Puck Daddy Viewing Guide: Sharks, Blues battle for perfection; Panthers seek rare win in Nashville

Here is the Puck Daddy Viewing Guide: Spotlighting five things to watch for during tonight's slate of games. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Create-a-Caption : "Edmonton Oilers right wing Mike Brown (13), right, tries to pull off Washington Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner's (27) helmet as Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green (52) and Edmonton Oilers left wing Luke Gazdic (20) flight..."

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Preview: Chicago Blackhawks at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m. EDT

Preview: Buffalo Sabres at New York Islanders, 7 p.m. EDT

Preview: Vancouver Canucks at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m. EDT

Preview: Edmonton Oilers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. EDT

Preview: Minnesota Wild at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. EDT

Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m. EDT

Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets at Detroit Red Wings, 8 p.m. EDT

Preview: San Jose Sharks at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m. EDT

Preview: Florida Panthers at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m. EDT

Preview: Montreal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets, 8 p.m. EDT

Preview: Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. EDT

Preview: Ottawa Senators at Phoenix Coyotes, 10 p.m. EDT

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Five things to know about tonight's NHL games ...

1. Battle of the Undefeateds. The Sharks and the Blues come into tonight's contest with perfect records. San Jose is 5-0-0. St. Louis is 4-0-0. This means somebody is leaving with a one in a column where zeroes are preferable. If history is any indication, take the Blues: they've won 7 of their last 8 versus the Sharks.

2. The Panthers never win in Nashville. The last time the Florida Panthers won in Nashville, where they are tonight, was nearly 14 years ago on December 11, 1999. They're 0-4-2-1 since then.

3. Buffalo chasing -- or trying to avoid -- history. The Sabres are now bad, historically tying their worst start in franchise history by going winless in their first seven. But a loss tonight and this team will stand alone. Working for Buffalo: they've won four of their last five versus the Islanders. Working against them: they're terrible.

4. The Senators are bleeding shots. Ottawa flies into Phoenix having surrendered 106 shots in their last two games, which is absurd. "It is two nights in a row," Paul MacLean said, "You give up over 50 shots, you hang your goalie out right from the start of the game. We're not very good. We need to go back to square one and find something to hang our hat on. Right now the only thing we have is goaltenders, and we make them work too hard.''

5. Nichushkin sits for the Stars. Dallas faces a big tests Tuesday night versus the undefeated Colorado Avalanche, and they'll do so without Valeri Nichushkin, who's healthy, but apparently not needed. The Russian winger is a healthy scratch. According to the Stars, "It's chance for Nichushkin to take a breath", which is all well and good, but one hopes Nichushkin appreciates the breather. The last thing the Stars need is a rift.

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Bold Prediction : The Sabres lose. Sorry, these are supposed to be bold. The Sabres lose.

via Y! Sports Blogs - Yahoo Sports http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/puck-daddy-viewing-guide-sharks-blues-battle-perfection-224011747--nhl.html