Around the NHL: Predictions for November 12th

Here are tonight’s top picks, plays and predictions.

Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.

Play of the Day: The under in Bruins vs Coyotes.
The Boston Bruins have had the Arizona Coyotes’ number these past few years. They have won the last eight encounters against the Coyotes, including their last five trips to the desert.

Arizona has been underwhelming this season. They are 5-8-0 on the year, with the second-worst team goals-against average in the league at 3.62. Their offense has been hot and cold, with only two players into double digits in points. Max Domi has 10 assists on the year, though he has just one goal. Radim Vrbata, in his second stint with the team, has five goals and five assists.

While Louis Domingue and the Coyotes bleed goals left and right, Tuukka Rask does just the opposite for the Bruins. He is 8-1-0 with a 1.76 goals-against average and .938 save percentage.

The under has hit in the last four Arizona home games this season.

Prediction: Boston may be alone in the fight to eclipse the 5.5 over/under, so it’s best to play it safe. Take the Bruins to win. Play the under.

The Game to Watch: Sharks vs Lightning.
There are not a whole lot of rivalry games played tonight. In fact, much of the action tonight is inter-conference play, and the few games that are not are cross-division. So, of the neutral games being played, this features the highest caliber of play.

San Jose is 8-6-0 on the year, with a 4-4-0 record on the road. The league’s top road team in the league last season has won their first two games on this road trip, topping the Capitals 3-0 and the Panthers 4-2.

The road team is 5-0 in the last five encounters.

Nikita Kucherov has four goals in five games. His connection with Steven Stamkos has been electric lately. Stamkos has seven points in his last five games.

Brent Burns leads the NHL in shots on goal. He has 28 shots in his last five games, with three goals in that stretch to show for it.

Prediction: Take the San Jose Sharks to steal one on the road tonight. Play the under.

Other Game Notes Around the NHL

Red Wings vs Canadiens: The Montreal train just keeps on chuggin’. The Habs are running away with the Atlantic Division, with a 12-1-1 record through the first 14 games of the year. It is unbelievable that the only blight on their regulation record is a 10-0 loss. I’ve been on this for a week now and I still don’t think I can let go. How can I?

The Red Wings have not won in Montreal in a while- five games, to be exact. Montreal has won eight of the last 10 meetings.

Detroit’s last three road games have gone to extra time. They are 2-0-1 in those three games, both wins coming in the shootout. Henrik Zetterberg has helped the Red Wings snap a bit of a skid with six points in his last five games. Jimmy Howard stopped 36 of 37 shots against the Canucks in their latest win.

Howard will start tonight against the undefeated Carey Price.

Prediction: Take the Habs to win and Price to improve to 10-0. Play the under.

Islanders vs Panthers: The Islanders just can’t catch a break on the road. They are 0-4-0 as the visiting team, a slump that has sunk them down to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They are in the bottom five of the league in both powerplay and penalty kill, and they are not getting much better.

Brooklyn has allowed four or more goals in three of their four road games this season.

After starting the year 3-1 at home, Florida has not been able to string together consecutive wins at Sunrise. They will be looking to stave off a two-game slide on home ice after falling on Thursday to the Sharks.

It will be up to Jaroslav Halak to stop the bleeding. The Isles are 1-11 in their last 12 games against Eastern Conference opponents, and Halak has been “meh” at best this season.

Prediction: I see the hot seat getting just a little bit hotter tonight under Jack Capuano. Take the Cats to win. Play the over.

Sabres vs Devils: The Devils won in overtime last night against the Sabres thanks to a penalty shot by Andy Greene. Andy Greene admitted after the game that he was “trying not to embarrass himself” on the shot, seeing as he has never even been called on in a shootout before.

So what’s the call tonight? The under. Surprise, surprise.

Prediction: Take the Devils tonight with their starter Cory Schneider in net. Play the under all day every day.

Wild vs Flyers: Man oh man, has Devan Dubnyk been absurd this year. Dubnyk stopped 39 of 41 shots on his way to his way to his sixth win of the season.

Philadelphia’s goaltending situation has been absurd, just in a much different way. The Maple Leafs put a 6 on the board last night, beating the Flyers in the Air Canada Centre.

The Wild have had trouble against the Flyers in the past, but the back-to-back could be the death of Philly tonight.

Prediction: Take the Wild to win. Play the over.