Tweet
NHL
Thursday, February 24
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators (-115, 5.5)
Raise your hand if you have any idea how the Predators are going to score goals. Exactly.
The team has scored a mere six goals in its past four games, including getting shutout in a 4-0 defeat to the Blue Jackets that saw the team get a meager 20 shots on goal – only three of which came in the third period.
"We had too many turnovers and a lot of it was just soft on the puck," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "They kept forechecking and I don't think we managed after the first goal."
But who is going to score for the Predators? Center Marcel Goc (nine goals, 15 assists) is out with an upper body injury and winger Sergei Kostitsyn (16 goals, 18 assists) missed the game against Columbus with an undisclosed injury that has him listed as questionable for Thursday night.
And don’t forget about stud defender Ryan Suter (one goal, 25 assists), who suffered an upper body injury last week against the Coyotes. Since he left the ice, the team has been outscored 5-1.
Expect the Blackhawks to be ready to take full advantage. Chicago is finally getting healthy and has started clicking offensively. The team is 3-1 over its past four games and has notched 14 goals over that span.
That should be plenty enough offense against the Predators.
Pick: Chicago
Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens (-145, 5.5)
Goaltender James Reimer may by just 22 years old, but he is doing something no other player has done for the Maple Leafs this season – give the team a chance to win every time he steps on the ice.
Reimer is 9-4-2 this season with a 2.12 goals-against average and a sterling .934 save percentage. The youngster has been especially consistent this month when the job was handed to him. In February, he is 5-1-2 and given up just 15 goals on 231 shots. With injuries to top goalies Jonas Gustavsson and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, the crease has been his to lose.
“He hasn’t cracked. These are all tough games, low-scoring and tight and he has to make five or six big saves a night,” Toronto coach Ron Wilson said. “He hasn’t made many mistakes. You minimize those, you give your team a chance to win.”
Meantime, Montreal’s Carey Price has been a brick wall against the Maple Leafs. Price has stopped all 57 shots he has faced in two home games against the Maple Leafs this year and is trying to become the first goalie in team history to shutout Toronto in each of Montreal’s three home games against their rival. For his career, Price has a .924 save percentage against the Maple Leafs.
“We’ll need solid goaltending and it will probably be one of those 3-2, 2-1, 1-0, games,” Wilson said. “That’s what I’m counting on, even though we haven’t scored a goal in Montreal this year. We have to find a way to crack Carey.”
Pick: Under
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, February 24
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators (-115, 5.5)
Raise your hand if you have any idea how the Predators are going to score goals. Exactly.
The team has scored a mere six goals in its past four games, including getting shutout in a 4-0 defeat to the Blue Jackets that saw the team get a meager 20 shots on goal – only three of which came in the third period.
"We had too many turnovers and a lot of it was just soft on the puck," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "They kept forechecking and I don't think we managed after the first goal."
But who is going to score for the Predators? Center Marcel Goc (nine goals, 15 assists) is out with an upper body injury and winger Sergei Kostitsyn (16 goals, 18 assists) missed the game against Columbus with an undisclosed injury that has him listed as questionable for Thursday night.
And don’t forget about stud defender Ryan Suter (one goal, 25 assists), who suffered an upper body injury last week against the Coyotes. Since he left the ice, the team has been outscored 5-1.
Expect the Blackhawks to be ready to take full advantage. Chicago is finally getting healthy and has started clicking offensively. The team is 3-1 over its past four games and has notched 14 goals over that span.
That should be plenty enough offense against the Predators.
Pick: Chicago
Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens (-145, 5.5)
Goaltender James Reimer may by just 22 years old, but he is doing something no other player has done for the Maple Leafs this season – give the team a chance to win every time he steps on the ice.
Reimer is 9-4-2 this season with a 2.12 goals-against average and a sterling .934 save percentage. The youngster has been especially consistent this month when the job was handed to him. In February, he is 5-1-2 and given up just 15 goals on 231 shots. With injuries to top goalies Jonas Gustavsson and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, the crease has been his to lose.
“He hasn’t cracked. These are all tough games, low-scoring and tight and he has to make five or six big saves a night,” Toronto coach Ron Wilson said. “He hasn’t made many mistakes. You minimize those, you give your team a chance to win.”
Meantime, Montreal’s Carey Price has been a brick wall against the Maple Leafs. Price has stopped all 57 shots he has faced in two home games against the Maple Leafs this year and is trying to become the first goalie in team history to shutout Toronto in each of Montreal’s three home games against their rival. For his career, Price has a .924 save percentage against the Maple Leafs.
“We’ll need solid goaltending and it will probably be one of those 3-2, 2-1, 1-0, games,” Wilson said. “That’s what I’m counting on, even though we haven’t scored a goal in Montreal this year. We have to find a way to crack Carey.”
Pick: Under
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment