Around the NHL: Predictions for January 9th

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.

The Game to Watch: Capitals vs Canadiens.
Washington is rocking and rolling. The Caps are currently riding a five-game winning streak that has brought them to 55 points, keeping pace with the rest of the Metro. Though they are technically the top Wild Card spot right now, they have three games in hand on the New York Rangers, who currently are in third with 57 points.

Montreal has a three-game winning streak of their own going. They finished a seven-game road trip strong, taking back-to-back overtime games against Nashville and Dallas respectively then beating the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

If you want to know why the Habs keep winning, just go back and look at the stat sheet from these last few games. You’ll see a common motif: Max Pacioretty, Alexander Radulov and Shea Weber.

Patches, Radulov and Weber have combined for 14 points in their last three games. Radulov is currently on a six-game point streak.

They will have to go up against Braden Holtby, who has posted back-to-back shutouts against Columbus and Ottawa. He now has five on the season.

T.J. Oshie has five points in his last five games. Only fair his name gets brought up around the same time the United States comes home with the gold medal in the World Junior Championship. The USA won gold because of the shootout, with Troy Terry emulating Oshie’s Olympic heroics quite well.

The Bell Centre is still one of the hardest buildings to win in as an opposing team in the NHL. Montreal is 15-3-2 at home. However, the Caps have won nine of their last 10 visits to the Bell Centre. Washington is 10-4-4 on the road overall this season.

Prediction: Take the Capitals to pull the upset tonight in what promises to be a great showdown. Play the under.

Other Game Notes Around the NHL

Panthers vs Devils: Here we have a battle of two teams still desperately trying to convince themselves that they are still in the playoff hunt. The Florida Panthers have managed to string together consecutive wins just once in the last two months of play. In their most recent game, they were shut out on home ice by the Boston Bruins.

New Jersey boasts the worst goal differential in the Eastern Conference at -26. Only Arizona and Colorado have worse. However, Cory Schneider has found his game a bit lately. With the exception of a nightmare start against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he has bore much more of a resemblance to last year’s Cory Schneider, who could steal games at will. In his last three starts that were not against Toronto, has allowed just three goals on 95 shots.

The Devils are trying to pick up a win at the Rock before heading back out on the road to Western Canada. They are 0-1-1 in their current homestand.

Florida has lost seven of their last eight against teams with a winning home record. However, the Devils have lost four of their last five home games and six of their last seven in three-in-four situations. So really, this is a toss-up between two mediocre teams.

Prediction: Take the Devils to win solely because of the minimal home ice advantage they have. Definitely play the under.

Flames vs Jets: The Winnipeg Jets suffered a huge blow in their last loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Patrik Laine was rocked with a hard, high hit. He has been diagnosed with a concussion and will miss an undetermined amount of time. Drew Stafford will slot in on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers. Stafford had 21 goals last season, but has just three in 27 games so far this year.

Amazingly, the Calgary Flames have catapulted themselves to the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. They have done so by taking care of sub-.500 teams. They are 11-2 in their last 13 against teams with a losing record, and have another such opponent tonight.

It helps that they have played the Coyotes twice, the Canucks three times and the Avalanche twice in the last three weeks. They went 6-1 in those seven games.

Now, they get the Jets, who could be sent spiraling right down the tubes if Laine is out for too long.

Prediction: Take Calgary to win. Play the over.

Stars vs Kings: Dallas followed up their first three-game win streak of the season by putting together a three-game losing streak. To stay in the playoff hunt, tonight is a must-win as they take on the second Wild Card team, the Los Angeles Kings.

The Stars are 5-10-4 on the road. Los Angeles is 12-5-1 at home. So it’s sure to be a tough task tonight.

The Kings overcame a 2-0 deficit Saturday to take a 3-2 lead against the Minnesota Wild. After a last-minute Zach Parise goal tied things up, Tanner Pearson potted the game-winner in extra time. Pearson now has 11 on the year.

This is game three of an extended homestand for the Kings. If they wanted to put some separation between themselves and the rest of the pack in the West, this is the time to do it. They host Dallas, St. Louis, Winnipeg and San Jose in this residency at the Staples Center. Tampa will also be paying a visit as a non-conference matchup.

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

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