There are five games tonight. Here are your top NHL Playoff Predictions.
| Rangers vs Canadiens ML +125 / -150 O/U 5 |
Bruins vs Senators ML -125 / +105 O/U 5 |
| Blue Jackets vs Penguins ML +130 / -155 O/U 5.5 |
Blues vs Wild ML +130 / -150 O/U 5 |
| Sharks vs Oilers ML +125 / -150 O/U 5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Rangers vs Canadiens: This game will speak volumes about what kind of series the New York Rangers will have. New York was winless in three games against the Montreal Canadiens this season, and they have not exactly looked great in the process.
After last season’s debacle of a playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers will need something to build confidence tonight. Scoring first would go a long way towards that.
Montreal clearly has the upper hand in the series. They have home ice, they are coming in hot, and with the exception of Alexi Emelin, everyone who should be in the lineup will be in the lineup tonight. They will be trying to put their foot on the gas and not look back. The way to slow their roll will be to strike early and often. The Rangers have the advantage in the depth scoring department, so their bottom six will be key tonight.
In the lineup will be Tanner Glass on the fourth line. While he was going to dress for Pavel Buchnevich, Buchnevich may get a chance to play is Jesper Fast is not ready to go. Fast joined the extra skaters in the morning skate today. He has been dealing with an undisclosed injury the last few weeks, and there is a slight possibility that at game time, he is deemed not ready go. For now, Fast is slotted in on the fourth line with Glass and Oscar Lindberg.
Glass is in the lineup because of Montreal’s physical presence. The Habs acquired Steve Ott and Dwight King at the trade deadline, and have Andrew Shaw, who has given the Rangers fits this season.
But depth scoring is the name of the game in the playoffs. When the Rangers were successful and made the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, it’s because they got clutch contributions from Dom Moore, Brian Boyle, Dan Carcillo, Benoit Pouliot and Derek Dorsett. The Rangers have a lightning-quick third line. Whether their fourth line can pass the test remains to be seen. In the last two years, it has not.
Max Pacioretty took a stick to the face earlier in practice, but he will be playing.
New York, the league’s winningest road team, has lost their last four road games.
Montreal has won six of the last seven meetings.
Prediction: Take the Canadiens to win. Play the over.
Bruins vs Senators: The Bruins are the only road favorite tonight in their matchup against the Ottawa Senators. However, there is reason for doubt tonight. The Senators have won their last six matchups against Boston, and the last five held in Ottawa.
All four encounters this season were tightly played games. All four were decided by two goals or fewer, with one being decided in the shootout.
The injury list is one to watch throughout this series. For tonight, the Bruins will be missing Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug, likely for the entire series. Also questionable is Jimmy Hayes. David Krecji and Dominic Moore are said to have been dealing with undisclosed issues, but both are expected to play.
For Ottawa, Erik Karlsson, who has bounced in and out of the lineup with a lower-body injury, will play tonight. Marc Methot is close to returning from his obliterated finger, but it has not been announced as definite. Daily Faceoff has him listed on the top pair next to Erik Karlsson.
Charlie McAvoy will be making his NHL debut tonight for the Boston Bruins. With Carlo and Krug out, McAvoy, star of Boston University and the World Champion US Junior National team, will likely skate with Kevan Miller. Coach Bruce Cassidy said that pairing could change very quickly, however. McAvoy did skate with Zdeno Chara at practice yesterday.
McAvoy will likely not decide the game, but his task tonight could not be more difficult.
Though the Boston Bruins have been red-hot offensively, their matchups against the Sens are always tight. Factor in that the playoffs always scale back scoring, and tonight will be a tough game to call.
But home underdogs are always enticing, especially in the first game of a series.
Prediction: Take the Senators to win. Play the under.
Blue Jackets vs Penguins: This, to me, is the marquee matchup tonight. This series will be ridiculously fun to watch.
Pittsburgh is the second-winningest home team in the NHL, behind only the Washington Capitals in home win percentage. The home team has won all four games in the season series this year. In Pittsburgh, the Pens won their two games by a combined score of 8-4.
Evgeni Malkin will play tonight. He will skate on the second line with Phil Kessel and Bryan Rust. Carl Hagelin and Chris Kunitz will not play.
Zach Werenski is expected to play tonight- a major bonus for Columbus.
These two teams met fairly late in the season, with their last meeting just a week ago on April 4th. In that game, Pittsburgh put four goals past Sergei Bobrovsky en route to a 4-1 victory. Sidney Crosby had a pair of assists, and Pittsburgh’s depth forwards led the way.
Jake Guentzel will be a player to watch. Guentzel had two points in last week’s contest, and one in the Pens’ other home win over the Jackets. He will be on the top line with Crosby and Conor Sheary.
Also something to look for- the play of the Penguins’ third defensive pairing. Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley, who have both missed significant time, will be paired together. They will likely take on the tough Columbus depth forwards, like Sam Gagner, Scott Hartnell and Matt Calvert. Columbus is going to bring the heat, and they will need to acclimate to the pace very quickly.
The Jackets lost six of their last seven heading into the playoffs. They are winless in their last five against teams with a winning record.
Prediction: Take the Penguins to win. Play the over.
Blues vs Wild: St. Louis has won six of their last seven road games. However, Minnesota recovered from their abysmal March by winning their last four games of the regular season.
Plus, rest is the friend of the Minnesota Wild. They are 6-0 in their last six games on three or more days of rest.
The home team has won four of the last five meetings.
Tonight will be a defensive battle. The Wild gained plenty of confidence by ending the year strongly, but they are taking on one of the stingiest teams in the NHL. The Blues, during their crazy end-of-the-year run, allowed one or zero goals in 10 of their final 20 games of the regular season. They have turned on the jets.
Familiarity with Mike Yeo’s system could be a plus for the Wild tonight. Yeo, who was fired by Minnesota midway through last season, has a very conservative neutral zone setup, focused on traps and limiting chances.
However, the Wild have a plethora of offensive weapons to break that trap. Mikael Granlund and Eric Staal will have the spotlight trained squarely on them. Staal and Charlie Coyle are currently on a four-game point streak.
Prediction: Take the Wild to win.
Sharks vs Oilers: Connor McDavid is scoring tonight. Lock it in, take it to the bank.
People have been hesitant to compare McDavid to Sidney Crosby in a legitimate debate because while Crosby has a pair of Stanley Cup Championships under his belt, McDavid has yet to play a single playoff game. Tonight, that changes, and you best believe the media will be salivating over whether the narrative is “Connor McDavid, Kid Clutch” or “Connor McDavid, Overrated Choker.”
Those are obviously extreme examples. But keep in mind the latter was said of Sidney Crosby from 2010 until last season. Sometimes from Pittsburgh’s own media. Just keep that in mind.
San Jose will be without Logan Couture tonight as he recovers from dental surgery. Joe Thornton is unlikely tonight, as his knee is continuing to nag at him. He is day-to-day.
With no Couture and no Thornton, the Sharks have lost significant bite in their offensive attack.
Couple that with the fact that they are not exactly the road warriors they were last season and tonight looks iffy. They have lost six of their last seven road games.
Edmonton has won nine consecutive home games and 12 of their last 14 overall.
Prediction: Take the Oilers to set the tone and send a message tonight by winning Game 1. Play the over.
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