Around the NHL: Predictions for December 30th

There are four NHL games on the docket tonight. Let’s take a look at the top picks, plays and predictions.

Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.

Play of the Day: Blackhawks over Hurricanes.
The Chicago Blackhawks are on the road finishing off a back-to-back. That will not stop me from picking them to triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes tonight.

The Hawks bested the Nashville Predators last night 3-2. Patrick Kane earned his 700th career point on the goal that would prove to be the game-winner in the third period. Artem Anisimov and Jonathan Toews also struck on the powerplay.

Chicago has won their last four road games.

They will need all the help they can get, as the Canes have won nine of their last 10 in North Carolina. Cam Ward has had a very nice bounceback season, posting a 12-9-6 record with a .917 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average. Nothing that will get him Vezina honors, but certainly an improvement over recent history.

Ward will be going up against Scott Darling tonight.

This will be Teuvo Teravainen’s first crack at his former team tonight. The Hawks traded the youngster along with Bryan Bickell to shed salary. Teravainen recorded 35 points in 78 games last season for Chicago, and is on pace to narrowly improve on that mark this season.

For Chicago to stop the Canes’ hot streak at home, they will need to take control of the pace of the game. The Canes are a quite good possession team, as they have been for a couple years now. They can sneakily dictate the game’s ebb and flow. While they lack elite personnel to really capitalize on it, they get shots to the net and have the best penalty kill in the NHL.

Carolina will need to simply put the pedal to the metal. They have had a day of rest. The Hawks have had a night of travel.

Prediciton: I am still sticking by the better team here tonight. Take the Blackhawks to win. Play the over.

The Game to Watch: Predators vs Blues.
This will be the final game for the St. Louis Blues before they take on the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL Winter Classic on January 2nd. They have a phenomenal record at home and will be looking for their 15th win at the Scottrade Center.

Only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens have 15 or more wins on their home ice this season.

Nashville, as mentioned above, played last night against the Blackhawks and came out on the losing end of things. Their penalty kill faltered once again, allowing two powerplay goals on five attempts. Their kill operates at just an 80.5% success rate.

Their powerplay scored in the game, though they have been feeling the absence of P.K. Subban hardcore on that front. Subban will be out tonight as well.

Nashville has lost their last five games in St. Louis. The Blues have not had a lot of success stringing together quality performances of late though, so perhaps the home ice advantage is not as much of a slam-dunk in this game as previously reckoned.

Prediction: Take the Blues to win a tight one. Play the over.

Other Game Notes Around the NHL

Flyers vs Sharks: This will be a great matchup of red hot individuals. Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn have been really ramping up their play’s intensity the last few weeks, increasing their scoring and helping the Flyers string together long stretches of wins.

The Sharks have been propelled by the torrid scoring of Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. Burns recorded yet another multi-point night last game against Anaheim, his second in a row and ninth of the season.

Yet for all the individual success, and all the wins being strung together for both teams, neither club has been able to hold a successful powerplay of late. The Flyers are 1-for-19 in their last seven games. San Jose is 4-for-35 of late, and has begun to do the desperation lineup juggle. Patrick Marleau has been replaced by Joel Ward on the top unit.

If the Flyers want to pull off the upset in this game, they will need Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek to start scoring away from the Wells Fargo Center. Giroux has one assist in his last five road games, while Voracek has just one goal away from Philly. Captain G has had much success against San Jose historically, however, notching 10 points in 11 career games.

Prediction: Take the Sharks to win. Play the over.

Ducks vs Canucks: I mock the Dallas Stars frequently for their inability to put together a run of consecutive wins. Now that they have officially started a winning streak, winning three straight, I think my next target should be the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks have lost 10 of their last 11 games following a win. How they are still technically in the playoff hunt is beyond me, though they have been sinking down to the bottom with increased speed recently. They are now six points out of the Wild Card and are just 4-5-1 in their last 10.

At least they have a chance to score tonight against Ducks backup Jonathan Bernier, listed as the probable starter for Anaheim. Bernier has an .897 save percentage and a 3.07 goals-against average this season.

The Ducks finally snapped a three-game losing streak last night with a win over Calgary. Vancouver narrowly edged out a win over Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Prediction: I don’t trust Bernier. If he starts, definitely take the Canucks tonight. Play the under.