NHL Weekly Preview - Jan 16-22

Games of the Week:

1. Boston Bruins @ New York Rangers, 1pm, Saturday, January 21

       The two best teams in the East face off in this Saturday afternoon affair. This matchup will revolve around the goaltenders, as both Tim Thomas and Henrik Lundqvist are in the top five in Goals Against Average and Save Percentage. These teams have a combined goal differential of +104 this season, and their matchup should not be missed as it could prove to be a preview of a potential playoff series come April.

2. San Jose Sharks @ Vancouver Canucks, 4:30pm, Saturday

       This game is a rematch of last year's Western Conference final where Vancouver beat out the Sharks in 5 games. These teams have been powerhouses in the West for the past several years; the last time both of these teams did not win their respective division was in 2007-08 (San Jose won their division while the Canucks finished 11^th in the West). These teams have two of the deepest lineups in the league, and stars like the Sedins, Ryan Kesler, Joe Thornton and Logan Couture will be sure to dazzle on Saturday afternoon.

The Canucks and Sharks will do battle Saturday afternoon in San Jose.

3. Ottawa Senators @ San Jose Sharks, 10:30pm, Thursday, January 19

       The HP Pavilion will play host to two of the hottest teams in the NHL on Thursday night. Ottawa will play at the rival Leafs on Tuesday before heading to San Jose to begin their four-game west coast road trip leading up to the All-Star break. The Sharks and Senators have a combined record of 14-3-3 in their last ten games, which should translate into a evenly-matched, exciting game on Thursday.

Five things to watch for this week:

1. The 42 players for this year's All-Star game in Ottawa have been announced. Not surprisingly, four out of the “First Six” All-Stars, voted on by fans, were Ottawa Senators. The remaining 36 players and 12 rookies were selected by the league's Hockey Operations department. Watch out this week for the announcement of the Team Captains, which are voted on by the 42 All-Stars. This is almost certainly the most entertaining and creative of all professional sports' All-Star game formats, and hopefully this year's event will build upon the success of the 2011 All-Star game in Carolina.

2. Jeff Skinner will return to the Carolina Hurricanes after missing 16 games due to a concussion. Last year's Calder trophy winner, Skinner will provide a huge boost to the 'Canes who, under new head coach Kirk Muller are 8-12-3 and 10 points out of a playoff spot. Skinner was available to play Sunday night against the Capitals, but will most likely rejoin the lineup Tuesday night versus Pittsburgh.

3. James van Riemsdyk is the latest Philadelphia Flyer to fall victim to a concussion this season. JVR will miss time after he “was hit in the head in each of our last two games,” said GM Paul Holmgren. This is troubling for the Flyers who are without captain Chris Pronger for the entire season due to a concussion, and have already had to deal with concussions sustained by young stars Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn.
   
   

   

   JVR might be on the move, but for now is out with a concussion.

   
   
4. This is not the only bit of news surrounding van Riemsdyk this week. TSN and the Philadelphia Daily News are reporting that the Leafs and GM Brian Burke have been in contact with the Flyers in hopes of acquiring JVR for Luke Schenn. Schenn was once Toronto's most coveted prospect, however he has been deemed somewhat replaceable this season; Schenn's ice-time is way down from last year, as he logs the sixth-most minutes among Toronto's D-men. This deal would unite the brothers Schenn in the city of brotherly love and address the Flyers most pressing need, while providing skill and size up front for the Leafs.

5. The Minnesota Wild started the season as one of the best teams in the league, but have fallen on hard times recently. After winning seven straight in November-December, the Wild have a record of 2-9-4 in their last 15 games, and are holding on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the West by one point. Minnesota will be in tough this week as they play three of their last four games before the All-Star break on the road, including games in Toronto and Philadelphia, who have a combined home record of 22-12-6 this season.