This is the oh my god I realized it was 6pm edition and we needed to get these picks in. After last night’s 6-3 mark where we rode several lucky one goal underdog covers, tonight features a relaxed schedule of only four games. Normally this would be a time to exhale but not here. There are plenty of opportunities to sneak in some winnings so with a little help from our friends. Let’s go around the NHL real quick.
First up Speaking Of The Devils with a little Preds-Devils knowledge from the Devils slant.
A few notes and stats to get you caught up on tonight’s opponent:
– Martin Brodeur is expected to start in net.
– Ilya Kovalchuk had his first multi-goal game for the Devils against Phoenix. Hopefully, that’s the start of a big scoring streak.
– Pekka Rinne, Nashville’s #1 goalie, made the trip to NJ. He had been out with a knee injury. No word yet on if he will start.
– Tonight is the annual Devils Toys for Tots drive. Bring an unwrapped toy if you are attending the game.
– For all your Preds coverage, head on over to Preds on the Glass and The View From 111.
All absolutely good info and now a little more from our good friend Buddy Oakes on this matchup:
The Predators are making defying the odds to win tonight even tougher by playing without David Legwand, Patric Hornqvist, Matthew Lombardi, and Cody Franson. Pekka Rinne is on the trip as the third goalie, but the stars would have to line up perfectly for him to see action. They did bolster their roster with the addition of veteran Steve Begin before leaving Nashville.
On the New Jersey side of things they are looking ripe for the picking. They won their last game against Phoenix 3-0 on Phoenix, but other than that they are yet to win in December.
The leading hunter in setting the trap for the Preds will be ex-Predator Jason Arnott who leads the Devils in goals at nine and has 15 points. He has little to look forward to at this point other than beating the Predators where he was the captain the last three seasons.
The Devils are a poor specimen. They are last in the league in goals at 1.80 per game while the Preds average 2.50. The Devils are at their worst in five on five play where they have a .56 ratio. On the power play, they are better than the Preds 14.9% to 12.6%. On the penalty kill the Preds lead 85.6% to 84.8%.
A key for the Predators will be to skate penalty free and keep both teams at full strength where they will have the advantage. Scoring early and often would be another good idea.
The goaltender match up will be an odd one with veteran Marty Brodeur (5-12-1, 2.68, .903) probably going against rookie Anders Lindback (8-1-2, 2.16, .930).
This is our bet of the night not because of record but because of overall intrigue. There are times where a nine win team should not be favored and this is one of them but yet the New Jersey Devils are. Why? Well this is a trap game like previously mentioned. Nashville heads home to face a Los Angeles team determined to keep the ship righted. Many will say New Jersey has had the kitchen sink thrown at them from the start but could wake up at anytime.
When you look at players like Jason Arnott, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias, Martin Brodeur and company, there has to be some pride in there. It has shown tiny flashes here and there but to make them a favorite is understandable and also baffling in the same sense.
There is a sense of being torn and wavering heavily on this pick. Rarely do we reveal this when making picks but I flip flopped at least three times on this one before making my final pick. New Jersey has not won two in a row all season at home in regulation. That is a key fact that cannot be missed here and have made backups look like kings all season. Tonight may be no different which is why hesitantly I am taking Nashville to cover if not win outright.
In other action…..we are picking……..
- Florida
- Detroit
- Colorado
Let’s see how we do tonight….it should be fun at the very least.
Note what Mitch said on Wednesday about New Jersey and good luck tonight on your bets.
