An eight-game slate in the NHL last night was headlined by another impressive win for the NHL-best Washington Capitals, 6-3, over a scuffling Columbus Blue Jackets side. With the victory, Caps goalie Braden Holtby is the first to reach 30 wins this season.
Lower on the marquee, the Montreal Canadiens' 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins prompted an emotional response from coach Michel Therrien who told reporters that the players are "giving everything they have." After a blazing 19-4-3 start to the season, Montreal has fallen out of playoff positioning with a 4-16-1 skid.
It's a light schedule on Wednesday with just three games to speak of, but it's still an interesting slate to preview.
Coming Attractions:
St. Louis Blues (27-15-7) @ Detroit Red Wings (23-14-8) [8:00pm EST]
Detroit is trying for its first division title since joining the Eastern Conference, but a four-game home losing streak needs to be addressed in emphatic fashion against a St. Louis team coming off a successful homestand.
Buffalo Sabres (19-23-4) @ Colorado Avalanche (23-21-3) [10:00pm EST]
Buffalo is starting to right the ship, giving up just ten goals over a 4-1-0 after surrendering 21 goals during a previous six-game losing streak. Colorado has lost three of five, but is coming off a 2-1 road win over the Winnipeg Jets.
Minnesota Wild (22-15-8) @ Anaheim Ducks (19-18-7) [10:30pm EST]
It'll be a battle of attrition between the NHL's lowest-scoring team (Anaheim) and a Minnesota squad that's scored just three goals during their current four-game losing streak.
News & Notes:
The Montreal Canadiens are expected to fire coach Michel Therrien "very soon."
The Carolina Hurricanes have moved goalie Cam Ward to injured reserve due to a concussion.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that forward John Scott will play in the All-Star Game, reports CSNBayArea's Kevin Kurz. Scott was voted as captain of the Pacific Division by fans as a member of the Arizona Coyotes, but was traded to the Montreal Canadiens and sent directly to the AHL last week.
New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech may miss the rest of the season with an upper-body injury.
The Detroit Red Wings announced that defenseman Niklas Kronwall and forward Drew Miller will both miss extended periods of time with knee injuries. Kronwall will miss two-to-four weeks, while Miller will miss four-to-six months with a torn ACL.
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