NHL Picks and Predictions – January 7

The Game to Watch: Rangers vs Blue Jackets.
It will be very interesting to see how the Columbus Blue Jackets fare from here on out.

Their historic win streak came to a disappointing end in the Verizon Center Thursday night. The Jackets were routed by a final score of 5-0, though they were not without a plethora of chances early on in the game. It was clear from the onset that the bounces were not going their way, and Braden Holtby was not going to be allowing very much.

Columbus outshot Washington 29-27, dominated the faceoff dot and had five powerplay opportunities to work with. No dice.

After the game, head coach John Tortorella admitted that he was happy with his team’s play this past month, but said, “I still don’t know who we are.” It’s an odd sentiment, and one that is clearly trying to downplay the significance of the streak so his team is not too demoralized. But Torts does have a point. You are never as good or as bad as you look in the sports world. Chances are, this team is not firing off 16 straight wins come playoff time, if and when they make it there. Who’s to say whether this team will be the President’s Trophy winners, or even close to then come April. There is still a lot of hockey left.

Who this team really is will be evident after tonight’s tilt against the rival New York Rangers. Columbus can either start a new streak against a team that has had their number these past few seasons, or they can sulk and begin their descent back into the stratosphere like the Philadelphia Flyers have after their 10-game streak ended.

The Jackets won their first meeting with the Rangers this season, snapping a seven-game losing streak to New York.

Pavel Buchnevich is inching closer to a return to the Blueshirts’ lineup. Buchnevich is back to skating with a full-contact jersey, and has been assigned to the Hartford Wolfpack to get his sea legs back. Rick Nash will miss tonight’s game with a groin injury, but is “very optimistic” he’ll be back next week. Mika Zibanejad is skating, but has not set an expected return date yet from a broken fibula.

Prediction: My guess is that the Jackets will bounce back. They will come out with energy, which is something the Rangers have not done at home in quite some time. Take Columbus to win. Play the over.

Other Game Notes Around the NHL

Bruins vs Panthers: The Florida Panthers finally got to win a home game last night. After losing their last five home games, the Cats managed to top the Nashville Predators last night in Sunrise. Though the Preds tied things up early in the final frame, Jonathan Marchessault put Florida on top to stay at the 10 minute mark.

The game-winner was Marchessault’s 12th of the season, giving him the team lead in goal-scoring.

The win was huge in terms of the Panthers’ hunt for the playoffs. They now have 42 points, just three behind the Philadelphia Flyers. However, they are in dire need of wins over their Atlantic Division foes. They are winless in their last four games against the Atlantic, and have lost their last four against the Boston Bruins.

It’s time to take the next step.

The Bruins are back out on the road after getting shut out in their last game as the visiting team. They were fruitless in their trek to the Rock in New Jersey. Most recently, they were on the losing end of a 4-3 score at the TD Garden against the Edmonton Oilers. Torey Krug picked up yet another assist, his 21st of the season and his eighth in his last seven games.

Prediction: Boston has Florida’s number, and the Cats are not all that great in back-to-back scenarios. Take the Bruins to win. Play the under.

Canadiens vs Maple Leafs: Here is another fun game to watch tonight. The Leafs are coming off a 4-2 win in New Jersey last night, in which they jumped out to a 4-0 lead. They tallied three goals in under two minutes.

The best part? Toronto scored four times on nine shots in the first period. They finished with just 14 shots total. New Jersey out-shot the Leafs 14-0 in the third period. That is astonishing.

Auston Matthews netted his 21st with what wound up being the game-deciding goal. He is now on an eight-game point streak, in which he has seven goals and five assists.

Toronto is now 6-0-1 in their last seven games. Believe it or not, that puts them into a points tie with Ottawa for the second divisional spot in the Atlantic. How ’bout them Leafs?

Off in the distance with a 10 point cushion on the Sens and Leafs are the Montreal Canadiens, who are running away with the division lead. The Habs have won their last two games, both on the road, both in overtime. First, Shea Weber and Alexander Radulov haunted the Nashville Predators. Weber scored to tie it in the third assisted by Radulov, who later set up a beauty of an overtime goal by Max Pacioretty.

One day later, Patches did it again. Pacioretty scored his second goal of the game 19 seconds into extra time against the Dallas Stars. It was his eighth career overtime winner. Now that is unbelievable.

Can Montreal slow Toronto’s roll? They are 5-0 in their last five against teams with a losing record, playoff spot or no playoff spot. More importantly, they have won their last five trips to Toronto.

Prediction: Take the Habs to win tonight. Play the over.

Stars vs Blues: I’ll be honest. I feel like the Stars and Blues play each other every week. I know they don’t but it just feels that way to me. They have already played each other three times this season, most recently on December 20th. St. Louis holds a 2-1 series lead, both of their wins coming in overtime.

Dallas is only two points behind Los Angeles for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but they are in a ridiculously tight race. Winnipeg, Vancouver and Nashville all have 41 points, which puts them all within one of the Kings. Say what you will about the West, the teams are not the best but at least they are competitive with each other.

The Stars finally strung together three wins in a row for the first time this season at the end of December. They have followed it up by losing their last two on home ice. Dallas has lost five of their last six against teams with winning records.