NHL Channel Surfing: October 18th Edition

Channel Surfing is Too Many Men On The Site’s quick guide to tonight’s NHL schedule. Included is a list of the scheduled games, as well as game notes and stats.

Noteable Noteables:

• Sam Reinhart, the Buffalo Sabres first pick (2nd overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft, will be a healthy scratch tonight, after playing in the Sabres first five games. Reinhart has averaged 10:26 of ice time, has two shots on goal and no points. Sabres head coach Ted Nolan hopes giving Reinhart a night to watch from the press box will help further his growth and development. [NHL.com]

• What a journey it has been for Avalanche goaltender Calvin Pickard, who will get the start tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Last weekend, Pickard was starting the season opener for the AHL’s Lake Ere Monsters. Then he was an emergency call-up to back-up Reto Berra after Semyon Varlamov got injured. Berra was injured on a collision in the first period and Pickard got his first NHL action. Tonight will be his first official NHL start. [NHL.com]

• Curtis McElhinney will get his first start of the season for the Columbus Blue Jackets against the Ottawa Senators, to give Sergei Bobrovsky a rest after starting the Blue Jackets first four games. Ottawa has won three games in a row, with their last being a 5-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. [NHL.com]

• The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings will play the second part of their two game home-and-home series. Detroit won the first frame in Toronto last night, 4-1. [NHL.com]

• Tonight is the home opener for the New Jersey Devils, who started the season with four games on the road. Tonight will be special for San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl, as he is the only player on the Sharks roster of Czech decent. The Devils roster could form a Czech all-star team, with Jaromir Jagr, Patrik Elias, Marty Havlat, and Marek Zidlicky in the lineup. [NHL.com]

• The New York Islanders will attempt to start their season 5-0-0 for the first time in franchise history when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. Tonight is a battle between the leagues two best power play units, with Pittsburgh leading the league with a 46.2 PP%. The Islanders are a close second with a 42.9 PP%. [NHL.com]

• It should come as no surprise that Barry Trotz has seemingly transformed the Washington Capitals defense over-night. The fact that the Washington Capitals are actually defense is an accomplishment in itself. Tonight should be too much of a challenge, as the Florida Panthers are the lowest scoring team in the NHL, with four goals in four games. [NHL.com]

• The Philadelphia Flyers are off to a slow start, going 0-2-2 over their first four games. They used their three day break to practice and clean up their game. Unlike last season the Flyers aren’t hitting the panic button and are hopeful things will come together soon. [NHL.com]

• The Nashville Predators have won the season series with the Chicago Blackhawks in two out of the last three years. Pekka Rinne seems to already be in mid-season form, spoiling the Winnipeg Jets home opener with a 2-0 shutout, the 32nd of his career. Chicago is trying to bounce back from a 2-1 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames, despite outshooting Calgary 50-18. [NHL.com]

• Mikkel Boedker is off to a hot start for the Arizona Coyotes, scoring fives goals in three games, including his first career hat trick in a 7-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. The St. Louis Blues are off to a 1-1-1 start, but Brian Elliot has been solid in net, posting a 1.30 GAA. Jake Allen will be in net for the Blue tonight. [NHL.com]

• Before the season, who thought that the Vancouver Canucks would still be undefeated three games into the season? That may be tested tonight with the Tampa Bay Lightning visiting the west coast. Eddie Lack is expected to get the start for Vancouver. [NHL.com]