Around the NHL: Predictions for November 19th

There are 11 games on the docket today. Let’s take a look at the top picks, plays and predictions.

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

Play of the Day: Jets over Bruins.
The Boston Bruins have picked up their play on their home ice, winning two of their three home games this month by a combined score of 11-7. They then went on an uneventful road trip scoring-wise, taking two of three on the road by a combined score of 4-2. The Bruins were shut out by the Minnesota Wild after shutting out Colorado and besting the Arizona Coyotes 2-1.

Boston is a hot-and-cold offensive team. It is only fitting then that they go up against another hot-and-cold team in Winnipeg. Like the Bruins, the Jets are capable of lighting the lamp on any given night- they just struggle to put multiple nights like that in a row. Mark Scheifele is still tied with Nikita Kucherov for the league lead in points with 22. Patrik Laine still holds the league lead in goals with 12. Nikolaj Ehlers is one assist away from the league lead in helpers with 13.

Yet the Jets, since the Western Conference is so even this year, are still just 9-8-2. They sit third in the Central Division with 20 points. Boston, also with 20 points, is tied for the second Wild Card spot with Columbus with the Jackets having two games in hand.

In the goaltending department, the Bruins have the upper-hand, as they will always have whenever Tuukka Rask is in net. Opposite him will be Mike Hutchinson, who has had his fair share of struggles this season. He has a shutout under his belt, but in all other starts this year he has allowed three goals or more.

So, how will the Jets keep pace? By putting their top lines to work. Scheifele has 14 points in his last 10 games, and he will be on the top line with Laine and Ehlers. That line alone could run rings around the Bruins, if they are on.

Considering the Bs are still just 3-3-0 at home, I will happily roll the dice on the Jets.

Prediction: Take the Jets to win. Play the over. This will be a shootout. Not like a skills competition shootout because that would be lame, but…you know what I mean.

The Game to Watch: Predators vs Blues.
The St. Louis Blues are very good at home this year. The Nashville Predators are not very good on the road this year. Yet the Preds are capable of erupting any given night, much like the Winnipeg Jets.

I still hold firm that Nashville will be a fun team to watch come April and even May. Even though these first two months have not gone as well as they may have hoped, they still have an exciting core in Filip Forsberg, James Neal and of course, P.K. Subban. Nashville was drummed pretty hard against the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2, but responded with a commanding 5-1 victory over the Sens to regain their footing.

Subban has three goals and seven assists so far this season. He had two assists last game against Ottawa, snapping a three-game pointless drought.

The Blues, led by the red-hot Vladimir Tarasenko, have won the first two games of their three-game homestand against the Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks. After a long stretch of no scoring, they have turned up the heat. Their top players are returning to form, and Jake Allen is settling down a bit in the crease.

This is a tough game for the Preds to win, but their talent and the Central Division rivalry makes this one a must-watch. Forsberg-vs-Tarasenko is always can’t-miss television.

Prediction: Take St. Louis to win a tight one. Play the under.

Other Game Notes Around the NHL

Avalanche vs Wild:The Avalanche-Wild rivalry has tapered off in the few years it has been since their first-round matchup in 2014. That series was exciting, physical, and full of unexpected twists and turns. Ilya Bryzgalov earned the win in Game 7. Ilya Bryzgalov.

Man, I miss Bryz.

Since then, the Wild have remained perennial hunters, never really making a serious run at the Cup but staying in the mix for long enough to remain optimistic year to year. Colorado has lost some of their premier personnel in Ryan O’Reilly, Paul Stastny and most recently, head coach Patrick Roy.

They are a new-look team now, system-wise. They are markedly better at getting shots to the net, though that was not very hard considering how bad they were under Roy. Colorado is still in the bottom third of teams in shots per game, but they are not last, which is a step up.

However, they will be playing this game without Matt Duchene or Gabe Landeskog. Ouch.

Prediction: Take Minnesota to win this one rather easily at home. Devan Dubnyk may even earn yet another shutout. Play the under.

Devils vs Kings: The under is the way to go here. New Jersey has won five of their last six, while the Kings are 6-1 in their last seven home games, which makes this a tight game to call. The line favors Los Angeles pretty heavily, but Cory Schneider is capable of stealing a game at any time.

The road team is 5-1 in the last six encounters.

Prediction: The Devils are 4-1 in their last five against LA. Take New Jersey to win. Play the under.