At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the Winnipeg Jets.  The Hurricanes come into tonight having been shutout in their last two games.  Those were just the third and fourth times that the 'Canes have been shutout this season and the first time they've been blanked in consecutive games.  Four of the Carolina's last five games have now resulted in shutouts (they did their own blanking against the Flyers and Lightning prior to those last two losses).  They'll look to rebound against a Jets team that's on a two-game win streak, but who has lost seven of their last 10.  The Jets are also 1-4 in the last five meetings with the 'Canes while the favorite is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings of these two.  Meanwhile, the 'Canes are 18-5 in their last 23 games vs. teams with a winning record and 20-7 in their last 27 immediately following a loss by three or more goals.  Take Carolina.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New Jersey Devils over the Washington Capitals.  Although the Caps didn't completely disband their veteran team at the trade deadline, they lost several solid players that had been with them for some time.  In return, DC got what it is hoping are a valuable collection of future draft picks and that the roster will still be left with enough star power to perhaps ensure the it can be moderately competitive the rest of the way.  The Caps just returned from a west coast road trip in which they took two of three games.  Their 'reward' is having to play the best road team in the league upon their return to Washington tonight.  The Devils are an astonishing 23-4-4 away from New Jersey, a record that they themselves would be hard-pressed to explain.  That record, combined with the fact that the Caps are 1-5 in their last six here at Capital One Arena, may mean a long night for the home team.  New Jersey is 6-0 in its last six games vs. Metropolitan teams while the favorite is 42-14 in the last 56 meetings of these two clubs.  Take the Devils.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Detroit Red Wings over the Chicago Blackhawks.  The 'Hawks shut out Ottawa, 5-0, on Monday.  We'll fade the Blackhawks tonight, as they've gone 1-7 off a shutout win, and 3-14 off a win by more than 2 goals (and 0-6 off a win by more than 3 goals).  Meanwhile, Detroit's 8-4 (+10.0 net games on the moneyline) after scoring 1 goal or less in their two previous games.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Edmonton Oilers over the Buffalo Sabres.  It was a busy deadline season for the Oilers who pulled off three fairly major deals between Tuesday and Thursday.  On paper Edmonton improved its blue line with the acquisition of Mattias Ekholm from the Predators although you wouldn't know it based on Saturday's 7-5 loss at the hands of the Jets.  The Oilers look to bounce back from that one tonight in Buffalo against a Sabres team which has won five of its last six.  Jack Campbell faltered badly in goal once again in that Winnipeg loss so expect Stuart Skinner to be in net tonight for this one.  Although Campbell started the season as the #1 Edmonton netminder, Skinner is the #1 right now with Campbell having assumed the role of back-up.  Indeed, the Oilers have lost each of Campbell's last 5 starts, while the 24-year-old Skinner has been impressive recently with a 2-0 record and 2.51 GAA in his two starts this month.  And the Oilers are 4-1 in his last five starts, with the only loss to the other-worldly Boston Bruins.  The Oilers are 11-4 in their last 15 games vs. teams from the Atlantic Division and they're 40-17 in their last 57 after allowing five or more goals in their previous game.  Take Edmonton.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over Minnesota.  The Wild won on the road vs. Vancouver on Thursday.  But Minnesota is a poor 7-15 (minus 11.9 net games) on the road off a road win.  Take Calgary.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Florida Panthers over Pittsburgh.  The Penguins won, 5-4, in overtime vs. the Lightning, on Thursday.  We'll fade the Pens at Florida, as Pittsburgh is a soft 14-23 on the road (minus 16.8 net games) after scoring 4+ goals.  Take Florida.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Compared with other contenders in the East -- the Maple Leafs and Rangers in particular -- the Lightning have been relatively quiet on the trade block approaching the deadline.  They did just make a deal and created some cap space by moving Vladislav Namestnikov to the Sharks, so another move may follow.  But for now it's business as usual on the ice and that means avenging an ugly loss to the Pens in Pittsburgh just four days ago.  The Penguins embarrassed the Bolts, 7-3 and then Tampa followed that up with a lackluster performance at home against the Panthers.  They'll regroup tonight for the Pittsburgh rematch in a much better environment than the meeting on Sunday.  The Bolts are 5-2 in the last seven meetings with the Pens here at Amalie Arena.  The Pens are .500 overall, but just 3-12 in their last 15 games vs. teams with a winning record.  They're also 3-12 in their last 15 against the Eastern Conference.  Take Pittsburgh.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 3:35 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over the New York Islanders.  In a move that should bolster their offense, the Jets acquired winger Nino Niederreiter on Saurday from the Predators in exchange for a 2024 2nd round draft pick.  It's an offense that's managed just one goal in each of its last two games and it could certainly use a talent like the 30-year-old Niederreiter who should be available for his Winnipeg debut this afternoon.  The Jets likely aren't done either when it comes to improving the team as the trading deadline and post-season quickly approach.  This afternoon they will entertain an Islander team that made an early acquisition when it acquired Bo Horvat from the Canucks back on January 30.  Although Horvat has made an early impact, the Isles are still just 3-5 in their last eight games and have fallen below the .500 mark as a result.  Winnipeg was blasted at home by the Avs, 5-1 in its last but the Jets are 9-1 in their last 10 following a home loss of three or more goals.  New York is 1-5 in its last six vs. Central Division teams.  Take the Jets.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over the Colorado Avalanche.  The Jets have lost three of their last four games but when you consider those losses came in New York, New Jersey, and Columbus, it's really not that surprising.  The fact is that Winnipeg has been a .500 team at best on the road this season, but has been killing it here at home.  In 28 games at Canada Life Centre, the Jets are 20-8 -- the best home record in the Western Conference.  If we take a look at the Jets goals against this season, it's easy to see why they're so much better at home.  In those 28 games here in Winnipeg, the Jets have allowed an average of 2.29 GPG -- best in the Conference and second-best in the NHL.  But in their 30 games on the road, that number balloons to 2.87.  In a season full of injuries, the Avs were dealt another blow when All Star Defenseman Cale Makar recently went out with concussion symptoms and will not be available tonight.  This has been one of most host-friendly series in hockey recently as the home team is 25-9 in the last 34 meetings.  Take the Jets.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over the Detroit Red Wings.  The Rangers made a couple of early deadline trades, acquiring forward Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola from St. Louis Blues on February 9, and then re-acquiring forward Tyler Motte from the Ottawa Senators on February 19 (Motte was with New York for a bit last season).  The Rangers are serious about trying to win this season, despite the fact that it's still a tall mountain to climb when you consider the competition in the East.  And don't be surprised if the Rangers aren't done as there is still more than a week left before the deadline.  They travel to the Motor City for the second time this season and they can only hope that this trip is as fruitful as the last one when New York steamrolled the Wings here on November 10, 8-2.  That's been par for the course for this series as the road team is 5-1 in the last six meetings of these two.  Detroit will likely be without C Robby Fabri who continues to battle a lower body injury.  New York is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.  Take the Rangers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the Edmonton Oilers over the Colorado Avalanche.  The Maple Leafs threw down the gauntlet and pulled off the first blockbuster trade of the winter when they acquired forwards Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues in a three-team deal.  But don't be surprised if this is the first for many teams in the NHL, including the Oilers as they find themselves in a situation very similar to the Leafs with the trade deadline fast approaching.  Edmonton currently holds the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference but it has lost three straight, including the last two in shootouts against the Rangers and Red Wings by identical 5-4 margins.  The Oilers must be happy to be back to playing Western Conference opponents as they are 6-0 in their last six vs. teams from the West.  And oddly, they may also be happy to be out of Edmonton, as the Oilers are 17-8-2 on the road this season and 9-3 in their last 12 games away from home.  The Oilers are also 28-14 after surrendering more than 4 goals in their previous game.  And the Oilers are still looking for a bit of payback after being swept out of last year's Western Conference Finals.  Take the Oilers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the New York Rangers.  The Flames look to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Ottawa and Detroit earlier this week.  And Calgary actually outshot those two teams by large margins, as they outshot Ottawa, 37-25, and outshot Detroit, 35-24.  They've now outshot each of their last four opponents by more than 10 shots.  We'll take the Flames to break through with a win tonight, as they're 21-5 at home after outshooting each of their three previous opponents by 8+ shots.  Take the Flames.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the Detroit Red Wings.  Since the All Star Break, the Flames have been struggling, losing three of four games.  But there's still plenty of season left and, despite a 25-29 record, the Flames are still only one point back in the race for a Wild Card spot.  And with the trade deadline approaching, it wouldn't be surprising if Calgary is a buyer and brings in some additional talent for the stretch drive.  The Wings came into last night's game against the Oilers (a shootout win) having won three in a row for the third time this season.  But two of those victories were against the Canucks, who are 21-33 on the season.  The third win was against this Calgary club in Detroit on February 9 which makes this a revenge situation for the home team tonight.  Detroit will have to play tonight without rest.  And since it used #1 goalie Ville Husso last night, that means back-up Magnus Hellberg will be in net tonight.  The Wings are 0-6 in the last six meetings in Calgary.  Take the Flames.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Islanders over the Ottawa Senators.  The Islanders come into this game off back to back losses to Vancouver (6-5) and Montreal (4-3).  And they blew leads of 4-2 and 3-2 in those two defeats.  We'll take New York to bounce back tonight, as it's 28-17 (+7.7 net games) off a 1-goal defeat, and 6-2 off back to back losses by a single goal.  Additionally, New York lost at Ottawa last month, 2-1.  But it's 11-5 when playing with revenge from a road defeat.  Take New York.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 12:35 pm, our selection is on the Edmonton Oilers over the Ottawa Senators.  After their loss to the Kings on January 9, the Oilers were treading water with a .500 record (21-21).  But Edmonton finished off the first month of 2023 going 7-1 the rest of the way to up its record to 28-22 putting the Oilers in the top three for Pacific Division title.  They lost a tough one in Philly on Thursday, falling to the Flyers in a shootout, 2-1 and now they travel to Ottawa for this Saturday matinee with the Senators.  It will be the first meeting of these two Canadian clubs in over a year and the Sens own the last two, having topped the Oilers twice in January of 2022.  But that's about all the Senators have managed to do against their rivals recently as the Oilers had won nine straight meetings going back to January of 2021 prior to those two Ottawa victories.  And the Oilers have done by far their best work away from Edmonton this season as they are 16-7-2 in 25 games on the road (compared to 13-11-3 in 27 home contests).  They are 6-1 in the last seven meetings here in Ottawa.  Take the Oilers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Wild over the Vegas Golden Knights.  Things looked good for the Wild heading into the All Star break as they won five of their last eight games in January, including victories over the Capitals and Sabres.  But February has started out a bit rough for Minnesota.  On Monday, the lowly Coyotes pulled off an upset in Arizona to kick off the second half and then last night the Wild traveled to Dallas where the Stars got a big home victory.  At least now the team gets to return to Minneapolis where the Wild has done by far its best work, going 15-8-1 in 24 games here at the Xcel Energy Center.  The Knights got the month off on the right foot, downing the Predators in Nashville, 5-1.  But it's too early to tell if Vegas is out of the terrible funk it was mired in for most of January.  Tonight will be a big test for the Knights, who have actually done better on the road this season than at home.  But the home team has dominated this series lately, as the hosts are 5-0 in the last five meetings of these two going back to the 2021 playoffs.  Take the Wild.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over the Buffalo Sabres.  The Jets lost 2-1 at Nashville on Tuesday.  But after playing eight of their last nine games on the road, the Jets will certainly be happy to be home tonight.  And Winnipeg has won 7 of its last 8 home games, including the last five in a row.  The Jets are also 12-3 off a division loss, and 22-8 vs. teams that allow 3+ goals per game (the Sabres give up 3.4).  Take Winnipeg.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Kraken over the Vancouver Canucks.  No matter what happens to them the rest of the season, what the Seattle Kraken have already accomplished in just their second NHL Campaign cannot be over-stated.  With 59 points, the Kraken are the second-best team in the Pacific Division and fourth-best in the Conference heading into Tuesday's games.  Maybe the league is catching up to them a bit recently as Seattle is 1-3 in its last four contests but there is still much room for improvement with this young roster of players.  They'll take on a Canucks squad that is really struggling right now, having lost seven of their last eight games overall.  Vancouver has allowed the second-most goals this season, with teams lighting the lamp an average of 3.96 times per game (only Anaheim is worse at 4.36).  That could be a big problem tonight against a Kraken offense that has scored at a 3.61 GPG clip this season.  The Kraken are 9-4 in their last 13 games vs. teams with a winning percentage below .400.  Take Seattle.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the New York Islanders.  In the battle for NHL bragging rights in Eastern Canada on Saturday, it was the Montreal Canadiens coming up with a huge upset at home over the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-2 in overtime.  That victory will not salvage what has been a very frustrating season for the Habs, but it may make them feel just a little bit better.  The Leafs come back to Toronto tonight to host the Islanders.  After a fast start to the season that saw them with a 15-8 record at Thanksgiving, the Isles have really struggled lately, winning just eight of their last 25 games since then.  Offensive injuries in the last several weeks have resulted in a severe scoring drought as the Isles have netted just 15 goals in their last nine games coming into tonight.  In fact, only the Coyotes have averaged fewer goals so far for the month of January as the Isles have scored at a rate of just 2.00 GPG.  Although the Isles won the season's first meeting, New York is still just 1-4 in the last five meetings with the Leafs and 2-6 in the last eight in Toronto, while the favorite is 16-5 in the last 21.  And the Leafs are 25-6 when playing with revenge from a home loss.  Take Toronto.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Ottawa Senators.  At 29.4 years of age, the Penguins have the second-oldest roster in the NHL this season (Washington's the oldest, at 30.1).  That advanced age can have a positive as well as a negative effect.  On the positive side, there are few substitutes for experience in the NHL, and Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jeff Carter certainly have plenty of that.  On the negative side, older players almost always wear down faster and get injured more often than their younger brethren.  We've seen both sides from the Pens this season who haven't had a losing campaign since 2005-2006, but who are sitting at 22-22 after 44 games.  The good news is that they're facing a Senators team tonight which has won just eight games on the road this season.  And this is the back-end of a home-and-home situation in which the Senators took Game 1 at home on Wednesday in overtime.  That victory makes the home team 36-16 in the last 52 meetings.  And the Sens are a horrid 4-22 in the last 26 meetings in Pittsburgh.  Take the Pens.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over Arizona.  The Caps outshot Minnesota, 36-22, in a 4-2 defeat, on Tuesday.  In contrast, Arizona won its game on Tuesday, 4-3, vs. Detroit, even though it was outshot 40-23.  Still, the Coyotes had lost nine straight games prior to that upset win over the Red Wings.  We'll go against Arizona tonight, as it's 42-83 (minus 28.8 net games) off a win by a single goal.  And Washington is 17-6 (+9.6 net games) off a home loss by 2+ goals.  Take Washington.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:35 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over Colorado.  Both the Flames and Avalanche have under-performed this season, but for different reasons.  The Avalanche have been injury-ravaged, while the Flames have just been maddeningly inconsistent.  Colorado does come into this game off back to back high-scoring wins over Ottawa (7-0) and Detroit (6-3).  But the Avs are a wallet-busting 6-9 (minus 11.2 net games) this season after back to back games in which they scored 3+ goals.  Take Calgary.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Florida Panthers.  Toronto comes into this game off a tough, 4-3, road loss to the Boston Bruins, as the Maple Leafs surrendered the 4th goal in the waning minutes.  We'll take Toronto to bounce back here, at home, as it's 27-4 at home off a road game.  And the Leafs are 22-9 after giving up 4 (or more) goals in a loss to a division rival.  Take Toronto.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The Rangers were stunned at home by the Canadiens yesterday afternoon, 2-1 despite out-shooting Montreal by a 39-31 margin.  So today they head west to Columbus to play the only team in the Conference with a worse record than the one that just beat them.  It's been a painfully bad season for the Blue Jackets so far as they have managed just 13 wins in 42 games.  Only the Blackhawks have less points in the standings at the half-way point of the season.  The Rangers hope to take advantage of their weak opposition -- and they need to tonight because their schedule gets much tougher after this (Boston, Florida, Toronto, Vegas, and Calgary).  The only thing worse than a bad team is a bad team with injuries, and that's Columbus right now.  No fewer than seven regular Jackets are either questionable, unavailable for this game, or out for the season.  The road team is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings of these two clubs and the Rangers are 7-3 in their last 10 away from home.  Take New York.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Islanders over the Montreal Canadiens.  It's been a rough week for the Islanders who have lost four straight games coming into tonight.  Those four losses however were to four very good teams from the West in the Oilers, Flames, Wild and Stars (the worst of the four are the Oilers and they have 47 points).  So no doubt the Isles are looking forward to playing one of the East's worst teams tonight in the Canadiens.  The Habs lost 10 of 11 games between December 14 and January 5 but since then they have won two of three against the Blues and Predators.  Both of those victories came at home and tonight Montreal is on the road where it has won just eight of 14 games this season.  With Carey Price out for the season, Jake Allen has assumed the #1 goalie's job for the Habs, but Allen has missed the last two games with an upper body injury and is questionable to play tonight.  The Canadiens are 11-28 in their last 39 games immediately following a win and they're 10-24 in their last 34 vs. Metropolitan Division teams.  Take the Isles.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over Florida.  The Panthers upset the Avalanche, 5-4, in Denver, on Tuesday.  But off that win, we'll fade Florida here, in Las Vegas, tonight.  Florida is a dreadful 4-14 off a win this season, including 0-5 if they won their previous game by a single goal.  And Vegas is 46-31 off a loss.  Take the Golden Knights.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the St. Louis Blues.  Tonight the Flames and Blues play their second straight game in St. Louis (unlike the more common "home-and-home" two-game series).  The Blues took the first meeting on Tuesday in a close 4-3 overtime affair.  Despite being the road team again, the Flames are solid favorites tonight in this rematch.  The Blues have actually done better away from St. Louis this season than here at Enterprise Center where their record is just 8-8-2.  St. Louis won that last game despite a plethora of injuries.  The Blues' blue line has been decimated as no fewer than five defensemen are out indefinitely or questionable for tonight's game.  Those absences have resulted in an average of almost 3.6 goals-per-game allowed -- much worse than the 2.91 number this team put up last season.  The Blues are 3-8 in their last 11 games when playing with one day off.  But the most telling statistic for tonight is that Calgary is 6-0 in its last six games revenging a loss against an opponent as a road favorite.  Take the Flames.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the St Louis Blues.  The news on the injury front got even worse for St. Louis last week, as defensemen Nick Leddy and Robert Bortuzzo sustained injuries.  For a team already missing Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O'Reilly, Torey Krug, Marco Scandella and Scott Perunovich, it was the last thing coach Craig Berube wanted.  Berube will continue to cobble together makeshift lines, but his team will be hard-pressed to win tonight.  The Blues are 7-10 at home this season.  Even worse:  they're 0-8 at home vs. opponents that were averaging 3+ goals per game.  With the Flames averaging 3.1 gpg, we'll take Calgary tonight.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Buffalo Sabres over the Seattle Kraken.  Last night, Seattle shut out Montreal, 4-0, while the Sabres were shut out, 4-0, by Philadelphia.  We'll take Buffalo to bounce back this evening, as Seattle will be playing on the road without rest for the first time all season.  Philipp Grubauer will get the start in goal for Seattle tonight, while Eric Comrie will be back on the ice for the first time since his mid-November injury.  Seattle has won just one of Grubauer's last seven starts.  And it's 4-10 its last 14 when playing without rest.  Take the Sabres.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the Edmonton Oilers over the Los Angeles Kings.  The Kings are on an 8-2-1 run, including a 5-1 blowout of Vegas, on Saturday.  Unfortunately for the Kings, they're 10-21 at home after scoring more than 3 goals in their previous game, and 42-71 (minus 35.1 net games) following a win by more than 3 goals.  Meanwhile, Edmonton has won 34 of its last 48 division games.  Take the Oilers.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 3:35 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Stars over the Florida Panthers.  The Panthers come into this game off back to back wins over the Coyotes and Red Wings.  But neither of those teams have won a majority of their games.  Dallas, on the other hand, has won 23 of 38.  The Panthers are a miserable 8-15 this season vs. winning foes, and they're 4-13 off a win.  Even worse, they're 1-8 vs. goalies with a Saves Pct. of 91.5% (Dallas' Jake Oettinger currently has a 92.0% Saves Pct).  Take Dallas.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the New Jersey Devils over the New York Rangers.  We played on the Devils on Wednesday vs. Detroit, and got the $$$ in a 5-1 win.  And we'll come right back with them here, at home, this afternoon vs. the Rangers.  It's true that New York is off three high-scoring wins over Florida (5-3), Carolina (5-3) and Montreal (4-1).  But the Rangers are a wallet-breaking 17-25 (minus 12.6 net games) off three straight games where they tallied 3+ goals. Take New Jersey.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Seattle Kraken.  The Seattle Kraken's dream season continues.  With their win over the Oilers on Tuesday, the Kraken improved their overall record to 20-12-4 in just their second season in the league.  That Tuesday victory was a revenge win as the Oilers beat the Kraken on December 30 in Seattle.  That game also started a grueling seven game road trip for the Kraken who will play the first four of those (including Tuesday) in Canada.  Tonight it will be the very tough environs of Scotiabank Arena to face a very good Toronto squad.  The Leafs have only lost twice in regulation here at home this season, so Seattle has its work cut out for it this evening.  These teams have only met twice in their history, with the Maple Leafs winning each of those (one in February 2022 and one in March).  In each of those games, the Leafs scored six times so look for more of the same from Matthews and company tonight.  Toronto is 9-2 in its last 11 games vs. Western teams and 5-0 in its last five vs. teams from the Pacific.  Take the Leafs.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm our selection is on the New Jersey Devils over the Detroit Red Wings.  You can bet that the Devils are glad to see the month of December end.  New Jersey's NHL team entered the final month of 2022 with a sparkling 19-4 record.  But they had a dismal December, winning just four times in 13 games to drop their record to 23-13 -- still pretty good, but not nearly as dominant as their first two months.  The Devils are a very talented team, but also very young so big streaks like that are not all that surprising.  Tonight they'll face a team that struggled in the last month as much as they did.  Like New Jersey, Detroit went 4-9 in December to bring its overall record below the .500 mark (16-12-7).  The Wings' roster is missing several key players right now due to injury, including #1 goalie Ville Husso who missed the last two games with an illness and is doubtful to play this evening.  This series has not been very friendly to the hosts lately as the road team is 4-0 in the last four meetings.  The Red Wings are also 11-23 in their last 34 games following a victory.  Take New Jersey.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Vegas Golden Knights.  If the season ended today prior to this game, the defending champion Avalanche would not make the post-season after Seattle's victory last night at home over the Islanders.  The Avs are off to a slower than expected start and have lost three straight coming into tonight -- their third three-game losing streak of the season.  The Knights have had their struggles lately as well, having won just three of their last seven games going back to December 17.  Their biggest problem right now is injuries as no fewer than nine regular Vegas players are temporarily on the shelf, out indefinitely, or lost for the season.  The Knights' goalie tandem of Logan Thompson and Adin Hill has not been sharp lately with Thompson allowing 12 goals over his last three starts and Hill allowing 10 over his last three.  The Avalanche are 49-14 in their last 63 after scoring two goals or less in their previous game.  They are also 6-2 in their last eight immediately after a home loss of three or more goals.  Take Colorado.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Kraken over the New York Islanders.  The Kraken got off to a fast start this season, but ended 2022 with a thud.  On Friday, Seattle was blown out, 7-2, by Edmonton.  Even worse, that loss dropped the Kraken to 5th place in the Pacific division, and out of the playoff picture.  So, Seattle will look to bounce back tonight against an Islanders team on a 3-game win streak after a 2-1 win vs. Columbus.  But each of those three wins by New York came at home.  On the road, the Isles are 1-4 their last five.  And New York's also 76-103 (minus 37.4 net games) off 3 or more wins.  Take Seattle.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Wild over the St. Louis Blues.  The Wild were upset by Dallas at home, 4-1, on Thursday.  But I love them to bounce back tonight.  Last season, the Blues knocked Minnesota out of the playoffs with a 4-2 series win.  No doubt, the Wild have had this date circled on their calendar since the season started.  We'll take the Wild to avenge that playoff ouster, as they're 13-5 off a home loss by 2+ goals.  Take Minnesota.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over Vancouver.  The Canucks won their 3rd straight game when they blew out San Jose, 6-2.  Unfortunately, the Canucks are 6-10 after scoring more than 5 goals in their previous game.  The Jets, meanwhile, suffered their 3rd straight loss Tuesday when the Minnesota Wild came into Manitoba, and left with a 4-1 victory.  But the Jets are 11-3 off a division loss, and 6-1 after scoring less than 1 goal in their previous game.  Take Winnipeg over Vancouver.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the New York Islanders.  Dating back to November 17, the Pens are 13-4, including 6-1 on the road.  Meanwhile, the Islanders are 4-8 their last 12, including 2-3 at home.  Admittedly, New York did play a great game at home its last time on the ice, as it blew out Florida, 5-1.  But the Islanders are a dreadful 63-85 (minus 44.8 net games) at home after scoring 4+ goals in a home win, and 18-38 their last 56 vs. winning foes.  And they're also 15-24 their last 39 off a win by 2+ goals.  Both teams, of course, had the holiday weekend off to relax with their families.  And the Pens are 9-2 when well-rested following a 3-day (or greater) stretch of no games.  Take Pittsburgh.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over the New York Islanders.  With more than one-third of the season elapsed, the two New York-based NHL teams have almost identical records.  Both the Rangers and Islanders have 18 victories coming into tonight, with the Rangers winning the scoring differential battle, +18 to +12.  The Rangers lost a tough one on Monday, falling in Pittsburgh to the Pens by a 3-2 final.  They'll try to start another win streak tonight at home as, before the loss in the Steel City, they had won seven straight.  Three of those seven were here at Madison Square Garden and that's a good sign as the Rangers had previously been struggling at home.  The biggest problem for the Isles right now is that #1 goalie Semyon Varlamov (8-3-1 with a 2.65 GAA in 12 games) is nursing an injury and hasn't resumed skating which means he will almost certainly miss tonight's game.  That means backup Ilya Sorokin will man the net and the Isles are 0-6 in his last six starts.  The Isles are also 1-5 in their last six playing on two days of rest.  Take the Rangers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over Tampa Bay.  After earning a point in 15 consecutive games, the Leafs stumbled in their last two outings at the Rangers, and at the Capitals.  But Toronto is back home tonight, and it's a stellar 25-4 at home following a road game.  And it's also 55-22 at home when the total was 6+ goals.  Meanwhile, Tampa is a poor 2-6 (minus 7.8 net games) when it was on a 5-game win streak.  The Leafs play this game with revenge from an overtime loss in Tampa earlier this month (not to mention a playoff series loss last spring).  The Maple Leafs are 34-14 when playing with revenge from a loss earlier in the season.  Take Toronto.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the Vancouver Canucks over the St Louis Blues.  Vancouver got off to a slow start this season, as it was 0-7 its first seven games, and 4-12 its first 16.  But since then, the Canucks have played much better, and have won nine of their last 14, while averaging 3.50 gpg.  The Canucks' offense didn't show up on Saturday, as Vancouver was blown out at home, 5-1, by the Winnipeg Jets.  They're on home ice once again tonight, and they're a solid 12-5 (but +11.0 net games) off a home loss by 3+ goals.  Take the Canucks.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the San Jose Sharks.  James Reimer was in goal for San Jose last night, so back-up Kaapo Kahkonen will be between the pipes tonight vs. Calgary.  When we last saw Kahkonen, he was getting torched by Vancouver, and only lasted two periods before getting pulled.  He surrendered four goals on 19 shots that night, which lowered his save percentage to .877, and raised his GAA to 3.71.  The Sharks have yet to beat a Pacific division rival here, at home, this season, as they're 0-6.  Take Calgary.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Seattle Kraken over the Winnipeg Jets.  At 16-10-3, they still have a winning record and they're still probably the most surprising team in the league, but the Kraken have run into some rough waters lately.  Coming into tonight, Seattle has lost five of its last six games -- all against Eastern Conference opponents.  So maybe they're happy to be playing a team from the West -- albeit a pretty good one in Winnipeg.  For the Jets, they had lost five of their last seven before winning last night's contest against the Canucks.  They will have a quick --less than 24 hours -- turnaround after their 10:00 pm ET Saturday match-up in Vancouver.  The Jets have a stingy defense at home this season, allowing just 2.25 GPG when playing in Winnipeg.  But on the road, that number balloons to 3.08.  The Jets went with regular #1 goalie Connor Hellebuyck last night against the Canucks which means they will use back-up David Rittich tonight.  Seattle is 5-0 in its last five games vs. teams from the Western Conference.  Take the Kraken.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the St. Louis Blues.  Yesterday, St. Louis went into Edmonton, and outlasted the Oilers with a 4-3 shootout victory.  The Blues #1 Goalie, Jordan Binnington, started that game, so back-up Thomas Greiss will be in net tonight.  Unfortunately for the Blues, their opponents have scored at least 4 goals in each of Greiss' 7 starts this season, for an average of 4.57 gpg.  A year ago, for Detroit, Greiss had the worst saves percentage (.891) of his career (not including seasons where he made less than 16 starts).  This season has started off similarly for Greiss, as his saves percentage is a dreadful .899.  The Flames will be looking to snap a 4-game losing streak tonight.  But Calgary hasn't been playing all that poorly, as its last three losses have all come after regulation.  So, it is a decent 3-1-3 in its last seven games.  Still, the Flames will need to break out of their offensive slump (9 goals in last 4 games) tonight.  However, given Greiss' season stats, I believe they will light the lamp several times tonight.  Take Calgary.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New Jersey Devils over the New York Rangers.  It was a short road trip that just concluded for the Rangers, but a very successful one.  With victories over the Golden Knights in Vegas and the Avalanche in Denver, the Rangers beat two of the very best that the West has to offer.  Now they return home to face two of the best in the East in the Devils (tonight) and Maple Leafs (Thursday) before heading out for three more on the road.  The talented but young group from across the Hudson River looks like not only one of the best in the Conference, but in the entire League right now.  With a goal scoring average of 3.70 and a goals-against of 2.33, the Devils have a scoring differential of 1.37, which is the second-best in the NHL (Boston @ 1.77).  They just took care of business here at Madison Square Garden less than a month ago, beating the Rangers on that occasion by 5-3.  The Devils are a remarkable 11-0 in their last 11 road games while New York is 2-8 in its last 10 vs. teams with a winning percentage above .600.  Take New Jersey.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Bruins over the Vegas Golden Knights.  What did the Bruins do after the Golden Knights broke their home win streak at 14 games?  They shrugged it off and began a three-game road trip with a shutout victory in Colorado over the defending Stanley Cup Champions.  But then they followed that up by going into Arizona and suffering one of the biggest upset losses in the league this season as the Coyotes triumphed 4-3.  That brings us to the Vegas Strip and a huge revenge situation for Boston.  The Bruins will try to avenge that home loss less than a week ago at T-Mobile Arena tonight against a very good Knights club.  But the good news for the Bruins -- and bad news for Vegas -- is that Boston has not lost back-to-back games all season.  And the Knights haven't exactly been tearing it up here lately.  In their last four home games they are 1-3 and have scored a total of just six goals .  That lone victory came here on Friday and Vegas needed overtime to beat the lowly Flyers.  Boston is 6-2 in the last eight meetings.  Take the Bruins.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the New York Islanders.  The Hurricanes must have felt pretty good when they came to Anaheim near the end of their current road trip on Tuesday.  After all, Carolina had gone 3-0 with wins in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Los Angeles and now they were facing a Ducks team that was 6-17-3.  But Anaheim pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season, beating the 'Canes 4-3 in overtime.  That sent the 'Canes packing back to the east coast and tonight they play the Islanders in New York.  The Isles come into tonight having just upset the Devils in New Jersey last night, 6-4.  So now they play at home on zero days of rest which is the opposite of the Hurricanes who come in having had three days off.  With Semyon Varlamov having gone in goal in the big win against New Jersey, the Isles will likely go with back-up Ilya Sorokin tonight.  New York has lost each of Sorokin's last three starts vs. the Blues, Predators, and Flyers.  Carolina is 13-5 in its last 18 games playing on three or more days of rest.  Take the 'Canes.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over the Anaheim Ducks.  Anaheim comes into tonight's game off a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.  Unfortunately, the Ducks are 12-31 at home vs. division rivals, and 18-35 off a win (including 6-22 off a 1-goal win).  And while it's true that San Jose's defense has sprung a leak, lately, with 17 goals surrendered over its last three games, the Sharks are also 5-1 after giving up 5+ goals in each of their three previous games.  Take San Jose.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Edmonton Oilers over the Montreal Canadiens.  The Glory Days of both the Oilers and Canadiens are clearly behind them now, although Montreal made a surprise visit to the Cup Finals in the Pandemic-shortened 2020-2021 season.  But if one of these two were to hoist the Cup anytime soon, it would likely be Edmonton, which features some very talented players -- both veterans and youngsters.  The Habs' biggest problem right now is staying healthy.  No fewer than seven Montreal players are either questionable for tonight or out for an extended period of time.  Having said that, they Habs have managed to win three of their last four -- all of which have been on the road as is tonight's contest.  This would appear to be a much better match-up for the Oilers, who are 6-1 in their last seven games against teams from the Atlantic whereas the Habs are 6-16 in their last 22 vs. teams from the Pacific.  Montreal is also 11-23 in its last 34 games following a win and 17-38 in its last 55 road contests.  Take Edmonton.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Islanders over the Nashville Predators.  The Predators have won three of their last four games, although it took extra time to get each of their wins.  They needed a shootout to beat the Coyotes on November 21 and then after a shutout loss loss to the Red Wings in their next game, the Preds needed overtime to beat both the Ducks on Tuesday and Devils on Thursday.  From New Jersey, the Predators head east to play the Islanders at the relatively new UBS Arena.  Nashville has a winning record at home this season (7-3-2), but on the road it is just 4-6.  The main reason for the Predators' road struggles is a 3.90 goals-against average when playing away from home.  The Islanders have had two days off since a Tuesday loss in Philadelphia to the Flyers and they're 6-1 in their last seven home games coming into tonight.  The Preds, on the other hand, are 1-5 in their last six games when playing with zero days of rest as well as 2-8 in their last 10 in games vs. teams from the Eastern Conference.  Take New York.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Vegas Golden Knights.  The Penguins come into tonight's game off back to back losses on Saturday to Toronto, and on Tuesday to Carolina.  But we'll take Sidney Crosby & Co. to bounce back tonight against the Golden Knights.  The Penguins have won each of the last three meetings between these clubs.  And the Pens are also 37-20 at home when the O/U line was 6+ goals, and 11-4 off a division home loss.  Take the Penguins.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Kings over the Seattle Kraken.  Last season -- their inaugural one -- the Seattle Kraken had one three game win streak and nothing longer than that.  A quarter of the way through 2022-2023 and the surprising Kraken already have a five-game win streak going (and counting) and it's their second of at least five games so far since the season began.  At 13-8, Seattle is probably the most surprising team in the NHL at this early stage.  The Kraken haven't lost since dropping an OT decision to the Jets on November 13 and they've already beaten the Kings twice so far this season.  But let's not hand Seattle the Stanley Cup quite yet.  They still have a lot of work to do, especially on defense as they allowed four goals to the Ducks and five to the Sharks in recent games.  This season's Kings team seems to play to the level of their competition.  Though overall they are a .500 club, the Kings are 5-1 in their last six games vs. teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better.  Take Los Angeles.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the Washington Capitals.  The decimated Capitals managed to eke one out on Wednesday night, topping the Flyers in OT, 3-2.  DC is still without D Orlov, W Wilson, and C Backstrom with Wilson the first one expected back in mid-to-late December.  The injuries have hurt the Caps deeply and it shows in the numbers.  Last year, this team averaged 3.29 GPG, good for the 10th best scoring rate in the League.  So far in 2022-20223, the Caps are averaging just 2.76 GPG, good for just 26th out of the 32 teams.  The Flames had won four of five before losing to the Penguins in Pittsburgh in a shootout on Wednesday, 2-1.  The Flames' defense and goaltending has been better on the road this season, as they have allowed 3.36 GPG in Calgary versus just 3.00 in eight games away from home.  The road team is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings of these two clubs.  Take the Flames.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Florida Panthers over the Boston Bruins.  The best team in the NHL so far this season is the Boston Bruins who have opened their 2022-2023 campaign at an almost historical pace.  Boston is 17-2, has won seven in a row, and has a league-best +40 goal scoring differential already.  The best team last season had a +94 scoring differential, so if Boston keeps going at this rate, it will basically double that number by season's end.  That +94 was put up by the Panthers last season and after a solid start in October, they've stumbled a bit lately.  Florida has lost three straight coming into tonight but the Panthers are still a very dangerous team, especially here at home as the hosts are 4-0 in the last four meetings of these two teams.  The Panthers' 3.56 goals-per-game at home is one of the best such numbers in the East so far this season.  The Bruins on the other hand have allowed just 1.64 goals-per-game at home but that number goes up to 2.75 when they're playing away.  Both of their losses this season have come on the road.  Take the Panthers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Vancouver Canucks.  They started out the NHL season as hot as a pistol but now the Golden Knights have cooled off, losing three of their last four games coming into Vancouver.  The last one was especially tough as Vegas dropped a 4-3 overtime decision in Edmonton despite out-shooting the Oilers by 11 (34-23).  This is the Knights' first match-up against the Canucks this season.  Vancouver has been struggling so far, winning just six times over its first 18 games.  A big part of the problem for the Canucks has been injuries.  They are currently without their top LW, Tanner Pearson, who is out until late December after undergoing hand surgery.  Vancouver is also missing one of its top blue-liners as D Travis Dermott on the sidelines while waiting to clear concussion protocol and there is no timetable for his return.  The Canucks have allowed 3.89 goals per game this season -- third worst in the League.  The Knights are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings with the Canucks in Vancouver.  Take Vegas.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the NY Rangers over San Jose.  The Rangers play this game with revenge from a 3-2 overtime loss to the Sharks in New York.  San Jose comes into this game off a 7-4 home loss to the Red Wings.  Unfortunately, the Sharks are 35-60 off a loss, and 10-30 at home when the O/U line was 6+ goals.  The Rangers have won the last 4 meetings here, in San Jose (and 12 of the last 18).  Take New York.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the Chicago Blackhawks.  The Blackhawks are a team with a lot of success over the past 20 years, including three Stanley Cups between 2009 and 2015.  So the current dry spell must be hard for the fans of this proud franchise to stomach.  The Hawks have only been to the post-season once in the past five years, and that was a first-round exit.  They have a new coach in Luke Richardson but it will take more than him to turn this club around after GM Kyle Davidson stripped it down to the core this summer.  The Hurricanes have looked like world-beaters one game, and then an AHL team the next.  In their previous game, they lost a tough one to the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche, so they look to bounce back tonight against a team they've dominated lately.  Top net-minder Frederik Andersen has been placed on the IR but is eligible to return tonight.  Regardless, the 'Canes have gotten solid reserve play from the tandem of Antii Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov.  Carolina is 5-1 in the last six meetings with the Hawks and 6-2 in the last eight in Chicago.  Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are 11-40 their last 51 vs. foes with a winning record!  Take the 'Canes.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Washington Capitals.  These two teams met just two nights ago, and Washington walloped Tampa, 5-1.  We'll take the Lightning in this rematch, as they're 24-3 at home vs. an opponent which won the season's previous meeting  And Tampa's also 23-5 after scoring less than 2 goals in its previous game.  Take the Lightning.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Islanders over the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Which version of the Islanders will show up tonight at UBS Arena?  Will it be the one that beat the Flames and Rangers on back-to-back nights last Monday and Tuesday?  Or will it be the one that got shut out by the Red Wings in Detroit just before those two wins and then -- even worse -- was blanked in its last game here in New York by the lowly Coyotes?  They get a chance to bounce back tonight against another bad team as the 4-9 Blue Jackets come to Queens for the first time this season.  The Jackets made a huge move signing F Johnny Gaudreau in the off-season to a seven-year contract.  Gaudreau now plays on the top line alongside fellow star Patrik Laine, but will this pairing be enough to overcome the Jackets' serious defensive and goaltending shortcomings?  Through the first 13 games, Columbus has the worst goals-against in the East at 4.38 (second-worst in the NHL to the Ducks).  The Jackets are 3-8 in the last 11 meetings (1-5 in the last six here in NY).  Take the Isles.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Washington Capitals.  The Pens are mired in a long, 7-game losing streak, after dropping a 3-2 decision to the Seattle Kraken four days ago.  But we'll play on them tonight in Washington, against their division rival.  The Penguins are a solid 57-39 in division games, and they're 35-16 when playing with at least 3 days' of rest.  Take the Penguins.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Buffalo Sabres over the Arizona Coyotes.  No Jack Eichel, no problem should be the theme for the Sabres this season.  Buffalo is 7-5 in its first 12 games and they no longer have the ultra-talented but oft-disgruntled 26-year-old superstar Center on the team.  The Sabres finally traded Eichel to the Golden Knights last season and although Vegas seems to be thriving with Eichel, Buffalo is doing just fine too.  Last season, the Sabres had a revolving door of goaltenders that included no fewer than six net-minders, led by veteran Craig Anderson.  With the off-season signing Eric Comrie from the Jets, Buffalo seems to be set on going with him and the 40-year-old Anderson as its tandem this season.  Team defense has been a weakness of the Sabres for quite some time, but there’s reason to believe they have a group trending in the right direction, led by 2018 #1 overall draft pick Rasmus Dahlin.  The Coyotes are 6-16 in the last 22 meetings with the Sabres.  And they're 17-33 off a win. Take Buffalo.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 5:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over the Detroit Red Wings.  The Rangers (and goalie Igor Shesterkin) were smashed, 5-2, by the Boston Bruins last Thursday night.  Still, there isn't much shame in losing to Boston these days, as it has the league's best record.  And that was Shesterkin's first loss in regulation this season (the Rangers are 6-1-2 in his starts).  After having the last two days off, New York will be the fresher team tonight, given that Detroit played in the Motor City yesterday vs. the Islanders.  We'll take the Rangers to bounce back off that loss, as they're 29-19 (+9.2 net games on the moneyline) after allowing 4+ goals in their previous game.  Meanwhile, Detroit is 2-5 off a shutout win; 12-22 off a home win; 6-14 off a win by 3+ goals.  Take New York.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over New Jersey.  The Devils will look for a 3-game sweep in Western Canada, as they defeated Vancouver (5-2) and Edmonton (4-3) earlier this week.  But the Devils are 17-27 after scoring 4+ goals in their previous game, and 8-13 off back to back wins.  Even worse:  this will be New Jersey's 3rd game in five days.  And it's a wallet-breaking 32-68 when playing 3 games in five days, including 4-10 if all three games came on the road.  Take Calgary.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 2:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Last season's Stanley Cup winners are once again most people's favorites to bring home the hardware next June.  The Avalanche managed to keep most of their core from the 2021-2022 Cup winning team and they even added some quality players as well.  At no point in the playoffs did the Avs trail a series and they never lost back-to-back games on their way to their third Championship.  On the goaltending front, the Avs replaced Darcy Kuemper -- now with Washington -- with Alexandar Georgiev, a once-promising young goaltender with the Rangers who got passed on the team’s depth chart by Igor Shesterkin.  Colorado will roll with a tandem of Georgiev and Pavel Francouz for 2022-23.  This will be the first of two games these two teams play in Finland, as part of the NHL's Global Series.  The Blue Jackets are 8-21 in their last 29 games overall and 1-15 away from home after allowing more than 3 goals in back-to-back games.  Meanwhile, the Avalanche are 12-2 in their last 14 after allowing five goals or more in their previous game.  Take Colorado.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over the Montreal Canadiens.  The Jets had another unremarkable season in 2021-2022, finishing with a 39-43 record and missing the playoffs.  Some would say it was a long time coming, but Winnipeg finally parted ways with coach Paul Maurice less than half-way through last season's campaign.  They originally signed Dave Lowry to act as their interim skipper but cut him loose and have now settled on 67-year-old Rick Bowness to take over behind the bench on a permanent basis.  Bowness has been around the NHL block, holding jobs with the Jets, Bruins, Senators, Islanders, Coyotes, Canucks, Lightning, and (most recently) the Stars. He reached the Stanley Cup Finals as head coach of Dallas in 2020.  So far, so good, as the Jets have a winning record (5-3-1) with Bowness this season.  They'll face a Montreal team which finished last season in the cellar of the league (22-49-11).  This season, the Habs are 5-5 following a 4-1 loss at Minnesota.  We'll take Winnipeg tonight, as Montreal is 7-23 in its last 30 games following a loss of three or more goals.  Take the Jets.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the Seattle Kraken.  As the NHL's newest expansion team, the Kraken begin just their second season in the league.  The biggest question for 2022-2023 for this club is will it "unleash" some significant offense, something it was not able to do on a regular basis last season.  After a disappointing inaugural season, the Kraken were productive in the off-season and not surprisingly, most of the activity centered around offense. They filled holes at forward with the additions of Burakovsky and Bjorkstrand.  But the truth is they still have a long way to go to match the productivity of most of their rivals, including the Flames.  There's also trouble on the other end as well as #1 goaltender Philipp Grubauer has landed on injured reserve with a bad back and there is no timetable for his return.  That leave's Seattle's net-minding duties to 33-year-old Martin Jones who had a 12-22 record and 3.42 GAA with Philadelphia last season.  The Kraken have never beaten Calgary (0-4) and aren't likely to do so tonight, either.  Take the Flames.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Anaheim Ducks.  To say Toronto's first west coast road swing of the season is not going as planned would be a huge understatement.  The team many think can go all the way this season started out with a victory in Winnipeg, but has since lost three straight in Vegas, San Jose and Los Angeles.  They end the trip tonight in Anaheim.  The Ducks have had a roller coaster ride in the last 12 months.  First, GM Pat Verbeek took a flame-thrower to the club and sold off many of its assets.  Then this past summer he apparently decided that he wanted to go shopping to replace what he had lost.  Whether that strategy works remains to be seen, but the early returns are not good.  The Ducks currently sit at 1-6-1, with their lone victory coming against the Kraken in overtime.  The Leafs are 19-7 in the last 26 meetings with the Ducks and the favorite is 8-1 in the last nine meetings.  Anaheim is also 0-6 in its last six games vs. teams from the Atlantic Division.  Take Toronto.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the Philadelphia Flyers.  Are the Flyers really as good as their start to the season suggests?  The answer to that remains to be seen, but you have to admire the 5-2 start that this team has had.  Any success the Flyers have this season will be considered a victory for them as there are few expectations for this club.  That's not the case with the Hurricanes.  Carolina has been knocking on the door of a Conference championship for several years now, but hasn't been able to break through.  However many people think that this is the team that will finally do it.  Frederik Andersen is considered the #1 goalie for the 'Canes, but it's been back-up Antti Raanta who's been performing better.  With Andersen having played last night, it will be Raanta's turn tonight.  Despite their early success this season, the Flyers are 13-40 in their last 53 games vs. the Eastern Conference, and 17-36 their last 53 off a win.  The favorite is also 5-1 in the last six meetings of these two.  Take the 'Canes.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Vancouver Canucks.  The Penguins' glory days may be fading fast what with players like Crosby, Malkin and Letang all reaching their upper 30s soon.  So, the question is whether or not this team has one more big playoff run in them before those players (and others) are gone.  Whatever happens, this is still a club with plenty of fire-power, as evidenced by the fact that in each of the Pens' victories they scored six goals.  Of course, with a suspect defense and net-minding, the Pens can also have six goals scored against them almost as readily.  They've lost two in a row coming into tonight but those were to the Flames and Oilers.  Tonight, they'll step down in class with a match against Vancouver .  The Canucks are a team in transition, and are 1-5-2 this season.  Vancouver is 1-10 in its last 11 vs. Eastern teams and the favorite is 5-0 in the last five meetings of these two.  Take the Pens.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the San Jose Sharks.  All Toronto hockey fans are wondering the same thing right now:  will this be the season that the Maple Leafs finally break through to make it to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1967 (they won it that year too).  The Leafs feature the most prolific goal scorer in the East, if not the entire league.  C Auston Matthews is the current favorite to win the Rocket Richard trophy after his 60-goal season in 2021-2022.  The Leafs aren't exactly tearing it up so far as they've had some injuries early on.  Perhaps a trip to San Jose to play the Sharks is what the doctor ordered.  Even at 90% health, Toronto should be able to handle a Sharks team which is very much in transition and likely to finish near the bottom of the standings this season.  They've already lost seven games this season -- most in the NHL.  San Jose averaged 2.57 goals per game last season, third fewest behind Arizona (2.51) and Philly (2.56), and that's not likely to get better.  The favorite is 16-5 in the last 21 meetings of these two.  Take Toronto.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over the Colorado Avalanche.  In what could be a Stanley Cup Finals preview, the Avs visit Madison Square Garden for the first and only time this season.  At 3-2-1, the Avs are off to a slower start than many people may have expected, but it's really not all that surprising.  Team Captain Gabriel Landeskog underwent knee surgery earlier this month and will be out until sometime in January.  It's a tough blow to a team trying to defend its championship, but it's better that it happened now as opposed to the Spring.  Meanwhile the Rangers -- also 3-2-1 -- are healthy and ready to take it to the next level in the East.  They lost in the Conference Finals to the Lightning last season but with Tampa finally looking like it's going to be in rebuilding mode, the torch may indeed be passed to the team from Manhattan.  The addition in the off-season of veteran C Vincent Trocheck may be the last piece of the puzzle for this squad.  The home team is 6-1 in the last seven meetings of these two clubs.  Take the Rangers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Lightning shocked the Avs on Friday night, winning Game 5 in Denver in OT to bring the series back to Tampa for a final home game this season.  Once again, Colorado probably did enough to win the game and hoist the Cup on Friday, out-shooting the visitors by 37-29.  But a few bounces didn't go its way so here we are with Game 6 tonight.  The Avs could get a huge boost by the expected return of winger Andre Burakovsky from his hand injury tonight.  He is listed as "possible" but the 27-year-old star will travel with the team to Tampa and if there is any way he can be out on the ice tonight, then you can bet he will.  Before the Avs lost Game 3 here, they were 7-0 in road games in these Playoffs.  And with their win in Game 4, they are now 8-1 coming into tonight.  Take Colorado.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  If the Avalanche players are hoisting the Stanley Cup for the third time in their franchise's history in a week's time or less, they will no doubt look back at Wedneday's Game 4 as the game that made it all possible.  Out-shot and out-played through most of the first three periods, the Avs had to come from behind on two occasions in Tampa's home arena in front of a deafening roar of 20,000 Lightning crazies.  They somehow managed to get it to the overtime period and then -- for the second time in this series -- ended it before the 20 minute extra stanza was completed.  Now they come back to Denver with a 3-1 lead and a chance to end it in their home building in front of their own rabid fans.  They don't want to go back to Tampa because they know what the Bolts can do in a Game 6 and 7 scenario, so look for Colorado to pull out all the stops and leave nothing on the ice at the end of 60 minutes.  The Avs are 59-13 in their last 72 home games and 36-15 in their last 51 playoff games as a favorite.  Take Colorado.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  For the Lightning to just win Game 3 at home after getting blown out in Game 2 in Denver would have been okay.  But what they really wanted to do was make a statement.  Well, statement made as on Monday night the Bolts pretty much did to the Avs what the Avs did to them in Game 2, blasting the visitors 6-2 to get within a win of leveling the series.  But despite their worst loss of the post-season so far, the Avs needn't panic.  Once again they out-shot the Lightning on Monday, 39-33 and they pretty much threw in the towel after the second period, removing starting goalie Darcy Kuemper from the game and replacing him with back-up Pavel Francouz.  The move saved Kuemper -- who was obviously not at his best -- from having to play more in a game which was already decided and should help him recover for tonight's critical Game 4.  The Avs are 21-5 in their last 26 games immediately following a loss by three goals or more, and they're 7-1 in their last eight road games.  Take Colorado.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:00 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  It was a tight Game 1 for the home team as the Avs prevailed here in Denver when Andre Burakovsky scored just 1:23 into the overtime period for a 4-3 win.  Even though Colorado never trailed, it's better that the Avs had that type of game in the Stanley Cup Finals opener rather than one of the high-scoring blowouts we've become so accustomed to with this offensive machine of a team, as blowouts can sometimes lead to complacency.  The Avs did exactly what they needed to, firing 38 shots on the Tampa net-minder while holding the Bolts' offense to just 23 shots on Darcy Kuemper.  In some ways, Colorado flipped the script on the tight-checking Lightning, beating Tampa at its own game.  Tonight's game is crucial before the Avs head to Tampa, where the Bolts are 7-1 in these playoffs.  With the victory, Colorado is now 4-1 in the last five meetings with Tampa going back to October of 2019.  And it's 15-1 its last 16 at home vs. top-level goalies with a saves pct. of 91.5 (or better). Take the Avalanche.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:00 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  This year's Stanley Cup Finals will be a classic match-up between a high-powered offense vs. a two-time defending champion team which thrives on tight checking and goaltending.  The Avalanche easily dispatched of the Oilers in their Western Final series 4-0, while the Lightning needed six tough games to get past a pesky Rangers team.  But what this time off has done for the Avs is allow them to get healthy.  Number 1 goalie Darcy Kuemper left the Conference Finals Game 1 with an injury, so back-up Pavel Francouz had to go the rest of the way.  And LW Andre Burakovsky only played in 1 1/2 games of the Oilers series due to a lower body injury.  Now both are healthy and ready to go, while it appears the Bolts will still be without C Brayden Point -- at least for the beginning of the Finals.  Heading into this series, four of Colorado's skaters are among the top 10 scorers of the 2022 post-season while only one of Tampa's is (Kucherov).  The favorite is 15-4 in the last 19 meetings of these two teams.  And Colorado is 14-1 its last 15 at home vs. top-level goalies with a saves pct. of 91.5 (or better).  Take the Avalanche.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the New York Rangers.  We played on the Rangers in Game 1, passed Game 2, and then took Tampa Bay on Sunday, in Game 3.  We'll come right back with the Lightning on Tuesday, as they've outshot the Rangers in all three playoff games, including 52-30 in Game 3.  Additionally, the Rangers are now 1-6 their last seven as a road underdog, while the home team has cashed six of the last eight meetings between these teams.  Tampa is 7-1 its last eight when trailing in a Playoff series (and 32-15, +15.7 net games, its last 47).  Take the Lightning.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 3:00 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the New York Rangers.  After a four-game sweep of the Presidents Trophy-winning Florida Panthers in the second round, the Lightning probably didn't imagine they would be down 2-0 to the Rangers -- especially with Andrei Vasilevskiy's record after a loss in the post-season.  But the Lightning are now back at home in what has to be considered a must-win situation given how the Rangers and their goalie, Igor Shesterkin, are playing right now.  But the Bolts have some positive take-aways from their two games at Madison Square Garden.  They out-shot the Rangers in each of those contests and they easily could have won Game 2 if not for some unfortunate puck bounces.  The Rangers find themselves in the role of road underdog this afternoon, a scenario in which they are just 1-5 in their last six games.  With the wins by the Rangers in New York, the home team is now 5-2 in the last seven meetings of these two.  And, of course, Tampa is still a not-too-shabby 17-1 off a loss in the Playoffs the past three years. And it's 24-5 its last 29 at home off a loss.  Take the Lightning.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:00 pm, our selection is on the Edmonton Oilers over the Colorado Avalanche.  The Oilers couldn't score a goal on Colorado's back-up goaltender and are now down 2-0 in this series.  Certainly, it's a result they didn't want, but they also need to realize that this is no time to panic.   If they can come back strong tonight at home, they will be just a game down and right back in these finals.  They know that 24 shots on goal will not get it done in any game, so don't be surprised if Jay Woodcroft and the rest of the Edmonton coaching staff decide to try some lineup changes tonight in an effort to shake things up.  The Oilers have three of the top six point producers in these playoffs in Kane, McDavid, and Draisaitl.  So, they have to find a way to get those three -- and others -- producing for them tonight.  One bit of good news for the Oilers is that this has been a very host-friendly series lately as the home team is 7-1 in the last eight meetings going back to 2019.  The Oilers are also 21-9 (+11.5 net games) off a blowout loss by 3+ goals.  And the Avalanche are a poor 12-14 (but minus 11.9 net games) on the road after scoring 3+ goals in three straight games.  Take the Oilers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:00 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Rangers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals by doing something that previously looked impossible in these playoffs.  They beat the Hurricanes on their home ice.  And they did it convincingly, winning Game 7 by a 6-2 score, in a game which was never really in doubt.  They won't have to worry about winning a Game 7 on the road in this series.  Although both the Lightning and Rangers finished the regular season with 110 points, New York won the tie-breaker and therefore has home ice advantage in this Eastern Conference Finals series.  But the Rangers still have to beat a very good team -- and one that just happens to be going for its third straight Stanley Cup.  The Bolts will still be without #2 Center Brayden Point who is battling a lower body injury.  The Rangers won all three meetings vs. Tampa Bay this season, including two on the road in Tampa Bay, as netminder Igor Shesterkin stopped 91 of 95 shots.  The Rangers are 9-4 in their last 13 after scoring five goals or more in their previous game, and 10-1 at home vs. Eastern Conference foes this season when not favored by more than -115.  Take New York.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:00 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Edmonton Oilers.  The Western Conference Finals features the best regular season team from the Central Division (and best overall team from the Conference) vs. the second-best from the Pacific.  The Oilers only finished the season with the fifth-best point total in the Conference, but they've managed to punch their ticket to their 10th Conference Finals -- one series victory away from their eighth appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.  But they have a tall -- call it a Rocky -- mountain to climb.  The Avalanche have done little wrong in getting to the semi-finals, sweeping the Predators in the first round and then dispatching of a stubborn Blues squad in six games.  Having home ice advantage could prove crucial in this series as the home team has won five of the last six meetings going back to April of 2019.  Colorado hasn't played since Friday and that should help its cause tonight as the Avs are 16-5 in their last 21 games playing on three or more days of rest.  Take the Avalanche.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:00 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over the Carolina Hurricanes.  With a loss to the 'Canes in Game 5, the Rangers find themselves one game away from elimination.  But they probably feel pretty good about their situation tonight given that the home team has won every game of this series.  And despite their success thus far, the 'Canes are just 16-35 in the last 51 meetings of these two teams.  If the Rangers are going to have any chance of keeping the home team success going in this series, they're going to have to do better than the 17 shots on goal they managed in Game 5.  If they can get back to the level of play they displayed in Games 3 and 4, when they beat the 'Canes by a combined score of 7-2, then the Rangers will for certain force a seventh and deciding contest for a chance to play the Lightning in the Conference Finals.  The Hurricanes have won just 7 of their last 17 road games, while the Rangers are 20-6 in the last 26 meetings here at Madison Square Garden.  Take New York.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.  

At 9:30 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the Edmonton Oilers.  The Flames almost pulled off a come-from-behind victory on Tuesday night in Edmonton, after trailing 3-0, as they tied the game mid-way through the third period.  But ultimately, Calgary fell short and now it finds itself in a must-win situation, down 3-1 back at home.  Calgary limited Edmonton to just 25 shots the entire game on Tuesday, but goalie Jacob Markstrom will have to play better tonight.  Certainly, he's capable, and he's been terrific here at the Saddledome.  Markstrom had a 22-8-7 record and 2.17 GAA average in Calgary this season, so I look for him to bounce back strong in Game 5.  The Flames' offense will also need to set the tone with early offense, as it did in Game 1.  In that game, Calgary scored three times in its first 10 shots and knocked Mike Smith out of that game before going on to a huge 9-6 victory.  The Flames are 46-29 (+10 games on the moneyline) in their last 75 after allowing four or more goals in their previous game.  Take Calgary.  As always good luck...Al McMordie.

At 1:30 pm, our selection is on the Florida Panthers over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Panthers earned the Presidents' Trophy this season by virtue of having the NHL's best regular season record.  But if they don't win this afternoon, they'll be in danger of being the 9th straight Presidents' Trophy winner to fail to win the Stanley Cup.  Florida averaged a league-best 4.14 goals per game this season, but have been held to just 1 goal in each of its first two games in this series.  However, there is room for optimism in this Game 3, as Florida is 13-2 after scoring less than 2 goals, while Tampa Bay has gone 2-6 (but -10.4 net games) following 4+ wins in a row.  Take Florida in Game 3.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:00 pm, our selection is on the Florida Panthers over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Just as they did in their first round series against the Caps, the favored Panthers lost Game 1 at home -- this time against their cross-state rivals.  But the Bolts are a decidedly better team than the Caps so Florida has to be careful that it doesn't let down again tonight and go into a 2-0 hole, from which it would be very difficult to crawl out.  What the Panthers need to do tonight is to simply play like the team which had the best home record in the NHL this season -- and one which is 46-9 in its last 55 games as a home favorite.  Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky needs to play better than he did in Game 1 and he's certainly capable of it.  In the first round series, Bobrovsky came back after a lackluster performance in Game 1 and had one of his best games in Game 2 -- stopping all but one of the shots he faced from the high-flying Capitals.  Florida is 20-6 (+15 games on the moneyline) in its last 26 games after scoring one goal or less in its previous while the favorite is 23-9 in the last 32 meetings of these two.  Take the Panthers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 9:30 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the Edmonton Oilers.  Both of these teams needed Game 7 wins at home in order to advance to this round -- and both came through.  If you're looking for clues in the regular season as to who might have the upper hand in this series, you might not find many.  The Flames and Oilers split their four games with Edmonton winning the first two and Calgary coming back later in the season to take the last pair.  But one thing that seems consistent when these two meet is the strength of home ice.  The home team has won 10 of the last 12 meetings including each of the last five, so you can expect the packed Saddledome to have a major impact in Games 1 and 2.  The Flames should get another big boost from the probable return of physical defenseman Chris Tanev who left Game 6 of the Dallas series with an injury and didn't return for Game 7.  In the four home games of the previous series, Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom allowed four goals in 87 combined shots (95.4 SV %).  Finally, the favorite is 4-1 in the last five meetings of these two.  Take Calgary.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:00 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the New York Rangers.  The Rangers played perhaps the toughest first round of any advancing favorite, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit and needing a goal in overtime of Game 7 at home.  How much those very demanding seven games against a depleted Pens team took out of them remains to be seen, but things certainly don't get any easier against the 'Canes.  Unlike New York, Carolina's seven-game series win over Boston went according to plan with the home team winning every meeting.  What makes the 'Canes hard-fought victory even more impressive is that they did it without their #1 goalie, Frederik Andersen, who has been sidelined since mid-April.  If there's any question about the importance of a veteran back-up net-minder with playoff experience, the 'Canes and Antti Raanta proved it without a doubt.  The 33-year-old Finn was 'money in the bank' and he'll be asked for more of the same in this quarterfinals round.  The Rangers are 15-36 in their last 51 playoff games as an underdog.  Take Carolina.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:00 pm, our selection is on the Florida Panthers over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning are going for a rare Stanley Cup Title three-peat and the first step is complete with their upset win over the Maple Leafs in the first round. But the mountain gets steeper in round two as they battle with their cross-state rivals to the south. Florida not only won the Atlantic Division, but the Presidents Trophy and finished with an almost-unprecedented +94 goal differential (only a meaningless final regular season game in which it rested all their regulars prevented it from finishing with +100). Just how steep is this mountain that the Bolts have in front of them? Consider that the Panthers finished the season with a 34-7-0 home record -- the best in the NHL. That zero at the end means that they were 8-0 in overtime games in South Florida -- also almost unprecedented and not good news for Tampa, which needed OT to win Game 6 over Toronto. Also not good news for the Bolts: the favorite is 35-17 in the last 52 meetings of these two and the home team is 5-2 in the last seven. Take Florida. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:00 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Lightning won a dramatic Game 6 at home on Thursday to force this final game in a series that seems more appropriate as a Conference Final than a first-round match-up.  The game couldn't have been any closer as the two clubs went into overtime tied at three goals apiece.  And it concluded with the winning goal out of Brayden Point 18 minutes into the fourth period.  Unfortunately for the Lightning:  they're a poor 15-19 (minus 16.4 net games) off an overtime win.  Tonight, Tampa will have to contend not only with the Leafs, but also the crazed Toronto fans who could give the home team the upper hand.  And what started out as a series which didn't seem to favor the home team has turned into one as the hosts have won the last three now.  Tampa is 0-4 its last four off a win, and 2-6 in its last eight games as a road underdog, while the favorite is 5-2 in the last seven meetings of these two.  And Toronto's a solid 25-12 after giving up more than 3 goals.  Take the Maple Leafs.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:00 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Welcome to the Rangers must-win Game #2.  Down three games to one, New York had to have a win at home on Wednesday to stay alive and it did just that.  They have to do it again tonight and it will have to be in hostile territory but there are at least a couple of reasons to think the Rangers can force a Game 7 back in Manhattan.  First, the Penguins will be forced to use their third-string goalie again tonight for the fifth straight game.  Although 30-year-old journeyman Louis Domingue has been outstanding at times, it seems the Rangers have figured him out for the most part and the lapses he's been experiencing will only likely become more frequent.  Look for Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and company to really turn up the heat on Domingue tonight.  Second, Pens Captain Sidney Crosby was hit by the Rangers Jacob Trouba and had to leave Game 5 with an upper body injury.  He is currently questionable for Game 6.  The favorite is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings.  Take New York.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Maple Leafs won a huge Game 5 on Tuesday at home, defeating the Bolts 4-3 to take a 3-2 series lead.  Technically, tonight in Tampa is not a must-win situation, but the last thing the Leafs want to do is give the defending two-time Stanley Cup Champions a chance at a Game 7 back in Toronto -- especially considering how close Game 5 was.  Key to the Tuesday night victory was Toronto Coach Sheldon Keefe showing confidence in goalie Jack Campbell after he fell apart in Game 4 (5 goals in 16 shots) and was replaced in the 3rd period by his back-up, Erik Kallgren.  Keefe stuck with Campbell for Game 5 and the veteran net-minder came through, stopping 32 of 35 shots (.914) from one of the top scoring teams in hockey.  On the other side, Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had his second sub-par game in a row, allowing four goals on just 25 shots (.840).  With the Tuesday loss, the Bolts are now 5-12 in their last 17 games vs. teams with a winning % above .600.  Take the Maple Leafs.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:00 pm, our selection is on the New York Rangers over the Pittsburgh Penguins.  After four playoff games, the only one of the eight NHL series where a team holds a 3-1 lead is this one.  That's good news for the Penguins and bad news if you're a Rangers fan.  New York must now win three games in a row to advance and even if it wins tonight, it has to go back to Pittsburgh where it was blown out on Monday.  The Rangers smartly pulled Igor Shesterkin from the net in that game after two periods and six goals allowed.  That should give the League's leading goalie a chance to regroup and come back fresh tonight.  But if the Rangers are going to win tonight, they're going to have to up their shot output as they registered just 24 on Pens rookie (third string) goalie Louis Domingue in Game 4.  A return to their form in the last game here where they logged 40 shots on goal (and won) is what we would expect to see tonight.  The home team is 4-1 in the last five meetings and the Penguins are 2-5 in the last seven here at Madison Square Garden.  Take the Rangers.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:30 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The NHL and TV networks must be very happy that all four of the series that are on tap for a Game 5 tonight are tied at two games apiece.  Some of the teams however are not likely sharing in the joy.  The Toronto Maple Leafs looked like they would potentially put Tampa away early when they won the first game in a rout and then did it again in Tampa in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.  But every time Toronto takes the air out of Tampa's balloon, the Bolts have re-energized and made a statement of their own.  Game 5 has now become absolutely critical for the home team after the Lightning put up seven goals on the Leafs in Game 4 chasing Toronto goalie Jack Campbell in the process.  It remains to be seen if the Leafs go with back-up Erik Kallgren -- who stopped all 10 shots he faced -- tonight, but based on statements made by Coach Sheldon Keefe, he'll be sticking with Campbell.  Andrei Vasilevskiy had his own problems in Game 4, stopping just 22 of 25 shots (.880).  And Tampa's a wallet-breaking 5-7 (minus 11.4 net games on the moneyline) off a blowout home win by 3+ goals.  Take the Leafs.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.