Mav321

celtics -2.5 [image from unapproved source]

celtics -2.5  

mavericks -5 [image from unapproved source]

Shootout Candidate(s) –

Washington over Montreal / Detroit over Ottawa

I couldn’t decide over which game had more shootout potential, so I simply chose both.

Washington and Montreal both needed a shootout in their first games of the season to come out on top, and when you are pitting two of the best goalies on Earth against each other, there is a real possibility that this game will need (at the least) overtime, if not a shootout to decide a winner.

Look for Washington to edge out Montreal by a score of 2-1 in the shootout, as both goalies play remarkable for 65+ minutes.

For the Detroit and Montreal game, I feel like both teams find a way to stay in games, and both teams find a way to blow leads. This feels like one of those games – where Ottawa will have a lead late until Detroit ties it up and eventually prevails in the shootout.

Look for Detroit to come back late and edge Ottawa by a score of 5-4 in the shootout.

Shootout Candidate(s) –

Washington over Montreal / Detroit over Ottawa

I couldn’t decide over which game had more shootout potential, so I simply chose both.

Washington and Montreal both needed a shootout in their first games of the season to come out on top, and when you are pitting two of the best goalies on Earth against each other, there is a real possibility that this game will need (at the least) overtime, if not a shootout to decide a winner.

Look for Washington to edge out Montreal by a score of 2-1 in the shootout, as both goalies play remarkable for 65+ minutes.

For the Detroit and Montreal game, I feel like both teams find a way to stay in games, and both teams find a way to blow leads. This feels like one of those games – where Ottawa will have a lead late until Detroit ties it up and eventually prevails in the shootout.

Look for Detroit to come back late and edge Ottawa by a score of 5-4 in the shootout.

(Upset) Pick of the Day –

Vancouver over Edmonton

Call me crazy, but I was at the last Canucks preseason game against Edmonton (virtually each teams entire starting roster) and the Canucks looked like a team ready to move on from last years debacle. They played hard, and did not allow Edmonton to enter the zone and maintain pressure for long spurts. Now I know it was preseason, and the line matchups probably weren’t what they will be on Saturday night, but I feel like Vancouver is ready to start off on a high note (regardless or where they finish the season), and there is no better way to do it than to beat McDavid’s Oilers.

Don’t get me wrong, Connor McDavid has taken over as the best hockey player on Earth, and the Oilers are my choice to win the Stanley Cup this year. This game could just as easily be an Oilers blow out (my fantasy hockey team would appreciate it), but something tells me this game is going to go just as the last preseason game went. Hard fought, low scoring, and somehow, someway, the Canucks will pull out the major upset.

Prediction: Vancouver 3 Edmonton 2

(Actual) Pick of the Day –

Nashville over Pittsburgh

It may look like I am ragging on the Pens… and it’s true. There are tons of reasons why I feel Nashville will beat Pittsburgh, but let’s start with the most obvious… Revenge.

Pittsburgh beat Nashville in the Stanley Cup Finals, and don’t think that the Preds haven’t had this game circled on the calendar since it was released. Nashville will come flying out of the gates, and the besieged Penguins won’t have an answer.

Pittsburgh is exhausted. Two straight seasons of Stanley Cup wins means a whole lot of extra hockey. Coupled with the fact that this will be their third game in four nights, and the fact that both goalies saw action in the 10-1 drubbing; means that they will have little to no energy left by the time the puck drops.

I have also said this since the offseason; Pittsburgh is suffering the same fate as Chicago after their multiple Stanley Cups in that they have lost all of their secondary scoring. All of the players who have had great playoff runs have moved on to bigger contracts and different cities. Yes, they have Crosby, Malkin, and Kessel, and I imagine that if they all stay healthy they canprobably carry Pittsburgh to a ton of wins this season. However, on days where they can’t, I don’t foresee a ton of goals on a regular basis by their supporting cast.

Look for Rinne to shut the door for the majority of this game, and Murray to feel the effects of having to play back to back nights with only a day of rest between the 10-1 debacle and this game.

Prediction: Nashville 5 Pittsburgh 2

Predictions for Today’s Games:

Colorado @ New Jersey – Colorado

NY Rangers @ Toronto – Toronto

Detroit @ Ottawa – Detroit

Tampa Bay @ Florida – Florida

Buffalo @ NY Islanders – Buffalo

Nashville @ Pittsburgh – Nashville

Montreal @ Washington – Washington

Minnesota @ Carolina – Minnesota

Dallas @ St. Louis – St. Louis

Columbus @ Chicago – Chicago

Vegas @ Arizona – Arizona

Edmonton @ Vancouver – Vancouver

Philadelphia @ Anaheim – Philadelphia

Winnipeg @ Calgary – Winnipeg

Los Angeles @ San Jose – San Jose

Yesterday’s Picks: 3-0

Overall Record: 11-4

Pick of the Day Record: 2-0

Predictions for Today’s Games:

NY Islanders @ Columbus – Columbus

Florida @ Tampa Bay – Tampa Bay

Las Vegas @ Dallas – Las Vegas

Pick of the Day –

Tampa Bay over Florida

With the return of a healthy Stamkos (who knows for how long), and the loss of Jagr (I believe this will have more of an impact than people imagine in Florida’s first 10-15 games), Tampa should run over a Florida team who crumbled in the second half of the season last year, and didn’t do much in the offseason to bolster their roster.

With Stamkos, Kucherov, Palat, and co. primed for a high octane season, I can see this game getting ugly. While it may not have the makings of the 10-1 drubbing Chicago laid on Pittsburgh last night, I think Tampa will put up 5 en route to a solid start to their season.

Prediction: Tampa Bay 5 Florida 1

Shootout Candidate –

Las Vegas over Dallas

Vegas winning their season opener means more to the NHL than any other story line coming out of the first round of games. What better way to do it than to upset a massive favourite in Dallas in the shootout?!

Dallas is projected to get 98 points this year, and I feel like they are going to fall well below that mark. While they have a healthy Seguin, as well as Radulov, I believe it will take time for them to become a juggernaut scoring unit.

Look for Vegas to win a low scoring affair in the shootout, edging out Dallas by a score of 3-2.

Yesterday’s games left something to be desired in terms of favourites and winning their respective games. It’s always a crapshoot to handicap hockey games this early in the year, as the odds typically reflect how the team finished in the previous season, and not so much how they improved (or became worse) during the offseason. The Rangers and Wild were favourites heading into their season openers, and both came up short.

My first “Pick of the Day” came up big, however. As I imagined, Niemi was horrendous in his first game as a Penguin, allowing 4 goals on 13 shots before getting yanked. Murray didn’t fare much better, allowing 6 goals on 31 shots. By that point, however, Pittsburgh had given up.

As I am celebrating my 30th birthday today, I expect to get all of my predictions correct! I am going to add a separate segment as to what game I feel is the most likely to go to a shootout as well as a write up for my pick of the day.

Yesterday’s Picks: 5-3

Overall Record: 8-4

Pick of the Day Record: 1-0

Nashville @ Boston – Nashville

Montreal @ Buffalo – Montreal

Colorado @ NY Rangers – NY Rangers

Washington @ Ottawa – Washington

Minnesota @ Detroit – Minnesota

Pittsburgh @ Chicago – Chicago

Arizona @ Anaheim – Anaheim

Philadelphia @ Los Angeles – Los Angeles

Pick of the day: 

Chicago over Pittsburgh

Yes, I know this is the beginning of the season. Everyone is fresh, everyone is ready and eager to play. But you try telling me that losing your season opener in overtime (the game that you hung your banner, no less), to a team that is decimated by injuries; and then having to travel for an away game the following day isn’t taxing.

The main reason I’m all over Chicago tonight is Crawford. He sports an impressive 6-1 record against Pittsburgh. While Chicago lost Panarin to Columbus in the offseason, as well as Hossa to a skin infection, they still have Patrick Kane and Johnny Toews.

If Pittsburgh plays Matt Murray in goal, he will not doubt be a little fatigued. If they play their new backup Antti Niemi, they will be at a distinct disadvantage in crease. I’ve never been a fan of Niemi, and can see him being shaky to start his career in Pittsburgh.

I think Chicago’s barn will be rocking on opening night, and that energy should help propel the Hawks to a regulation win. Dodododododo-dododododododo

Prediction – Chicago 4 Pittsburgh 2