Happy Friday, everyone. There are four games set to be played tonight. Let’s take a look around the NHL at the day’s top picks, plays and predictions.
| Penguins vs Lightning ML +127 / -140 O/U 5 |
Hurricanes vs Jets ML +118 / -130 O/U 5 |
| Blue Jackets vs Flames ML +144 / -160 O/U 5.5 |
Coyotes vs Ducks ML OFF / OFF O/U OFF |
Play of the Day: Blue Jackets over Flames.
The Blue Jackets have owned the Saddledome, for whatever reason. They are 5-0 in their last five meetings in Calgary. Overall, the road team is 5-1 in the Columbus-Calgary series.
Columbus fell victim to Connor McDavid Tuesday night. After striking first (the shots were 13-2 against them at the time), the Jackets proceeded to allow five unanswered goals, including McDavid’s unreal singlehanded effort.
Last night, Columbus played a much tighter game and came out of Vancouver with a 2-1 shootout victory.
Calgary’s aggressive forecheck won them their matchup against the Hurricanes Wednesday night. They were given plenty of space at the point and high slot, and for a while it looked like the accuracy competition from the All-Star break. Pick your corner against Eddie Lack.
Karri Ramo is confirmed to get the start for Calgary per LeftWingLock. Anton Forsberg is probable for Columbus. Forsberg has three uninspiring starts under his belt.
The line is really the only reason this play is enticing. The Jackets are +144 to the Flames -160. While common sense may say that Calgary is the better team, once in a while the line dares you to take the underdog. Columbus has success when they go up against weaker possession teams, and Calgary fits the bill.
Prediction: Live dangerously. Take Columbus to win tonight. The over/under is tricky at 5.5, but play the over. The Blue Jackets will win 4-2.
The Game to Watch: Penguins vs Lightning.
This is by far the most entertaining game of the night. The line favors the Lightning pretty significantly at -140, with the visiting Penguins at +127. Both teams enter red-hot with their respective offenses firing on all cylinders.
Pittsburgh has hit their stride after a rocky start to the season. They have won four straight and five of their last six. Incidentally, they are 5-1 since acquiring Carl Hagelin for David Perron. The Pens are averaging exactly four goals per game in that stretch.
Their most recent contest was a test of extremes both good and bad. The Penguins scored six goals on 44 shots. That’s good! They allowed five on 23 shots. That’s bad. The Penguins blew a 3-1 lead to go down 4-3. That’s bad. They then scored three unanswered to clinch the victory. You get the picture.
Carl Hagelin is on a five-game point streak, all of them primary assists. Sidney Crosby registered his ninth career hat trick against Ottawa Tuesday night.
A huge blow to the Pens’ lineup is #71 Evgeni Malkin, who is expected to miss tonight’s game with a lower-body injury. Malkin had two assists against Ottawa and four goals in his last five games. Eric Fehr is also out, meaning Matt Cullen will center Hagelin and Phil Kessel.
The Lightning have won 10 of their last 12 and seven straight at home. You guys all totally saw that I called a 3-1 win over Detroit Wednesday night, right? Just throwing that out there.
The Lightning are doing what they do best- tic-tac-toe, pass-shoot-score. Tyler Johnson’s powerplay goal from Wednesday perfectly demonstrates Tampa hockey at its finest. The slap-pass from Kucherov as he strides in at the left circle is an uber-successful play that never ceases to amaze. Alex Killorn’s put-away goal in Game 2 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals against the Rangers comes to mind.
It’s worth reiterating that Ben Bishop has been incredibly hard to score on. Marc-Andre Fleury, even though he has been winning games, has a 2.86 goals against average in his last seven starts. He is 5-0-2 in that stretch, believe it or not, with two shutouts. Classic Fleury, ever volatile, ever unpredictable.
Prediction: While this will be a fun match, the absence of Evgeni Malkin is just too huge a blow to overcome. Take the Lightning to win. Play the over.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Hurricanes vs Jets: The Hurricanes enter the game as underdogs, listed at +118. The Jets, playing at home, are favored at -130.
The Hurricanes fell to Calgary 4-1 Wednesday night to fixable mistakes. They looked rusty after having more than a week off for the All-Star breaks. All four goals scored by the Flames were direct results of the Canes’ inability to clear the puck from their own zone. Two were turnovers on failed clearing attempts on the penalty kill. One was an errant pass from goaltender Eddie Lack that could not be fielded cleanly by Eric Staal. The last was an egregious turnover behind his own net by Ryan Murphy. Their positioning and communication looked out of sync. In time, they’ll find their footing.
Winnipeg is 1-4-0 as they conclude their six-game homestand. They were defeated by the Dallas Stars 5-3 on Tuesday. They even somehow managed to give up a 3-on-0 at the end of a powerplay. That’s impressive. To their credit, when down 4-3 they came inches away from tying the game on multiple occasions. If not for Antti Niemi and the post, Winnipeg would have gotten a point, maybe two.
Prediction: Winnipeg’s play was much more encouraging coming off the break than Carolina’s. If Carolina leaves the Jets as much room at the point as they did Calgary, they’re going to fall flat. Take Winnipeg to win. Play the under.
Coyotes vs Ducks: The Ducks have now won five in a row, handing the Kings a 4-1 loss on the road last night. They have 20 goals in that five-game streak.
Tonight will be the only home game the Ducks have before heading back out on the road for a seven-game tour starting in Pittsburgh and ending in Vancouver.
The Coyotes are also coming in on the second leg of a back-to-back. They lost 5-4 to the Chicago Blackhawks last night at home. It was a back-and-forth game full of net-crashing, pinpoint shooting and huge celebrations. Jonathan Toews was eventually left alone in the slot in overtime to net the winner with under 30 seconds left.
This will be an interesting game to watch. The winner gets sole possession of third place in the Pacific Division.
The difference will come in goaltending, where the Ducks hold the advantage. Anders Lindback will likely get the start against Frederik Andersen.
Prediction: Take the Ducks to win a close one.
