Around the NHL: Predictions for January 13th

With only four games tonight, let’s go around the NHL to have a look at the best picks, plays and predictions.

Play of the Day: Blue Jackets over Maple Leafs.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have crashed and burned hard this season after coming in with high expectations. It’s crazy to think that so much talent is being squandered on their roster. They really are not a pushover team by any stretch, as their skill alone can buy them a few wins here and there.

So when they go up against an equally mediocre team, that +138 does not look so bad.

The Maple Leafs are five points up on the Blue Jackets, which is to say they are five points up from rock bottom. The Jackets, though, are 4-1 in their last five games in Toronto though. They lost both legs of a back-to-back with Carolina. Though in fairness, they looked a lot better in the second game, which they lost in overtime. They even hung with a vastly superior Islanders team last night, even though the scoreboard may not indicate it. The game was tied more than halfway through the game.

Columbus drew a plenty of penalties but failed to convert, going 0-for-6 on the powerplay. Getting shots on goal has been a major issue for Columbus, as they managed only seven shots on six powerplays, and just 13 at even strength. It’s just not good enough. Granted, they were playing the Islanders who typically dominate possession. A game against Toronto, a below-average possession team, may inherently generate chances.

A major advantage that Toronto has coming into the game is their coach. Mike Babcock is a modern hockey coach with old-school toughness. John Tortorella refuses to adapt and continues to clash with players like Ryan Johansen over playing time and subjective “effort” (also see Gaborik, Marion and Luongo, Roberto). Torts’ teams have had pretty bad possession numbers because of his collapse-block-dump-change style of offense. Babcock has coached for a long time like Tortorella, but has adjusted his system to thrive in the modern, faster NHL.

Prediction: Columbus is due. Against a fellow weak team, their improved play will count for something. Take them for the over.

The Game to Watch: Bruins vs Flyers.
Hey, an actual rivalry on Wednesday Night Rivalry! The Bruins’ offense has hit the skids. Their most recent 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers was best described by the MSG Networks intermission crew as a “snoozer.” They simply don’t generate a whole lot of high-danger scoring chances without David Krecji. They can get improved play from guys like Jimmy Hayes or Ryan Spooner all they want. The styles of play don’t add up.

The Flyers have gone streaking. They’ve posted three straight wins with four goals in each game. All three victories came against playoff teams- Montreal, Minnesota and the Islanders. Their offense has sprung to life on the backs of captain Claude Giroux and all-too-often overlooked forward Sean Couturier. Couturier’s play in particular has finally started to earn him some praise from the national media, as TSN’s Scott Cullen sees him as a runner-up to Patrice Bergeron for this year’s Selke Trophy.

The Flyers will still be without rookie standout Shayne Gostisbehere, but he too has earned high praise from those within his organization.

Prediction: The Flyers will make for a good play here against a flat Bruins team. Look for Philly to take this on home ice with the over.

Other Game Notes Around the NHL

Panthers vs Flames: The Panthers were involved in some extracurricular activities after their overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks Monday night. It’s turned into a he-said he-said debacle that neither team should be very proud of, from the sounds of it.

Losing was going to happen eventually for the scalding-hot Panthers. The question now becomes how well can they bounce back as they continue their tour of Western Canada. They will be playing their third game in four days. Plus they will be without blueline leader Aaron Ekblad again after he was hit high into the boards by Matt Hendricks Sunday night.

They will have to regain their footing against the Calgary Flames. The line isn’t favorable enough to Calgary as underdogs for this to be a real safe bet on them. A +102 isn’t much at all.

Prediction: Panthers should bounce back with the under.

Senators vs Ducks: I joke and use the term stone-cold under. This is the exact reason why. The under is 5-1 in the Senators’ last six games, 5-1-1 in the Ducks’ last seven. Any time they play, an under seems to be guaranteed, and their recent struggles to get the puck on net, much less in it, indicate that this will be a slam-dunk play. I’m surprised Vegas didn’t set a 4.5 under like it did with the Devils and Blues last night.

Which side note, hopefully you took my advice and took the over on that.

Prediction: Take the Ducks on home ice.