Game Night!

Another big hockey night in South Florida, as the Chicago Blackhawks come a-knockin'. The 'hawks sit 4th in the west, 2nd in their division behind those Detroit Red Wings. Unlike previous opponents who come to Sunrise via Tampa Bay, the Blackhawks were the victors against the Bolts, and are 7-3-0 in their previous 10 road games. What better time for another team to have a bit of a letdown game?

With last night's action around the NHL, the Panthers now find themselves back in a tie for 7th with the Sabres. The Rangers managed a win against the Islanders moving them 2 points ahead of Florida, and the Canadians got a point for a shoot out loss putting them 1 point up. Florida, Buffalo, Montreal, Carolina, and Pittsburgh are all in action tonight. Needless to say, 2 points would be a huge boost for the Cats.

Florida is also catching a bit of a break, as the 'hawks will be without their leading scorer Patrick Sharp, and starting goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. Granted, Chicago still has plenty of offensive power with youngsters Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. And their "backup" 'tender, Cristobal Huet, has plenty of experience and is a bona fide netminder. Florida will need another solid all around performance to take down the Blackhawks. Puck drops at 7:30.