There are 11 games on the docket tonight. Let’s take a look at the top picks, plays and predictions.
| Panthers vs Penguins ML +146 / -162 O/U 5 |
Wild vs Bruins ML -104 / -106 O/U 5.5 |
| Coyotes vs Devils ML +134 / -148 O/U 5 |
Sabres vs Flyers ML +129 / -143 O/U 5.5 |
| Lightning vs Maple Leafs ML -113 / +102 O/U 5.5 |
Hurricanes vs Red Wings ML +118 / -130 O/U 5.5 |
| Flames vs Blues ML +184 / -205 O/U 5.5 |
Jets vs Stars ML +129 / -143 O/U 5.5 |
| Senators vs Canucks ML -102 / -108 O/U 5.5 |
Ducks vs Sharks ML +147 / -163 O/U 5 |
| Blue Jackets vs Kings ML +138 / -153 O/U 5.5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Play of the Day: The over in Flames vs Blues.
The Calgary Flames pulled off a remarkably unlikely victory last night against the Chicago Blackhawks in the United Center. They will be on the road once again tonight, taking on the St. Louis Blues. One win is impressive in this back-to-back. I fail to see the feasibility in two.
Calgary is 1-7 in their last eight against the Blues, and winless in their last seven trips to St. Louis. The over is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings. The over is 5-0 in the Flames’ last five games against teams with a winning record.
To top it all off, the Flames have not won the tail end of a back-to-back in their last five attempts.
The Blues trounced Calgary in Canada on Saturday to the tune of a 6-4 score. David Perron netted a hat trick, with 12 of St. Louis’ 18 skaters reaching the scoresheet.
The bottom line is that St. Louis is the superior team and, by all measures, should win. Expect a lot of goals to be scored on each side, but bet on the Blues.
Prediction: Take the Blues to win. Play the over.
The Game to Watch: Ducks vs Sharks.
The Battle for California is on. Anaheim has finally strung together a couple of wins after starting the season 0-3-1. Their offense is starting to come around after a very slow start to the season. Ryan Getzlaf is leading the charge, with four assists in his last two games.
They catch the San Jose Sharks as they return home after a frustrating road trip, which saw them return home with just two wins and three losses. One man who can be satisfied with the stretch is Brent Burns. In the five-game road trip, Burns amassed two goals and six assists. Joe Pavelski also impressed, with two goals and four assists.
John Gibson is the probable starter for the Ducks, with Martin Jones likely going for the Sharks. Gibson and Jones have both stumbled out of the gate, with identical .891 save percentages.
Martin Jones had a particularly rough time on Saturday in his last start against the Red Wings. Jones was beaten twice cleanly to his glove side, both on clear-view shots on the right and left wings, respectively. Gustav Nyquist snapped a wrist shot top-shelf on a 2-on-1 rush, then Anthony Athanasiou blasted a slapshot over his glove far-side. Nyquist also put a wrist shot right through Jones’ torso. All three goals were on good shots, though they made Jones look silly in the process.
John Gibson faced a rather light workload on Sunday against the Canucks, stopping 17 of just 19 shots. A flukey late goal by Nick Ritchie, who batted a blocked Getzlaf shot into the net, helped propel the Ducks in their win over Vancouver.
The Ducks are just 1-5 in their last six road games, and 1-8 in their last nine trips to San Jose. Fortunately for them, the Sharks are winless in their last five games in which they return home after a week-long road trip. Anaheim may be the appealing bet in this one thanks to the circumstances.
Prediction: Take a chance on the Ducks tonight. Play the under.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Coyotes vs Devils: This past week has been one to forget for the Arizona Coyotes. And they are not out of the woods yet. The Yotes have dropped all four of their road games this past week, and they still have two more to go against the Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers.
So much has gone wrong for Arizona. Their offense has been deathly quiet. Their goaltending has been shoddy, especially out of Louis Domingue, tonight’s probable starter. Young prospects Anthony Duclair and Lawson Crouse have yet to so much as register a point, with Max Domi and Dylan Strome contributing just three assists between them.
The New Jersey Devils have become a parody of themselves. Even after they revamped their offense, adding elite scorer Taylor Hall to their lineup, four of their first five games have still wound up with a 2-1 score. Some things never change.
Speaking of, Taylor Hall potted an overtime winner against the Minnesota Wild off a beautiful give-and-go play with Adam Henrique. New Jersey’s shootout woes have been well documented these last couple of years, but the 3-on-3 format should benefit them greatly thanks to the addition of Hall. The Devils are 1-1 in overtime thus far this season.
Prediction: This is one the Devils should win fairly easily if they manage to get the puck on net. Take New Jersey to win. Play the under.
Sabres vs Flyers: The over is the smart play here, as it is a near-given any time that the Sabres and Flyers meet. Not only do these two teams often combine to light the lamp when playing each other, but the Flyers have also had the over hit in each of their last four games on no days’ rest. The over is 4-1-1 in Philly’s last six overall.
While the Flyers are coming in on the tail-end of a back-to-back, the Sabres have had four days off to recover from their 2-1 loss in Vancouver. Radko Gudas will be eligible to provide some fresh legs for Philly now that his suspension is up, though who sits for him seems to be up in the air. Brandon Manning’s strong play has ruled him out it would seem, meaning Andrew MacDonald and Nick Schultz are the prime suspects. MacDonald has been a disaster ever since his extension was signed, and he toiled in the AHL last season as a result. He was even largely responsible for the Canadiens’ first goal of the game, screening his own goaltender with no one else around.
Schultz has the worst Corsi Relative on the Flyers. There is not much to him. He just is kind of there.
Buffalo has a chance to pounce as the more rested team. Philly typically flourishes when they have a cluster of games to play, however, as they are 6-1 in the third game of a 3-in-4 scenario. Nevertheless, the line may be one you want to cash in on.
Prediction: Take the Sabres to win tonight if you’re feeling lucky. Play the over.
Wild vs Bruins: Minnesota comes into this game as pretty heavy favorites considering their road woes. Though they are undefeated on home ice this season, they are 0-2-1 as the visitor this season. A back-to-back this weekend proved fruitless for Minnesota, as they came away with just a loser point against New Jersey.
The only reason they are favored is because of their opponent tonight- Malcolm Subban. With Anton Khudobin and Tuukka Rask both sidelined by injury, Subban will patrol the crease with all of 32 minutes of NHL experience under his belt. Those 32 minutes did not go well, as he allowed three goals on six shots.
So, feeling crazy?
Subban is just 22, and his NHL career can only improve. He fractured his larynx in February, and his save percentage in the AHL has been a paltry .846 with a 4.50 goals-against average in four starts.
Betting on the home team as the underdog against a struggling road team is incredibly tempting. Betting on Malcolm Subban is not.
Prediction: Take the Wild to win tonight. Play the over.
Jets vs Stars: The oddsmakers for this game have set the live over/under at 5.5, though one could make the argument that this game is more deserving of a 6 over/under marker than the Blue Jackets-Stars contest from last week. Winnipeg has a team goals-against average of 3.80, and they will have to stop Tyler Seguin (five points in five games) and Jamie Benn (four points).
Winnipeg lost a major bummer against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers Sunday. The Heritage Classic, held outdoors at the home of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, finished with the home team held scoreless against Cam Talbot. The Jets have won two 5-4 games in overtime against Carolina and Toronto, but have fallen in each of their other three contests against more competitive teams. This looks to be a transition year for the Jets, as they groom their young goaltending talent, develop Patrik Laine, and ship out defenseman Jacob Trouba, who requested a trade at the start of the season.
Prediction: Take the Stars to win. Play the over.
