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NHL
Sunday, February 6
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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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St. Louis Blues at Tampa Bay Lightning (-156, 5.5)
The road is the last place that the Blues want to be. St. Louis is 7-20 in its past 27 road games as it struggles to play defense away from the “Show Me State.” Over its past five road games, the team has coughed up an average of four goals per contest.
But St. Louis hasn’t been winning anywhere lately. The Blues have lost seven of their past 10 games overall and have beaten only Edmonton and Los Angeles during that span.
“It’s hard not to look at the standings every day and see where you are,” Blues center Andy McDonald said, “but the bottom line is we have to play the way we’re capable of, the way we were at the start of the season.”
Meantime, the Lightning are looking to rebound from a 5-2 loss to Washington that saw a six-game winning streak snapped. And Tampa Bay forward Simone Gagne will be the one to lead the way. The former Flyers star has just 10 goals and 16 assists in 34 games, but has notched four goals and three assists in his past four.
"He's healthy," Tampa Bay right wing Teddy Purcell said. "And because of that, his legs are going. He's getting to a lot of pucks, and because of that, he's getting more chances. He's a guy who knows where to go on the ice, and he's getting rewarded because he's such a smart player."
Pick: Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (-145, 5.5)
The injuries are catching up with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team learned Saturday it will likely be without star center Evgeni Malkin for the rest of the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Add him to a list of shelved forwards that includes Sidney Crosby, Mike Comrie and likely Aaron Asham, who is recovering from an upper body injury.
"You are talking about Evgeni Malkin," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "Just getting back in the lineup and healthy, this is obviously a difficult injury for him."
And it’s a tough time for the Penguins to continue to patch together an offense to replace all that production. The Capitals appear to be turning a bit of a corner after posting a solid, 5-2 win over the Lightning in Tampa Bay.
"We kept the puck in there and we kept the puck deep," Capitals forward Niklas Backstrom, who had four points against Tampa Bay, said. "We had the puck longer in their offensive zone every shift and that's what we need if we're going to create chances like we did today."
In the team’s past three victories, Backstrom has three goals and five assists. Look for him to add to that total against the Penguins.
Pick: Washington
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Sunday, February 6
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Louis Blues at Tampa Bay Lightning (-156, 5.5)
The road is the last place that the Blues want to be. St. Louis is 7-20 in its past 27 road games as it struggles to play defense away from the “Show Me State.” Over its past five road games, the team has coughed up an average of four goals per contest.
But St. Louis hasn’t been winning anywhere lately. The Blues have lost seven of their past 10 games overall and have beaten only Edmonton and Los Angeles during that span.
“It’s hard not to look at the standings every day and see where you are,” Blues center Andy McDonald said, “but the bottom line is we have to play the way we’re capable of, the way we were at the start of the season.”
Meantime, the Lightning are looking to rebound from a 5-2 loss to Washington that saw a six-game winning streak snapped. And Tampa Bay forward Simone Gagne will be the one to lead the way. The former Flyers star has just 10 goals and 16 assists in 34 games, but has notched four goals and three assists in his past four.
"He's healthy," Tampa Bay right wing Teddy Purcell said. "And because of that, his legs are going. He's getting to a lot of pucks, and because of that, he's getting more chances. He's a guy who knows where to go on the ice, and he's getting rewarded because he's such a smart player."
Pick: Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (-145, 5.5)
The injuries are catching up with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team learned Saturday it will likely be without star center Evgeni Malkin for the rest of the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Add him to a list of shelved forwards that includes Sidney Crosby, Mike Comrie and likely Aaron Asham, who is recovering from an upper body injury.
"You are talking about Evgeni Malkin," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "Just getting back in the lineup and healthy, this is obviously a difficult injury for him."
And it’s a tough time for the Penguins to continue to patch together an offense to replace all that production. The Capitals appear to be turning a bit of a corner after posting a solid, 5-2 win over the Lightning in Tampa Bay.
"We kept the puck in there and we kept the puck deep," Capitals forward Niklas Backstrom, who had four points against Tampa Bay, said. "We had the puck longer in their offensive zone every shift and that's what we need if we're going to create chances like we did today."
In the team’s past three victories, Backstrom has three goals and five assists. Look for him to add to that total against the Penguins.
Pick: Washington
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