NHL Daily Picks: Jets meet Wild in Central Division tussle – CBSSports.com
The Winnipeg Jets will look to win in Minnesota, which hasn’t been easy for visiting teams. (USATSI)
Welcome to the NHL Daily Picks, where CBS hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz share their predictions for select games every day.
Game of the Night: With a lighter Sunday NHL schedule, there aren’t as many compelling matchups as we saw Saturday night, but this Central Division showdown should be interesting. The Jets are 6-2-2 in their past 10 games and have been one of the real surprise stories in the league this season. The Wild, meanwhile, have dealt with many ups and downs in an inconspicuous start at 9-7-0 to land them fifth in the Central.
This will be the first meeting of the season between the Central Division foes and both will be going on little rest as each played close games Saturday night. The Wild should be riding a little higher after a tight win over the Dallas Stars, while the Jets dropped a close decision to the Nashville Predators. Winnipeg also may be a little road weary as the Jets are closing out a five-game road trip in Minnesota. They’ve gone 2-2-0 on the trip so far.
For the Jets, the Wild — even with a somewhat depleted lineup — should offer a good test. With the surprisingly sensational goaltending Winnipeg has gotten, it will go up against a team with plenty of offensive weapons at its disposal. The Jets are also taking on one of the best home teams in the league as Minnesota is 6-1-0 in the State of Hockey. Closing out the road trip with a win at the Xcel Energy Center could be a big boost.
The Wild have to deal with their depth issues with sick and injured players. They will also probably turn to Niklas Backstrom in net on the second half of the back-to-back. Zach Parise may still be out and top-two defenseman Jonas Brodin is one of the players dealing with illness. They’re going to need more from their depth players against a Jets team that just keeps finding a way to win despite averaging just 1.78 goals per game. Pick: Wild 3, Jets 1
Atlantic meeting: The last time these two teams squared off, it ended with a wild 2-1 overtime win for the Canadiens. The Habs remain atop the Atlantic Division, but they’re holding on by the slimmest of margins. Detroit, meanwhile, should go into the game with some momentum after a convincing 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. The Red Wings will be catching the Habs on the last half of a back-to-back with a chance to take two points from a divisional rival. Pick: Red Wings 3, Canadiens 2
Power of positivity: The Dallas Stars are stunningly mired in last place in the Central, while the Blackhawks don’t have the record they would have expected at this point either. The two clubs met in a highly entertaining game to open their seasons way back in the beginning of October and are in different places now than they were then when Chicago outlasted Dallas in a shootout. The Stars are better on the road than they have been at home and despite the record haven’t had much trouble scoring. Both of these teams need some positive momentum, but only one gets it Sunday. Pick: Blackhawks 4, Stars 3
The rest of Sunday’s schedule (all times ET)
Sharks at Hurricanes, 5 p.m.
Panthers at Ducks, 8 p.m.
Coyotes at Oilers, 9 p.m.
Three stars
1. Ryan Kesler, Anaheim Ducks: With points in each of his past five games, the Ducks’ new acquisition has been stepping up in the absence of Corey Perry. Kesler should be able to stay hot against a team like the Panthers and should enjoy taking on former teammate Roberto Luongo.
2. Brad Richards, Chicago Blackhawks: On the night in which he’ll play his 1,000th NHL game, perhaps Richards will be able to come through against one of his former teams. After a slow start in Chicago, Richards has nine points in his past 13 games. With Dallas’ porous defense, the crafty veteran should know how to exploit it.
3. Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings have a big opportunity to build off of that impressive win over Chicago. They also have the added motivation of playing the divisional leader in their own building. This looks like the kind of game the Wings’ captain can take over. He also has nine points in 10 career games against the Habs.
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