Talk about an All-Star hangover! After enjoying some real good fortune in the first half of the season, I got hit in the face with a cold glass of water on the busiest Tuesday of the season. Whatever could go wrong did go wrong for me en route to a season-worst 3-9 mark.

The final kick in the pants was the Coyotes blowing a 3-0 lead in San Jose en route to a 5-3 loss. That finished off a night when I dropped back-to-back-to-back games via shootout. I guess I should be happy the Blues-Avs game was postponed due to bad weather in St. Louis. As they say, it could have been worse.

Tonight, I'm looking to bounce back with a much more manageable six-game slate. Unfortunately, I don't see any no-brainers on the card.

The Sharks-Capitals showdown in D.C. figures to be the most entertaining of the evening. We don't see Joe Thornton and Alex Ovechkin face off against one another too often. Who do I like in that one? You'll have to keep reading. Here are the Hradek selections for another Tuesday night on ice.

(Blog note: I'll be taking a short working vacation, so this space will be dark until Monday, Feb. 14. See you then!)