NHL Preview Roundup: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals
There are 10 matchups scheduled for Tuesday, October 18, 2011, in which 20 team’s of the National Hockey League (NHL) will battle it out to improve their respective conference standings while earning those valuable two points.
We will take a look at Tuesday’s matchups, starting off with Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins (7:00 p.m. ET)
Being a team that just came out of the previous season as Stanley Cup champions, Boston Bruins have not shown that championship spirit thus far.
They lost against a rookie team like Colorado Avalanche in their third matchup, along with a season opening defeat against Philadelphia Flyers. After a shootout win against Chicago Blackhawks in their most recent contest, Boston will return home to face
Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at their own TD Garden.
For Carolina, the Hurricanes will be looking to extend not only their two-game winning streak, but also win another game against the defending champions after beating them on Wednesday, 3-2. By doing so, Carolina will have made themselves known in the league
as a team not to be reckoned with.
"We've got to start building from somewhere, being down, battling back into the game", Bruins goaltender, Tim Thomas, said, after their matchup against Chicago Blackhawks. "We needed the win. We needed to feel good going forward, something to carry over
on".
Currently, the Hurricanes are one point ahead of Boston in the Eastern Conference and have the chance to tie it up with Toronto and Philadelphia for the third number spot, while Bruins have the opportunity to move above Carolina and into the playoff-entry
division.
Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals (7:00 p.m. ET)
Without even getting a day of rest, Florida Panthers will be facing off against the perfect, Washington Capitals, who have won all four regular season games so far and are keen on continuing their winning streak.
At the moment, Florida is more than capable of taking Washington down after it’s back-to-back victory over one of the league’s toughest teams, Tampa Bay Lightning, beating them 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday and again by a monumental, 7-4, difference on Monday.
Washington’s goalie, Tomas Vokoun, who was a former goaltender for the Florida Panthers, will be facing his old team for the first time this season, which might just create a thrilling clash between him and Panthers goalie, Jose Theodore, who has also been
miraculous for his club.
"I don't think it will be anything special, but that might change (Tuesday)", Vokoun told the Capitals' official website. "They were trying to re-sign me and it just didn't work out. It was my decision (to become a free agent). I wish them the best".
Kris Versteeg and Stephen Weiss scored two goals and picked up two assists in their matchup against Tampa Bay. Both players at the moment are top contributors for their team and could be the winning factors for Florida come Tuesday.
It will be the Panthers last game before they return home for two more contests and since they are already on an impressive winning streak, improving it even further would not be good only for their team image but will also give their home fans a chance
to cheer and lift their spirits at the same time.
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