Category: Hockey

The New Jersey Devils will travel to Nationwide Arena tonight for a meeting with the inept Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets are the worst team in hockey with a record of 16-33-4 and are 11-16-2 at home. The Devils are just 3 points back of Carolina for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, with a record of 34-13-5. New Jersey is better on the road than they are at the Rock, with a road record of 19-3-3, and last faced Columbus back in October, blowing them out 7-1. The Devils will be without Jack Hughes tonight but it shouldn’t matter.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW JERSEY DEVILS

The Arizona Coyotes will wrap up their 3-game road trip tonight when they visit the Nashville Predators. The Coyotes will be playing their third game in four nights so fatigue could be an issue for them. Arizona has lost their last 2, are 3-6 in their last 9, and have been awful on the road with a record of 6-20-6. Nashville is starting to heat up. The Predators are 4-1 in their last 5 and are always tough on opponents at Bridgestone Arena, where they are 14-8-3. The Predators are breathing down Minnesota’s neck for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. Nashville cannot afford to lose at home to a bottom feeder like Arizona and they know it.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NASHVILLE PREDATORS

The Vancouver Canucks lost another one on the road last night, falling to the New York Rangers at MSG, 4-3, and have now lost 9 of their last 10 away from Rogers Arena. It won’t get any easier tonight when they make the short trip to UBS Arena for a matchup with the red hot New York Islanders. New York is 16-9-5 on Long Island. They have won 4 straight, are 9-3 in their last 12 against the Pacific, and won the last meeting with the Canucks in Vancouver on January 3rd, 6-2. Expect a stellar performance tonight from newly acquired All-Star Bo Horvat, who will be extra motivated when he faces his old team Vancouver for the first time since being traded on January 30th. The Islanders are hot, ride them ’til they are not.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK ISLANDERS

The Tampa Bay Lightning should have the rust and too much South Beach out of their system after last night’s thumping by the Florida Panthers. Tonight they head home to the friendly confines of Amalie Arena to host the San Jose Sharks. Tampa’s home record speaks for itself, at 20-4-1, and a win tonight will make their 13th straight home victory. The Sharks are better on the road than they are at the Shark Tank, at 10-13-4, but have struggled against the Bolts, going 0-6 in the last 6 meetings overall and 0-4 in their last 4 in Tampa. The Sharks have not played since before the break and are 1-7 in their last 8 with 3 or more days’ rest.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Going into the All-Star break, the Tampa Bay Lightning were clicking on every cylinder. Tonight they will be playing their cross-state rival, the Florida Panthers, in Sunrise. The Lightning have owned the Panthers, winning the last 7 meetings, and are 4-0 in their last 4 trips to FLA Live Arena. Barring any post-break hangover, Tampa Bay should get this one.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

There are only two games scheduled tonight before the All-Star break and the one that looks interesting is the Buffalo Sabres hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes are hot, riding a 6-game winning streak, but so are the Sabres. Buffalo has won 5 of their last 6 and will be well-rested, having not played since Saturday. On the other hand, Carolina will be playing back-to-back games after a tough battle with the Kings last night. The Sabres can score. They are averaging 3.8 goals per game, which is #1 in the league, and will be a home dog tonight. Consider the Western New Yorkers.
TONIGHT’S PICK: BUFFALO SABRES

The Washington Capitals will visit the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight for their final game before they head to Florida for the All-Star break. If the Capitals don’t take this one for granted, they should come out on top. The Jackets are the worst team in hockey. Columbus is 15-32-3, with just 3 wins in their last 10 tries. The Capitals come into this one with a record of 26-20-6 and they have won the last 3 meetings with the Jackets, including both meetings this year, outscoring them 7-2, and they are 7-2 in their last 9 trips to Columbus. The Jackets can only hope they land phenom Connor Bedard in the next NHL Draft if they want to turn this team around.
TONIGHT’S PICK: WASHINGTON CAPITALS