There are 10 games on the docket tonight. Let’s take a look at the top picks, plays and predictions.
| Lightning vs Sabres ML -155 / +140 O/U 5 |
Jets vs Flyers ML +118 / -130 O/U 5.5 |
| Panthers vs Maple Leafs ML -106 / -104 O/U 5.5 |
Predators vs Senators ML -102 / -108 O/U 5 |
| Bruins vs Wild ML +109 / -120 O/U 5 |
Sharks vs Blues ML -104 -106 O/U 5 |
| Avalanche vs Stars ML +150 / -166 O/U 5.5 |
Devils vs Ducks ML +140 / -155 O/U 5 |
| Coyotes vs Canucks ML +122 / -135 O/U 5 |
Oilers vs Kings ML +113 / -125 O/U 5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Play of the Day: Jets over Flyers.
For the first time in his career, Shayne Gostisbehere will be a healthy scratch.
This coming on the same day that he was named Athlete of the Year by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association, according to the Courier-Post. Awkward.
The 23-year-old defenseman has three goals and seven assists, giving him 10 points in 17 games. He has a 54.4% Corsi-for rating. He has officially played in 82 contests in his career, over the span of which he has 20 goals and 36 assists. That’s elite production.
So why is he benched? To give Andrew MacDonald a chance to play. Yiiiiiiiikes. Coach Dave Hakstol admitted that he wanted Gostisbehere to watch a game from above to learn a few things about positioning and whatnot because apparently offensive production and shot suppression are simply not things we want to encourage. GhostBear has not been perfect on the defensive end of things, but a healthy scratch seems extreme.
That opens the door for the Winnipeg Jets to take one on the road tonight. Winnipeg, believe it or not, sits in second place in the Central Division with 20 points on the year, one ahead of the St. Louis Blues and four behind the first-place Blackhawks.
Mark Scheifele still leads the NHL with 21 points, tied with Nikita Kucherov. Scheifele has seven points in his last five games. Rookie Patrik Laine is tops in the league in goal scoring with 12.
Connor Hellebuyck will start in net against Steve Mason. Hellebuyck has won his last four starts, allowing just goals in that span with a shutout against the Blackhawks. Mason has given up 13 goals in his last four starts by contrast, being yanked from one of them against Pittsburgh after just 20 minutes.
Even though the Jets have not won in their last four treks to Philly, no Gostisbehere is a blessing for them. Scheifele and Laine will have a field day with MacDonald.
Prediction: Take the Jets to win. Play the over.
The Game to Watch: Sharks vs Blues.
Here we have a rematch of the Western Conference Finals. Western Conference Finals Game 5, to be exact, since that’s the last game that Jake Allen started in that series.
Allen’s numbers are pedestrian since taking full control of the number-one role from the departed Brian Elliott. The 26-year-old is 6-3-3 with a 2.49 goals-against average and .901 save percentage. His performances have been volatile to say the least; for instance, following his 29-save shutout of the Kings, Allen allowed nine goals in two games against the Rangers and Stars.
Starting opposite him will be Martin Jones, of course.
St. Louis has been a safe haven for the Blues, at least. Allen is 4-0-2 with a 1.15 goals-against average and .954 save percentage.
The Blues’ offense has woken up at bit since their three-week dry spell. They have scored four goals in each of their last two games, led by Kevin Shattenkirk and Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko is on a six-game point streak.
San Jose is 5-5-0 on the road this season. The Blues are 6-1-2 at home overall.
Prediction: Take the Blues to win. Play the over.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Panthers vs Maple Leafs: James Reimer will be facing his old squad tonight in Toronto. Reimer has been mediocre so far for the Panthers, posting a 2-2-1 record, and wins have been hard to find for the Cats on the road. Their overtime win against the Montreal (on the world’s flukiest shot, might I add) improved their visiting record to 2-4-1.
Toronto is 6-2-0 at the Air Canada Centre this season. They trounced the Predators on home ice 6-2 on Tuesday.
It has been 10 games since Auston Matthews last scored. Picking up the slack has been James van Riemsdyk (hat trick on Tuesday, eight points in his last five games), Tyler Bozak (eight points, five games) and Mitchell Marner (seven points, five games).
Prediction: Take the Leafs to win at home. Play the over.
Lightning vs Sabres: At the beginning of the season, this might have been looked at as an interesting matchup. Steven Stamkos against Jack Eichel, with Buffalo being one of the teams rumored to be courting Stamkos before his extension with Tampa. Eichel has been out for the last month with no end in sight, and now Steven Stamkos will miss at least four months after a meniscus injury suffered days ago.
The loss of Stamkos is not just a huge blow to the Lightning as a team, it’s a major bummer to NHL fans everywhere. In the same day, the league lost Steven Stamkos, Taylor Hall and Johnny Gaudreau to injury. That stinks.
Even without Stammer, the Bolts should be able to win this one. Nikita Kucherov is perfectly capable of running the show.
Prediction: Take the Bolts to win. Play the under. Adjust your fantasy lineups accordingly, Stammer-owners.
Avalanche vs Stars: Speaking of star players being out, Matt Duchene will be out of the lineup tonight. Duchene took the ice two days ago in a non-contact jersey, then participated in a full practice yesterday. However, it looks like his head injury will keep him out of the lineup again tonight, which is a huge blow to Colorado’s offensive output. Duchene leads the team with six goals and 11 points.
Dallas has lost consecutive games in overtime, first to the Canucks, then the Devils. The Stars are 3-2-4 in the month of November so far, with their one-goal performance against New Jersey being their worst of the month. Adam Henrique’s goal came just 44 seconds into overtime, before Dallas even had a chance to get a shot to the net. Dallas finished with 24 shots on net in 60:44 of ice time.
Colorado (3-5-0 in November) has had just two road games this month. They lost both games as the visitor, mustering just one goal in those two games against Chicago and St. Louis.
Prediction: The Avs have had trouble with division rivals on the road this season and will be without Matt Duchene. Take the Stars all the way. Play the under.
