Category: Hockey

Washington Capitals visit the Detroit Red Wings tonight. The Caps have been idle since Friday so they should be well healed and rested for this road contest. Alex Ovechkin has some extra incentive tonight as he tries to surpass Sergei Federov to be the all-time Russian-born scoring leader. The Red Wings have been stumbling at home, posting a 2-5 record over their last 7 at Joe Louis Arena. The Capitals have the edge in offense, defense, power plays, penalty killing, face offs and discipline. I like the Caps in this one.

Tonight’s pick:

Washington Capitals

The Los Angeles Kings travel to Philadelphia tonight to take on the Broad Street Bullies. The road team is 7-1 over the last 8 between these 2 clubs. The Kings have dominated the Eastern Conference, going 6-1 over their last 7. It’s just the opposite for Philadelphia, who is only 1-10 over their last 11 against the Pacific Division. The Flyers are having trouble finding the back of the net, scoring only 14 goals over their last 9 games. It won’t get any easier for them tonight with Jonathan Quick between the pipes for Los Angeles. I like the road team in this one.

Tonight’s pick:

Los Angeles Kings

The Vancouver Canucks and the Montreal Canadiens tangle tonight at Bell Centre. Both teams are sputtering, posting 2 game losing streaks. Montreal lost its first home game Saturday night to the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, 6-1. The thumping they took Saturday should give them some extra incentive to win this one for the home crowd. Vancouver is 1-4 in their current road trip and have not fared well in Montreal, going 1-5 in their last 6 games there. The Canadiens have the edge in offense, defense, power play, penalty kills, discipline and goaltending. I like the home team in this one.

Tonight’s pick:

Montreal Canadiens

The red hot New York Rangers look to make it 9 in a row as they take on the Toronto Blue Jays at MSG. Toronto will have their work cut out for them because New York is 7-0 in their last 7 home games. Lundqvist is not in the net for the Rangers tonight but that shouldn’t matter. Raanta is expected between the pipes and he has a GAA of 0.67 and a .976 SV percentage – that’s tough to beat. I like the Rangers in this one.

Today’s pick:

New York Rangers

San Jose Sharks embark on a 6-game road trip, as they head to Joe Louis Arena to face the Detroit Red Wings. Sharks have won 11 of the last 14 overall against the Red Wings and 7 out of 8 in the Motor City. Marleau for the Sharks excels in Detroit, netting 5 goals and 2 assists in his last 5 games there. Good value at -105. I’m siding with the Sharks in this one.

Today’s pick:

San Jose Sharks

The Anaheim Ducks host the Edmonton Oilers tonight at Honda Center. The Oilers have been struggling, dropping 6 of their last 8 overall. Also, their young phenom Connor McDavid is out with a broken collarbone. These two clubs met 4 times last year and Anaheim won all 4 meetings, outscoring Edmonton 13-5. Oilers don’t fare well in Anaheim, going 0-6 in their last 6 meetings there. Since Ryan Getzlaf’s return from an appendectomy, he has posted 4 assists in his last 3 games, but he has yet to find the back of the net this season. His slump could end tonight.

Tonight’s pick:

Anaheim Ducks

The red hot New York Rangers host the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at MSG. The Rangers try to make it 6 wins in a row and the odds of that happening just increased with the expected return of superstar Rick Nash. New York is difficult to beat at home, going 5-0 in their last 5 games. Lundqvist is between the pipes for New York and he boasts a 7-2-2 record and a stingy 1.80 GAA. Over the last 29 games between these two clubs, the Rangers are 22-7.

Tonight’s pick:

New York Rangers