Filed under: Picks
I needed a week away from the picks to gain my composure (not really, I was insanely busy doing some holiday shopping, working, and other things, my apologies). A couple weeks ago, I once again went 1-3 to down my record to 6-10 on the year. Let’s see if I can land a 4-0 week to get back to .500…
Saturday, December 19
Detroit @ Dallas, 3 pm (all times eastern) – Being a huge “wing-nut”, I always get excited for the few true rivalries the Red Wings have left (since they don’t play an Original 6 team more than once in any given year, piss over Comissioner Bettman!) That being said, the Red Wings are probably playing their best hockey of the year (winners of their last 4 and 5 out of 6). However, the loss of Henrik Zetterberg only adds to the walking wounded in Motown. I think the Wings are catching the Stars at an opportune time because they aren’t playing very well right now. Detroit 3, Dallas 2.
Nashville @ Calgary, 4 pm- The Preds are a hard team to figure out this year. 21 wins this season (T-4 in the NHL) has the sound of a team who scores a lot while giving up very little. Curiously, Nashville scores 2.77 goals per game while, at the same time, they give up 2.77 goals per game. That tells me that this team has as many personalities as one Dr. Jekyll. Which team will show up? My bet is on the lower scoring of the two because Calgary has just returned from a road trip and the Saddle Dome will be bumpin’. Calgary 4, Nashville 1.
Minnesota @ Ottawa, 7 pm- To sum up the season that Ottawa has had so far: they play terrible on the road, you can flip a coin on which team will show up at home, and their goaltending situation with Brian Elliott is mediocre at best. Whether it is Elliott or the young Brodeur who starts in net against Minnesota, the Wild have shaken off their early-season road-ice ineptitude and will score some goal. I don’t think Ottawa will. Minnesota 4, Ottawa 2.
Columbus @ Colorado, 9 pm- If anyone who has seen the Steve Mason from last season, the Jackets have asked that you pin a one-way ticket back to Columbus on his collar and pray that he makes it there. Columbus hasn’t had too many issues scoring goals, but they are 28th in goals allowed at 3.26 per game. Colorado, on the hand, loves to score goals and they do it well at the Pepsi Center. I’ll take an 80% Craig Anderson or a 100% Peter Budaj any day against whoever the Blue Jackets put on the ice. Colorado 5, Columbus 2.
December 18, 2009
Carp is out today, so I’m going to take my shot at picking games. I realize this post is late, but better than never. Here’s who I’m betting on for the Saturday night games.
Washington at Toronto is the first game on Hockey Night in Canada tonight, and Ovechkin loves the big stage almost as much as Toronto just plain sucks. My Pick: Caps.
Detroit at Nashville. Detroit won in overtime last night on a great goal by Todd Bertuzzi. The Wings are injured, tired, and starting Osgood in net. My Pick: Predators.
Minnesota at Vancouver. Vancouver leads the series 2-1 so far, but that was before Havlat and Backstrom started to get hot. Edler is also out for Vancouver. This could be the Wild’s chance to even the season series on the road. My Pick: Wild
Bonus Pick: Sabres at Rangers in the battle of New York. The Rangers won the last meeting because of Lundquist’s stellar shutout. They’re not going to get that lucky again as today is Ryan Miller’s time to shine. My Pick: Sabres
December 12, 2009
For the first time in three tries, last week I fell short of the .500 mark going 1-3 on my picks. For the season to date, I’m currently 5-7, but looking to make a formidable comeback with my selections for the first weekend in December…
Saturday, December 5
Vancouver @ Carolina, 1 pm (all times eastern)- The third game of a four city east coast road trip puts the Canucks in Carolina for an early afternoon face off with the Hurricanes. Following wins in both New Jersey and Philidelphia, the Canucks are showing that things are returning back to normal with the Sedin brothers skating hard with linemate Alex Burrows. Solid goaltending from Roberto Luongo also adds another layer of depth that not many teams are able to match up against. Sorry, Canes’ fans, but Carolina isn’t one of those teams. Vancouver 3, Carolina 1.
Toronto @ Boston, 7 pm- Having lost Jonas Gustavsson with his second battle against with a nagging heart issue, the Leafs have fallen all the way down to Joey MacDonald in net. On the other hand, with both Tuuka Rask and Tim Thomas playing very well in Beantown, the Bruins are poised to make a run up the Eastern Conference standings with Marc Savard back and producing (thanks in part to a nice contract extension, nonetheless). Watch out though, Phil Kessel’s return to Boston will make this one fun to watch. Boston 4, Toronto 3.
Chicago @ Pittsburgh, 7:30 pm- The Penguins are tied for first in the East while the Blackhawks sit tied for second in the West. Many fans and experts alike wouldn’t be at all surprised to see these two teams battling it out for the Stanley Cup when all is said and done. On top of some great goaltending as of late by Cristobal Huet, Chicago will also feature one, Marian Hossa, former Pens’ star in his first game in Pittsburgh as a Blackhawk. Pittsburgh 5, Chicago 2.
Sunday, December 6
Detroit @ N.Y. Rangers, 7 pm- Another Original Six matchup for the Red Wings, this one at MSG. Their last bout with a long-time foe was in Montreal when they beat the Canadiens a couple weeks ago. This time, I don’t think they will be so lucky. Jimmy Howard has sort of emerged as the best goalie option for Detroit, but the defense in front of him is what worries me. Without Kronwall, Rafalski, and Lilja, the young Detroit D will have to somehow contain a powerful offense led by Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal. Watch for this one to get physical, another area where I think the Rangers have an advantage. N.Y. Rangers 3, Detroit 1.
December 4, 2009
Once again, last week was a split with two wins coming from Detroit and San Jose, while Vancouver and Atlanta landed me in the loss column. Here are the games to look out for this weekend…
Saturday, November 28
N.Y. Islanders @ New Jersey, 1 pm (all time eastern)- Even if the Islanders turn back in to their perennial selves later in this season, we’ve got to recognize how competitive they’ve been thus far. John Tavares has really had his coming out party and the young cast around him are maturing at a rate faster than we expected. On the other hand, the Devils had played better on the road this year than at home. N.Y. Islanders 3, New Jersey 2.
Florida @ Nashville, 8 pm – Nashville is unquestionably the hottest team in the NHL having won seven in a row before their game Friday night against St. Louis. What isn’t as surprising is how they are getting the wins. They exert more effort, show great teamwork on defense, and are riding a pair of hot goalies to boot. Meanwhile, the Panthers have just nine points on the road this season in 11 games. Nashville 3, Florida 1.
Chicago @ Los Angeles, 10:30 pm- After making all those flattering statements about the Predators, am I going to eat my words when I said they were the hottest team in the NHL, because Chicago has quietly managed one more point in their last 10 games than Nashville has (8-1-1; 17 points versus 8-2-0; 16 points for NSH). Marian Hossa has shown his impact already in his return at San Jose the other night, and Cristobal Huet has turned his game up a few notches since a rough start to the season. As the Hawks wind down this VERY long road trip, I like them to get one more win against the young Kings. Chicago 4, Los Angeles 2.
Sunday, November 29
San Jose @ Vancouver, 10 pm- With the return of Daniel Sedin to the top line in Vancouver, the argument could be made that these two teams have the most productive first lines in the Western Conference. So much explosiveness going against really, really good goalies in this one. Typically, Vancouver is a difficult place to play and when it’s the second game of a back-to-back, it can be that much more frustrating. Vancouver 4, San Jose 3.
November 27, 2009
Last week I started my picks with a mediocre 2-2 record. Let’s see if this time around I can better that mark.
Saturday, November 21
Pittsburgh @ Atlanta, 7 pm (all time eastern)- Try and figure out these two seasons so far. If you would have predicted that the Pens and the Thrashers, one-quarter of the way through the season, would both have seven double-digit point scorers, would both have at least 10 wins, and that Atlanta actually has allowed fewer goals than the Pens, you’d be riding high on a massive amount of winnings from whatever “expert” spotted you some crazy odds. The reality is that to this point the Thrashers may be overachievers and the Pens have had some tough injuries to fight through. That being said, I think Atlanta has a point to make to the rest of the league. Atlanta 4, Pittsburgh 3.
Detroit @ Montreal, 7 pm – Many Red Wings fans long for the days when they saw some of the Original Six teams come to the JLA and later in the season, the Wings would return the favor (I fall in this category). Those days are long gone and all we have to look forward to are these special meetings where there is still something big at stake during a regular season game. Flash back just two weeks ago when Detroit made another of these monumental trips to lowly Toronto and got there hides handed to them on a silver platter. I realize that Montreal is somewhat better than the Leafs, but I also realize that Detroit doesn’t roll over and die too often. Detroit 3, Montreal 2.
San Jose @ Anaheim, 10 pm – Quite possibly two of the most exciting teams to watch, regardless of who they are playing. The fact that they are meeting on the same ice just adds to the anticipation. All the way back on October 3, the Sharks came in to the Honda Center and beat Anaheim 4-1. I don’t feel like all that much has changed since then… the Sharks are still one of the best teams in all of hockey and the Ducks are searching for something resembling a defense. San Jose 5, Anaheim 3.
Sunday, November 22
Chicago @ Vancouver, 10 pm- Nobody likes the long, draining trips out to the west coast, especially if you are as far east as Detroit, Chicago, or Nashville and have to do it rather frequently. What makes matters worse is that this game will be the third one in four days for the Blackhawks and Vancouver has enough fire power to match Chicago on normal rest. I did like how well the Hawks played in Calgary on Thursday, but that was arguably the worst game of the year for the Flames. Vancouver 4, Chicago 1.
November 20, 2009
There are some seriously interesting games this weekend in the NHL that not only have the type of intrigue to make for an intensely great game, but also as a spot to score a buck or two. Consider the following:
Saturday, November 14
Anaheim @ Detroit, 7 pm (all times eastern) – Everyone can remember the countless games these two Western Conference “rivals” have played against each other the past few seasons. Keep an eye on this game though. The Wings are always one of the best home-ice teams in hockey year in and year out, with this season being no different. They are 5-1-1 at Joe Louis Arena and usually buckle down the defense when a high scoring team arrives. The Ducks haven’t really proven they can win on the road yet this season and traveling across that much of the country is bothersome to say the least. Detroit 4, Anaheim 2.
Washington @ New Jersey, 7 pm – Many thought that without Alexander Ovechkin in the lineup, the Caps would struggle to score as much as their followers are used to. However, the loss of #8, along with Mike Green’s absence, hasn’t stopped Washington from maintaining its goal scoring frenzy. They still lead the league in goals scored whereas the Devils are tied for first in goals allowed (with the Sabres). In most games, a good defense beats a good offense, and I tend to agree. New Jersey 3, Washington 2.
Vancouver @ Colorado, 10 pm – It’s looking more and more like these two teams are becoming the cream of the crop in the Northwest Division. In their previous two meetings this season, the Avs and Canucks each have a 3-0 over one another. Both of these wins came on the respective teams home ice. Vancouver will be getting this test on their way home from an east-coast road trip, so they will undoubtedly want to snag a win to gain some momentum. Look for Craig Anderson to come up with some big saves and help the Avs gain another two points. Colorado 3, Vancouver 1.
Sunday, November 15
San Jose @ Chicago, 7 pm – Every fantasy manager knows that the San Jose Sharks are a gold mine when it comes to accruing stats. For no other reason, I like the Sharks in this game. I will point out that Chicago has only allowed 38 goals in 15 games and when San Jose scores 2 goals or less, they are 1-5-0. San Jose 4, Chicago 2.
November 13, 2009
Here’s our expert picks for Tuesday, Oct 6th, 2009:
Ottawa 2 – Toronto 3
Toskala plays just strong enough to win, and the Sens struggle to find offense
Dallas 1 – Edmonton 3
Marty Turco stands on his head, but the Stars can’t get more than one past the Bulin Wall
Washington 5 – Philadelphia 2
Chris Pronger and Ray Emery aren’t enough to stop the powerful Capitals attack.
October 5, 2009
