Due to last night's road game there's no morning skate today, which makes it kind of hard for me to do a morning skate update. I have no idea if there are any line changes or lineup changes (remember- Bob Hartley said Steve McCarthy would play before the playoffs) but we do know that Johan Hedberg is getting the start in net (it was announced in the AJC earlier this week). Kari should be back in for Saturday's game in Boston.

In lieu of a morning skate update, let's take a look at the Maple Leafs.

First off, they're 6-3-1 in their last ten. Fairly solid, until you realize that all six wins were in Toronto and that the Leafs have only picked up one point over their last four road games (yes, I'm taking shots from within my glass house- the Thrashers haven't won on the road since February). Meanwhile the Thrashers are 7-1 over their last eight home games.

Toronto is sitting two points out of the eighth spot and they alternate home and road games for the remainder of the season. They're coming off of solid wins over Carolina (6-1) and a huge win over the Sabres (4-1) so they have momentum on their side. Their power play is slightly better than ours (17.5% vs. 16.7%) and their penalty kill is slightly worse (79% vs. 79.5%). Keep in mind though that Atlanta's PK has been solid lately, even after giving up a goal last night. On paper the two teams are very evenly matched.

In practice, your Thrashers have the edge so far this season. Toronto won the first game up in Canada but Atlanta dominated the next two, winning 5-0 at Philips and 5-2 in Toronto. Slava Kozlov and Marian Hossa have had their way with the Leafs, as Hossa has potted four goals and picked up a pair of assists in the season series while Kozlov has five helpers and two goals. Meanwhile Darcy Tucker has been a thorn in the sides of Thrashers fans, scoring three of Toronto's six goals in the series.

I'm not one not publicly predict wins or losses (though I do it at the office all the time) but I feel a win coming tonight. I think the guys are sick of the speculation and the doubts and I have a feeling they're going to take care of business tonight. A quick start and the first goal are huge keys to the game. the longer Toronto is in it the more trouble the Thrashers will be in.

Looking back at the losses in Florida and Pittsburgh, the team actually played fairly well. they limited chances and didn't panic in their own end. If they can keep that up but get the offense rolling they'll be fine.

If you haven't checked it out yet, here's the NHL.com game preview.

By the way, I'm loving the way today's trivia contest is shaping up. So far there have been there have only been five correct responses and plenty of wrong ones. Make sure you double-check your answer, because this isn't an easy one.