This evening, there's 12 games on the schedule and there is some news as I go along... so let me begin in the East.
The ninth place Islanders will play host to the Devils tonight on Long Island and it's not going to be anything close to a cakewalk for the Isles tonight. They lost their number one goalie, Rick DiPietro (Box 18) to post-concussion syndromes, stemming from the collision with the Canadiens' Steve Begin a while back. The Islanders, in the midst of the playoff hunt, will dearly miss their number one. The Devils lead the season series against the Islanders 5-1-0 and will need another win to keep on top of the Penguins, who are tied for the division lead (and 2nd in the Conference) in points. With a win tonight, the Devils can clinch their playoff birth in the East.
Also tied for the 8th spot, but with one more game played already, the Canadiens fight for their playoff lives against the 6th spot, New York Rangers, at the Bell Centre. This is the third meeting of the season between these two teams, the Rangers winning both previous match-ups, one in each building. A win for Montreal tonight will guarantee them at least a piece of 8th spot, the share will depend on how the Islanders & Hurricanes end up tonight. Henrik Lundqvist (Box 18) is the hottest player in the league of late, winning all four games of his last week and was the pool's PotW.
In Toronto tonight, the 8th place Hurricanes will be up against the 10th place Maple Leafs. Talk about a key game in the race... the Hurricanes will try to stave off all opponents who are tied with them, while the Leafs will look to join the logjam at 84 points. There is just so many possibilities that could happen with all these games tonight, I won't even begin to conjure up scenarios at this point. What I will tell you, however, is that the Leafs lead the season series 2-1-0 heading into this contest.
In a little less of a dire situation, the Lightning, who hold the seventh spot in the East, will play host to the Panthers in a Battle of the Sunshine State. The Lightning cannot fall out of a playoff spot tonight, but a win would move them ever-closer to the 6th place Rangers. Hell, they're only two points behind division-leading Atlanta, which would give them 3rd in the Conference.
So, that would be your quick look at the East for Tuesday night... let's check in with a couple games in the West, that hold quite a bit of significance tonight.
On Flames PPV tonight, the first game of their two-game series in Minnesota tonight. The Wild are currently tied with the Canucks for the division lead in points (but 2nd, because of GP) and the Flames are trying to hold off the Avalanche for 8th spot. In the Xcel Energy Center, the Wild are 2-0-0 against the Flames and they'll finish the last two games tonight and Thursday. A sweep of the Flames would open a 4-point window for the Avalanche to gain some ground. The Wild are 9-1-0 in their last 10, winning their last 9 consecutively. The Flames are 5-4-1 in their last 10 and have won their last 3. The last meeting between the two teams was a 4-2 win for Minnesota in Calgary. If you Flames fans have any nails left, this is a good time to finish them off.
Division rivals say to each other, if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. The Canucks would love a Calgary win, whilst the Flames would love a Canucks win tonight. Both are road teams... and both of their opponents are saying the same thing. It's no secret the races between the four teams, so you know the importance of it all already. The Avalanche won the last game on Sunday in overtime against the Canucks and now they'll finish the home & home series in Denver, where the Avalanche are 3-0-0 against the Canucks. If there was ever a better time to win away for the Canucks, now would be the time.
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