Category: Hockey

When the Tampa Bay Lightning take the ice at Amalie Arena, good things happen. They win. Tonight the Bolts will be hosting the Florida Panthers. Tampa is 22-4-3 at home and despite losing in Sunrise on February 6th, they are still an impressive 7-1 in their last 8 against the Panthers. Florida has not played well on the road, at 13-17-3, and will be without one of their top producers again, Aleksander Barkov. Tampa at home is always worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

The New York Rangers will look to snap their 4-game losing streak when they return home today to face the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings are a dangerous team and have played well on the road with a record of 18-10-6 but have not fared well at MSG. LA is just 1-4 in their last 5 in New York. The Rangers have won their last 2 meetings with the Kings, are 5-1 in their last 6 at the Garden, and if Gallant gets his boys focused on the game at hand, and not Patrick Kane, they get back on track.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK RANGERS

When the Buffalo Sabres come to town, the host team should be concerned. Buffalo proved once again they are not to be taken lightly when they visit your arena. The Sabres took down one of the best last night, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in Tampa, 6-5, and tonight they will make the short trip to Sunrise to face the Florida Panthers. With last night’s win, Buffalo is now an impressive 18-8-2 on the road. The Sabres and Panthers match up well and are both in the thick of the playoff hunt however, Buffalo will have confidence and swagger going into this one. The Sabres are a big underdog and worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BUFFALO SABRES

The Calgary Flames are coming off a 3-2 OT win over the surging New York Rangers on Saturday. The question is, can they finally win back-to-back games today, which has eluded them of late, when they host the struggling Philadelphia Flyers? Calgary is in the thick of the playoff picture but if they want to stay there, they cannot afford to lose to a team like the Flyers at home and they know it. The Flames will be facing a Flyers team that has lost 4 straight, 8 of their last 10, and are just 1-6 in their last 7 trips to Calgary.
TODAY’S PICK: CALGARY FLAMES

After a successful 2-game road trip, the Boston Bruins return home tonight to host the New York Islanders. The Bruins are having a season that will go down in hockey history. They are 41-8-5 overall and 22-2-3 at TD Garden – and that is scary. The Islanders, who are 28-23-7 and 11-13-4 on the road, will be playing back-to-back games after a tough battle with the Penguins last night and now they have to face the best team in hockey on the road. Good luck. With a win tonight, the Bruins will complete a season sweep of the Islanders and should see the return of winger Jake DeBrusk, who will add another weapon to their already lethal offense.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BOSTON BRUINS

The Winnipeg Jets will be extra motivated tonight when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets. Winnipeg is just 2 points behind Dallas for the top spot in the Central Division so they need to take care of business against the bottom feeding Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets are just 1-5 in their last 6 overall and 1-6 in their last 7 at Nationwide Arena. The Jets are on a 3-game winning streak, score more than the Blue Jackets and give up less.
TONIGHT’S PICK: WINNIPEG JETS

After winning five in a row, the Buffalo Sabres have done a 180^o, losers of their last four, but I expect their fortunes will change tonight when they visit the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks are having a season they would like to forget. They are dead last in the Pacific,17-31-6 overall, and 9-14-1 at home. The Sabres are 26-22-4 overall and have played well on the road with a record of 15-8-2. Buffalo last faced Anaheim at KeyBank Center in January, winning easily, 6-3, and are 4-1 in their last 5 trips to the Pond.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BUFFALO SABRES