Category: Hockey

The New York Rangers will look to end their 2-game skid tonight when they host the Dallas Stars at MSG. Dallas will be playing back-to-back games tonight after getting roughed by Buffalo yesterday in a 4-1 loss. The Stars are 6-12-4 on the road, just 1-8 in their last 9 road games against a team with a winning record, and 2-5 in their last 7 meetings with New York. The Rangers are 13-8-1 at MSG and have the edge in offense, defense, power play, penalty kills, face offs, discipline and goaltending. The Rangers’ offense should get a boost tonight with the expected return of Mika Zibanejad, who in his 19 games before his injury, recorded 5 goals with 10 assists. I like the Rangers’ chances in this one.

Tonight’s pick:

New York Rangers

The Washington Capitals have won 9 straight and tonight they will be playing back-to-back games when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins on their home ice, PPG Paints Arena. The Capitals have not fared well at PPG, going 0-5 in their last 5 visits there and the home team between these clubs is 7-0 in the last 7 meetings.

Tonight’s pick:

Pittsburgh Penguins

I like the Anaheim Ducks chances for a victory tonight when they host the Dallas Stars at Honda Center. The Ducks dropped the first 2 meetings between these clubs, falling 6-2 and 4-2, but that was in Dallas. The Ducks are 13-5-2 at home and have won 3 out of their last 4 at Honda Center. John Gibson is expected between the pipes for Anaheim and he is 15-10-7 with a GAA of 2.46 and a .915 SV%. The Stars are expected to counter with Antti Niemi and he is 8-6-4 with a GAA of 2.93 and a SV% of .908. Dallas is 6-10-4 on the road and just 1-5 in their last 6 in Anaheim. Ryan Getzlaf is questionable tonight for Anaheim due to a lower body strain. With or without Getzy, I like the Ducks chances in this one.

Tonight’s pick:

Anaheim Ducks

The Columbus Blue Jackets were the winners of 16 straight games but since that run, they have dropped two in a row. Today they can get back on track when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at Nationwide Arena. The Flyers are playing back-to-back games after knocking off the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 in a matinee yesterday. Philadelphia has struggled against Columbus, going 2-8 in the last 10 meetings, and they are 0-8 in their last 8 at Nationwide Arena. I like Columbus in this spot.

Today’s pick:

Columbus Blue Jackets

The New York Islanders are picking up momentum and there’s no better place than the Pepsi Center to face the Colorado Avalanche to keep it going. Colorado is a pathetic 4-13-0-1 at home this season, losers of their last 10 at Pepsi Center and just 1-10 in their last 11 overall. The Islanders have won 4 of their last 5 games and have found the back of the net 55 times in their last 16 games. I’ll side with the road favorite in this one.

Tonight’s pick:

New York Islanders

With a win tonight, the Columbus Blue Jackets can post their 17th consecutive victory, but they have a problem – they have to travel to Washington to face Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby is expected between the pipes for the Caps and he has had success against Columbus, owning a record of 8-3-2 with a 2.83 GAA. Evgeny Kuznetsov broke out of his slump on Tuesday after not finding the net for 17 games. If Kuzy heats up, this could be a problem for the Blue Jackets. Columbus won both match-ups this year, but they weren’t easy, winning 2-1 in overtime at home and 3-2 in Washington. With the Blue Jackets at just 2-6 in their last 8 at Verizon Center, I see their streak ending tonight.

Tonight’s pick:

Washington Capitals

Auston Mathews and the Toronto Maple Leafs are red hot, winners of their last 5, and will try to make it 6 when they travel to DC tonight to take on Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Toronto was the winner in the last contest between these two clubs on November 26th, 4-2, but that was on their home ice. They are not the Leafs of old, but they have struggled in Washington, going 5-16 in their last 21 and they are 1-5 in the last 6 meetings with the Caps. Ovechkin is a Toronto killer; in 40 games he has found the net 32 times and notched 58 points. I like Washington in this situation.

Tonight’s pick:

Washington Capitals