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New York Islanders v. New Jersey Devils
The battle between the two step siblings of New York City takes place tonight in the Garden State. The Islanders controlled their game against the Penguins on Sunday with a 2-0 win. The Devils dropped two in a row this weekend against the Caps and haven’t won at Prudential Center in 6 games. The Devils are down top-4 defenseman Ryan Murray, top line center Nico Hischier, and are starting backup goaltender Aaron Dell. Isles are gonna roll their Tri-State rivals.
The Bet: Islanders Puckline
Prediction: Islanders 4-1 Devils
Ottawa Senators v. Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa scored a huge upset win over the Flames last night as they dominated the game for a 5-1 win. Young center Drake Batherson is on an absolute heater with goals in each of his past 6 games. The Senators are forced to start unproven goaltender Joey Daccord tonight as they played last night so Matt Murray is down and normal backup, Marcus Hogberg, is out injured. The Canadiens are slumping big time and their last loss to Ottawa forced them to fire their coach. They didn’t get the new coach bump in their two game set against Winnipeg but tonight they are back on home ice and will certainly fight for the new bench boss, Dominique Ducharme. If the Canadiens can’t win this game then they should be eliminated from playoff contention simply on principle.
The Bet: Canadiens Puckline
Prediction: Senators 2-5 Canadiens
Philadelphia Flyers v. Pittsburgh Penguins
The biggest news today out of the NHL was superstar Sidney Crosby being placed on the COVID-19 list. The Penguins already struggled to win games with their captain so losing him for a massive matchup against an instate rival hurts them deep. The Flyers just won two straight 3-0 contests against the hapless Sabres and have finally recovered their own missing stars Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek from the COVID-19 list. Flyers have too much value at -130 here, they should be higher favorites.
The Bet: Flyers Moneyline
Prediction: Flyers 4-2 Penguins
Buffalo Sabres v. New York Rangers
Poor Sabres fans, every year it feels as if their squad might turn a corner and then BAM halfway through the season they are so bad that you’ve got pundits saying they should blow the team up...again! Captain Jack Eichel is back in the lineup which should be a boost but they also have Carter Hutton between the pipes who has struggled to save a beach ball so far this season. The Rangers are still missing top player Artemi Panarin to his leave of absence which makes this game tighter than either team's record indicates.
The Bet: Over 5.5 Total Goals
Prediction: Sabres 3-4 Rangers
Detroit Red Wings v. Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus has lost 5 straight games and are watching any playoff hopes die in front of them. Head Coach John Tortorella is a scary man and I can not imagine he is happy about his team's recent play. The Red Wings are arguably the worst team in the NHL this year. They got pumped by the Blackhawks on Sunday night and are down their captain, top line center Dylan Larkin. Any game against Detroit is a good time to bust a slump.
The Bet: Blue Jackets Puckline
Prediction: Red Wings 2-4 Blue Jackets
Vancouver Canucks v. Winnipeg Jets
These two teams went at it last night and it was all Canucks early as they ended the first period up 3-0. The game finished 4-0 so it definitely got stale after the opening 20 minutes. Vancouver needed that win to get their squad back on track and in back to back games the key is always goaltending. Braden Holtby is far better than Laurent Broisset and that is all I need to see in this matchup.
The Bet: Canucks Moneyline
Prediction: Canucks 3-2 Jets
Carolina Hurricanes v. Nashville Predators
Do not let two convincing wins against Columbus fool you, the Predators stink. They are simply not a good hockey team and they are far worse today as top-4 defenseman Ryan Ellis was ruled out 4-6 weeks. Couple that news with second line center Ryan Johansen being on the COVID-19 list and even a gassed Carolina team after a game last night can’t let this one slip.
The Bet: Hurricanes Moneyline
Prediction: Hurricanes 3-1 Predators
Tampa Bay Lightning v. Dallas Stars
Perhaps the most interesting matchup of the night is the final matchup of the night. No late games means the 8:30 faceoff between these two central division squads is the last hockey game we will see. The Stars have been under performing all season and got spanked by this Tampa unit on the weekend. Conflicting reports show either Curtis McElhinney or regular starter Andrei Vasilevsky could be in net tonight for Tampa. Obviously the Stanley Cup champs are likely to come away with a win but I wouldn’t be shocked if it is closer than expected.
The Bet: See my parlay.
Prediction: Lightning 3-2 Stars
Fancy a Parlay?
I’ve got two parlays tonight seeing that I did not make one last night. There is one for the underdogs and one for the favorites. Just a warning, I have not felt better about a 3 legged NHL parlay than I do about my moneyline favorites tonight.
Option A: Islanders, Canadiens, and Blue Jackets to Win
Option B: Sabres, Canucks, and Stars to Cover 1.5 Goals
Daily Fantasy Plays of the Day:
Center: Mat Barzal-This kid is just an electrifying player who feasts on any competition. The Devils are missing a top defenseman and are playing their backup goalie. Put the young centerman in your lineup.
Wing: Sam Reinhart-Jack Eichel is back and he will center the top line with Taylor Hall and, you guessed it, Reinhart. Reinhart had a 2 goal game against the Rangers earlier this year and might just follow it up tonight.
Defense: Seth Jones and/or Zach Werinski-Both these elite defenseman have underwhelmed this season and head coach John Tortorella is not afraid to call out his top players while his team is in a losing streak. Both get minutes on the powerplay and have a highly favorable matchup tonight against the lowly Red Wings
Utility: Tomas Tatar-I do not have any stats for this one, nothing to back it up other than a gut feeling. Tatar has not lived up to the numbers he had last year but he still plays on the top line at even strength and a man up in Montreal. Add that to a matchup against the Senators and i see the Czeck padding his stats this evening.
Goalie: Joonas Korpisalo-Another Blue Jacket for you to consider. Detroit is the second worst goal scoring team in the NHL this year and they are missing their best player in Dylan Larkin and a constant power play threat in Robby Fabbri. I see Korpisalo allowing less than 3 goals in an easy win.
