There are five NHL games on the schedule tonight. Let’s take a look at the top picks, plays and predictions.
| Wild vs Red Wings ML -170 / +145 O/U 5.5 |
Stars vs Devils ML -130 / +110 O/U 5.5 |
| Flyers vs Penguins ML +175 / -210 O/U 6 |
Canucks vs Jets ML +157 / -180 O/U 5.5 |
| Rangers vs Ducks ML +125 / -145 O/U 5.5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
The Game to Watch: Rangers vs Ducks.
Antti Raanta earned his fourth shutout of the season last night against the Los Angeles Kings. In a fairly uneventful game, the Rangers got three goals from Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh and Rick Nash to earn their 27th road win of the season.
But that’s hardly the big story tonight. The real story is that Henrik Lundqvist is back.
Lundqvist returns from a hip injury that kept him out of action for eight games. Over the course of his absence, the Blueshirts went 3-3-2. Though Raanta was hardly the problem, it will be nice to have the proper leader of the team back where he belongs.
Expecting perfection out of Lundqvist tonight would be ignorant. In his first game back from his neck injury two seasons ago, he allowed four goals to the Boston Bruins. After that game, he was dominant. He will need time to get back into the swing of things after missing two and a half weeks.
If the Rangers win tonight, they will clinch a spot in the NHL playoffs. To do so, they will need to earn their 28th road win of the season, improving on what already was the NHL’s best visiting record. It would equal San Jose’s 28 road wins last season and the 28 that New York earned when they won the President’s Trophy two seasons ago.
Anaheim is locked in a playoff battle of their own. They have won five of their last six, and since the Sharks have now lost six(!) in a row, they are now in a points tie for the Pacific Division lead with a game in hand on San Jose.
This will be no cakewalk for the Rangers.
The Ducks’ magic number is down to just three. The party may very well already be on in Anaheim, given how badly Los Angeles is floundering down the stretch. Now the focus is on ensuring they win the division.
New York has won their trip to Anaheim the last two seasons and have won the last five meetings overall.
This is the fifth back-to-back the Rangers have played this month. At this point, it has to be wearing on them.
Prediction: Take the Ducks to win tonight. Play the under.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Stars vs Devils: Thrill at the excitement of this meeting of two powerhouses! Both teams are in a race to the bottom, as the Devils currently sit dead last in the Eastern Conference with 66 points. The Stars have 71 on the year, sixth-worst in the NHL.
The Stars put on quite the offensive show Friday night against the San Jose Sharks, putting up six goals on one of the best teams in the NHL. Yet, here’s a fun fact: Dallas has lost their last nine games following a performance in which they score five or more goals. In essence, they use up all their offense.
However, they have won four of their last five games against teams with a losing record.
New Jersey has lost five of their last six to such teams. They have also lost their last four Sunday games. There’s a joke to be made about the Devils losing on the Sabbath somewhere.
Patrick Sharp will miss the remainder of the season for the Stars, as he undergoes hip surgery. Sharp has had a rough season, playing in just 48 games and notching eight goals with 10 assists. Nevertheless, the veteran forward has been nominated for the Masterton Trophy by the Stars organization.
It’s tough to say which Dallas team will show up today. The Stars are more than capable of stealing a win here. They are, frankly, the better team on paper and the mere presence of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin means that they can light the lamp on any given day. It was not long ago that they surprised the Capitals with a road win, and they took the Blackhawks to the shootout just last week.
But when the Stars phone it in, they really phone it in. They are prone to putting out clunkers, especially after good wins. Dallas does not exactly inspire confidence.
That said, the Devils are 2-12-2 in their last 16 games. They are simply brutal.
Prediction: Take the Stars to win. Play the under.
Flyers vs Penguins:
The fact that this is a rivalry game is really the only thing making this a game worth watching tonight. At least the Flyers are still somewhat fighting for a playoff spot.
Somewhat.
Philly suffered a crushing loss yesterday to the Columbus Blue Jackets. With their season essentially on the line, the Flyers could not so much as put a goal on the board, as they fell to the Jackets 1-0. Though they outshot CBJ 36-21, no one could find the back of the net. Alexander Wennberg tallied the lone goal in the game.
Philadelphia now sits eight points behind the second Wild Card spot. Last night was the worst possible timing for the Flyers, as the Islanders and Bruins squared off with each other. The matchup guaranteed that Philly would be buried if they lost.
This is the Flyers’ last stand. They were aided by the fact that the Bruins beat Brooklyn last night so they still technically have a game in hand, but this is pretty much it for the Flyers.
Pittsburgh holds the season series lead 2-1, though the Flyers won the most recent encounter.
The injuries continue to mount for the Penguins, and yet they continue to collect points. They have lost consecutive games in extra time, but had a three-game winning streak prior to that. They will likely be without Evgeni Malkin once again tonight, and Jake Guentzel still does not have a timetable for return as he progresses through the league’s concussion protocol.
The home team has won four of the last five meetings between these two teams.
Prediction: Take the Penguins to drive home the dagger and win. Play the over, which has hit in six of the last seven games in Pittsburgh.
