Blues / Preds Central Division Showdown ; Pens Go For 7; Goalie Duel in Ottawa (Channel Surfing)

The St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators square off in a big Central Division showdown, while the Penguins go for their seventh win in a row. Who would have thought that Anderson vs Pavelec would be a viable goalie duel?

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.

Tonight’s Schedule:

Noteable Noteables:

• Calgary Flames goaltender Karri Romo will get the start tonight, giving Jonas Hiller some rest after starting the last five games for the Flames. Romo won the first two games he started in, but then went 0-2-1 in his next three. [NHL.com]

• The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to make it seven in a row when they take on the Buffalo Sabres tonight. Sidney Crosby leads the NHL in scoring, but it has been the special teams units that have truly shined for the Penguins. During the six game winning streak the Penguins power play is 11-for-29 (37.9 percent) and the penalty kill is a perfect 22-for-22. [NHL.com]

• Derek Stepan is expected to make his return for the New York Rangers tonight, after breaking his leg during the preseason. The Rangers are still without defenseman Dan Boyle, but Stepan is a welcome sight in the lineup. [NHL.com]

• The Montreal Canadiens will retire Guy Lapointe‘s No. 5 jersey tonight. The Hall of Fame defenseman currently serves as the coordinator of amateur of scouting for the Minnesota Wild. The Wild enter tonight’s game on a two game losing streak and the 29th ranked power play unit in the NHL. [NHL.com]

• Goalie duels aren’t a top-billed item in the NHL these days, but we have a good one tonight between Craig Anderson of the Ottawa Senators and Andrej Pavelec of the Winnipeg Jets. Anderson is coming off two wins against the Detroit Red Wings and the Minnesota Wild where he stopped 66 of 67 shots. His .948 save percentage currently leads the NHL. Pavelec has been outstanding for the Jets and is 4-0-2 in his last six starts. [NHL.com]

• Flyers head coach Craig Berube has tweaked his lines again, moving Wayne Simmonds from right wing on the second line to left wing on the first line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. [NHL.com]

• The Columbus Blue Jackets ended their seven game pointless streak in their overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes last night, but they are still on a eight game losing slide. The Tampa Bay Lightning on the other hand have won four in a row. [NHL.com]

• The Carolina Hurricanes are trying to erase their 0-6-2 start to the season; the four game winning streak they are currently on is a great way to start. [NHL.com]

• The Nashville Predators play in one of the more difficult divisions in the NHL, so it was no surprise that they were overlooked by many at the start of the season. With an 8-3-2 record and 18 points, people are paying attention now, including the St. Louis Blues who enter tonight’s game on a seven game winning streak and 9-3-1 record (19 points). [NHL.com]

• The Dallas Stars are getting desperate, with Lindy Ruff shuffling his defensive pairings again. The Stars haven’t won since October 21st, a six game winless streak. The San Jose Sharks are kicking off a six-game road trip. So far they are 5-2-2 on the road this season. [NHL.com]

• Both the New York Islanders and the Arizona Coyotes had impressive wins over the Anaheim Ducks this week – with the Coyotes and Mike Smith winning in a shootout last night and the Islanders winning in overtime on Wednesday. Mike Smith will be back in net for the Coyotes tonight, after playing his best game of the season last night. [NHL.com]

• Last season the Vancouver Canucks went 1-6-1 in their visits to California teams, including three losses to tonight’s opponent, the Los Angeles Kings. Things are off to a better start this season, with the Canucks getting a win over the San Jose Sharks in San Jose on Thursday. [NHL.com]