Category: Hockey

The New York Rangers are hosting the Nashville Predators tonight and are worth considering. New York is firing on every cylinder. The Rangers have won 3 straight and 5 of their last 6. At home, New York is 20-11-4.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK RANGERS

When you think of the elite teams in the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings usually don’t come to mind but they should. Todd McLellan has his team surging and they are now just 1 point back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the Pacific. The Kings have won 7 of their last 8 and will host the Vancouver Canucks tonight. Vancouver, who has nothing to play for, had won a rare 5 straight but came back to reality Thursday, falling to the lowly Arizona Coyotes, 3-2. LA lost their only meeting with Vancouver this year back in November but that was in Vancouver and this is a different team than it was then. The Kings are 8-1 in their last 9 home games and should take care of business tonight against a Canucks team that is just 4-12 in their last 16 on the road.
TODAY’S PICK: LOS ANGELES KINGS

If you don’t think the New York Rangers will be extra motivated tonight when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins, you are sadly mistaken. The Rangers fell to the Penguins on Sunday in Pittsburgh, 3-2. They have now lost both meetings with the Pens this season but both games were in Pittsburgh and now the venue switches to MSG for tonight’s game and another meeting on Saturday. New York is 7-2 in their last 9 at home and have owned the Penguins at the Garden, winning 5 of the last 6 meetings. The home team usually wins between these two clubs and is the side to consider.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK RANGERS

Capital One Arena will be the venue tonight when the Washington Capitals host the Buffalo Sabres. Both teams are still alive in the playoff hunt so tonight should be a hard fought battle. The Capitals fell to the Rangers last night and have now lost 3 of their last 4. They are also 0-4 in their last 4 when playing with zero days rest and just 1-6 in their last 7 home games. Buffalo is still riding high after Monday’s road victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it’s a given, the Sabres get it done on the road. Buffalo is 20-10-2 away from KeyBank Center and have won both meetings with the Caps this year.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BUFFALO SABRES

The Los Angeles Kings will host the New York Islanders tonight at Crypto.com Arena. Despite a tough OT loss to the Predators on Saturday in LA, the Kings are still an impressive 20-9-3 at home. They are also playing really good hockey and just at the right time. LA has won 5 of their last 6 and are 6-1 in their last 7 at home. New York is a mediocre 14-14-5 on the road and has struggled against the Kings in LA. They are just 1-5 in their last 6 in So Cal and fell to the Kings in Long Island in the last meeting in February, 3-2.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES KINGS

The Buffalo Sabres playoff hopes are looking bleaker and bleaker. The Sabres have lost 4 straight, 6 of their last 7, and are now 7 points back of the New York Islanders for the final wild card spot in the East. It won’t get any easier for Buffalo tonight when they make the short trip to Toronto for a matchup with the Maple Leafs. Toronto is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. They have won 2 straight, 6 of their last 8, and are a force at home. At Scotiabank Arena, the Leafs are 24-6-4, have won both meetings with the Sabres this year, and Buffalo is a dismal 7-20 in their last 27 trips to Toronto. The Leafs won’t come cheap but are still worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

The Vegas Golden Knights will be a road favorite tonight when they visit the Saint Louis Blues, and so they should be. The Golden Knights have won their last two games, both on the road, against two of the league’s best. Thursday they took down the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena, which is not easily done, and last night they blanked the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-0, in Raleigh. Vegas is now an impressive 18-7-5 on the road, have won 5 of their last 6, and are 5-2 in their last 7 in St. Louis. As for the Blues, they have also won their last two but those wins came against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the San Jose Sharks; nothing to pump your chest over. The Blue have lost 4 of their last 5 at Enterprise Center, are 11-5 in their last 16 overall against Vegas, and even if backup goalie Jiri Patera is between the pipes for the Golden Knights, the Blues will still have their hands full.
TONIGHT’S PICK: VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS