There are three games on the schedule for tonight. Let’s take a look at the NHL playoff predictions.
| Blues vs Wild ML +160 / -180 O/U 5 |
Canadiens vs Rangers ML -116 / -105 O/U |
| Oilers vs Sharks ML +125 / -145 O/U 5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Blues vs Wild: I called a 2-1 final in favor of the Minnesota Wild in Game 4. I was pretty darn close, but Devan Dubnyk earned the shutout to seal a 2-0 victory. Charlie Coyle and Martin Hanzal scored for the Wild.
Minnesota’s comeback is far from complete. But they are a quarter of the way there. For whatever reason, this series is the most spread out in the NHL playoffs, meaning that they had two days of rest between Games 3 and 4 and two more between Games 4 and 5. The extra rest obviously helped the Wild collect their bearings and come back with a new mindset.
Perhaps it was a chance for them to regroup and learn how to properly attack their old coach. Mike Yeo said after the game that his Blues were on their heels and let the Wild dictate the pace of the game, likely due to either nerves or a “lack of desperation.” Yeo’s presser looked like one that was cut and pasted from one of Minnesota’s playoff games from 2014.
Yeo: "There's certainly a number of things we look at tonight, areas where we weren't good enough, and have to get better." #stlblues
— St. Louis Blues 🏆 (@StLouisBlues) April 20, 2017
The Wild are 6-1 in their last seven on two days of rest.
Erik Haula missed Game 4 with body soreness but is expected to be in the lineup tonight. Possibly back for the Blues? Paul Stastny, who broke his foot and has not played since March 21st. He took line rushes with Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz in practice and looks to be a game-time decision. Again, perks of the extra days of rest.
I’m no doctor, but I’m always skeptical in the playoffs when players rush back from lower-body injuries that hinder their mobility. When Joe Thornton came back for the Sharks in Game 3, they were smart and sheltered his minutes, making sure he almost never started in his own end. The Blues would be wise to learn something from that. Stastny can absolutely be a difference-maker, but don’t expect him to be a 200-foot player just yet.
Stastny had 40 points in 66 games this season.
Minnesota went 27-12-2 in the regular season at home. For any playoff team, losing three games on home ice is tragic. If that happens, that team deserves the fate they get. I don’t see the Wild dying on their home ice. But the Blues being listed at +160 sure is tempting. This game is far from a lock, and the Blues will want to shut it down as soon as possible.
My gut tells me to go with the Wild. But if your wallet tells you otherwise, I can’t say I blame you.
Prediction: Take the Wild to win. Play the stone-cold under.
Canadiens vs Rangers: The New York Rangers have impressed me with how they have rebounded from their Game 3 debacle. They have attacked the net, gotten a few bounces their way and look like a newly energized team.
Game 5 in Montreal went deep into overtime before Mika Zibanejad buried the game-winner. With Chris Kreider breaking into the offensive zone, his shot attempt ricocheted off the stick of Alexi Emelin and right onto the tape of Zibanejad across the zone. In one motion he lifted the puck over a diving Price.
Zibanejad had been dead quiet for the Rangers in this series. He made a terrific play shorthanded that led to a goal by Jesper Fast earlier in the game, then scored the overtime winner. Rick Nash was a monster, as his Herculean shift late in the second period led to a Brady Skjei goal that evened up the score.
And of course, Henrik Lundqvist stopped 34 more shots in what has been an amazing series for him.
Artturi Lehkonen had a good game for the Habs. Many expected him to be a surprise X-factor for Montreal, and he has been buzzing around creating chances. He has two goals and an assist in the series with 17 shots on goal.
Alexi Emelin was okay, and nothing more. He broke even in scoring chances for and against at 10, though it was his “pass” that led to Zibanejad’s goal. He played a physical game that did not add much. Montreal is hoping that he will be more on his game tonight.
Andrew Shaw will likely miss tonight’s game with an upper-body injury. The physicality of this series has been especially hard on Shaw, who has been in the middle of it all.
Likely back in for the Rangers will be Kevin Klein. Odd that they will be making a substitution after winning consecutive games. Nevertheless, Klein will skate with Marc Staal on the third pair tonight with Nick Holden sitting out. Klein’s performance in Game 3 was horrendous.
It's beautiful in its ugliness. pic.twitter.com/NOwJeuou5o
— Adam Herman (@AdamZHerman) April 16, 2017
Like, really really bad.
On the #Radulov masterpiece, Kevin Klein was about as brutal as a DMan can possibly be. Wowhttps://t.co/jbm39VA0EF@MitchyGallo#MTLvsNYR
— Bobby 🇨🇦 (@montrealdesign) April 17, 2017
Get that man back in there! Gotta entice Vegas to take him off their hands somehow!
New York finally won in Madison Square Garden in Game 4. If they want to win the series, they will need to do it tonight. A Game 7 in Montreal will be brutal. The Rangers have had a propensity to go to Game 7s in recent years but there is simply no way that they would win three games in the Bell Centre in a series.
Montreal will need to just keep firing. They lead high-danger chances in this series 42-20. Don’t get frustrated and keep the feet moving. Because the Rangers will make mistakes in their own zone tonight. Target and punish the Staal-Klein pairing.
Prediction: Take the Rangers to win tonight. Play the under.
Oilers vs Sharks: A team from Southern California blew a 3-1 lead!
The San Jose Sharks led the Oilers 3-1 as time wound down in the second period. But a terrific shift on the powerplay by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl led to a powerplay goal that brought the Oilers to within one. Then late in the third period, Oscar Klefbom unloaded a ridiculous one-timer to tie things up.
Incoming Klefbom for the late tying goal! #StanleyCup #EDMvsSJS pic.twitter.com/3VQXSlbk8T
— NHL (@NHL) April 21, 2017
What a great call, too.
Things got even crazier after an overtime period in which the Edmonton Oilers dominated. Edmonton outshot the Sharks 14-2. On their 14th shot, David Desharnais scored the game-winner to give the Oilers a 3-2 series lead.
A news station in Edmonton caught the celebration on the concourse, which is pretty amazing timing.
The Oilers can now win their first playoff series since the 2006 Western Conference Final. The Sharks will be relying on their ability to hit the reset button. This is a core that has been through adversity of all kinds, so a 3-2 series lead should not be terribly daunting for them. What should be daunting is just how much energy the Oilers had in extra time. San Jose is clearly hampered by injuries. Joe Thornton is grinding it out. Logan Couture is half the player he was at full strength in the regular season.
It does not help that Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun turned in poor performances when it mattered most in Game 5. The Sharks will need a shot in the arm if they want to even up the series. Can a home crowd be the remedy?
I called Oilers in six. I’m sticking by it.
Prediction: Take the Oilers to win. Play the over.
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