There are six games as we carousel around the NHL tonight, so Let’s take a look around for the best picks, plays and predictions of the night:
| Ducks vs Capitals ML +162 / -180 O/U 5 |
Rangers vs Hurricanes ML -128 / +116 O/U 5 |
| Red Wings vs Sabres ML -135 / +120 O/U 5 |
Islanders vs Senators ML -140 / +125 O/U 5.5 |
| Blackhawks vs Panthers ML -105 / -105 O/U 5 |
Blues vs Avalanche ML -111 / +101 O/U 5.5 |
Play of the Day: Ducks over Capitals.
When the line is as slanted as it is for Anaheim-Washington tonight, it’s worth keeping an eye on. Once a team is favored at -180, at that point the universe is practically daring you to bet on the underdog. And it’s a worthwhile bet.
The Ducks have won three of their last four games. They are scoring at a much higher clip lately, and perhaps the trade winds a-blowin’ have lit a fire of motivation. David Perron has a goal and an assist in his two games since joining Anaheim via trade. The Ducks then turned and dealt for agitator Ryan Garbutt. Garbutt isn’t known for his scoring, but he is a solid possession player who loves to throw his weight around. He could be a good spark plug in the bottom six.
Anaheim will encounter some inherent difficulties as they try to pull off the upset tonight. For one, they are a sub-par road team at 6-10-3. Washington excels at home with a record of 18-3-1. Then there’s the fact that the Capitals have the best power play and the fourth-best penalty kill in the league.
However, counterbalance that with the fact that the Ducks have the best penalty kill in the league. Consider the fact that Braden Holtby has appeared mortal lately allowing three goals in three of his last five starts. He also has been removed twice from starts last weekend for both performance and health reasons.
The Caps are beatable. It will be an uphill battle for sure, but a tilted line such as this is a fun play.
Prediction: Take the Ducks to win. High risk, high reward. Play the over.
The Game to Watch: Islanders vs Senators.
The Senators allowed five goals in the first period against the New Jersey Devils last night. That is a shellacking the likes of which I cannot remember last I’ve seen. All the same, they managed to rally back to cut it to 5-3. It was far too little far too late, but at the very least they made the game more interesting.
The Senators should be starting Andrew Hammond this time around against Jaroslav Halak and the Islanders. It should be fun to see if there is another offensive explosion awaiting us tonight.
Travis Hamonic has returned to practice for the Islanders, and is considered to be day-to-day. The Senators could be without Kyle Turris and Marc Methot.
Prediction: Take the Islanders to win. Play the over. Kyle Okposo and John Tavares could easily arise from their slumber to light the lamp multiple times this game.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Rangers vs Hurricanes: The Rangers have had the Hurricanes’ number. They have won nine of the last 10 meetings. It should be noted that those games are normally, in a word, dull. Carolina is not a sexy team to begin with, but the Rangers play into their hands like silly putty. They are limited to the perimeter for scoring chances, they are unable to penetrate the neutral zone, and neither side puts up very many goals.
Three of the Rangers’ last nine wins against Carolina have come in the shootout. Their most recent match was a 4-3 victory in which the Rangers tried their very hardest to blow two two-goal leads. If not for a laughably bad performance from Cam Ward, Carolina might have stolen the game.
Tonight very well could be the debut of Daniel Paille in a Rangers’ uniform. That does not mean much as Paille is not terribly good. He has one goal and three assists in 31 AHL games this year. The end comes quickly for some players.
Prediction: Take the Rangers to win in yet another one-goal game. Play the under.
Red Wings vs Sabres: Brad Richards will likely miss this game for the Red Wings. He will be attending the funeral of his grandfather. Richards will be missed from a face-off and possession standpoint, though he has not put up a whole lot of points this season.
The Wings will likely be putting Henrik Zetterberg with Justin Abdelkader and Dylan Larkin on the top line as they have practiced. That line has been very successful in the past and if it is kept together, it could easily shred the Buffalo defense. Larkin in particular has been one of Detroit’s most dominant players, with 14 goals and 16 assists as a rookie this year.
Prediction: Take the Red Wings to win.
Blackhawks vs Panthers: The Hawks’ win streak finally came to an end in Tampa Bay last night. They will now need to avoid doing what the Florida Panthers are doing right now, which is lose four straight after a long win streak.
The Panthers were outplayed by the Oilers in their most recent loss. That sentence is not one that the Florida Panthers should have printed if they want to prove their win streak was not a fluke. The problem is that winning aside, the Panthers don’t have a very deep lineup as far as generating high-danger chances. Their top six is generally good, but their bottom six and defensive core is average at best. It’s impossible to stress enough how badly teams need four complete lines to roll out to win hockey games.
Because of this, the Panthers are prone to backsliding after win streaks. The Blackhawks will probably get back on their feet.
Prediction: Take the Hawks to win.
Blues vs Avalanche: Brian Elliott has been tremendous in the absence of Jake Allen. He is 5-1-0 and is allowing just one goal a game over his three-game win streak. Elliott himself admitted that the Blues have been winning games “even if we’re giving up lots of shots.” Elliott was forced to make 46 saves against the Canadiens last weekend.
Erik Johnson has missed the last seven games for Colorado with a lower body injury. It is unclear whether he will be making his return tonight or tomorrow night against Dallas.
Prediction: The Blues are favored on the road at -111, even though the Avalanche have won both contests this season. Take the Avalanche to win at +101. Play the over.
