There are 12 games on the docket tonight. Let’s take a look at the top picks, plays and predictions.
| Lightning vs Blue Jackets ML +105 / -125 O/U 5 |
Hurricanes vs Rangers ML +160 / -185 O/U 5 |
| Bruins vs Flyers ML +105 / -125 O/U 5 |
Stars vs Red Wings ML +120 / -140 O/U 5.5 |
| Sabres vs Senators ML +125 / -150 O/U 5 |
Devils vs Jets ML +120 / -140 O/U 5 |
| Panthers vs Blackhawks ML +120 / -140 O/U 5 |
Predators vs Avalanche ML -135 / +115 O/U 5 |
| Maple Leafs vs Oilers ML +125 / -145 O/U 5.5 |
Wild vs Canucks ML -160 / +140 O/U 5 |
| Coyotes vs Sharks ML +190 / -230 O/U 5 |
Canadiens vs Ducks ML +100 / -120 O/U 5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Play of the Day: Canadiens over Ducks.
Montreal will be starting Carey Price. That’s enough of a reason to bet on the Habs. The Canadiens are the second-stingiest team in the league, and that’s mostly because of Price. He has only started twice on the road, but Price has been solid in both games as the visiting goaltender. He won his most recent start in Detroit, allowing just one goal on 33 shots.
Price is 13-1-1 this season with a 1.66 goals-against average and .946 save percentage. Hart Trophy, anyone?
Anaheim finally snapped a three-game skid on Saturday with a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and an assist in the victory. The Ducks will be looking to claim a win in the Honda Center for the first time since the 17th.
Alexander Radulov is flourishing on the top line with Alex Galchenyuk. Radulov has a goal and nine assists in his last nine games. On the season, he has 18 points in 20 games.
Prediction: The line is not too lucrative, but betting on Carey Price is a good bet any day of the week. Take the Habs to win. Play the under.
The Game to Watch: Bruins vs Flyers.
The Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins are two teams that are both on the fringes of the NHL playoff picture, but are in two different states of play. The Flyers, even without Sean Couturier, have been one of the more successful teams in the NHL at putting the puck in the back of the net. However, their ineptitude in net and in their own zone has prevented them from taking the next step and challenging more closely for a divisional spot.
On the flip side, the Bruins have faltered in their quest to find stable scoring depth beyond their top line, which is overshadowing otherwise spectacular play from goaltender Tuukka Rask. Jimmy Hayes is perhaps the best example to point to. I can remember existing in the Rangers Twitterverse a few years back when Cam Talbot was on the trade block and hearing that the Panthers might be interested in giving up Hayes. The Blueshirts faithful were incredulous that they did not pull the trigger on the deal, really for the sole reason that he shares a blood relation to a forward of their own, Kevin. Boston had high hopes for Hayes.
He just got his first goal of the season Sunday. First point, actually. Twenty games. Even from a fourth liner, that’s rough.
Zdeno Chara remains out for the Bruins. Their defensive core for tonight looks….well, it looks.
Six defensemen on the ice: Krug, McQuaid, Carlo, K. Miller, Morrow, C. Miller,
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 29, 2016
Both teams are coming off of wins following three-game losing streaks. Tonight will be physical, gritty, even hockey. If that’s your bag, you’re in for a treat.
The tale of the tape says the Bruins have the edge. I’m taking the home team. Giroux and company should be licking their chops at the Boston defense tonight.
Prediction: Take the Flyers to win. Play the under.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Wild vs Canucks: The Vancouver Canucks lost defenseman Alex Edler to a broken finger suffered Saturday night, meaning there is a shuffle coming in their already shoddy defensive pairings. Troy Stecher will likely get the bump up to the top pairing with Luca Sbisa. Edler is not what he was. At age 30, his declining play is either indicative of his age (possible) or the product of a bad team (very possible). Nevertheless, he is a capable defenseman- an NHL player, which is more than can be said for certain other defensemen in Vancouver.
Minnesota is missing a blueliner of their own in Christian Folin. They have called up Gustav Olofsson in his place.
Aside from having identical penalty kill percentages, Minnesota has the advantage in most every category.
Eric Staal enters the contest on a three-game point streak, though he has not found the back of the net in nine games. Staal, who some argued was past his prime following his forgettable stint with the Rangers last season, now leads the Wild in scoring with 16 points. Hockey is funny.
Even though the Canucks have a winning record at home and the Wild struggle on the road, the edge goes to Minnesota in this one.
Prediction: Take Minnesota to win. Play the under.
Hurricanes vs Rangers: I want to take a moment to talk to the Rangers if I can. I know they are faithful readers of my posts here, so let me just express one thing.
I’m not mad, I’m disappointed.
I have been to two games at Madison Square Garden this season, and both have turned out to be clunkers. The first was their 5-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, a game spoiled by the mandatory removal of Antti Raanta due to concussion protocol. The second was Sunday’s snoozer against the Ottawa Senators.
The Rangers looked sharp in the first 20 minutes. They had about four or five chances where you could throw up your arms and yell exasperatedly, “how did that not go in?” Rick Nash was aggressively cutting to the net, and though they did not capitalize, they had several powerplay chances.
The second and third periods were boooooooooring. The Rangers got absolutely nothing going. Ottawa played conservative hockey, making very few mistakes and taking even fewer chances. The Sens crept out to a 1-0 lead and before long tallied a second. That would be all that was needed. The Blueshirts would never really threaten to even things up.
New York is now 0-3-1 at home in their last four.
While the Rangers were getting shutout in their own building, the Carolina Hurricanes were ending the coaching tenure of Gerard Gallant in theirs. After a 3-2 triumph over Florida, the Panthers fired their head coach. So that’s a feather in the cap of Carolina.
The downside? Carolina will be without Jordan Staal for a while after suffering a concussion. Staal had five goals and four assists through 21 games.
The Canes have scored nine goals in six road games this month. All six games were decided by one goal, with Carolina emerging with a 2-2-2 record.
The home team has won four of the last five meetings between these two teams.
Prediction: Take the Rangers to finally bounce back at home. Play the under.
Devils vs Jets: Bryan Little is back. Little has not played since suffering an injury opening night. He made his 2:48 of ice time count, though, notching an assist.
Little’s arrival spells trouble for the Devils, who are 0-3-1 in their last four on the road. They have not had success winning games away from the Rock, and that’s troublesome. They have a chance to pull away in the Wild Card race, even without Taylor Hall, but to do so they will need to win on the road.
Prediction: Bryan Little’s return is huge and the Devils are in a road funk. Take Winnipeg to win. Play the under.
