NHL Daily Picks: Stars, Ducks face off in game of the night – CBSSports.com
Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn host the Anaheim Ducks in our game of the night. (USATSI)
Welcome to the NHL Daily Picks, where CBS hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz share their predictions for select games every day.
Anaheim at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. ET
Game of the Night: Thursday was a shockingly good day in the picks department. I hit on three of my four game picks (the only one I missed was the Minnesota-San Jose game that went to a shootout after the Sharks let a 3-1 third period lead slip away) and all three of my three stars predictions (Steven Stamkos, Nathan MacKinnon and Marian Hossa) had big games and scored goals. But be warned, because the universe is a balanced place Friday’s picks are probably … not going to go as well.
But let’s give it a shot anyway.
The game of the night comes in Dallas where one of the NHL’s most exciting teams, the Stars, plays host to one of the NHL’s best teams, the Anaheim Ducks. It will also feature two of the best scoring duos in the league with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry (Ducks) and Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn (Dallas) doing their thing.
Given their talent up front and questionable defense every Stars game, win or lose, is a must-see, high-event game, and this one should be no different. Pick: Ducks 5, Stars 4
Los Angeles at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. ET
Kings look to rebound: No matter how good the Kings are or how deep their roster is, it’s tough to overcome the losses of superstar players like Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik, and it’s starting to show as they take a two-game losing streak into Detroit. Coming off a 3-0 shutout loss in Pittsburgh on Thursday, having to play a back-to-back game against a rested opponent isn’t going to make things any easier. Pick: Red Wings 3, Kings 2 (OT)
Toronto at Columbus, 7 p.m. ET
Toronto gets a shorthanded Blue Jackets team: When both teams are at full strength I don’t for one second believe the Toronto Maple Leafs are as good as the Columbus Blue Jackets. But because of a ridiculous stretch of bad luck in the injury department the players the Blue Jackets have sitting on the sidelines are probably a more impressive roster than the players they actually have ready to play on Friday night. So for that reason alone the Maple Leafs seem like a nice bet in Columbus. Pick: Maple Leafs 5, Blue Jackets 3
Nashville at Calgary, 9 p.m. ET
Predators look to keep rolling: Two of the bigger surprises in the NHL this season face off in Calgary where the 6-1-2 Nashville Predators will take on a 5-4-2 Flames team that needs to take some lessons from Buffalo on how to properly tank a season for a top draft pick. Winning games isn’t going to get you Connor McDavid, guys. Pick: Predators 4, Flames 2
Three Stars
Which three players could get some postgame accolades tonight?
1. Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs: Kessel is a dynamic offensive player and it’s a perfect matchup for him on Friday, not only getting a team that’s without one of its top defenseman, but is also being forced to play its backup goalie. Get him the puck and let him do what he does best — score goals.
2. James Neal, Nashville Predators: After a slow start to his Nashville career Neal has been playing some wonderful hockey with five goals in his past five games and at least three shots off the post. When he gets some space, especially on the power play, his shot is as lethal as any other player in the league. Against a Calgary team that takes its share of penalties and is one of the worst penalty killing teams in the league, he should have some opportunities.
3. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings: It’s usually never a good idea to pick somebody going up against the Kings to be an offensive star, but Datsyuk has been sensational since making his debut this season and the Kings are a tired team after playing the night before in Pittsburgh.
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