Around the NHL: Predictions for April 5th

There are 11 games on the schedule tonight. Let’s take a look around the NHL at the top picks, plays and predictions:

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

Play of the Day: Sharks over Wild.
The Minnesota Wild are so, so close to finally clinching a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. All they need is a win or an Avalanche loss (Colorado is playing Nashville tonight). They have had three straight opportunities to close the gap on their own, and have lost all three to weaker opponents. Tonight, they face a much tougher task in hosting the San Jose Sharks.

It is well documented at this point that the Sharks are the league’s road warriors. They are 6-1 in their last seven road games, and 6-0 in their last six games against teams with a winning home record. The extra day of rest since their last game could certainly come in handy as well, as they are 6-0 in their last six games with two days of rest.

San Jose will be starting James Reimer tonight, who has been outstanding since being dealt from Toronto. He is 5-2 in seven starts with a 1.85 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. He has limited opponents to two goals or less in each of his five wins.

Brent Burns has yet another point streak going, now up to six games. Burns leads all defensemen in goals with 27 and is second among blueliners in points.

Minnesota had a four game home win streak snapped by the Ottawa Senators last week before coming up empty-handed in a two game road trip. Devan Dubnyk has been uncharacteristically porous the last few games, allowing 10 goals during the team’s three-game skid.

Jared Spurgeon is a game-time decision for the Wild. Thomas Vanek will sit out again with an upper-body injury.

Prediction: Anticipate a high-scoring game like their last meeting, which was a 4-3 victory for San Jose. Take the Sharks to win. Play the over.

The Game to Watch: Islanders vs Capitals.
The Islanders look to be safe in avoiding a first-round matchup with the President’s Trophy winning Capitals. Brooklyn is breathing down the neck of their cross-town rivals in blue, and could potentially pull into a points tie with the Rangers tonight for the third divisional spot in the Metro.

In order to do that, the Islanders will have to prevent history. Braden Holtby will get the call in net tonight for the Capitals as he guns for win 48, tying him for the single-season record. The Capitals have just four games remaining counting tonight, with Holtby getting at least one game off in the process. So Washington, who looked uninspired when Holtby was not in net in Arizona, will have to turn it back on tonight for their goalie.

The Isles have just one win in their last seven road games. They have done a fine job containing the Washington powerplay this season, limiting them to just 1-for-9, but have had a trickier time holding Alexander Ovechkin at bay. Ovi has three goals in his last two games against the Islanders.

There will be some key injuries on both sides tonight. The Islanders’ blueline is once again depleted as Travis Hamonic suffered a season-ending injury back on the 31st. Shortly after, Calvin de Haan left last game early and is questionable tonight. For Washington, Nick Backstrom will be out tonight nursing an upper-body injury.

Prediction: Take the Capitals to sweep the season series against the Islanders. History will be fun to watch. Play the under, which is 4-0-1 in the last five meetings.

Other Game Notes Around the NHL

Lightning vs Rangers: The Rangers can finally (sort of) relax, as they clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night with a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. All joy was immediately sapped out of the victory as Ryan McDonagh left the game early after injuring his hand on a blocked shot. It is unclear how long McDonagh will be out for, but Brady Skjei has been recalled from Hartford to fill the void in his absence.

Tonight will likely be a battle of the backups, as Andrei Vasilevskiy and Antti Raanta have been named probable starters by LeftWingLock. Raanta has been called on for a few relief appearances lately, but has won his last three starts in pretty impressive fashion. Vasilevskiy has lost his last three starts, and has been very unpredictable in his performance. It is never really certain whether the 21-year-old Russian will be stopping 30 shots for a victory or letting five past him in a loss. Considering he has five wins in which he has allowed three or more, it is possible for a combination of the two scenarios.

Both teams are on the tail-end of a back-to-back. Home-ice advantage has meant a lot to the Rangers this season, but the Lightning have dominated Madison Square Garden in recent years. The biggest blessing the Rangers are facing is a game without having to shoot on Ben Bishop.

Prediction: The Lightning did not look like the same team last night in a 5-2 loss to the Islanders. Without Bishop, Stamkos or Stralman in their starting lineup, they do not pose as much of a threat tonight. Take the Rangers to win. Play the over.

Penguins vs Senators: Matt Murray has done an admirable job filling in for Marc-Andre Fleury. The Pens remain red-hot as Murray has won three starts since Flower’s injury, allowing just three goals at even strength. The Pittsburgh second line has been killing it, and the Pens have won four of their last five encounters with Ottawa. Phil Kessel has five goals and six assists in his last six games. Patric Hornqvist is on a nice three-game goal scoring streak.

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