15-10-1 with two shutouts to go with a 2.25 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. He got off to a great start, but his numbers have slipped since then and a major reason for that was his play on the road. In October, he was 3-1-0 in give games with a 2.11 goals against average and one shutout. During November he was 7-3-1 with a 1.74 GAA and had another shutout. In 12 games during the month of December, Rinne was only 5-6-0 with a 2.87 GAA and zero shutouts.

Rinne has solid numbers at home this season, but has somewhat struggled on the road. The goalie's road numbers aren't terrible by any means, just not up to his numbers on home ice. In 16 games at home, he has a record of 11-5-0 with a 2.01 GAA and two shutouts. In 13 games on the road, he is only 4-5-1 with a 2.60 GAA. The team as a whole has struggled on the road and that played into his rough road record in the first half. Despite his poor road record, the team would not be in the race to win the Central Division again.

Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi

Johansen and Josi had to pick up the point pace with Forsberg, Arvidsson and Subban out of the lineup at the same time. Johansen finished the first half with 35 points including seven goals and 28 assists. The totals could have been higher if the Predators had any kind of power play in the first half of the season. Johansen can agitate the opposition and is good at face-offs winning over 53% of them taken.

Josi needed to step up his game with the loss of Subban due to injury. He had seven goals, 22 assists and 29 points in the first half of the season. The defenseman will join the play in the offensive zone and make the first pass to help his team get the puck out of their own zone. He added two game winning goals and averaged 25:24 of ice time per game. 

3 Things: Carolina Hurricanes @ Philadelphia Flyers (1/3/19)

The Philadelphia Flyers will take on the Carolina Hurricanes for the second time in four days.

The Flyers came out flat on New Year's Eve and paid the price. Carter Hart was pulled from the game and Michal Neuvirth was good in relief, but the rest of the team seemed to forget that they  actually had a game to play. They were outplayed and eventually lost the game 3-1.

1.) Complete Game for 60 Minutes- Hurricanes

The Hurricanes will want to copy their game plan from Monday night when they faced the Flyers, who should come out with more energy. They'll want to get plenty of pucks on net since Neuvirth is starting for the Flyers, and he can let in some soft goals. The 'Canes need to clog up the neutral zone and not let the Flyers get in behind them on the forecheck and start a cycle game. A good way to take the home crowd out of the game would be to get off to a fast start and get the first goal or two. If the Hurricanes can get the lead, they need to keep playing for a full 60 minutes since the Flyers can come back from down multiple goals in the final period to force overtime. 

2.) Revenge Game- Flyers

The Flyers got  badly outplayed in Carolina on Monday night from almost the beginning of the game. They should come out with more energy in this game so they don't get booed off their home ice at intermission. The Flyers need to set the pace early in this game and get plenty of pucks on net. The team could use the stretch pass to try to behind the neutral zone checking of the Hurricanes' defenders. Another way to get into the offensive one would be to dump the puck in, get after it and win some battles along the boards. If they want to get the two points then they'll need to get some good goaltending, capitalize on their chances and play with some effort tonight.

3.) Start- Hurricanes & Flyers

The start of the game is going to be important for both teams since it is a chance to set the tone for the rest of the game. The Flyers will want to be smart but also physical while getting in on the forecheck. The Hurricanes just need to play the same exact way that they played Monday night and they should get the two points. Both teams will be looking to get the first goal or two of the game since both have had some problems keeping the puck out of their own net so far this year.