Kraken Match-up
Coming off a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks in the lone NHL game on Friday night, the Los Angeles Kings hit Seattle to take on a very confident Kraken bunch on Saturday. With Jonathan Quick getting the start in the first half of the back-to-back, expect to see Cal Petersen between the pipes for LA.
It’s LA’s 3rd game in four nights. They beat the Oilers in Edmonton on Wednesday 3-1.
The Kraken nailed down its first overtime victory of the season with the 3-2 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night and jumped back to .500 on home ice and a 9-5-and-3 overall record on the season.
Speaking of goalies, Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer came off injured reserve on Friday and is available to play.
Conundrum? Do you give “Grooby” a look or do you reward Martin Jones for his outstanding play and give him the opportunity to win another game on this Kraken homestand. I say it’s the latter. One has to ride the hot hand.
Right now Martin is the number-one until he relinquishes it.
— Kraken defenseman Gustav Olofsson has been reassigned to the AHL Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Let’s Skate
What the heck is going on with the New Jersey Devils?! An eleven game winning streak, that’s what. They are now 14-and-3 on the season following their 3-2 overtime win in Toronto on Thursday. The demons from Newark are tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for the second most points in the National Hockey League with 28.
Two teams in the NHL have five game winning streaks at the moment, one from each conference, and they represent completely different stories.
The Boston Bruins are 10-and-0 at home this season, their best home win streak to start a season in their nearly 100 year history. Meanwhile, they’ve only lost two road games, at the Ottawa Senators 7-5 on October 18th and at the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on November 2nd. The B’s are on top of the NHL with 30 points under new head coach Jim Montgomery.
St. Louis is in recovery mode with their five game win streak, just getting back to .500 on the season with a 5-4 shoot-out win over the Washington Capitals at home on Thursday night. This streak comes right after an eight-game losing skid that had some fans wondering about head coach Craig Berube’s future, although his firing was doubtful as he recently signed a three year contract extension.
Ohio State Football
Kidding, but that was always the knock about the existence of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Ohio state capital city. The Buckeyes football team would always receive top billing.
Well, there’s no doubt about it right now with the Jackets hitting the skids and getting even more bad news. Already tied for the second-fewest points in the NHL, the club just found out star forward Patrik Laine will be out three to four weeks with a sprained ankle, goalie Elvis Merzlikins will miss a couple of weeks with an undisclosed injury, and defenseman Jack Bean is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury.
When it rains it pours.
Well, no one’s paying attention right now anyway. After their game today against Maryland, the Buckeyes football team hosts their dreaded rival and presently undefeated Michigan Wolverines next Saturday.
Enjoy the Hockey Action !! ((And M GO BLUE!))
