There are two NHL games on the docket tonight on Deadline Day. Let’s take a look at the top picks, plays and predictions.
| Hurricanes vs Lightning ML +165 / -200 O/U 5.5 |
Penguins vs Blackhawks ML +120 / -140 O/U 5.5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Hurricanes vs Lightning: Tampa Bay has not pulled the trigger on any earth-shattering moves today. Braydon Coburn has not been asked to waive his no-trade clause, and there appears to be no immediate motive to move any of their impending restricted free agents.
Perhaps Steve Yzerman is hesitant to make a move with Steven Stamkos’ return imminent. Stamkos has returned to the ice and is skating. Though there is no timetable for when he will be back in the lineup, but knowing that he is coming back soon is a big confidence booster.
The Bolts are five points out of the second Wild Card spot, but the Maple Leafs have dropped three games in a row. Tampa is 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, but their upcoming schedule is no cakewalk. Upcoming opponents include Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Florida, Ottawa, and the New York Rangers twice. Nine of their 15 games in March are against teams currently in the playoffs, not counting the Panthers.
It’s going to be a rough month. The sooner Stammer can return, the better.
Andrei Vasilevskiy will be in net for the Bolts.
Carolina has had a somewhat quiet Deadline Day, though they have already shipped out Ron Hainsey and Viktor Stalberg to Pittsburgh and Ottawa, respectively. The Hurricanes are racing to the bottom of the NHL. With two games against the Arizona Coyotes coming up, they could even challenge for the second lottery spot in the NHL amateur draft.
The Canes are 1-3-2 since returning from their bye-week. They have only scored eight goals in those six games. Sadly, they have gone from an interesting story as a team with a penchant for home cooking to one of the more boring teams in the NHL.
Tampa Bay has won each of their last five home games against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Prediction: Take the Bolts to win tonight. Play the under.
Penguins vs Blackhawks: Gotta love manufactured rivalries, right? What, you didn’t know that the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks were heated rivals? According to NBC Sports, they are.
It would be better if they just dropped the pretense and admitted they just wanted to showcase elite talent. Just say it’s Crosby vs Kane, Malkin vs Toews, etc. But touting this as “The Night You Love to Hate” is silly.
That said, I suppose Sidney Crosby and Patrick Kane ARE pretty hatable in their own right.
Chicago has strung together four wins in a row, tallying 20 goals in that span. Jonathan Toews has a six-game point streak going and points in nine of his last 10. Over that 10-game stretch, he has amassed 18 points, including an incredible five-point night against the Minnesota Wild.
Patrick Kane has six multi-point nights in his last 10 games. Kane will be a player to watch tonight, but not for the obvious reason that he is one of the most talented players in the NHL. It’s that he has actually never scored against the Penguins. In nine career games against Pittsburgh, he has seven assists and no goals.
This offensive outburst has suited Chicago well, as they are undefeated in 26 games this season when scoring at least four goals.
Pittsburgh was in action last night against the Dallas Stars, losing 3-2. The Pens took a 2-0 lead into the third period, but the Stars put three unanswered past Matt Murray. Evgeni Malkin potted his 26th goal of the season, while Jake Guentzel earned his seventh.
Kris Letang has yet to be cleared for contact and will not play tonight.
Marc-Andre Fleury will be in net for the Pens tonight as he survives the trade deadline.
Prediction: Take the Blackhawks to win. Play the over.
To make a play on these predictions, or any other NHL bets, visit our sportsbook at https://www.betdsi.eu/gms-hockey.
