Preview: Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m. ET.
It's your standard Bruins-Senators, as one of the Northeast's division's top teams visits the team in the basement. The bizarro world twist? The Senators are the top team; the Bruins are in the gutter. Ottawa is 7-5-0, only a point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for top spot. Boston is 3-7-0, currently in last place in the Eastern Conference. Yeah, this is happening. Will the universe right itself tonight? Don't count on it. The Senators have won six in a row.
Preview: Anaheim Ducks at Washington Capitals, 7:30 p.m. ET.
After opening the season with seven straight wins, the Capitals have lost two in a row during a quick Northwest road trip, surrendering four powerplay goals (and nine overall) in that span. This is good news for the Ducks, who went 0-for-4 on their powerplay over their last two games, both losses. What's the problem with Anaheim's powerplay? "We seem to be overpassing and putting the puck in a different area where it's less of an angle or less of an opportunity to score," said Randy Carlyle. When asked for an example of a bad place to put the puck during a powerplay, Carlyle said, "On the stick of Sheldon Brookbank." Okay, no he didn't. But it was implied.
Preview: Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames, 9:30 p.m. ET.
Speaking of bizarro NHL records, this contest is between the two worst teams in the Northwest division. How the heck did that happen? But don't think this will be a spiritless match between two craptacular opponents; these two teams hate each other and they're both better than their records indicate. If you're a betting man, take Daniel Sedin to score a goal tonight. He's scored on Miikka Kiprusoff a whopping 22 times in his career.
Check out previews and updated scores for all of today's games on the Y! Sports NHL scores and scheds page. For tonight's starting goalies, check out Left Wing Lock.
Evening Reading
• Hockey-related controversies involving the Canadian prime minister embarrass me daily. Here's the latest, as Canadians write letters disputing Stephen Harper's claim that he invented a game called "foot hockey". Seriously, of all the political claims to fact-check... [Montreal Gazette]
• Mats Sundin will get his jersey hung in the rafters in Toronto on February 11. No word on when Vancouver will do the same. [CBC]
• Vincent Lecavalier is looking pretty good in Tampa. He's got 8 points in 11 games. He had 30 in last season's final 28. He's trending up. No wonder the Province wanted to trade for him. They're geniuses. [St. Petersburg Times]
Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: Benny, on Jaromir Jagr peanut butter:
Would you eat Jaromir Jagr Peanut Butter from 1996? I would definitely need to mullet over.
Safe to assume Benny is secretly Ron Maclean.
Bold prediction: Just because I took a shot at him, Sheldon Brookbank scores the powerplay game-winner in Washington.