Category: Hockey

The Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals will be playing back-to-back games tonight but the venue switches from Wells Fargo Center to Capital One Arena in the nation’s capital. The 4-1-1 Caps cruised to an easy 4-1 victory last night on Broad Street and have now won 4 straight. The Flyers are just 1-4-1 on the season and have lost 5 in a row, and it won’t get any easier tonight. Ivan Fedotov is expected to be between the pipes for Philly and this guy can’t even stop a basketball. He is 0-2 with a bloated 6.00 GAA, a .818 SV%, and that doesn’t bode well for the Flyers when the Capitals are averaging 4 goals per game. Washington is 2-1-0 at home and have won the last 3 meetings with Philly. The current line is Washington -140, which is fishy. It should be higher, but you cannot ignore the fact that the Capitals are the better team, by far, and have the edge in goals scored, goals against, etc., etc., etc.
TONIGHT’S PICK: WASHINGTON CAPITALS

The Vegas Golden Knights have lost three straight, all on the road against some really good teams, but return home tonight to the strip where they are 3-0 to host the Los Angeles Kings. The Golden Knights 3-game road trip was not an easy one, but they could have and should have won all three. Vegas lost to Florida in OT 3-4, Tampa 3-4, and Washington 2-4. The Kings are wrapping up a 7-game road trip. Being on the road is never easy, especially a 7-gamer, so it has to be taking its toll. Vegas has won 3 of the last 4 meetings with LA, and as an underdog the Kings are just 1-5 in their last 6. Vegas gets back on track tonight.
TONIGHT’S PICK: VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

The Winnipeg Jets will have their perfect 4-0 record on the line when they host the 3-3-0 Pittsburgh Penguins today at Canada Life Centre. Much of the Jets’ early success can be credited to their goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, who is expected to be between the pipes for Winnipeg today. Hellebuyck has been the net minder for all 4 wins and has a GAA of only 1.25 with a .925 SV%. The Penguins are expected to have Tristan Jarry in the crease and the Jets’ heavy hitters should be able to find the back of the net. Jarry is 1-1 with a bloated 5.45 GAA and a .836 SV%, which is not good. Winnipeg is averaging 4.5 goals per game as opposed to Pittsburgh’s 3.5, and with Helly guarding the fort they are the side worth backing.
TODAY’S PICK: WINNIPEG JETS

The New Jersey Devils are off to a great start, at 5-2-0, and tonight they will host the 2-1-0 Washington Capitals at The Rock. The Devils have already beaten the Caps this year in DC on October 12th, 5-3, so why not again tonight on their home ice?
TONIGHT’S PICK: NEW JERSEY DEVILS

It looked as though the Carolina Hurricanes would soon be hitting the links, going down 3-0 to the New York Rangers in the second round of the playoffs, but not so fast. The Canes have clawed their way back and can even the series at three apiece tonight when they host the Rangers at PNC Arena. If you look at the first three games that the Rangers won, they weren’t a walk in the park. All three could have gone either way. Game one was a close 4-3 victory for New York and the next two were both OT wins. The bottom line is the Canes match up well with the Rangers, have momentum on their side, and PNC Arena will be packed with over 18,000 Carolina fans for support.
TONIGHT’S PICK: CAROLINA HURRICANES

The Tampa Bay Lightning will be a big dog today when they open the Eastern Conference first round against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise and that suits me just fine. The Bolts are dangerous. They have the league’s top scorer, Nikita Kucherov, with Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and the Big Cat, Andrei Vasilevskiy, in net. They can beat these guys and did so in their last meeting, 5-3.
TODAY’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

The 42-26-7 Tampa Bay Lightning just keep rolling, and with last night’s impressive 4-1 road victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bolts are now 9-1-1 over their last 11 and just 4 points behind the Leafs for the third spot in the Atlantic Division. Tonight they will head to Montréal to take on the Montréal Canadiens. The 29-33-12 Habs season is over, but you wouldn’t know it. They have won 4 of their last 5 and are coming off a 5-3 victory over a really good Florida Panthers team. The Canadiens are playing probably their best hockey of the season and will be well rested but the Lightning are by far the better team and should continue to stay hot. Tampa has won all 3 meetings with Montréal this year and with the way Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and the league’s points leader Nikita Kucherov are playing, they will be too much for the Habs to handle.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING