Inside the Chalk

The 4-3-1 Florida Panthers will look to capture their 2021-2022 form when they return home to FLA Live Arena for a matinée today with the 4-3-0 Ottawa Senators. Florida has lost 2 straight and 3 of their last 4 but let’s not forget, the Panthers had the best regular season record in hockey last year so it’s just a matter of time before they start clicking. These are not the same old Senators, but as in years past, they are struggling on the road and come into this one at 0-2-0. Florida is 2-0-1 in Sunrise and has won 6 of the last 7 meetings with Ottawa. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has yet to find the back of the net but you can’t keep a good man down for very long.
TODAY’S PICK: FLORIDA PANTHERS

The 4-2-1 Pittsburgh Penguins will take a 2-game losing streak into Rogers Arena tonight for a matchup with the 1-5-2 Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver finally got in the Win column last night, with a 5-4 win over the upstart Seattle Krakens, so they will be playing back-to-back games which is never easy. Pittsburgh has not played since falling to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday so they will be well-rested and ready to do some damage. The Penguins offense is explosive, averaging 4.3 goals per game, unlike the Canucks who are averaging just 2.9. Pittsburgh has won 4 of the last 5 meetings and should come out on top.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s West Coast road trip got off on the wrong foot, after losing to the LA Kings last night, 4-2. Tonight they should get back on track when they make the short trip to Anaheim to take on the hapless Ducks. Anaheim has lost 5 straight and are 1-4-0-1 on the season. The Ducks have major goaltending issues and are allowing an average of 4.5 goals per game while tallying just 2.3 which will have Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov licking their chops. The Bolts have won 4 of the last 5 meetings and are 5-2 in their last 7 trips to The Pond.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 

The Tampa Bay Lightning were slow out of the gate but are starting to find their groove. The 3-time Stanley Cup Champions have won two straight and will open a 3-game West Coast road trip tonight against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto Arena. The Kings have lost their last two and are still winless on their home ice, at 0-2. Jonathan Quick is expected to get the call in net tonight for the Kings. The veteran is 1-3 with a 3.94 GAA and a .889 SV%. The Lightning are expected to have Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes. The Big Cat is 2-2 with a 2.52 GAA, a .922 SV%, and is 7-2 in his career against LA. To say the Lightning have owned the Kings would be an understatement. The Bolts are 11-1 in the last 12 meetings and 5-0 in their last 5 in LA.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 

The Toronto Maple Leafs will take a two game winning streak into T-Mobile Arena tonight for a matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights. Both teams are 4-2-0 and match up well so we should see some entertaining hockey tonight. The Knights four wins have not been against the NHL’s elite (LA, Chicago, Seattle and Winnipeg) so don’t get too excited. Between the pipes tonight, Vegas is expected to have Logan Thompson and for Toronto Ilya Samsonov. Thompson is 2-2-0 with a 2.30 GAA and a .926 SV%. Samsonov has been outstanding. He is 4-0-0 with a GAA of only 1.73 and a .938 SV%. The Leafs have two of the NHL’S best, Auston Matthews and John Tavares, and Tavares has been on fire. Toronto has won 2 straight against Vegas and 5 of the last 6.
TONIGHT’S PICK: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS