The Dallas Stars had a chance to make a statement against their rivals in the Central Division on Friday night, as the St. Louis Blues came to town, and their response was to come out flat and get run out of their own rink in a 5-1 shellacking. The Stars did win on Sunday but have slid to third as a result, four points behind the Blues and a point behind the Colorado Avalanche. In the Pacific Division, Vegas has gone on a six-game winning streak and now leads Edmonton by three, in a division in which six points separate first place from fifth. In the Atlantic Division, Boston still leads Tampa Bay by five points, even though the Bruins were routed in Vancouver to finish their Western Canada swing. In the Metropolitan Division, Pittsburgh has hit the skids, losing three in a row, and now they are just three points ahead of Philadelphia, winners of three straight. If NHL action is part of your NHL betting plan for the week ahead, don’t miss our top two picks.
Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week 22
Tuesday, February 25
Calgary at Boston (7:00 pm ET)
The Calgary Flames continue their season of considerable inconsistency, having split their last six games. When the Flames’ offense is on, then the team scores in bunches, and they tend to overwhelm the opposition. In their 4-2 win over Detroit on Sunday, Calgary got out to an early 2-0 lead, with first-period goals from Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan just 77 seconds apart. However, Detroit scored late in the first to make it 2-1, but then Noah Hanifin clanked a shot off Andrew Mangiapane’s leg to make it 3-1 near the end of the second period. Detroit drew closer with a goal with two minutes left, with their goalie pulled, but then Mangiapane had an empty-netter to make it a 4-2 win. If the Flames want to beat Boston, their defense will have to be much better.
After that 4-3 win in Calgary on Friday, the Bruins went to Vancouver the next night and were thrashed, 9-3. Boston put 37 shots on the Vancouver net, but Jacob Markstrom had 34 stops for the Canucks. David Pastrnak had goals #44 and #45 on the season to add to his lead in the NHL, and Chris Wagner also scored for the Bruins, but they could not deal with the Vancouver onslaught. Tuukka Rask had 21 saves on 27 shots, and Jaroslav Halak came on in the third period, stopping just five of eight shots. Can Boston shake off a bad night and come home and take care of the Flames?
Final Score Prediction: Boston 5, Calgary 2
Wednesday, February 26
Buffalo at Colorado (8:00 pm ET, NBC Sports)
Buffalo comes in having won five of their last six, some against NHL contenders. They have taken down Detroit, Columbus, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Winnipeg, with their lone loss coming in Ottawa. They beat the Jets, 2-1, on Sunday at home. In that game, rookie Jonas Johansson had 25 saves to pick up his first NHL win. The Sabres are now tied for fifth with Montreal, just six points behind Toronto, who is in third place and who is losing games.
Next up for Buffalo is a trip to Colorado, where the Avalanche have won three in a row, taking down the New York Islanders, Anaheim and Los Angeles. They beat the Kings on Saturday out in Hollywood, holding on for a 2-1 win via shootout. Ryan Graves had the team’s lone goal during regulation, and Pavel Francouz had 20 shots in regulation and overtime, as well as two more in the shootout. Can Colorado make it four in a row? Or can the Sabres keep climbing toward playoff contention? Playing at high altitude can be a challenge for teams that play most of their games near sea level.
Final Score Prediction: Colorado 4, Buffalo 3
