03/20/2010 - Non-Leafs Game Previews

So. There will not be a preview for the Leaf game, I'm afraid - at least not one with anything that anyone could call substantial content. Seems that I have made other plans for today. The joys of living in a student house - a kegger has suddenly appeared and I must stand at my post.

However, there are still things that I must write. Among those are the previews of the other games happening in the NHL today. To wit:

2 PM EDT - NHL COM PREVIEW

This game, more than any other tonight (with the obvious exception of the Leafs game) is the most critical game for the Leafs - and it's taking place right now! Predictions are a bit silly, I'm afraid, when the product is already on the ice. The score is currently tied 2-2 at the end of regulation. Cheer for the Penguins, people - the Hurricanes need to lose for the Leafs to gain any ground.

At the moment, the Hurricanes are ahead by four points on the year. Losing this game will help the Leafs immeasurably, assuming the Leafs can even win against a strong Montreal squad.

7 PM EDT - NHL.COM PREVIEW

The Panthers are another team in the Leafs' sights; they're ahead only five points, which can be cut down to three if the Leafs win tonight. They're up against a skilled Buffalo team with arguably the best goalie in the world behind them in Ryan Miller. It feels a bit odd to cheer for Buffalo, I admit, but I can make an exception in this case.

 7:30 PM EDT - NHL.COM PREVIEW

Ovechkin's back on the ice after his 2-game suspension, and he gets back on the ice to go up against St. Louis and Stamkos. There's a lot of a talent on this ice in this game, but when you have a team that's as offensively powerful as the Capitals, it's hard to bet against them. Still, it's not like Washington has won every game this season, and it's not like there aren't people on the Lightning that can score goals.

 10:30 PM EDT - NHL.COM PREVIEW

Well, the Kings have been slumping a bit of late, and the Islanders are recovering after the Anaheim Ducks managed a comeback win against them in overtime last night.The Kings have a 3-4-1 record since the Olympic break, which may be making some people a bit nervous. It certainly makes me a bit more worried. There's no such thing as a guaranteed win in this league - which speaks well to the parity of the teams, even if the records are a bit more reflective of imbalance.

Unfortunately, even if everything goes perfectly from a Leaf perspective (which it hasn't, already - the Hurricanes have already secured at least one point), they still will not be closer than three points away from any other team. Closer than they have been at other points during the season, but still, there's much ground left to be caught up. 

Addendum: The Hurricanes just won in overtime against the Penguins. The Leafs' job just got harder.