Two really interesting games on tap in the NHL tonight; Flyers v Bruins and Capitals v Blues. These two games are the rematches (in a way) of the two biggest upsets/choke jobs of the 2009-2010 NHL Playoffs. The Flyers became only the 2nd team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 deficit as they defeated the Bruins and ultimately advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. And while the Capitals did not lose their 1st round series after winning the President's Trophy to the Blues, the main catalyst for the travesty is the new goalie for the Blues, Jaroslav Halak.
So do these games mean anything? Not really, particularly on December 1st. But wins from the Bruins and Capitals will sure make their fans happy. I cannot speak for Bruins fans, but as a Capitals fan I will be thrilled if the Capitals win 10-0 tonight. And I would love if Semin scored 5 of those.
In other news:
- Crosby, Price, and Big Buff were the NHL Stars for the Month of November. Hard to argue against any of those, particularly Big Buff who has proved everyone wrong and has excelled on the blue line in Atlanta. I am curious who the other vote getters were. I would assume Stamkos, Semin, and Pavelec likely would be the next three.
- Scott Hannan will make his Capitals debut tomorrow night in Dallas. So nothing new on the back end tonight, but up front has some interesting stories to watch. How will Johansson do with his first crack at full time 2nd line center duties? Will DJ King go toe to toe with Cam Janssen or BJ Combreen? Will Fehr or Knuble break out of their slumps knowing that the Capitals moved some offensive fire power?
- Good article by Scott Burnside on ESPN today regarding the Capitals trade. He compares the move to when Tampa Bay traded for Darryl Sydor in their Cup winning season and asks whether this is a possible franchise altering moving that pushes the Capitals to the Cup. He also thinks another move could happen at the deadline, maybe even for someone like Brad Richards. That is of course pure speculation, but I would lose my mind if that trade went through.
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