After having a light load of hockey last night, there’s a whole lot of action to be had tonight. Here are the top plays, picks and predictions for the ten games around the NHL tonight:
| Canucks vs Bruins ML +153 / -170 O/U 5 |
Senators vs Devils ML +113 / -125 O/U 5 |
| Flyers vs Penguins ML +140 / -155 O/U 5 |
Flames vs Blue Jackets ML +105 / -116 O/U 5.5 |
| Hurricanes vs Maple Leafs ML +106 / -117 O/U 5 |
Blackhawks vs Lightning ML +102 / -113 O/U 5 |
| Predators vs Jets ML +105 / -116 O/U 5 |
Oilers vs Stars ML +171 / -190 O/U 5.5 |
| Sharks vs Coyotes ML -121 / +110 O/U 5.5 |
Wild vs Kings ML OFF / OFF O/U OFF |
Play of the Day: Flyers over Penguins.
This will be one of the most entertaining games of the night. The Battle of Pennsylvania is always pretty gruesome.
By many accounts, the Penguinsa good game against the St. Louis Blues the other night. The issue for them has been net-front defense, as demonstrated by Penguins blog Pensburgh. Three goals were scored from right in front of the crease on “Royal Road.” That kind of defensive lapse is, in a word, poor.
Shots were 31-17 after two periods with a tie score. Pittsburgh then surrendered two goals and an empty netter on eight shots. A lot of the blame falls on Jeff Zatkoff for a weak game in net. Most of the blame has to go to the defense that allowed so many high danger chances to begin with.
Carl Hagelin got his first assists as a Penguin, springing Evgeni Malkin for a pseudo-breakaway that he buried on a sickening wrist shot.
Philadelphia has been relatively dependable on offense. They have scored 20 goals in their last seven games, which is well above their season average. They are 5-1-1 over that stretch.
Prediction: Philly’s top line has won them games lately, so watching them go up against the Pens’ top six will be riveting. Take Philly to win the possession battle and the game. Play the over.
The Game of the Day: Blackhawks vs Lightning.
It had to have been fate that a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Final would come when the two participants are at their hottest.
The two teams last met way back on October 24th, where the Hawks claimed a 1-0 overtime victory.
The Blackhawks set a franchise record by winning their twelfth consecutive game against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. The Lightning enter on a season-best six-game winning streak.
Both teams have gotten incredible contributions from players that are not their top recognizable names. Vladislav Namestnikov continues to impress on the Bolts’ top line with Ondrej Palat and Steven Stamkos. Artemi Panarin is excelling with Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane and looks to be marching toward the Calder Trophy.
This game could, honestly, be the best of the entire week. It’s one that you make room in your schedule for.
Chicago is, believe it or not, the underdog at +102. The Lightning are favored at -113.
Prediction: The Blackhawks as the underdog is too sweet to pass up. Take Chicago to win, and play the under in this game.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Senators vs Devils: Tuesday’s win over the Flames was easily the biggest game for the Devils in quite a while. Why? Mike Cammalleri was back in the lineup and he did not miss a beat. Cammalleri grabbed an assist on Lee Stempniak’s goal.
Stempniak logged his first multi-point night since November 27th, when Cammalleri was still in the lineup. Cammalleri has had points in all six of Stempniak’s multi-point games, often more than one. That line clicks for New Jersey, plain and simple.
The road team is 10-0 between these two teams. With a fully healthy, rejuvenated Devils team, expect that to change tonight.
Prediction: Take the Devils to win at -125. Play the over, which is 3-0-1 in Ottawa’s last four games.
Canucks vs Bruins: Ryan Miller was spectacular against the New York Rangers. The Canucks were out-played and out-chanced at every turn yet they forced overtime thanks to Miller and Miller alone. Shot attempts were 69-35 New York. High-danger scoring chances were 17-9 Rangers.
Boston will be going for the season sweep of Vancouver. After a brutal start to the new year, the Bruins have gotten a bit more from their top six. David Krecji is on the horizon, but in his stead Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Loui Eriksson have all amped up their play. Bergeron in particular has three goals in two games in yet another Selke-caliber season.
The Canucks will be without Henrik Sedin again, but Bo Horvat has been a commendable stand-in. He has 10 points in eight games.
Winger Alex Burrows just snapped his 24-game goalless streak the other night- his first goal since November 21st.
Prediction: The Bruins will win this one at -170. Take the over 5.
Flames vs Blue Jackets: Calgary has been stumbling trying to find their footing lately. Just as they were beginning to look like they could contend in a weaker Pacific Division, they have dropped four of their last five.
The frustration could stem from the fact that they have outshot their opponents in three of those five games. In their loss to San Jose, they outshot the Sharks 35-18. They followed that up by outshooting the Panthers 36-15 en route to a 6-0 victory. They’ve been improving their play, but the results are far from consistent.
Columbus is 2-2-1 in their last five. They have been badly outshot in all but their most recent loss to Washington. The Jackets will be without a lot of their starters as well, most recently Matt Calvert.
Shots are not the best indicator of a team’s play, but it certainly is a good place to start.
Prediction: Take the Flames to win at +105. Take the over.
Hurricanes vs Maple Leafs: The last meeting between these two teams was true to their past. Toronto bested Carolina 2-1 in a shootout in a low-energy contest with not too many high-danger chances. The Canes won the previous four meetings, three on the road.
The under is 4-0 in their last four games against each other. Expect this to be another low-scoring game between two less-than-potent offenses.
Prediction: Take the Hurricanes to win at +106 and play the under.
Predators vs Jets: Even though the Predators are only a point out of the second Wild Card spot, they are drowning. They are now 1-5-1 in their last seven games with their lone win coming against the Wild. Not only do the Predators need wins to keep pace with the pack, they need them to come in regulation and overtime. They are falling way behind in the regulation-overtime tiebreaker in the event that they should find themselves in a tie. It’s never too early to think about end of the year tiebreakers.
Prediction: The line has the Jets favored at -116/+105. The over/under of 5 will surely be an under, if it isn’t a push. Go with the desperate Predators for the win.
Stars vs Oilers: The Stars come in as very heavy favorites at -190/+171. This game will be a true test of how cold the Stars are. Dallas is now coming home from yet another three-game road trip in which they lost all three games. They maintain one of the best home records in hockey at 17-5-0. If they truly are going to get off the skid they are on, they have to win tonight.
Prediction: Take the Stars. Play the under 5.5.
Sharks vs Coyotes: It’s pretty unique that the Sharks come in so heavily favored on the road. Arizona and San Jose are tied in the standings points-wise after all. The Sharks do come in 5-0-1 in their last six games though. They are also much better on the road, for whatever reason. They are the anti-Stars.
Arizona plays the Pacific division very well. They are 10-1-2 against division rivals this season.
The difference will come in special teams. The Coyotes have allowed six powerplay goals on 11 opportunities, and are 0-for-10 on the man advantage of late. Considering they have been starved for goals, that could be the difference-maker.
Prediction: Play the Sharks to win. Take the under 5.5.
Wild vs Kings: This is the game of the day where I really wish the money lines were not off. The Wild looked stronger on the puck last night against Anaheim, though still were not converting on enough chances. The back-to-back will hurt them going up against a fully rested Los Angeles Kings team.
Simply put, the Wild are at a fundamental crossroads. They are at the point where each season seems to be a carbon copy of the previous one. Strong start, mid-season lull, make the playoffs as a lower seed, lose to Chicago. Rinse, wash, repeat. At what point are the mediocre powerplay numbers unacceptable? At what point is the fault not with the players but with the system?
For what it’s worth, the Wild are among the frontrunners for Jonathan Drouin.
Prediction: Too many factors are working against the Wild here. Take the Kings to win.
