December 4, 2022

Behind The Mask

With Kelly Hrudey

Monday, December 5, 2022:		vs

The Blues are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and look really good sitting atop the Norris Division. Young center Anton Lundell has the hot hand at the moment with 9 points in his last 6 games. Goaltender Vitek Vanecek has started every game so far and has looked spectacular sporting a 2.12 GAA with a .920%. The Penguins have won 4 straight games and trail the division Islanders by only two points. Filip Forsberg has 7 points in 7 games while Evgeny Malkin has 6 in 6 games. Goalie Darcy Kuemper is holding the fort and has won his last 4 starts. This will be a tight one, but I see the Blues edging the Pens in this one.

Prediction (OT)
	vs
3		2

Actual
	vs
3		1

Wednesday, December 7, 2022:		vs

The Cats are tied with St.Louis, New York Islanders, and Colorado atop the league standings. Forward Blake Wheeler not only leads Florida in scoring but the entire league as well. An incredible 21 points thru only 11 games is amazing and his linemates Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Landeskog aren't far behind either. To think they added Timo Meier to this lineup!! The Sabres look sharp lately being winners of 3 straight and trailing Toronto by only 2 points for the division lead with a game in hand. Buffalo don't give up many goals, but Florida presents so many difficult options.

Prediction
	vs
4		2

Actual
	vs
2		1

Friday, December 9, 2022:		vs

The Ducks are flying high with a 4 point lead over their division rival Sharks. This should be a good game. Patrice Bergeron must feel like he's won a lottery being added to this roster. His experience and leadership can only help the Ducks to truly being a legit contender in the West. San Jose may have other ideas. Off to a bit of a slow start, I know this won't last long as there's too much talent on this team to see them at the end. The who's who in this heavy roster just has to get a grip on things and then watch out! My only concern is their aging goaltending tandem. Do they have enough for one more run?

Prediction (OT)
	vs
3		3

Actual
	vs
3		5

Saturday, December 10, 2022:		vs

The 'Buds have only 2 losses in their previous 10 games and are currently ahead of Buffalo by 2 points for bragging rights in the Orr Division. Nazim Kadri is on fire with 13 points in 8 games. Not bad considering he's centering the second line and is tied with J.T.Miller in team scoring. The Flames are still in the mid of things despite dropping a 4-2 decision to Seattle Friday. Such results against lesser teams can't happen given the teams in their division. Calgary is led by the dynamic blueline duo of Cale Makar and Adam Fox who coincidently lead the team in scoring. If their goaltending holds out, they will be a problem in the Western Conference.

Prediction
	vs
4		1

Actual
	vs
2		3

Saturday, December 10, 2022:		vs

My GOW has to 2 hottest teams in the league with Edmonton winning 6 straight games and New York 5. Somebody gonna get a hurt. Let's go! The Oilers are drilling the competition and are led by the spectacular goaltending of Ilya Sorokin. The RSHL's reigning Player of the Week went 5-0-0 with 2 shutouts. I don't know what may be going thru Connor Hellebuyck's mind but I'm wondering if there may be a trade on the horizon soon? As for now Edmonton look to be the early favorite to claim their second Stanley Cup. In their way however are the beast of the East in the form of the New York Islanders. Already stacked offensively they went out and added veteran center Anze Kopitar. A perfect complement to this roster but I'm wondering if there will be more moves? The Eastern Conference is no picnic and any edge a team can take advantage of could swing the balance of power. This should be a fantastic game and I'll be enjoying my complimentary tickets as an alumnus to take in this matchup.

Prediction (OT)
	vs
2		1

Actual
	vs
2		1

Whew! Well, that wraps up another edition of what should be a great week of hockey action. Again, your input is always welcomed and appreciated. Until next week, enjoy the games everyone and be safe. KH