Don’t look now, but the Dallas Stars have moved into the lead in the NHL’s Central Division. They have won six of ten and now have 74 points, tied with the St. Louis Blues, who have lost five straight, but the Stars have the edge because of a greater number of wins. Colorado is just two points back, with two games in hand, but the Avalanche have lost two in a row. In the Pacific Division, the Edmonton Oilers are the team in the lead this week, as the top five teams in the division are separated by just four points. Vancouver, Vegas, Calgary and Arizona are also in the mix for teams that could either end up winning a division or missing out on the postseason altogether on the basis of just a few points. In the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning have won ten in a row, but they still have not yet caught the Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division, as the B’s have won nine of ten and still lead by three points, but the Lightning have a game in hand. In the Metropolitan Division, Pittsburgh is still charging hard, just a point behind Washington for the division lead, and with a game in hand. The Penguins have won seven of ten — as have the New York Rangers, who are now just seven points out of the second wild card after a dismal start. Don’t miss our top two NHL betting picks for this week.
Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week February 17th Edition
Monday, February 17Tampa Bay at Colorado (9:00 pm ET, RSN)
The Lightning beat Columbus and Pittsburgh on the road to start last week out, and then they came home to beat Edmonton and Philadelphia by a combined score of 8-4 on Thursday and Saturday. In that win over the Flyers, Philadelphia brought plenty of offense, but Andrei Vasilevskiy posted 30 saves for the Lightning, giving them 11 wins in a row at home, a franchise record, and they became the third team in league history to have two different winning streaks of 10 or more games in the same season, joining the Boston Bruins of 1929-30 and 1970-71. The Lightning got goals from Alex Killorn, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Cedric Paquette and Carter Verhaeghe.
Next up for the Lightning comes a trip to the Mile High City. The Avalanche have lost two in a row, falling at home to Washington on Thursday, 3-2, and then losing to Los Angeles at home on Saturday, 3-1. In that loss to the Kings, “home” was actually a game outdoors at the Air Force Academy, as the NHL Stadium Series was in play. Tyler Toffoli posted the first outdoor hat trick in league history for the Kings. Colorado outshot Los Angeles, 33-23, but they had some bad penalties that cut their power plays in the first period short. Goaltender Philipp Grubaurer went down with a lower-body injury in the third period, so it could be Pavel Francouz in net for Colorado against Tampa Bay.
Final Score Prediction: Tampa Bay 4, Colorado 2
Tuesday, February 18
Toronto at Pittsburgh (7:00 pm ET, NBC Sports)
Toronto has alternated wins and losses their last four games, beating Arizona at home before losing to Dallas, and then going on the road to beat Ottawa but then losing to Buffalo on Sunday. In that loss to the Sabres, the game was tied 2-2 going into the third period, but then Buffalo tallied three times in 91 seconds in the third period, sending the Maple Leafs home disappointed. Zach Hyman and Egor Korshkov scored for the Maple Leafs, and Frederik Anderson stopped 31 shots, but that flurry by the Sabres doomed the Maple Leafs. If Toronto can’t get better defense on Tuesday, that game could turn into a rout in a hurry.
The Penguins come in winners of three of their last four. They beat Florida on the road last Saturday before coming home to lose to Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Then they hosted Montreal and Detroit, winning those games by a combined score of 9-2. That win over the Red Wings came on Sunday, and it was the fourth line that dominated the game for Pittsburgh. Patric Hornqvist had a pair of goals and an assist. Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Sam Lafferty all scored for Pittsburgh. Matt Murray made 27 saves. Given how well Pittsburgh is playing right now, it’s hard to see an inconsistent Toronto team coming in and getting a win.
Final Score Prediction: Pittsburgh 5, Toronto 3
