It’s a busy Saturday as the regular season winds down. There are 11 games on the docket today. Let’s take a look around the NHL at the top picks, plays and predictions.
| Penguins vs Islanders ML -126 / +114 O/U 5.5 |
Senators vs Flyers ML +166 / -185 O/U 5 |
| Stars vs Kings ML +127 / -140 O/U 5.5 |
Red Wings vs Maple Leafs ML -138 / +125 O/U 5.5 |
| Devils vs Lightning ML +162 / -180 O/U 5 |
Canadiens vs Panthers ML +180 / -201 O/U 5.5 |
| Sabres vs Rangers ML +201 / -225 O/U 5 |
Blue Jackets vs Hurricanes ML +122 / -135 O/U 5 |
| Sharks vs Predators ML +111 / -123 O/U 5.5 |
Flames vs Oilers ML +126 / -139 O/U 5.5 |
| Capitals vs Coyotes ML -155 / +140 O/U 5 |
Here are today’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Play of the Day: Maple Leafs over Red Wings.
Detroit won in dire circumstances last night over the Minnesota Wild, keeping their playoff hopes alive. They face yet another must-win scenario tonight as they head to the Air Canada Centre to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This is a very fragile time of year for what has been a very fragile season for the Wings. They look to be walking on eggshells every game, and that could haunt them tonight.
Detroit has won only one of their last 11 games in the second leg of a back-to-back. Toronto has actually been playing surprisingly well at home, knocking off some very good teams while going 5-2 in their last seven in Toronto.
Nazem Kadri netted a hat trick in Sunrise in a win against the Panthers earlier this week. Jonathan Bernier is 4-2-0 in his last six starts with a .952 save percentage.
If Detroit is to have any chance, they need a big game out of Petr Mrazek. After what has otherwise been a remarkable season for Mrazzle Dazzle, he is in danger of losing his starting spot to Jimmy Howard if he does not pick up his play. Mrazek has allowed 13 goals in his last four starts, been pulled twice, and allowed three more in a relief effort against Tampa. He will need to find his groove, and fast.
Prediction: At +125, it’s not unreasonable to take a chance on the Leafs. Play the under, which is 9-1-1 in their last 11 meetings.
The Game to Watch: Sharks vs Predators.
The NHL playoffs operate in a bracket system now, meaning that the Nashville Predators will not see a Central Division rival until the Western Conference Final. Believe it or not, this is a potential playoff series in the works.
San Jose is tied with Washington for the most road wins in the NHL with 26. They are 5-0 in their last five road games against teams with a winning home record, and 5-1 in their last six road games overall. Moreover, Nashville is 4-1 in their last five home games.
With not much hope for mobility unless they win out (plausible but games in hand still make movement unlikely), the Sharks are basically left waiting for their first round opponent to be settled- Los Angeles or Anaheim.
The game does not mean much for the standings then. It still will be very entertaining to get a sneak peak at Nashville and how they match up against big, fast, rough Pacific opponents. History has proven they can hang with them; Nashville is 6-0 against the Sharks on home ice.
They do head into this game cold though, as they are on a three-game losing streak.
Prediction: Take the Sharks to win. Play the over.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Sabres vs Rangers: After failing to clinch a playoff spot on Thursday, the Rangers can officially lock up a spot in the postseason with a win tonight. Theoretically, the Rangers could finish 4-1 in their final five games and still slip down into the first Wild Card spot if their loss comes to the Islanders. Whether or not this would actually benefit the Rangers is debatable, but the bottom line is that no one wants to backslide into the postseason.
Buffalo is 3-1-1 in their last five games. Their recent play may not factor in whatsoever, as the Rangers have won their last nine meetings with the Sabres. Then again, the Rangers had won their last nine against the Carolina Hurricanes and that ended horrendously.
The over has hit in both meetings this season.
Prediction: Take the Rangers to win and clinch on home ice. Play the over.
Flames vs Oilers: Something that has gotten lost in this dumpster fire of a season in Edmonton is how solid Cam Talbot’s numbers have wound up. On a terrible team, Talbot is 20-26-4 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average, which is really not all that bad all things considered. The Goalbuster’s cumulative numbers could very easily be a whole lot worse given how little goal support he’s gotten this year.
Both the Oilers and Flames are in free-fall, but Edmonton has actually been hanging with some very good teams. They have beaten St. Louis and San Jose in their last seven games and come within a goal of tying Anaheim, Los Angeles and Colorado. Calgary has gotten the tar beaten out of them by Los Angeles, Chicago, Minnesota, Anaheim and even Toronto.
Prediction: Take the Oilers to win at -139. Play the over.
Devils vs Lightning: The Tampa Bay Lightning have yet to officially lock up their spot in the postseason. They sit two points behind the Florida Panthers for the Atlantic Division lead and three points ahead of the Bruins. Losing their spot altogether seems highly unlikely at this point, but making it official certainly would be a load off.
Especially in their final home game of the regular season.
On the other side of the ice, a loss or a Flyers win would officially eliminate the New Jersey Devils from playoff contention. This has been a long time coming, but there have been a lot of positives this year. Kyle Palmieri is still looking to eclipse the 30-goal marker, as he is goalless in his last four games.
Cory Schneider makes his return from injury tonight for New Jersey. He will start against Ben Bishop.
Prediction: Tampa handily won their last game against New Jersey 4-0. Expect a similar result tonight. Take the Bolts to win. Play the under.
