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Around the rink - Monday, October 18th

It’s a light, yet, intriguing schedule in the league tonight as a pair of unbeaten teams will be putting their winning streaks on the line. As always, all times listed are Eastern because that’s just how we do things here.

7:00 pm

NY Islanders @ Toronto

Who knew that the Maple Leafs would be coming into this game 4-0? Maybe the most die hard of Leafs fans would make such a bold prediction, but even they’d think long and hard about it. The Leafs are beating teams with the combination of their speed and timely goal scoring. Meanwhile, the Islanders are playing tough hockey despite being down key members and they’ve got Josh Bailey to thank for stepping up for them. Can the Isles be the bump in the road that slows down the ever more rabid Maple Leafs bandwagon?

Colorado @ NY Rangers

The Rangers are going to play their first game since losing both Chris Drury and Marian Gaborik and how their offense steps up will be fascinating to watch. Meanwhile, the Avalanche are looking to bounce back after a 5-2 loss to the Islanders. Considering how the Avs have played this year that made for an interesting turn of events. If the Rangers aren’t prepared for Colorado’s speed, this could make for a tough night.

Ottawa @ Pittsburgh

The Penguins are hoping their wins over the Isles and Flyers lately are what the doctor ordered to get their feet back underneath them. Getting to square off with a reeling Sens team might help them build on that confidence. The Senators are coming off a tough loss to Montreal on Saturday and may have their confidence shaken a bit considering they played well enough to win and just didn’t do it.

7:30 pm

Dallas @ Tampa Bay

Well, well, well... Look who else is 4-0, it’s the Dallas Stars. They’ve gotten some great offensive production and timely goaltending from Kari Lehtonen to rise up early and they’re helping fans in Dallas forget how crummy the Cowboys have been this year. Sure the Texas Rangers are doing their part too, but we’re hockey-partial here. The Lightning are coming off a vicious 6-0 beating at the hands of the Florida Panthers. This sets up like a trap game for the Stars as the Lightning will be very motivated

8:30 pm

St. Louis @ Chicago

The Blues are looking to get their groove back on their road trip. After starting off the season with two wins, they’ve dropped their next two games on the road, including an overtime loss to Dallas that saw them blow a 2-0 lead. Chicago, meanwhile, is on a bit of a roll after thumping Columbus and edging out Buffalo. Patrick Sharp is on fire scoring and shooting in bunches. If the Blues are going to turn around their early road woes, they’d better be prepared for anything from the Hawks.