Category: Hockey

The New York Islanders are barely alive in their pursuit of a playoff spot but are alive and will be motivated tonight when they visit the Montréal Canadiens. The Canadiens have lost 3 straight, 7 of their last 10, and are a dismal 10-21-4 at Centre Bell. This morning New York lost one of the best Islanders of all time, Mike Bossy, which will given them even more motivation to take it to the Habs.
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Riding a 5-game winning streak, the Vegas Golden Knights return home tonight to take on their Pacific foe, the Vancouver Canucks. The two clubs met on Sunday in Vancouver with the Golden Knights coming out on top, 3-2. Vancouver’s playoff hopes are starting to dwindle and it won’t get any brighter for them tonight at T-Mobile Arena. The Canucks will be without winger Brock Boeser and possibly D-man Quinn Hughes, and that will hurt. The Knights have won 5 straight at home, are 7-0 in their last 7 against the Pacific, and 14-5 in their last 19 meetings with Vancouver.
TONIGHT’S PICK: VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

The Colorado Avalanche and the Pittsburgh Penguins will butt heads once again and this time it will be on the Penguins’ home ice at PPG Paints Arena. The two clubs faced each other on Saturday in Colorado, with the Avs eking it out, 3-2, but this game could have gone either way. Pittsburgh is 4-1 in their last 5 in the second game of a home and home scenario, 7-3 in their last 10 against the Avs at PPG Paints Arena, and the home team is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings. Altitude will not be a factor in this one for Pittsburgh and they match up well with Colorado. It’s hard to go against the best team in hockey but in this case it’s warranted.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to rebound from an embarrassing loss on Saturday to the Montréal Canadiens when they host the red hot Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at Amalie Arena. Tampa and Toronto are battling it out for the second spot in the Atlantic, and the Lightning need to come away with a win tonight and they know it because up next for the Bolts is Washington, then Boston. Tampa has been stellar at home with a record of 21-6-5. They are expected to have Andrei Vasilevskiy back between the pipes and his record speaks for itself. The Leafs and the Lightning split the first two meetings this year, with both games played in Toronto. The Leafs have won 4 straight but their road record is not off the charts, at 19-12-3, and all streaks must come to an end.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

The New Jersey Devils had a 6-2 lead going into the third period yesterday at home against the Florida Panthers, only to end up losing in OT, 7-6. If that isn’t demoralizing to an already pathetic season then what is? Today they will try to pick up the pieces when they host the New York Islanders in a matinée at Prudential Center. The Isles are on a roll, winning three straight, and are coming off an impressive 3-0 win over the New York Rangers at MSG on Friday. New York has won the last two meetings with New Jersey this year, are 6-1 in their last 7 on one day’s rest, and 6-2 in their last 8 in Newark.
TODAY’S PICK: NEW YORK ISLANDERS

The Los Angeles Kings will be a road dog tonight when they visit the Winnipeg Jets. LA is coming off an impressive SO win over their old coach, Darryl Sutter, and his Calgary Flames on Thursday so they will have plenty of momentum going into this one. The Kings have lost both meetings with the Jets this year but keep in mind they were early in the season and both were close 3-2 victories by Winnipeg. The Jets were almost a lock at home in the past but not so this year, where they are 19-13-2 at Canada Life Centre. The Jets are still licking their wounds after Thursday’s 7-3 drubbing by the Toronto Maple Leafs and will have to face a Kings team that has been a force on the road. LA is 19-9-6 away from Crypto and will have some payback to dish out tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: LOS ANGELES KINGS

With their 3-0 win over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, the Vegas Golden Knights have now won 3 straight. They are very much alive in the playoff hunt and they want to stay there. Tonight the two clubs will hook up again at Climate Pledge Arena. With Wednesday’s loss, the Kraken were officially eliminated from post-season play but you can bet your bottom dollar they will still give it their all because that is what hockey players do. Vegas has won all 3 meetings with Seattle and are 5-0 in their last 5 against the Pacific. The Golden Knights saw the return of two key D-men over the last two games, Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb, and could get another boost tonight to their defense with the possible return of their #1 goalie, Robin Lehner. Keep an eye on Vegas down the stretch.
TONIGHT’S PICK: VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS