There are eight games around the NHL tonight, so let’s have a look at some of the best plays and predictions for tonight.
| Rangers vs Islanders ML +109 / -120 O/U 5.5 |
Canucks vs Capitals ML +186 / -206 O/U 5 |
| Blackhawks vs Canadiens ML -115 / +104 O/U 5 |
Hurricanes vs Blues ML +149 / -165 O/U 5 |
| Predators vs Jets ML +104 / -115 O/U 5.5 |
Devils vs Avalanche ML +113 / -125 O/U 5 |
| Red Wings vs Coyotes ML -116 / +105 O/U 5 |
Oilers vs Sharks ML +158 / -175 O/U 5.5 |
Play of the Day: Canucks over Capitals.
Upsets happen. It happened just on Monday as a matter of fact, as the Canucks took on the Florida Panthers and snapped their twelve-game winning streak. Vancouver is not a great team on paper, but at the very least, they are tough to kill. And the line is actually too slanted not to take.
After breaking Roberto Luongo’s 10-game winning streak as the Panthers’ starter, the Canucks will now turn their attention to Braden Holtby. Holtby, a runaway leader for the Vezina trophy this season, is 19-0-2 in his last 21 starts. That’s zero regulation losses. He has come dangerously close. A last second effort from his offense against the Rangers saved him from defeat. But you have to figure that he’ll come back down to Earth at some point.
The Capitals have the advantage in just about every discernible category. Vancouver will be looking to set the tone on what will be a six-game road trip for them, and they may still be fired up from their altercation with Florida on Monday night. That kind of energy carries over from game to game.
The Canucks still have plenty of life in their Wonder Twins. The season totals are classic Canucks: Henrik Sedin leads the team in assists, Daniel Sedin leads in goals and points. Par for the course. Daniel Sedin’s 40 points on the year only puts him one point behind the Capitals’ leading scorer Nick Backstrom.
The issue will be the same as it always is for Vancouver — shots. In their last meeting, Washington won 3-2 and outshot the Canucks 35-25. If the gap can be closed, the Canucks may bury a few against the Holtbeast.
Prediction: It won’t be easy, but the Canucks will surprise people tonight. Take them for the over.
The Game to Watch: Rangers vs Islanders
Given the way that the Capitals are running away with the division, this is a look in at a possible Metropolitan playoff matchup. Their previous meeting was a tightly played game on both ends of the ice that was ultimately won by the Isles in a shootout. Jaroslav Halak was almost beat by the slowest shootout attempt ever by Dan Boyle, but the veteran defenseman just barely lost a handle on the puck as he deked to his backhand.
Essentially, the game was won in the skills competition by a matter of inches.
The point is that this should be a very tightly contested hockey game.
The Rangers were, in earnest, lucky that their total inability to get quality chances in the final 40 minutes of play. The view from War-on-Ice.com is far from pretty, as “Royal Road” was wide open for the Islanders. The Isles had 9 shots from hashmarks and in go on goal, while the Rangers only had 5. Other than two chances on the rush, the Rangers had nothing going for them in the high slot. The Islanders had tons more shot attempts, which forced a lot of blocked shots.
After the first period, the Isles outshot the Rangers 28-15 in regulation.
A lot depends on what lineup the Rangers roll with. Dylan McIlrath, the Rangers’ top possession defenseman this season, has not played in over three weeks. Dan Girardi left the game early after a laceration on his hand, but no decision has been made as of yet as to whether he will be in the lineup tonight.
Alain Vigneault also made the executive decision to scratch rookie Oscar Lindberg Monday night after scoring against Washington for no real good reason. So we’re all on the same page. Yes, Jayson Megna played well against Dallas, but he was no better than okay against Boston. He’s a borderline NHL talent. It remains to be seen whether he will sit out tonight or not.
The Islanders have had injury problems of their own for their defensemen with injuries to Travis Hamonic and Johnny Boychuk. Their offense came alive against Columbus on Monday, with a hat trick and an assist coming off the stick of Brock Nelson. They will be hungry defending their home ice.
Prediction: Both teams need this game desperately, but the Rangers simply have too many uncertainties around them right now. Take the Isles for the under.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Blackhawks vs Canadiens: This was another candidate for “Game to Watch” this week. Original Six matchups usually are. The Canadiens need a win badly. Tampa Bay is finally starting to heat up, and even the Bruins and Senators are only three points back in the standings. The Habs have teams nipping at their heels. They not only need a victory, they need a statement victory against a team like Chicago.
Covering the Blackhawks has been boring in the week that I’ve been writing for GetMoreSports. Another day, another win. Ho hum. The Hawks are now only two points behind the Dallas Stars for the Central Division lead. If they get that lead, it is hard to envision them relinquishing it. They clearly have their eyes set on that top spot, probably even the President’s Trophy.
The problem is that the Canadiens have been ice-cold. When facing the hottest team in hockey, that’s not a good thing. Montreal is 2-5 in their last seven home games, and 0-4 in their last four games against the Central Division. Overall they are 4-13 in their last 17, a slippery slope they have been careening down and could continue to if they don’t right the ship fast.
Prediction: The Habs will come out fighting but no Carey Price = no dice. Hawks for the over 5.
Hurricanes vs Blues: St. Louis has had a pretty rough collective week as a city. It’s a total digression, but losing a franchise has got to be the worst. In case you haven’t heard the recent NFL news, the Rams will be relocating to Inglewood, California. That’s real rough.
Back to hockey: the Hurricanes have actually put together a nice little win streak of three games. It’s nothing major yet, as two of the wins were against the last-place Blue Jackets, but their last victory came in overtime against the Penguins, which is a solid win.
Believe it or not, Carolina is two points out of a Wild Card spot.
And they’ve done so very quietly. Their goaltending his been relatively subpar. Cam Ward has a save percentage of .906, while Eddie Lack’s is a feeble .890. Their best scoring forward Eric Staal is on pace for fewer than 60 points.
They have won by generating chances, and by riding some pretty high shooting percentages (Rask, Skinner and Eric Staal are all shooting over 12%).
Prediction: At +149, the Canes might be a fun play tonight. Take the over 5.
Predators vs Jets: Pekka Rinne has fallen off a cliff this season, toting a .905 save percentage around. Nashville is clinging to their second Wild Card position by a point, and Rinne’s lackluster goaltending has been a major contributing factor to their struggles.
The Preds are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games, and 7-11-4 on the road. Winnipeg may be having a bad year by their expectations too, but with a win they pull within two points of Nashville. Even though they’ve been by and large terrible everywhere else they go, they do defend home ice fairly well with an 11-7-1 record.
Prediction: Take the Jets for the under. Chaos theory. Let’s see that Central Division get tighter.
Devils vs Avalanche: Speaking of the Central Division. Colorado been very hit or miss this season. Since they get outshot so badly, their analysis is pretty abnormally simple: either they shoot well and win or they shoot poorly and lose. There isn’t much of a middle ground. Not to say they’re lucky. They are the cockroaches of the NHL in that they simply hang around until the very end of the game when they are at their most lethal.
They will need all the offense they can get, as it’s looking like Calvin Pickard will be the starting netminder for the Avs.
Prediction: Pick the Avalanche for the under.
Red Wings vs Coyotes: Petr Mrazek and Louis Domingue will be a very cool goalie matchup to watch. Mrazek is very underrated around the NHL, and Domingue has burst onto the scene very quickly. In a day filled with fun games to watch, this one might have the most entertaining goalie matchup.
Prediction: Red Wings with the under.
Oilers vs Sharks: The Oilers are tapping their foot and glancing at their watch in anxious anticipation until Connor McDavid comes back. They have been an unmitigated disaster, losing seven of their last nine and have plenty of LOLOilers moments along the way. Three own-goals in a period against Tampa comes to mind.
Prediction: Take the Sharks for the over.
