There are six games on the schedule tonight. Let’s take a look around the NHL at the top picks, plays and predictions.
| Senators vs Sabres ML +104 / -115 O/U 5.5 |
Predators vs Capitals ML +146 / -162 O/U 5 |
| Blackhawks vs Jets ML -156 / +141 O/U 5.5 |
Avalanche vs Flames ML +100 / -110 O/U 5.5 |
| Canucks vs Oilers ML +136 / -150 O/U 5.5 |
Bruins vs Ducks ML +125 / -138 O/U 5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Play of the Day: Canucks over Oilers.
Even though this season is a lost cause for the Vancouver Canucks, they can at least hang their hats on the fact that they have dominated the Edmonton Oilers these past few seasons. Vancouver is 6-0-1 in the last seven encounters between these two teams dating back to October of 2014.
This season has been split. Both games have gone into overtime with a 2-1 finish. This will be the first meeting this year in Edmonton. The Canucks swept all three games in Edmonton last season.
Jacob Markstrom, owner of perhaps the creepiest NHL.com header photo in the league, will be getting the start for the Canucks. Though he has had some rough starts recently, he has had success on the road this year, posting a 6-2-3 record with a 2.26 goals against average and a .932 save percentage.
A bright spot in an otherwise dismal stretch for the Canucks came from rookie defenseman Nikita Tryamkin, who earned his first NHL point on Wednesday.
A major deciding factor in tonight’s game will be the effectiveness of the powerplay. The Canucks are 0-for-4 against the Oilers this year on the man advantage, with Edmonton going 1-for-5. Vancouver is 0-for their last-17. Edmonton snapped a 1-for-32 skid by scoring four powerplay goals against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a pair of powerplay goals in that game, with Patrick Maroon providing the primary assists. They were Nugent-Hopkins’ first points since returning from an injury that sidelined him for well over a month.
Prediction: The Canucks find an extra gear against the Oilers. Take Vancouver to win at +136. While the over has been hitting lately for the Canucks, play the under tonight.
The Game to Watch: Bruins vs Ducks.
The Anaheim Ducks were very close to pulling away from the Los Angeles Kings for first place in the Pacific Division not long ago. The Kings are taking it up a notch now, and are actually second in the league in wins behind only the President’s Trophy-leading Capitals. Anaheim’s primary focus now is to hold onto home-ice advantage for their inevitable first-round matchup against the San Jose Sharks.
The Ducks have dropped four of their last five, their most recent game being a frustrating 2-1 loss at the hands of the New York Rangers. Anaheim was forcing turnovers left and right and applying tons of pressure on the forecheck, but only tallied once. Tonight will be their last home game before they head out on a five-game tour of Canada.
Boston is 3-1-1 in their last five games. They lost the first leg of their Californian road trip 3-2 in San Jose. The Bruins currently have the hottest of the hot on their second line and the coldest of the cold on their third. Their second line of David Krecji, David Pastrnak and Loui Eriksson have combined for 13 points in their last three games. Their third line of Jimmy Hayes, Ryan Spooner and former Duck Matt Beleskey? One assist in four games. Hayes in particular is pointless in his last 10 games.
Tuukka Rask has had a lot of difficulty against Anaheim in his career, with a 1-4-1 record with a 3.48 goals against average.
Prediction: Take the Ducks to win. Play the under.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Blackhawks vs Jets: The Blackhawks are on a four-game losing streak that is forcing them down the totem pole of the Central Division. They head into Winnipeg tonight in desperate need of a win.
Fortunately for them, they are going up against the worst team in the Central.
Winnipeg is in contention for the top lottery pick, currently sitting at 63 points on the year. That puts them in a tie for second-lowest point total in the league with the Edmonton Oilers. Only the Toronto Maple Leafs have fewer points (59).
The Jets will be starting Ondrej Pavelec tonight, who is 8-12-2 with a 2.86 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. Starting opposite him will be the Hawks’ backup, Scott Darling. Darling is 6-6-2 with a 2.60 goals against average and a .912 save percentage.
Corey Crawford will sit out for the foreseeable future with an upper-body injury. Chicago has called up Michael Leighton (yes, that Michael Leighton) in his stead.
Prediction: Even though the Hawks actually have a losing record since snapping their franchise-best 12-game win streak back in January, the wise move is to take them to win out of necessity. Play the under.
