Category: Hockey

Even without their captain Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals keep winning. Washington has won 2 straight, both on the road against two really good teams, downing Florida Panthers, 4-1, then Tampa Lightning, 5-4. Today they return home to Capital One Arena for a matinée with the New York Islanders. The Islanders have lost 2 straight, 5 of their last 6, and have had trouble getting tallies, averaging just 2.48 goals per game. The Caps are a scoring machine, averaging 4.09 goals per game, and are expected to have one of the best between the pipes today, Logan Thompson. He is 9-1-1 with a GAA of only 2.44 and a .917 SV%. Depending on where you do your shopping, the line is around Caps -150 which is a little fishy. It should be higher, but Washington is still the side to consider.
TODAY’S PICK: WASHINGTON CAPITALS

The Columbus Blue Jackets have won 3 straight, 4 of their last 5, and will be well rested tonight when they host the Montréal Canadiens at Nationwide Arena. After losing their last 6 meetings with Montréal, I’m sure Columbus will want to put a beating on the Habs tonight and they should. The Canadiens will be playing back-to-back games after falling to Utah last night in OT, 3-2. They have also lost 2 straight and are a pathetic 2-6-1 on the road. The Jackets are 7-3-0 at Nationwide, averaging 3.45 goals per game, and scoring should not be a problem for them tonight. The Habs have confirmed Cayden Primeau will be between the pipes and he cannot stop a basketball. Primeau is 1-2-1 with a bloated 4.59 GAA and a .842 SV%.
TONIGHT’S PICK: COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Since Joe Sacco took over as head coach for the Boston Bruins, they have won 2 straight but they will be challenged tonight when the Vancouver Canucks come to town. Vancouver has been stellar on the road, with a record of 7-1-0, and are coming off yet another road victory after downing the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, 4-3. The Canucks can score and should be able to find the back of the net with Bruins’ expected net minder for tonight, Jeremy Swayman. He is 6-7-2 with a 3.30 GAA and a .887 SV%. On the flip side, the Bruins are dead last in the league in scoring and will have trouble getting tallies with goalie Kevin Lankinen expected between the pipes. Lankinen is 9-3-2 with a 2.74 GAA and a .901 SV%.
TONIGHT’S PICK: VANCOUVER CANUCKS

The reigning Stanley Cup Champions, Florida Panthers, have hit a bump in the road, losing 3 straight and 5 of their last 6 but are still 12-8-1. They will look to get back on track tonight when they host the banged up 13-6-1 Washington Capitals in Sunrise. The Capitals have lost 2 straight and will be without their captain, Alex Ovechkin, who has 15 tallies on the season and that hurts. The Panthers have won 9 straight against the Caps and are the side to consider tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: FLORIDA PANTHERS

Even without their superstar, Auston Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs keep winning and will be at Scotiabank Arena tonight to host the Utah Hockey Club. Since Matthews went down with an upper body injury, the Leafs have won 3 straight and 6 of their last 7. The 12-6-2 Leafs have also dominated the boards at home, boasting a record of 9-3-0. The 8-9-3 Club finally snapped a 3-game skid last night with a 6-1 win over the struggling Pittsburgh Penguins but are still just 3-6 over their last 9. Toronto scores more goals per game than Utah, gives up less, and unlike the Club will be well rested after having three days off.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

The New York Rangers will be north of the border tonight to face the Calgary Flames. The Rangers have won 3 straight, 4 of their last 5, and have been the host teams’ worst nightmare with a road record of 7-1-0. Calgary has won 2 straight but over their last 10 games they have averaged just 2.2 goals per game and with Igor Shesterkin expected between the pipes for New York, that’s not going to cut it. 
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW YORK RANGERS

The Minnesota Wild will be in St. Louis tonight to take on the Blues. St.Lous has been devastated with injuries and have only 1 win in their last 6 games. The Wild have been a great road team, with a record of 7-1-2, and won the last meeting with the Blues back in October, 4-1. 
TONIGHT’S PICK: MINNESOTA WILD