Welcome to a new week, folks!
I find myself still firmly in that “what day is it?” post-Christmas haze, so I didn’t realize the Bruins were playing in Calgary tonight until this morning.
We won’t have a full preview for you, but consider this a mini-preview and place to gather until the Public Skate.
The Flames aren’t having a great year, currently sitting at 7th in the Pacific Division.
However, they’ve been on a decent run of late, winning three of four and posting a 7-3-0 mark in their last ten games.
They’ve also been much better at home (10-5-2) than on the road this season, so this should be a good test for the Bruins.
Those Bruins, as you’re well aware, are in a tailspin, losing five games in a row and plummeting from near the top of the Atlantic to the third-worst points figure in the Eastern Conference.
The fall is particularly dramatic due to the congested nature of the standings at the moment, but the Bruins have been playing a bad brand of hockey for the past couple of weeks.
In case you missed it, the B’s activated both Matej Blumel and Michael Callahan from injured reserve on Sunday, then sent both to Providence.
In more positive news (yes, there is some good news), Will Zellers is opening eyes at the World Junior Championship in Minnesota, with one observer calling him “a two-way force” for the USA.
Elsewhere, the NHL is ramping up the hype machine for Friday night’s Winter Classic in Miami, with the Florida Panthers facing the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park, home of the Marlins.
While this will be a cool experience for Panthers fans, it seems like just about everyone else is over the outdoor games at this point.
To me, the NHL should focus on hosting outdoor games in more unique settings (like the Lake Tahoe game) instead of just trotting around to different MLB and NFL stadiums.
However, there are obvious logistical challenges to playing an outdoor game on some random frozen lake in Canada, so maybe we’re stuck with this set-up.
That’s my take for today.
What’s on tap for your Monday?