Welcome to Wednesday's edition of the "Morning Skate." It's been a minute since I checked in, I know. But so much has been going on for me, especially with the NBA Cup being in town the past week. Add in the Thanksgiving holiday, some heavy UNLV action, plus the Raiders and Golden Knights, and my plate has been full.
But let's play catch up after a 10-game card last night, including a pretty good showdown in Calgary, where Boston squeaked by with a 4-3 overtime win.
Let's take a look at the main highlights from Tuesday:
- Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck was one of three 4 Nations Face-Off goaltenders to achieve notable feats while becoming the first netminder to reach 20 wins this season with a 4-3 win in San Jose.
- Then there was Ottawa's Linus Ullmark, who made 30 saves for his second straight shutout on the road and extended his winning streak to six games in Ottawa's 3-0 win in Seattle.
- Boston's Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves while David Pastrnak scored his 11th career overtime goal to help Boston secure its NHL-leading third multi-goal, third-period comeback win. Swayman registered his 90th career victory and became the second-fastest American goaltender in NHL history to reach the mark.
- Patrik Laine registered his 11th career hat trick to lift the Canadiens to a 6-1 win over the struggling Sabres. Laine (6 goals, 1 assist in seven games played) has scored each of his first six goals with the Canadiens on the power play.
- Three Metropolitan Division clubs picked up wins, with New Jersey (21-10-3, 45 points) overtaking the Capitals (21-8-2, 44 points) for first place thanks to a 4-1 win in St. Louis. At the same time, third-place Carolina (20-10-1, 41) gained ground with it 4-0 shutout of the Islanders, and the Penguins (14-14-5. 33 points) inched closer to a playoff position with their 3-2 win over the Kings.
Through the first 71 nights of the season:
- Favorites are 299-205, including a 274-185 run.
- Overs are 225-247-32, but the Under is currently on a 178-137-18 roll.
We have five games on the card tonight, and I'm headed to the high altitude of Salt Lake City for tonight's game with a potential Stanley Cup Final in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the Wild are hosting the defending champion Florida Panthers.
There's also a solid non-conference showdown in Dallas, where the Stars are hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But I have my eyes on an entirely different game.
Tonight's FEATURED GAME (lines courtesy DraftKings):
Vancouver at Utah (-110, 5.5-over, -120)
OUTLOOK: The Canucks arrive in Salt Lake City with a 16-9-5 mark for 37 points and slotted No. 1 in the wild-card race, and face the scrappy Utah Hockey Club (14-11-5, 33 points; 3 points back of WC2). With both scrapping in the Western Conference wild-card race, Vancouver is a dangerous team away from home, boasting a 10-2-1 road record with a League-leading .808 points percentage as the visiting team. But Utah has been playing well, having won four of five seven of 11 since Nov. 26. The thing I worry about with the Canucks is the first of a back-to-back, with tomorrow's game in Vegas. They may be looking ahead to the Golden Knights. Consider the home team in this one.