There are 11 NHL games on the schedule tonight. Let’s take a look at the top picks, plays and predictions.
| Jets vs Devils ML -110 / -110 O/U 5.5 |
Predators vs Bruins ML +150 / -170 O/U 5.5 |
| Senators vs Flyers ML +110 / -130 O/U 5.5 |
Red Wings vs Hurricanes ML +170 / -200 O/U 5 |
| Sabres vs Blue Jackets ML +175 / -225 O/U 5.5 |
Panthers vs Maple Leafs ML +140 / -150 O/U 6 |
| Stars vs Canadiens ML +165 / -185 O/U 5.5 |
Capitals vs Wild ML -120 / +100 O/U 5 |
| Kings vs Oilers ML +115 / -125 O/U 5 |
Ducks vs Canucks ML -190 / +160 O/U 5 |
| Rangers vs Sharks ML +105 / -125 O/U 5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
The Game to Watch: Red Wings vs Hurricanes.
The Eastern Conference Wild Card picture has thinned out. Only a precious few teams remain in the hunt with about eight games to go. The Boston Bruins currently lead with 84 points, with the Tampa Bay Lightning following close behind with 83. Brooklyn is still in striking distance with 82 points. But then…
Wait, when did the Carolina Hurricanes get there?
While no one was looking, the Carolina Hurricanes have snuck out of the NHL’s basement and risen to be last-minute Wild Card contenders. Seriously. In the days following the trade deadline, I mocked the Canes mercilessly for their lack of energy. And to my defense, I was right. They were boring as anything, and they were selling off everyone.
But now, Carolina has not lost in regulation since March 8th to none other than the worst team in the league, the Colorado Avalanche.
A win today pulls them even in games played with the Bruins and they will trail by only two points. How ridiculous is that?
The road ahead is incredibly hard. Carolina will need to beat some of the best teams in the NHL to actually make it to the postseason. But hey, anything can happen this time of year.
It starts with a home win against the Detroit Red Wings.
Detroit and Carolina were in action in Raleigh last night. The Wings pulled out an overtime victory, but not without giving a scare to the home crowd. Petr Mrazek made a remarkable half-standing toe save on a Jeff Skinner slapshot, and the puck careened into the Carolina zone. As Andreas Athanasiou collected the puck on a breakaway drove to the net, he came into heavy contact with Hurricanes goalie Eddie Lack.
The goal counted. Lack was down for the count.
Lack has had a history of concussions in his career, and as he was rushed to the hospital, one could not help but wonder just how serious this injury would be. Lack had feeling in his extremities, but was carted off the ice on a stretcher.
Thankfully, it looks like Lack averted disaster.
Thanks for all thoughts and prayers🙏everything looks alright and I'll be able to go home tonight! Thanks for thinking of me👍
— Eddie Lack🇸🇪🇺🇸🇨🇦 (@eddielack) March 28, 2017
It’s hard to say whether the Hurricanes will be rallying around their injured goaltender. I thought they might rally around Lack when he was called out by his own head coach and told to “make a [expletive] save.” So to have another reason to use a player as a rallying cry seems odd to me.
Lack had won four consecutive starts before last night, allowing only five goals in the process. It looked as though he was finally putting what was an otherwise nightmarish season behind him.
So tonight is the final stand for Carolina. If they lose tonight, it’s all over. There is no way they would be able to make up a four-point deficit with their upcoming schedule. Two is doable. The problem is, Detroit has won their last five games in Carolina, and the road team has won five of the last six meetings.
The Canes have lost four of their last five games on no rest. Considering they will be running into Jimmy Howard most likely tonight, that’s a bad sign.
At the very least, this should be a fun game to watch between a team realizing that it’s not over yet and a group wanting to play spoiler.
Prediction: The magic ride ends tonight. Take the Red Wings to win tonight. Play the over.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Senators vs Flyers: Speaking of teams out of the Wild Card hunt, here come the Philadelphia Flyers once again. The Flyers beat up on their cross-state rivals 6-2 on Sunday and are six points out of the second Wild Card spot with seven games remaining.
The eulogy needn’t be delivered yet, but it’s coming.
This game only really matters to the Ottawa Senators, who have dropped seven of their last nine games. Amazingly, they are still only three points behind the Montreal Canadiens with a game in hand. The Atlantic Division title is still within their reach, and they just recently got Mark Stone back after a lengthy absence.
What has killed the Sens has been their play against the Habs. In the last 10 days, they have taken on Montreal three times and have come away the loser in all three matchups.
The Flyers could pose a threat to the Sens’ quest for the Atlantic crown. Philly has beaten Pittsburgh twice, Minnesota and even the Great NHL Playoff Contender Carolina Hurricanes in these last two weeks. Every now and then, they get up for big games.
Philly has won four of their last five home games. The Sens have lost four of their last five playing on an extra day of rest.
Prediction: Take the Flyers to win tonight. Play the under.
Kings vs Oilers: Ding, dong, the Kings are dead.
Trailing the St. Louis Blues by 11 points with eight games remaining means that it would take a miracle for the Los Angeles Kings to make the NHL playoffs. This marks the second time in the last three years since winning the Stanley Cup that the Kings will be missing the postseason. Their lone appearance last year was unspectacular.
The Kings have lost their last four road games, their last five to Pacific Division opponents, and 10 of their last 11 against teams with a winning record. These are tough times.
Tonight is the beginning of a back-to-back in Western Canada for L.A. They went on this trip last week, and it did not turn out well. They were swept by Calgary and Edmonton, losing by a combined score of 7-2.
Perhaps swapping the order will change their luck.
Edmonton has won six of their last seven, including their last five home games. The home team has won the last five meetings between these two teams, which is good news for the Oilers.
In last week’s encounter, Cam Talbot stopped 35 shots en route to a 2-0 shutout victory. The Kings have been shut out twice in the last week.
Prediction: Take the Oilers to win. Play the under.
Rangers vs Sharks: With one point gained tonight, the New York Rangers clinch a playoff spot, becoming the fourth Metro Division team in the postseason.
Their Californian road trip has been two extremes. Their shutout win against Los Angeles was impressive, shutting down the opposition and limiting high-danger chances. The next night against Anaheim, their defense was nonexistent. Kevin Klein had a rough reintegration to action, and Nick Holden and Marc Staal were a disaster of a pairing once more.
EDIT: Dan Girardi will be back in for Klein tonight. He is being slowly brought back after a rough first night back against Los Angeles in which he was pinned in his zone for extended periods of time- “marathon shifts,” as he labeled them after the game.
Brady Sjkei will be with Marc Staal, while Brendan Smith will be with Nick Holden.
Pavel Buchnevich, who is third on the team in goals/60, will sit for Matt Puempel for reasons.
San Jose has lost their grip on the Pacific Division. What was at one time a sizable lead has become a two-point deficit. What’s worse, with the Oilers in action at home tonight, a loss tonight would mean the Sharks lose home-ice advantage.
Even worse than that, if Calgary continues to go streaking, the Sharks could slide down to the Wild Card. And if St. Louis keeps their winning ways going, they could drop all the way down to the second spot and face the Blackhawks in the first round.
Isn’t paranoia fun?
The Sharks have lost six in a row. Their most recent loss was a 7-2 embarrassment to the Nashville Predators. Offense has dried up, as Joonas Donskoi, Tomas Hertl and Mikkel Boedker have all failed to register a point in 10 or more games. Logan Couture has been held off the scoresheet in four games.
Now, they will be without Couture altogether after taking a puck to the face Saturday.
Seven in a row would be a disaster.
Who doesn’t love a bit of chaos?
Prediction: Take the Rangers to win. Play the over.
Ducks vs Canucks: Vancouver started off the year incredibly strong at home. Now they have lost 10 of their last 11 on home ice.
Yikes.
Anaheim is looking to extend their four-game winning streak. Look for them to take over tonight.
Prediction: Take the Ducks to win. Play the over.
Predators vs Bruins: Boston is running with the piranhas nipping at their heels. And now, they are running into one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Nashville has won seven of their last eight against some of the best teams in the league, and they topped the Islanders last night to throw a wrench into the Wild Card picture.
The Bruins need to get up tonight. Two days off should help them press the reset button against a team that played last night.
Prediction: Take the Bruins. Play the under.
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