Vancouver Canucks vs Minnesota Wild March 10, 2013

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Welcome to the halfway mark of the season, ladies and gentlemen. It is fitting that the Wild not only play the Canucks tonight, but also have the chance to take over the Northwest Division with a win in regulation. While the faux rivalry with the Canucks has grown tired after missing the playoffs for the better part of the last century, this game will no doubt carry a playoff atmosphere, which should ratchet up the bitterness.

The Wild are going to need to do their best to not buy into the stupidity that normally comes with a Canucks game. If Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Mikael Granlund are scratched again, and Zenon Konopka skates tonight, Konopka will need to find a way to stay out of the penalty box. That is, unless he is taking a Canuck with him for an equal amount of time. Putting the Canucks on the power play is just begging for a loss.

For the Canucks, the struggles are palpable. Just 3-3-4 in their last ten, they have to be salivating coming into tonight. The Canucks love them some Wild games, and have to be thinking easy two. However, the Wild play the Canucks much better at the X than at in Vancouver, and the Nucks know it. The Sedins will be flying and Burrows will be hungry (watch your fingers, boys).

Struggles or not, the Canucks are still one of the best in the league. If the Wild let the Nucks get rolling, this game is going to turn into a repeat of the Hawks game, and no one is going to want any part of it. On the flip side, if the Wild play a full 60 minutes, this is a winnable game, and the Northwest can be theirs.

Should be a good one tonight, folks. This one should have a great vibe to it. That will be up to the Wild to provide.

Game time is 7:00 PM. Hopefully you all changed your clocks.

Montreal Canadiens vs Florida Panthers March 10, 2013

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Montreal Canadiens 16-5-4 (36 pts) at Florida Panthers 7-12-6 (20 pts)

A tough test awaits the Florida Panthers tonight at 6 pm when they face the Eastern Conference leading Montreal Canadiens in the second game of a three game home stand. Florida dropped the first game against the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in overtime. Florida went down 2-0 early on Friday night against the Jets.


Goalie Jacob Markstrom allowed a goal on the Jets first shot one night after allowing two goals on the Washington Capitals‘ first two shots in Florida’s 7-1 loss Thursday in Washington.  While Markstrom was pulled from the game Thursday, head coach Kevin Dineen kept him in the game Friday and Markstrom shut the door the rest of regulation allowing Florida to comeback and send the game to overtime. Jonathan Huberdeau (12) and Shawn Matthias (6) scored for the Panthers. Huberdeau has now scored in all four match ups against the Jets this year. Dustin Byfuglien scored the overtime winner for the Jets on a play where he split the Panther Tomas duo as Fleischmann and Kopecky seemed unable to do anything other than wave their sticks at the big defender.