Here are the top picks, plays and predictions.
| Blue Jackets vs Bruins ML +158 / -175 O/U 5 |
Wild vs Penguins ML +145 / -161 O/U 5.5 |
| Ducks vs Hurricanes ML +102 / -113 O/U 5 |
Kings vs Canadiens ML +125 / -138 O/U 5 |
| Canucks vs Red Wings ML +175 / -195 O/U 5 |
Islanders vs Lightning ML +150 / -166 O/U 5.5 |
| Sharks vs Panthers ML -113 / +102 O/U 5 |
Blues vs Predators ML +120 / -133 O/U 5 |
| Stars vs Flames ML +113 / -125 O/U 5.5 |
Jets vs Coyotes ML -113 / +102 O/U 5.5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Play of the Day: Blues over Predators.
The St. Louis Blues are still struggling to score. Since October 25th, they have scored 13 goals in eight games, including just one game in that stretch in which they scored more than two goals. They are 3-3-2 in that stretch, which is a surprisingly good record considering how anemic their offense has been.
Last night, the Blues fell in overtime against their division rivals, the Chicago Blackahwks in Wednesday Night Rivalry. Alex Pietrangelo netted the lone goal for the Blues, with Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko assisting. Schwartz has been among those disappointingly quiet for the Blues this season. He began the season late, but has just two goals and two assists through 10 games. He has a point in his last two games, however, while Tarasenko is on a three-game point streak.
The Blues have a chance to buck the trend tonight. Even though they are on the tail-end of a back-to-back, they are historically very good in these sort of scenarios. They are 7-0 in these types of games, and the Preds are winless in their last five games following a win.
Nashville won on Tuesday night against Ottawa after dropping two games in the shootout. They are 2-2-3 in their last seven games.
Prediction: Nashville has had a lot of trouble stringing together consecutive wins, and St. Louis is too talented to stay in this funk forever. Take a chance on the Blues tonight. Play the under.
The Game to Watch: Kings vs Canadiens.
Peter Budaj is breaking out as one of the hottest goaltenders in the NHL right now. With Jonathan Quick shelved for the foreseeable future, Budaj is picking up the slack big time. He has won his last three starts, and has posted back-to-back shutouts against the Flames and Maple Leafs. He has only faced 43 shots between those two games, but a streak is a streak.
Budaj is 7-3-0 on the year with a 1.86 goals-against average. The 34-year-old was a member of the Habs back in 2013-2014.
He will face his toughest task yet in the 11-1-1 Canadiens. Montreal is back to their winning ways after their 10-0 embarrassment. They have taken two one-goal games since that game against the Flyers and Bruins, respectively. Alex Galchenyuk has been red-hot, tallying seven points in his last five games. The only game in that span in which he was held off the scoresheet was the infamous Columbus debacle.
They only have one black mark on their record, but man is it dark. And hilarious.
Los Angeles has triumphed in five of the last six meetings between these two teams and historically does very well against the Atlantic Division on the whole. But this is going to be one heck of a game. Montreal has conquered the last seven teams with a winning record that they’ve faced.
Prediction: Ordinarily Budaj-Price would be a pretty one-sided goalie battle, but the Kings have done work in front of their netminder. Take the Kings to steal one from the Habs. Play the under.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Blue Jackets vs Bruins: Speaking of hot goaltenders, Sergei Bobrovsky has been on fire since stumbling out of the gate. Bob has won his last four starts, with two shutouts sprinkled in. Going back further, he is 6-1-1 with three shutouts.
The Jackets and Bruins are tied in the standings with 14 points each, both in the thick of the Wild Card hunt, early as the season may be. Columbus is 2-1-2 on the road this season, while the Bruins are 2-3-0 at home. For whatever reason, playing at the TD Garden has not made much of a difference for the Bs recently.
If Budaj and the Kings against Price and the Habs does not have you ready for a defensive battle, then Bobrovsky and Rask will. These are two magma-hot goaltenders colliding with the Jackets fighting to prove they are legitimate contenders. They will need to light the lamp to do so, but the under is 6-1-1 in their last eight trips to Boston, and is 9-1 in the Jackets’ last 10 overall.
Prediction: This will be very entertaining, but the Jackets being on a back-to-back may sink them. Take the Bruins to win. Play the under.
Wild vs Penguins: Lost in the Canadiens’ crazy run and the Blackhawks’ recent surge has been the Pittsburgh Penguins’ dominating play at home. They are 6-0-1 at home, with their most recent win coming in dramatic fashion against the Edmonton Oilers. Conor Sheary potted the game-winning goal with less than two minutes left in regulation after the Pens came fighting back from a 3-1 deficit. Yes. Edmonton blew a 3-1 lead. Insert meme here.
Devan Dubnyk has lost his last two starts after a three-game shutout streak. Even in defeat, Dubnyk has looked good, allowing just three goals in those two games. The Minnesota offense has gone cold, but perhaps a week’s worth of off days will help them reset. They have had four day’s off after their 1-0 loss to Colorado, and had three days off prior to that game.
Pittsburgh has won the last four encounters against Minnesota. The Pens’ offense has been just too hot for the Minnesota defense to handle. Sidney Crosby has 10 points in seven games since returning from a pre-season injury.
Prediction: Take the Pens to win. Play the under.
Canucks vs Red Wings: I had the chance to see the Vancouver Canucks up close and personal on Tuesday when they visited Madison Square Garden. I sat in the barstool seats of the Garden, which were considerably more enjoyable than I thought they would be, and had a fun evening with my father. The Canucks wound up winning the game 5-2, which may lead you to believe that they played well.
They really didn’t.
The Rangers had a very off night, fulfilling the “trap game” prophecy that many foresaw (excluding me) and wrecking the most slanted money line I have ever seen in a year of working here. At least my Play of the Day of the over was right.
But more to the point, Vancouver does not play exciting hockey. They clog the middle, dump and chase, and are very limited in terms of lines that can produce offensive pressure. They managed to slip two goals by Antti Raanta, one being a breakaway out of the box by Henrik Sedin, and then put two past Henrik Lundqvist as he filled in while the Rangers’ starter got looked at per concussion protocol. Lundqvist has repeatedly stated he hates relief efforts, and Tuesday likely did not help sway his opinion. The fifth goal was an empty netter.
Loui Eriksson finally awoke from his slumber, grabbing his first goal of the season. The Sedins still pass well, but age catches up to everyone in the end. And for all the grinders they have on their team, they are not exactly a bang-the-body bruising kind of team. They’re just the kind of team that you sit back and watch as they race for the lottery pick.
Detroit is on a skid of their own, dropping their last four home games and five of their last six overall. The one safe play tonight amidst the backslide? The over.
Prediction: Take the Wings to win. Play the over.
Stars vs Flames: Who can snap out of their funk first? Dallas is 1-4-2 on the road this season and winless in their last five attempts. They have lost their last five games to teams with losing records. Meanwhile, Calgary is 1-4 in their last five, coming home after a mediocre trip to Chicago and California.
Dallas needs a swift kick in the pants. They are still close to their division competitors by virtue of a very even Western Conference this early in the year. Even at 4-6-3, they are two points behind the Minnesota for third in the Central. On Tuesday they were embarrassed 8-2 by the Winnipeg Jets, with Patrik Laine getting his second career hat trick. Their defense has been atrocious, and Jamie Benn has had a fine start when Dallas needs him to be great. He has just two goals, but seven assists on the season. Lindy Ruff is trying everything to get him and the Stars offensive attack going. On the top line: Benn, Lauri Korpikoski (1 G, 2 A, 13 games) and Radek Faksa (1 G, 1 A, 13 games). Yikes.
The over is 7-1-1 in Calgary between these two teams.
Prediction: So long as Dallas is in this tailspin, this game is a coin flip. Take Dallas to win as a chance to cash in on a +113. Take the over, which is all but a guarantee.
