Game of The Week

Canada's Favourite Weekly Broken Tibia Article

By Marnitz Kotze

It's worth noting something immediately: All of this was written prior to Steven Stamkos breaking his leg as he ploughed into the goalpost against Boston yesterday. I had to go back and rewrite pretty much everything. Stamkos' importance to Tampa cannot be understated. With that in mind, as always my pick is in bold and at the bottom of each entry.

Anaheim Ducks at Tampa Bay Lightning 

Thursday Nov 14th 4:30 PM Pacific
Network: Prime, Sun.

If the Stanley Cup Finals were to start today and were based on regular seasson points, Tampa Bay and Anaheim, Stamkos would score 1000 goals, and fly out of the Times Forum with the Conn Smythe on a jet-pack. In all honesty, this probably isn't a preview of the Stanley Cup Final, but then again Florida once made an appearance, so anything can happen. The two teams will face off as leaders of their respective conferences in what could be a display of stellar offence. Despite losing Bobby Ryan, the Ducks lead the league in scoring with 64 goals in 18 games and have managed to play through some key injuries. Bruce Boudreau has never coached a team to a losing record and Anaheim will continue to be a tough team to beat. On the other hand, the turn-around Lightning have pulled off surprised everyone. They've jumped to the top of the Atlantic Division but more importantly the top of the Eastern Conference. The Lightning have played two fewer games than Anaheim, but have gone 8-2 in their last ten games. Stamkos has been a major part of their success, accumulating 14 goals and 9 assists in 16 games for 23 points, but as of this article's publication, he's expected to be out for a while with a broken tibia.

Prediction: Tampa Bay
Pre-Stamkos-injury, I would have probably picked the lightning, but his production has been a major part of their success and with him out I have to pick Anaheim.

San Jose at Vancouver

Thursday Nov 14th 4:00 PM Pacific
Networks: Sportsnet Pacific, CSN

"There's no way you're scoring four on me, pervert...maybe I should get off my knees" 

Right now, the Sharks are experience a complete inversion from their early season form. After a hot start, they've gone a measly 4-2-4 in their last ten games. Even worse: They're currently on a four game losing streak. Vancouver fans were greatly anticipating the game last Thursday which turned out to be a Canucks-dominated affair after a goal-filled first period. The Canucks have cooled down after an impressive seven-game road-trip, playing .500 hockey since then. Although both teams are currently in a downward trend, they are fighting for the third spot in the Pacific with 24 points each. There is always animosity between these two teams after meeting a couple times in the playoffs recently and I'm expecting a heated affair as divisional play heats up.

Prediction: Vancouver.
This is a tough game to pick, Vancouver is playing better hockey but I can't help but feel that San Jose is gonna turn it around soon.

Oilers at Flames

Saturday Nov 16th 6:00 PM Pacific

Network: CBC

Interestingly enough, these two teams have not played each other yet and while this might not seem like the most exciting match-up ever, this rivalry is always one worth watching. While Calgary is on the rebuild and have an excuse to suck, the Oilers have really been under-performing. On paper, the Oilers have one of the best offensive line ups in the game but their record doesn't reflect that. GM Craig MacTavish recently made some big moves, dealing Ladislav Smid for prospects, signing Ilya Bryzgalov, and reportedly shopping both Ales Hemsky and Jordan Eberle. Only time will tell whether or not his moves amount to anything. The Oilers sit at the bottom of the Pacific division with only four wins to their name, while Calgary is one spot above with six wins. Neither team is amazing but with relative records it could turn out to be a good game. Let's hope The Bryz is in net for this one.

And while we're at it, I'm campaigning for a Russian-embroidered goalie mask for the Bryz.

Prediction: Edmonton

I'm being ballsy here and picking Edmonton based solely on hopes that Bryzgalov is playing.

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Contrary to popular belief, Marnitz Kotze is the name of a human male. You can follow him on the Twitter machine at @MarnitzKotze