Category: Hockey

The Toronto Maple Leafs went into the break winning 3 straight, 4 of their last 5, and will look to continue that trend tonight when they host the New York Islanders. New York has lost 7 of their last 8 and it appears new coach Patrick Roy is not the savior they thought he would be. The Isles are just 1-2-1 with him at the helm. The All-Star Game was in Toronto, so the Leafs had the luxury of returning home every night and sleeping in their own beds. That does make a difference. Toronto scores more goals than New York, gives up less, and has Auston Matthews, who leads the league in scoring with 40 goals.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

The 26-20-2 St. Louis Blues are riding a 5-game winning streak and tonight they will be hosting the bottom feeding 15-24-10 Columbus Blue Jackets at Enterprise Arena. The Jackets are a mess. They are just 6-11-6 on the road and have only 2 wins over their last 9 games. A coaching change is all it took for the Blues to get back on track and Drew Bannister has his boys clicking on every cylinder. St. Louis is 15-8-1 at home and if they stay focused on the game at hand (and not on their upcoming vacation), they get this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: ST. LOUIS BLUES

The Ottawa Senators will look to snap their 3-game home losing streak tonight when they host the Nashville Predators. Despite their last three losses on their home ice, the Sens are still a respectable 12-12-2 at Canadian Tire Centre and they have no problem finding the back of the net. Ottawa is averaging 3.33 goals per game and will be catching a Nashville team that has just one win over their last four tries.
TONIGHT’S PICK: OTTAWA SENATORS

After Thursday’s thumping of the Arizona Coyotes at Amalie Arena, the red hot Tampa Bay Lightning have now won 7 of their last 8 and 6 straight on their home ice. Tonight they will welcome in a banged-up New Jersey Devils team that will be without their all-star center, Jack Hughes, and that hurts, especially when the Devils are just 3-6 over their last 9. It’s no secret the Bolts are hard to take down in Tampa with an impressive record of 16-5-3. They will also want this one bad because it’s not only their last game going into the break but it’s also the Gasparilla Pirate Festival this weekend in Tampa. This is a huge event and it will be much more enjoyable for the Lightning when they hit the streets tonight after the game to enjoy the festivities if they win. Trust me.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

The 25-18-5 Tampa Bay Lightning are coming off a successful 3-game road trip and will return home tonight to the friendly confines of Amalie Arena to face the 23-20-3 Arizona Coyotes. The Lightning have been hot, going 6-1 in their last 7, and when they take the ice in Tampa that usually represents a win, where they are 15-5-3. The Coyotes are not the team of old and are great at home but when you take them out of the desert they are just 8-11-3. The Coyotes have won the last two meetings but both were in Arizona so it’s payback time for the Bolts.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

The Boston Bruins will be at home tonight when they host the Colorado Avalanche. When you take the Avs out of the mountains, they are vulnerable. Boston is 13-3-3 at TD Garden and notch another one tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BOSTON BRUINS 

The Seattle Kraken had a nice run but it’s crashing down and they will lose another one tonight when they visit the New York Rangers. The best in the Metro have won two straight against the Kraken and after tonight it will be three.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK RANGERS