NHL Preview Roundup (Part I)
Sixteen teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) are going to face off in eight different games on Thursday, February 2, 2012.
In this space we will have a look at the eight matchups and see who has got what it takes to be the winner.
Carolina at Boston (7.00 p.m. ET)
The mighty Boston Bruins was on-and-off during the last few games, but the team has got a great opportunity to experiment a bit and set a new tone for itself as it hosts the lowly Carolina Hurricanes at the TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts.
Boston is currently placed at second spot in the NHL Eastern Conference with 66 points after 48 games.
The Bruins defeated Ottawa Senators (4-3) in the last game after registering an impressive comeback by displaying an aggressive outburst to recover from a two-goal deficit.
"We just have to play our game like we did in November and December and that's the formula that brings success for us,” Boston’s centre Gregory Campbell said after the last game.
He added that:
“There are ups and downs in the season, but you can't use that as an excuse. Good teams find a way to be consistent and that's our issue right now.”
On the other hand, Carolina’s performance in the current season is far from commendable.
After 52 games, Carolina is ranked at the bottom of the same conference with 45 points.
The recent defeat came against New York Islanders (5-2) in which Hurricanes managed once to neutralise a two-goal lead, but failed to do it second time.
Montreal at New Jersey (7.00 p.m. ET)
New Jersey Devils managed to snap three-game losing streak by defeating New York Rangers in a shootout on Tuesday, and it will continue to improve its record to secure a playoff spot as it prepares to host Montreal Canadiens at the Prudential Center, Newark,
New Jersey.
After playing 50 games Montreal is ranked at 14th spot in the NHL Eastern Conference and the chances for Canadiens reaching the playoffs are unlikely.
Canadiens stunned Detroit Red Wings (7-2) before the All-Star break, but was back to repeating its failures against Buffalo Sabres (3-1) on Tuesday.
On the other hand, New Jersey is still very much alive in the playoff contention.
After playing 49 games, New Jersey has 57 points and is ranked at eight spot in the same conference.
Devils’ coach, Peter DeBoer, thinks that as long as Ilya Kovalchuk stays in form, the team has a greater chance to qualify for the playoffs.
"When Kovy goes down and scores practically every time, that first goal on the first shot, the stats say that the team to get the first goal usually wins," he said. "That's always a big boost."
To be continued...
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