Have you noticed lately how many times radio and television announcers say "Those teams really don't like each other."
Really?
Huh!
It's almost every hour, be it talk sports radio or on the tv highlight reel.
Name me two teams in any professional sport that like each other. I understand that the Dallas Stars and the Dallas Mavericks may like each other, but who do the Stars like in the NHL?
Detroit? Vancouver? Edmonton? I doubt it.
No team says after the game, "You know, we lost, but it's okay. They're a good bunch of guys in the other dressing room and we don't mind losing to them."
This has nothing to do with fantasy hockey, but I wanted to get it off my chest.
Here is The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 7-13
4 Games - Chicago, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Minnesota
3 Games - Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, New York Islanders, Ottawa, St. Louis, San Jose, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, Winnipeg
2 Games - Columbus, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay
Edmonton and Vancouver play all four games on the road.
Dallas and the New York Islanders play three times away from home.
Anaheim, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, St. Louis and San Jose play three games in their home arena.
INJURIES
Tobias Enstrom is out of action indefinitely with a broken collarbone. (Click here for all the injuries http://rotoworld.com/teams/injuries/nhl/all/)
ANAHEIM
Games this week
vs. Nashville, vs. Vancouver, vs. Minnesota
Notes
Anaheim plays all three games at home this week and are rested in all three games while their competition plays the Kings in Los Angeles the previous night. The Ducks were smart in calling up Jean-Francois Jacques when his minor league team was not playing and allowing him to serve his five game suspension while still being able to go back to the minors on the weekend and play. The NHL should force teams to play one player down if there is a suspension. Lubomir Visnovsky had a poor month of October with only four points and a minus-five rating, not good for a defenseman who likely went top-five in most pools.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. New York Islanders, vs. Edmonton, vs. Buffalo
Notes
The Bruins play all three games at home this week and are the rested team on Saturday when they play Buffalo who are home to Ottawa the previous night. Nathan Horton has only five points this season but does have 26 minutes in the sin bin. He still could be suffering some lingering effects of the concussion he had in the Stanley Cup final. Tyler Seguin has four goals and 11 points with a plus-eight rating in 11 games this season. He is also not afraid to shoot the puck as he has 36 shots on goal. The Bruins are suffering from the Stanley Cup hangover and currently have the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
BUFFALO
Games this week
vs. Winnipeg, vs. Ottawa, @ Boston
Notes
The Sabres should be tired on Saturday when they travel to Boston as they are home to
the Senators on Friday. Ryan Miller is off to a slow start as he is 4-5-0 with a 2.48 GAA and a .922 save percentage. While his save percentage looks good, it is only 17th best in the NHL. Ville Leino, one of the Sabres top off-season signings, has also struggled out of the gate as with only two assists this season. Luke Adam has been a pleasant surprise for poolies with four goals and 11 points in 11 games. Marc-Andre Gragnani led all Sabre blueliners in TOI during power plays but was a healthy scratch on Wednesday so Mike Weber could get into the lineup for the first time.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, @ Chicago, @ Colorado
Notes
Calgary will be tired on Saturday when they travel to Denver to play the Avalanche as they play the Blackhawks in Chicago the previous night. The tables are reversed the previous night as the Blackhawks will be tired after playing in Columbus Thursday. After a great October, Miikka Kiprusoff was mediocre at best in giving up five goals in 18 shots to the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday. Alex Tanguay leads the Flames with eight points while Jarome Iginla is off to his usual slow start with only two goals.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ New Jersey, @ New York Rangers, vs. Pittsburgh
Notes
It was thought that Jussi Jokinen would be out three-four-weeks with a leg injury but it appears that he will be day-to-day. Zac Dalpe came off the injured list and was sent to the minors, but could return quickly if he plays well. Jeff Skinner is showing that last year was no fluke as the 19-year-old has six goals and 12 points in 12 games. His minus-six rating is nothing to write but he is even in his last seven games. Cam Ward is 5-2-2 thus far with a 2.30 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
CHICAGO
Games this week
@ St. Louis, @ Columbus, vs. Calgary, vs. Edmonton
Notes
The Blackhawks play four times including three in four nights so look for Ray Emery to play at least once in place of Corey Crawford. They will be tired when they return home on Friday to face Calgary after playing Columbus on Thursday. Daniel Carcillo returned to the lineup on November 3 after missing two games due to a suspension. He said that he will continue to be aggressive and that the suspension will not tone down his game, which is good news for fantasy players who need penalty minutes. Duncan Keith is out with a hand injury. Chicago's power play was fourth in the NHL last season but have only four goals heading into Thursday's action, the second worst percentage in the NHL.
COLORADO
Games this week
@ Detroit, vs. New York Islanders, vs. Calgary
Notes
The Avs are rested when they face Calgary Saturday but the Flames should be a tired team after playing in Chicago on Friday. Matt Duchene has been struggling in the early going with only six points in 12 games so coach Joe Sacco put him on the top line with Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk in practice Thursday. Peter Mueller (head) has started skating before practice but there is no timetable for his return. Erik Johnson has yet to garner a point this season in Denver but has six assists on the road.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
vs. Chicago, vs. Winnipeg
Notes
The Blue Jackets only play twice again this week, so bench your Columbus players with the exception of Rick Nash, Jeff Carter (if healthy) and James Wisniewski. Derek MacKenzie will get the start at center Thursday on the top line between Rick Nash and Vaclav Prospal. Carter will get the assignment back once he returns from a foot injury. Antoine Vermette has gone 18 straight games without a goal, dating back to last season. The Blue Jackets decided to keep Ryan Johansen with the big club rather than return him to junior hockey. Steve Mason continues to struggle in goal and Mark Dekanich could see a lot of action once he returns from the high ankle sprain injury that has plagued him since training camp.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Washington, @ Pittsburgh, @ Detroit
Notes
The Stars are on the road for all three games. Steve Ott is out with a hip pointer. Loui Eriksson replaced Ott on the top line with Jamie Benn. Sheldon Souray has been terrific on the power play with a goal and an assist, but at the expense of Alex Goligoski who has yet to get a point with the man-advantage. Eriksson leads the team with six goals while Benn has 10 points. Souray is tops in penalty minutes with 27, to go with eight points.
DETROIT
Games this week
vs. Colorado, vs. Edmonton, vs. Dallas
Notes
The Red Wings are rested when they play Edmonton on Friday but the Oilers will be tired as they travel from Boston after playing the Bruins on Thursday. Detroit plays all three games at home this week. Coach Mike Babcock has split up Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk yet again. Look for Datsyuk to skate with Daniel Cleary and Jiri Hudler while Zetterberg will likely be between Todd Bertuzzi and Johan Franzen. Fabian Brunnstrom was sent to the minors.
Have you noticed lately how many times radio and television announcers say "Those teams really don't like each other."
Really?
Huh!
It's almost every hour, be it talk sports radio or on the tv highlight reel.
Name me two teams in any professional sport that like each other. I understand that the Dallas Stars and the Dallas Mavericks may like each other, but who do the Stars like in the NHL?
Detroit? Vancouver? Edmonton? I doubt it.
No team says after the game, "You know, we lost, but it's okay. They're a good bunch of guys in the other dressing room and we don't mind losing to them."
This has nothing to do with fantasy hockey, but I wanted to get it off my chest.
Here is The Week Ahead.
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 7-13
4 Games - Chicago, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Minnesota
3 Games - Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Florida, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, New York Islanders, Ottawa, St. Louis, San Jose, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, Winnipeg
2 Games - Columbus, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay
Edmonton and Vancouver play all four games on the road.
Dallas and the New York Islanders play three times away from home.
Anaheim, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, St. Louis and San Jose play three games in their home arena.
INJURIES
Tobias Enstrom is out of action indefinitely with a broken collarbone. (Click here for all the injuries http://rotoworld.com/teams/injuries/nhl/all/)
ANAHEIM
Games this week
vs. Nashville, vs. Vancouver, vs. Minnesota
Notes
Anaheim plays all three games at home this week and are rested in all three games while their competition plays the Kings in Los Angeles the previous night. The Ducks were smart in calling up Jean-Francois Jacques when his minor league team was not playing and allowing him to serve his five game suspension while still being able to go back to the minors on the weekend and play. The NHL should force teams to play one player down if there is a suspension. Lubomir Visnovsky had a poor month of October with only four points and a minus-five rating, not good for a defenseman who likely went top-five in most pools.
BOSTON
Games this week
vs. New York Islanders, vs. Edmonton, vs. Buffalo
Notes
The Bruins play all three games at home this week and are the rested team on Saturday when they play Buffalo who are home to Ottawa the previous night. Nathan Horton has only five points this season but does have 26 minutes in the sin bin. He still could be suffering some lingering effects of the concussion he had in the Stanley Cup final. Tyler Seguin has four goals and 11 points with a plus-eight rating in 11 games this season. He is also not afraid to shoot the puck as he has 36 shots on goal. The Bruins are suffering from the Stanley Cup hangover and currently have the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
BUFFALO
Games this week
vs. Winnipeg, vs. Ottawa, @ Boston
Notes
The Sabres should be tired on Saturday when they travel to Boston as they are home to
the Senators on Friday. Ryan Miller is off to a slow start as he is 4-5-0 with a 2.48 GAA and a .922 save percentage. While his save percentage looks good, it is only 17th best in the NHL. Ville Leino, one of the Sabres top off-season signings, has also struggled out of the gate as with only two assists this season. Luke Adam has been a pleasant surprise for poolies with four goals and 11 points in 11 games. Marc-Andre Gragnani led all Sabre blueliners in TOI during power plays but was a healthy scratch on Wednesday so Mike Weber could get into the lineup for the first time.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Minnesota, @ Chicago, @ Colorado
Notes
Calgary will be tired on Saturday when they travel to Denver to play the Avalanche as they play the Blackhawks in Chicago the previous night. The tables are reversed the previous night as the Blackhawks will be tired after playing in Columbus Thursday. After a great October, Miikka Kiprusoff was mediocre at best in giving up five goals in 18 shots to the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday. Alex Tanguay leads the Flames with eight points while Jarome Iginla is off to his usual slow start with only two goals.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ New Jersey, @ New York Rangers, vs. Pittsburgh
Notes
It was thought that Jussi Jokinen would be out three-four-weeks with a leg injury but it appears that he will be day-to-day. Zac Dalpe came off the injured list and was sent to the minors, but could return quickly if he plays well. Jeff Skinner is showing that last year was no fluke as the 19-year-old has six goals and 12 points in 12 games. His minus-six rating is nothing to write but he is even in his last seven games. Cam Ward is 5-2-2 thus far with a 2.30 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
CHICAGO
Games this week
@ St. Louis, @ Columbus, vs. Calgary, vs. Edmonton
Notes
The Blackhawks play four times including three in four nights so look for Ray Emery to play at least once in place of Corey Crawford. They will be tired when they return home on Friday to face Calgary after playing Columbus on Thursday. Daniel Carcillo returned to the lineup on November 3 after missing two games due to a suspension. He said that he will continue to be aggressive and that the suspension will not tone down his game, which is good news for fantasy players who need penalty minutes. Duncan Keith is out with a hand injury. Chicago's power play was fourth in the NHL last season but have only four goals heading into Thursday's action, the second worst percentage in the NHL.
COLORADO
Games this week
@ Detroit, vs. New York Islanders, vs. Calgary
Notes
The Avs are rested when they face Calgary Saturday but the Flames should be a tired team after playing in Chicago on Friday. Matt Duchene has been struggling in the early going with only six points in 12 games so coach Joe Sacco put him on the top line with Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk in practice Thursday. Peter Mueller (head) has started skating before practice but there is no timetable for his return. Erik Johnson has yet to garner a point this season in Denver but has six assists on the road.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
vs. Chicago, vs. Winnipeg
Notes
The Blue Jackets only play twice again this week, so bench your Columbus players with the exception of Rick Nash, Jeff Carter (if healthy) and James Wisniewski. Derek MacKenzie will get the start at center Thursday on the top line between Rick Nash and Vaclav Prospal. Carter will get the assignment back once he returns from a foot injury. Antoine Vermette has gone 18 straight games without a goal, dating back to last season. The Blue Jackets decided to keep Ryan Johansen with the big club rather than return him to junior hockey. Steve Mason continues to struggle in goal and Mark Dekanich could see a lot of action once he returns from the high ankle sprain injury that has plagued him since training camp.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Washington, @ Pittsburgh, @ Detroit
Notes
The Stars are on the road for all three games. Steve Ott is out with a hip pointer. Loui Eriksson replaced Ott on the top line with Jamie Benn. Sheldon Souray has been terrific on the power play with a goal and an assist, but at the expense of Alex Goligoski who has yet to get a point with the man-advantage. Eriksson leads the team with six goals while Benn has 10 points. Souray is tops in penalty minutes with 27, to go with eight points.
DETROIT
Games this week
vs. Colorado, vs. Edmonton, vs. Dallas
Notes
The Red Wings are rested when they play Edmonton on Friday but the Oilers will be tired as they travel from Boston after playing the Bruins on Thursday. Detroit plays all three games at home this week. Coach Mike Babcock has split up Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk yet again. Look for Datsyuk to skate with Daniel Cleary and Jiri Hudler while Zetterberg will likely be between Todd Bertuzzi and Johan Franzen. Fabian Brunnstrom was sent to the minors.
EDMONTON
Games this week
@ Montreal, @ Boston, @ Detroit, @ Chicago
Notes
The Oilers finish their six game road trip this week with four games including three games in four nights. Nikolai Khabibulin has been the best goalie in the NHL in the first month but Devan Dubnyk has not been far behind so look for the duo to split the net this week. They will be tired when they face Detroit on Friday as the Oilers are in Boston the previous night. Former first round pick Colten Teubert was recalled this past week and made his NHL debut in place of the injured Cam Barker (shoulder) on Thursday. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was named the NHL's rookie of the month for October.
FLORIDA
Games this week
@ Toronto, @ Winnipeg, vs. Philadelphia
Notes
The Panthers have sent goaltender Scott Clemmensen to the minors on a conditioning stint. He has been out of the lineup since training camp with a knee injury. Dmitri Kulikov is progressing as a potential top blueliner as the 21-year-old is seeing plenty of action in all situations. He has six assists and a plus-3 rating in 10 games this season, while averaging 21:44 of ice time per game and 4:17 per contest on the power play. Mikael Samuelsson could be out another week.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ San Jose, vs. Nashville, vs. Vancouver, vs. Minnesota
Notes
The Kings play four times this week, including three games in four nights so Jonathan Bernier should get at least one start in place of Jonathan Quick. They are a tired team on Tuesday when they come home to face Nashville who will be waiting for them as the Kings are in San Jose Monday. Dustin Penner is back on the third line after playing with Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar on the top line. Simon Gagne will regain his spot on the top unit after being out the last two games with a middle-body injury.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
@ Calgary, @ San Jose, @ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim
Notes
The Wild play four road games this week including three in four nights so look for Josh Harding, who has excelled in the early going, winning back-to-back games against the Red Wings, to split the net with Niklas Backstrom. The Wild could be tired on Sunday when they go into Anaheim to play the Ducks as they face the Kings the previous night. The Wild returned Brett Bulmer to Kelowna of the WHL. It looks like Marek Zidlicky will return to the top power play after being replaced for a game by Jared Spurgeon.
MONTREAL
Games this week
vs. Edmonton, @ Phoenix, @ Nashville
Notes
Lars Eller has replaced the injured Scott Gomez on the third line between Travis Moen and Andrei Kostitsyn. Andrei Markov (knee) is getting closer to returning to practice and if all goes well, he could return to the lineup by the end of the month. Carey Price was the first star of the week at the end of October picking up three straight wins. Surprisingly, Josh Gorges leads the Canadiens in assists with six.
NASHVILLE
Games this week
@ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim, vs. Montreal
Notes
The Predators may be tired when they face Anaheim on Wednesday as they play across town against the Kings on Tuesday. They finally signed one of their top stars as they inked goaltender Pekka Rinne to a seven-year/$49 million deal Thursday and would like to get Ryan Suter and Shea Weber under long-term contracts as well. Mike Fisher was hurt yet again, this time with an upper body injury but returned to action on Thursday. Mr. Underwood has two goals and four points in four games this season. Patric Hornqvist potted two goals against the Blackhawks Monday but has only four points in the first ten games.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
vs. Carolina, vs. Washington, @ Washington
Notes
The Devils play a home-and-home series against the Capitals this week so look for David Clarkson and Cam Janssen to add to their penalty minute totals if the going gets rough. Adam Larsson picked up his first NHL point on Wednesday. He was the top defenseman in the 2011 Entry Draft and will have a long and prosperous career in the league. He should be grabbed in all keeper leagues. Coach Peter DeBoer switched up his line combinations on Wednesday but left the line of Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora and Dainius Zubrus alone. Just like last season, Ilya Kovalchuk is off to a slow start with only two goals in his first ten games and pulled a leg muscle on Thursday. Consider him day-to-day for now.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
@ Boston, @ Colorado, @ Vancouver
Notes
The Islanders play all three on the road this week. Rick DiPietro has started the last two games for the Islanders while Al Montoya has been his backup. Evgeni Nabokov is getting close to returning to action as he has been suffering from a lower body injury and when he returns, the Islanders will once again have three goalies. Nino Niederreiter (groin) was assigned to the minors Tuesday on a conditioning assignment. New York still has two NHL games to decide whether or not to keep him or send him back to Portland of the WHL but the two weeks he'll be allowed to play in the minors will give the Islanders more time to make a decision. No surprise that Travis Hamonic got into a fight in his first NHL game in his hometown of Winnipeg.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ Ottawa, vs. Carolina
Notes
The Rangers only play twice this week so we recommend benching all your New York players with the exception of Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards. The Rangers are weak on the blueline, especially with the season-long concussion woes that Marc Staal is undergoing, so they signed offensive defenseman Anton Stralman to a one-year deal. Sean Avery cleared re-entry waivers and was added to the New York roster. Michael Rupp suffered a knee injury and may need surgery. Wojtek Wolski has played in the last five games after missing five games as a healthy scratch.
OTTAWA
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, @ Buffalo, @ Toronto
Notes
The Senators will be tired on Saturday when the face the Maple Leafs as they are in Buffalo Friday night. Robin Lehner was outstanding in his first start of the season Sunday. He is definitely the Senators goalie of the future. Daniel Alfredsson suffered a concussion and it may be a while until he returns. Nikita Filatov will be the beneficiary of Alfredsson's injury as he will get a chance to show his offensive prowess and stick with the team. Peter Regin suffered a shoulder injury and hopes to be back by mid-December as he decided to rehab it rather than have surgery.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
@ Tampa Bay, @ Florida
Notes
Philadelphia plays only twice this week, both in the state of Florida although they have a three day rest in between so it should be a nice vacation. Scott Hartnell has been red hot on the first line with Claude Giroux and Jaromir Jagr as he had five goals and 10 points in his last six games. James van Riemsdyk suffered an apparent knee injury on Wednesday and missed Thursday's game, although he skated in the warm up. Daniel Briere (upper body) returned to the Philadelphia lineup on Thursday, sending Ben Holmstrom back to the minors. Ilya Bryzgalov has turned his season around this past week after saying he was 'lost' last week in net. Chris Pronger was placed on the injured reserve list with his eye injury and is week to week at this time.
PHOENIX
Games this week
vs. Montreal, @ San Jose
Notes
The Coyotes play only twice this week so bench all your Phoenix players with the possible exception of Ray Whitney who at age 37 is still a fantasy threat. He has five goals and 12 points in 12 games. New linemate Radim Vrbata has four goals in his last three games. Martin Hanzal, the third member of the line, also is off to a great start with 10 points but missed Thursday's game with a lower body injury. As Rotoworld's James O'Brien pointed out brilliantly in Thursday's Daily Dose, Mike Smith should be picked up in all pools that require goaltending. Kyle Chipchura was recalled from the minors. The Calgary Flames are now said to be interested in acquiring restricted free agent Kyle Turris. Ottawa is also said to be interested.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. Dallas, @ Carolina
Notes
The Penguins play only two games this week, for the second week in a row. There is talk that Sidney Crosby could return for Friday's home game against Dallas but we will have to wait and see. Jordan Staal (lower body) could return to the lineup this week as he practiced on Wednesday. Steve Sullivan is off to a very slow start with only three assists in his first 13 games. Kris Letang and James Neal lead the Penguins in points with 11.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
vs. Chicago, vs. Toronto, vs. Tampa Bay
Notes
The Blues play three times this week and all are at home. St. Louis Cardinal Chris Carpenter, a good hockey player as a teenager, skated with the Blues this past week. Taylor Chorney was claimed off waivers by the Blues from Edmonton on October 11 but has been a healthy scratch since. Chris Stewart has only two goals and an assist but has 25 penalty minutes thus far. Alex Steen leads the Blues in goals with six and points with nine, while Kevin Shattenkirk is tied with Jason Arnott with five assists to lead St. Louis.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. Minnesota, vs. Phoenix
Notes
The Sharks are in the midst of a six game home stand. Joe Pavelski has 11 points in his last six games and is fitting in nicely with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau on the first line. Pavelski leads the Sharks with eight goals and 13 points this season. Andrew Desjardins has two goals and 21 penalty minutes in nine games. Antti Niemi is 4-2 with a 2.68 GAA and a .902 save percentage in his first six games back from surgery to remove a cyst. The Sharks need him to be better than that.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
vs. Philadelphia, @ St. Louis
Notes
The Lightning only play twice this week so I recommend benching all your Lightning players with the exception of Steve Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier and Marc-Andre Bergeron, if you are able to do so. Teddy Purcell has 10 points in 11 games and is off to the best start of his career. Steve Downie has only a goal and two points with a minus-eight rating but he does have 42 penalty minutes. Bergeron leads the team with 13 points.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. Florida, @ St. Louis, vs. Ottawa
Notes
The Maple Leafs were the top team in the NHL on Thursday when they defeated Columbus, quite a climb from the last seven years when they have failed to make the playoffs. Joffrey Lupul became the first Maple Leaf to score a hat trick on the road since Darrly Sittler did it in 1980. Phil Kessel was named the first start for the month of October and leads the NHL with 10 goals and 22 points. James Reimer has had a couple of setbacks when it looked like he was ready to return to the crease but Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens have more than held their own in net. Jake Gardiner suffered a bruised ankle last Sunday but did not miss any action.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
@ Los Angeles, @ Anaheim, vs. New York Islanders
Notes
The Canucks play three games in four nights so look for the struggling Roberto Luongo to share the net with Cory Schneider. The Canucks are tired on Friday when they play the Ducks as they take on the Kings Thursday. Alexander Edler has taken over from the departed Christian Ehrhoff and has 12 points thus far. Manny Malhotra is ranked sixth in the NHL with a 60.1 percent faceoff success rate.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
vs. Dallas, @ New Jersey, vs. New Jersey
Notes
The Capitals play a home-and-home series with New Jersey so expect some tempers to flare on either night. This would make Matt Hendricks the likeliest candidate to get into a fight for the Capitals. Jay Beagle is scheduled to start skating this weekend for the first time since suffering concussion on October 13. Mike Green (twisted ankle) suffered a setback during practice on Wednesday but thinks he is only a few days away from returning to action. Coach Bruce Boudreau benched Alex Ovechkin for the last minute of a one goal game Tuesday, even when they pulled the goalie for an extra attacker and that caused an interesting reaction across the NHL. Must be nice to give up four goals in 15 shots and still come out with a win. That happened to Tomas Vokoun on Tuesday.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
@ Buffalo, vs. Florida, @ Columbus
Notes
The Jets finish off their seven game road trip in Buffalo but are home for only one game before heading out to play in Columbus Saturday. Chris Mason was placed on injured reserve so Peter Mannino will back up Ondrej Pavelec in the interim. Tobias Enstrom is out indefinitely with a broken collarbone. Blake Wheeler has yet to score a goal in 12 games this season. Ron Hainsey is likely to return to action this week as he has been out since October 17 with an upper body injury. Kyle Wellwood has five goals in the Jets first 12 games.
By the way, as mentioned earlier, the Capitals and Devils play a home-and-home series and it should be a wild couple of games because the two teams don't like each other.