Category: Hockey

The 17-9-6 Toronto Maple Leafs had a Christmas hangover when they fell to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday. Tonight it will be a different outcome when they visit the 11-18-7 Columbus Blue Jackets. The Leafs are lethal on the road, with a record of 8-3-4, and Auston Matthews will tack on some more tallies to his league-leading 28 goals, and its only December. Scary.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

After a brief respite, the NHL is back in action. Be careful today because these guys have had too much time off and you know what that means. However, the Toronto Maple Leafs are at home tonight against the pathetic Ottawa Senators and have Auston Matthews, who is a scoring machine. Forget about it.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Two of the original six will meet tonight when the Chicago Blackhawks host the Montréal Canadiens. Chicago is tied with San Jose for the fewest points in the league (21) and even with the next hockey great on their side, the young phenom Connor Bedard, they still find a way to lose. The 14-13-5 Canadiens play better on the road than at home with an impressive record of 7-4-3. The Habs have also won the last three meetings with the Blackhawks, score more goals than Chicago, and give up less.
TONIGHT’S PICK: MONTREAL CANADIENS

The Ottawa Senators fired their head coach, DJ Smith, but they are still doing what they do best and that is losing. The bottom feeding Sens have lost 5 straight, are 11-16-0 overall and just 3-7-0 on the road. Tonight they will face the Colorado Avalanche in the mountains and that is not easy. The Avs are 19-11-2, 12-4-0 at home, and they have had the Senators number, winning 5 of the last 6 meetings overall and the last 4 against them at Ball Arena.
TONIGHT’S PICK: COLORADO AVALANCHE

After a disappointing road trip where they went 2-3, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be glad to be back home tonight when they host the St. Louis Blues. The Lightning, who are just 6-10-2 on the road, are a different team when they hit the ice at Amalie Arena, owning an impressive 8-3-3 record. Since the firing of coach Craig Berube last Tuesday, the Blues have won two straight under interim coach Drew Bannister and that is usually the case after a firing, but it never lasts and neither will this one. The Blues are 9-5-0 at Enterprise Center but on the road they are a dismal 6-9-1.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

The Vegas Golden Knights were embarrassed in front of their home crowd on Friday, falling to the lowly Buffalo Sabres, 5-2. Tonight they welcome another sub-500 team to the strip, the Ottawa Senators, and they won’t take this one for granted. The 11-14-0 Senators are a dismal 3-5-0 on the road and are riding a 3-game losing streak. The Champs are 20-6-5 and 11-3-2 at T-Mobile Arena. To say Vegas has dominated Ottawa would be an understatement. The Knights have won 8 straight against the Senators and should come out on top tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

The Carolina Hurricanes return home tonight to face the Nashville Predators after knocking off the Detroit Red Wings last night in the Motor City, 2-1. The Canes and the Preds are mirror images of each other. Nashville is 16-13-0 on the season and Carolina is 16-12-1. The goals for and against are almost equal as is the age, height, and weight of the players. The Canes however are an impressive 8-2-1 at PNC Arena. Carolina is playing a back-to-backer tonight but the players are so well conditioned these days it’s not a big deal anymore.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CAROLINA HURRICANES