The Boston Bruins have snapped out of their malaise, winning seven of their last ten, but the Tampa Bay Lightning have held pace with them, still five points back in the Atlantic Division with a game in hand. Florida is also charging, with seven wins in their last ten, moving into fourth place in the division. Washington still leads the Metropolitan Division, but the Pittsburgh Penguins keep pushing despite all their injuries, winners of eight of their last ten and now just four points back of the Capitals with a game in hand. Columbus is the hottest team in the division, winning eight of ten and getting a point in one of their losses, now at the top of a four-team logjam separated by just a pair of points.
The St. Louis Blues have dropped two straight but still lead the Central Division by eight points, as neither Colorado nor Dallas seems interested in going on a run right now. Vancouver has started to pull away a bit in the Pacific Division, now leading by three points in a division that at one point had just four points separating five teams. That number has climbed to six points separating those teams, as fifth-place Arizona is six points behind the Canucks. If you plan to include professional hockey in your sports betting this week, don’t miss our top two NHL betting primo picks.
Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – January 20th Edition
NHL Power Rankings: 1 player on each team who needs to step up https://t.co/PB2Qe2F7Zw pic.twitter.com/2GG14bLgrg
— theScore NHL (@theScoreNHL) February 3, 2020
Monday, February 3rd
Dallas at N.Y. Rangers (7:00 pm ET, ESPN+)
Since returning from the All-Star break, the Dallas Stars have won two of three, edging the Tampa Bay Lightning by a goal, losing at home by two to Toronto and then edging the New Jersey Devils in overtime, 3-2, on Saturday. In that game, Joe Pavelski scored the game-winner 1:39 into overtime, converting a rebound off a shot by Mattias Janmark. Jason Dickinson and Joel Kiviranta also tallied for the Stars, and Ben Bishop stopped 29 shots. The Stars had led 2-1 at one point before the Devils drew level, but the Stars got a clutch goal when they needed it most.
Next the Stars head across the river to take on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers have won both of their games since the All-Star break, sweeping a home-and-home series with the woeful Detroit Red Wings, winning 4-2 at home on Friday and then heading to Detroit to snag a 1-0 win on Saturday. In that game, Henrik Lundqvist stopped 33 shots for his first shutout of the year, making a first-period goal from Mika Zibanejad stand up. If Lundqvist can build some confidence, the Rangers could certainly use him as they push for a playoff spot.
NHL Betting Prediction: Dallas 4, New York 2
Tuesday, February 4th
Vancouver at Boston (7:00 pm ET)
The Vancouver Canucks have been busy since the All-star break, playing four games already and winning three of them. They beat St. Louis at home and then went on the road to beat San Jose and the New York Islanders. Then they headed to Carolina and lost in a shootout, 4-3, on the second night of a back-to-back. In that loss, Elias Petterson had a pair of goals and Tyler Myers also found the back of the net. Thatcher Demko stopped 29 shots, including a stick save on a one-timer in overtime. However, it seems that weariness caught up with the Canucks.
Things don’t get easier tomorrow night with the B’s preparing to welcome Vancouver. Boston is 2-0 since the All-Star break, winning in Winnipeg and Minnesota by a combined score of 8-2. On Saturday, they routed the Wild, 6-1. David Pastrnak scored his 38th goal, tying a career best and extending his league lead, and Torey Krug had a pair of goals. Three power-play goals in the third period helped push the rout. Jaroslav Halak stopped 25 shots, not yielding the shutout until late in the third, when Mats Zuccarello made it 4-1. After that, Boston would add another two goals to seal the win. Can the Canucks keep up with Boston three time zones from home?
NHL Betting Prediction: Boston 5, Vancouver 3
