Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. For those having a safe Black Friday indoors, here are the top picks, plays and predictions for today’s NHL action.
| Rangers vs Flyers ML Off / Off O/U Off |
Blackhawks vs Ducks ML -105 / -115 O/U 5 |
| Islanders vs Sharks ML +175 / -210 O/U 5 |
Penguins vs Wild ML -120 / +100 O/U 5 |
| Sabres vs Capitals ML +175 / -208 O/U 5 |
Jets vs Predators ML +170 / -200 O/U 5.5 |
| Flames vs Bruins ML +130 / -150 O/U 5 |
Blue Jackets vs Lightning ML +110 / -130 O/U 5.5 |
| Red Wings vs Devils ML +105 / -125 O/U 5 |
Canucks vs Stars ML +170 / -200 O/U 5.5 |
| Oilers vs Coyotes ML -160 / +140 O/U 5.5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Play of the Day: Devils over Red Wings.
The New Jersey Devils just cannot lose at home. After falling behind the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0 in the first period on Wednesday, the Devils rallied back to tie it in the second. After falling behind again 4-3, Jersey tied it in the third and eventually won in the shootout.
They have now won four straight games at the Rock to improve to 7-0-1 on home ice this season.
Mike Cammalleri’s return to the lineup proved to be huge for the Devils, as he totaled a goal and three assists on the night. Travis Zajac had a three-point night as well.
Detroit snapped a four-game losing streak with a road victory in the skills competition against Buffalo Wednesday. Detroit’s offense has faltered of late, but Gustav Nyquist was able to score the lone goal in regulation for the Wings. He and Thomas Vanek scored in the shootout, as Jimmy Howard went 3-for-3 stopping the Sabres.
Howard, who has maintained stellar numbers despite a mediocre record, will get the start against Cory Schneider. Howard is just 5-5-0, though he has a 1.76 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage.
As always, the play of the day? The under. Take it every single time with the Devils, and the Wings are starting to become an automatic under play as well.
Prediction: Take the Devils to win. Play the under.
The Game to Watch: Blue Jackets vs Lightning.
If the Columbus Blue Jackets can improve their play on the road, they can be a legitimate threat for a division spot in the Metro. They are only three points behind the Washington Capitals for the third spot, and they are proving to be a tough team to play against.
Columbus saw a seven-game home win streak end this week with consecutive home losses against Colorado and Calgary. Now, they head back out on the road, where they are 3-2-2 this season.
Their opponents, the Tampa Bay Lightning, have been red-hot, even without the services of Steven Stamkos. The Bolts are 5-1 in their last six, and they are 3-1-1 at home this month.
The Lightning have won their last six games against the Metro Division. Not only that, they have won seven of their last eight home meetings against Columbus, and their last four overall against the Jackets.
The under is 6-1-1 in the last eight road games for Columbus.
The goaltending battle of Sergei Bobrovsky and Ben Bishop will be a fun one to watch tonight. Any excuse to watch the Tampa Bay offense makes it a fun game to watch, really. Nikita Kucherov is in a race with Mark Scheifele and Connor McDavid for the NHL scoring lead (more on them in a moment).
Prediction: Take the Bolts to win. Play the under.
Other Game Notes Around the NHL
Oilers vs Coyotes: The Oilers are heavy favorites tonight, despite being a long way from their home ice. They have turned a five-game losing streak into a three-game winning streak, and their offense has been rolling in the process. Edmonton has tallied at least five goals in their last three games, with Connor McDavid notching eight points in that span. His scoring explosion has propelled him ahead of Mark Scheifele and Nikita Kucherov for the scoring lead. The McBeast has 27 points and has an opportunity to tack on even more tonight.
Arizona is on a one-way train to the bottom. The Yotes officially have the fewest points in the league with just 14, and have lost low-scoring contests to some of the weaker teams in the NHL these past few weeks.
This is the first installment of a home-and-home, as the Coyotes will be paying a visit to Edmonton on Sunday.
Prediction: The fact that the Yotes are so heavily favored at home makes this line worth a look, but Edmonton’s offense is just too hot. Take the Oilers to win. Play the under.
Jets vs Predators: Winnipeg is in danger of being swept in a five-game road trip. The Jets have mustered just five goals in their four-game trek. Patrik Laine has not found the back of the net in that stretch. Mark Scheifele has two points.
Winnipeg ends its road trip with arguably the toughest game: Nashville. The Predators are 7-1-1 at home, including a 5-2 victory over the Dallas Stars Wednesday night.
Prediction: This is just a recipe for disaster for Winnipeg. Take the Preds to win. Play the over.
Blackhawks vs Ducks: The frustrating road trip continues for the Chicago Blackhawks. They fell 2-1 to the San Jose Sharks, bringing their record on this long road trip to 2-3. Artemi Panarin buried a laser of a one-timer from Artem Anisimov, but other than that, nothing got past Martin Jones.
Anaheim is closing out a five-game homestand looking to escape with a winning record. The Ducks took the first two games of the trip, but have lost consecutive one-goal games to the Kings and Islanders. After an extra day of rest, they will look to close it out against the struggling Blackhawks.
The Hawks have won four of the last five meetings.
Prediction: The Hawks won’t be down forever. Take Chicago to win. Play the under.
Sabres vs Capitals: It does not matter that Philipp Grubauer is in net over Braden Holtby. The Sabres are going to have a heckuva time trying to win in Washington. The Caps don’t play down to their opponent. They stomp on the accelerator.
Prediction: Take Washington to win. Play the under.
