HOCKEY NHL ARTICLES

The Anaheim Ducks control their own destiny, as a strong finish to the season will secure them a playoff berth in the Western Conference. However, some struggles down the stretch will open up a possibility of falling out of the top eight seeds. The Ducks will aim to pick up a critical win when they face off against the Dallas Stars in one of the NHL Games of the Week. ... 

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are favored on Thursday night in the Frozen Four on ESPN 2, as they take on the Michigan Wolverines. These two are better known for their football exploits, but Michigan is no stranger to hockey titles, having won it all eight times. Notre Dame has never won the college hockey title, but they did make the Frozen Four last season and this year they are a No. 1 seed. Let’s look at the matchup and Frozen Four picks.... 

The first of the two Frozen Four semifinal games on Thursday on ESPN 2 has Minnesota Duluth taking on Ohio State. The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs were the runner-ups last year but they lost a lot of players from last year’s squad and were not expected to make a return trip to the Frozen Four this year. On the other side, the Ohio State Buckeyes are a No. 1 seed and a team loaded with talent. Let’s look at the matchup and Frozen Four picks.... 

The Philadelphia Flyers host the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon on NBC. The Bruins have one of the top records in the NHL and they are headed to the playoffs, while the Flyers still have work to do. The Bruins still could finish with the best record in the NHL, as they are just behind Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division. The Flyers are trying to stay in front of New Jersey and Florida for one of the last two playoffs spots in the East.... 

Metropolitan Division rivals meet on Sunday night, as the Washington Capitals visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on NBCSN. The Capitals could virtually wrap up first place in the division if they can win this game on Sunday, while the Penguins need to win this game to have any realistic chance of catching Washington. These teams have met three times this season, with Pittsburgh winning twice. Let’s look at Sunday’s contest and NHL picks.... 

The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild play the first half of a home and home on Thursday night with the Wild listed as home favorites. The teams will play again on Saturday in Dallas. The Stars have been a disaster over the past few weeks and their playoff chances are almost gone, while the Wild are trying to hold onto third place in the Central Division. Let’s look at this contest on Thursday on NBCSN and NHL picks.... 

The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals will play the back end of a home and home on Wednesday night with the Capitals listed as home favorites. The teams met in New York on Monday night and on Wednesday they will play in Washington. The Rangers are trying to play the role of spoiler, as they are out of playoff contention, while the Capitals are trying to hold off Pittsburgh for first place in the Metropolitan Division. Let’s look at this contest on Wednesday and NHL picks.... 

Metropolitan Division rivals meet on Sunday afternoon on NBC, as the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers are just behind the Penguins in the division but nothing is set, as just five points separate first from fourth place. The Flyers and Penguins have met three times this season and it has been all Pittsburgh, as they won by scores of 5-4, 5-1 and 5-2. Let’s look at this contest on Sunday and NHL picks.... 

The top two teams in the Pacific Division meet on Thursday night, as the Vegas Golden Knights visit the San Jose Sharks. The Golden Knights are in first place in the division and unless they totally collapse, they are going to win the division. The Sharks are in second place, but they are just barely in front of Los Angeles and Anaheim. This will be the third meeting of the season between Vegas and San Jose, with the Golden Knights winning the previous two. Let’s look at this contest on Thursday and NHL picks. ... 

The Philadelphia Flyers are road favorites on Tuesday night, as they visit the Detroit Red Wings in a game that can be seen on NBCSN. The Flyers are making a push to the playoffs and can’t afford to be losing to a Detroit team that has really struggled over the past month. The Red Wings had lost nine in a row before Sunday’s game in Colorado. Let’s look at this contest on Tuesday and NHL picks.... 

The St. Louis Blues host the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night in a game that can be seen on NBCSN. The Bruins have one of the best records in the NHL and actually could finish with the top record in the East if they can catch Tampa Bay, while the Blues are fighting just to make the playoffs. Every game is critical for St. Louis, who is currently just outside of the top eight in the West. Let’s look at this contest on Wednesday and NHL picks.... 

It is getting to the point in the season where almost every game is a must-win for the St. Louis Blues. They are in a fight for one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference and they can’t afford to be losing games against teams like the Chicago Blackhawks who are going to miss the playoffs. It won’t be easy, as this game on Sunday on NBCSN is a big rivalry contest, and it will be a spotlight game on national television. Let’s look at this contest and NHL picks.... 

The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking more like two-time defending Stanley Cup champions of late. The Penguins have won four of their last five games and they are now right with Washington for the lead in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins will be road favorites in this contest against a New York Rangers team that is out of playoff contention. The Penguins have won 7 of the last 10 meetings in this series against New York. Let’s look at this contest and NHL picks. ... 

The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks complete the back half of a home-and-home on Sunday on NBC. The Bruins are in second place in the Atlantic Division and a serious Stanley Cup contender, while the Blackhawks are almost assuredly going to miss the playoffs for the first time under head coach Joel Quenneville. The teams have split their last ten meetings in Chicago. The Bruins should be listed as small road favorites in this contest. Let’s look at this matinee and NHL picks.... 

Metropolitan Division rivals meet on Wednesday night on NBCSN, as the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Philadelphia Flyers. The teams are separated by just one point in the standings, as they battle for second place in the division, so this is a huge contest. The Penguins have won both of the meetings this season, winning 5-1 in Philadelphia and 5-4 in Pittsburgh. The Penguins have won 7 of the last 10 meetings in the series overall.... 

The Washington Capitals begin a three-game West Coast road trip on Tuesday night, as they visit the Anaheim Ducks in a game that can be seen on NBCSN. The Capitals are coming off a good performance in the Stadium Series on Saturday, as they routed Toronto 5-2, while the Ducks were home against Chicago on Sunday. The Capitals lead the Metropolitan Division, while the Ducks are barely hanging on to the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.... 

It is outdoor hockey on Saturday night, as the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Washington Capitals on NBC. The Capitals will be the home team at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland and it will be the 25^th game in the NHL’s Stadium Series. The temperature should be around 50 degrees, but the ice should be very good because there is one of the best mobile rink refrigeration units in the world right next to the stadium. Let’s look at the game and NHL picks.... 

It is a matchup of Stanley Cup contenders on Thursday night on NBCSN, as the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Boston Bruins. The Penguins are two-time defending champions, while the Bruins have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins will be home favorites in this contest, and the price might be higher than expected if Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray remains out. Let’s look at the game and NHL picks.... 

The Vegas Golden Knights are favored at home on Tuesday night on NBCSN, as they host the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings are currently just outside of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, while the Golden Knights have the best record in the West. The Golden Knights have been outstanding at home this season, as they have the best record in the league at 24-5-2. This is the back end of a home-and-home, as the Kings and Golden Knights played in Los Angeles on Monday. Let’s look at the game and NHL picks.... 

The Nashville Predators are favored at home on Sunday, as they host the St. Louis Blues in a game that can be seen on NBC. The Blues are in a major fight to make the playoffs, as they are battling for third place in the Central Division, while the Predators lead the division. These teams have met three times this season, with Nashville winning all three games. It has been nothing but misery for the Blues in Nashville recently, as they have lost the last seven meetings. Let’s look at Sunday’s game and NHL picks.... 

Two teams that had high expectations, but are now looking at rebuilding, meet on Thursday night, as the New York Rangers visit the Montreal Canadiens. The Rangers are in the midst of an extremely disappointing season and it could be that big name players like Rick Nash, Michael Grabner and Ryan McDonagh are traded before next week’s trading deadline. The Canadiens are in no better shape in the standings and they could be moving some of their players before next Monday. Let’s look at the game and NHL picks.... 

The best road team in the NHL, the Calgary Flames, visits the league’s top home team, the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night. The Flames have 17 road wins on the season and just seven regulation losses to go along with five overtime or shootout losses. The Golden Knights went into Monday’s game against Anaheim with 22 home victories and just six home losses. Let’s look at the game and NHL picks.... 

The New York Rangers face a tough situation on Sunday, as they will be playing their third game in four days and with no rest, as they host the Philadelphia Flyers on NBC. The Rangers have been a decent home team this season, going 18-13, but this is not a good scheduling spot. On the other side, the Flyers had Saturday off after playing in Columbus on Friday. Let’s look at this Sunday matinee and NHL picks.... 

A long seven-game road trip continues for the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, as they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on TSN. The Kings are battling to stay in a playoff spot in the Western Conference, while the Penguins are gaining ground fast on the Washington Capitals for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. The Kings and Penguins met last month in Los Angeles and it was the Penguins winning by a score of 3-1.... 

Something has to give on Tuesday night, as one of the best road teams, the Calgary Flames, meet one of the top home teams, the Boston Bruins. The Flames are in the midst of a long six-game road trip, while the Bruins are playing this one home contest before heading out on a five-game road trip. The Bruins have won 7 of the last 10 meetings in this series in Boston, but Calgary did win 2-1 at TD Garden last season....