Daily Picks: Wings, Blackhawks revive rivalry
The Blackhawks will host the Red Wings in an important game for both squads. (USATSI)
Welcome to the NHL Daily Picks, where CBS hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz share their predictions for select games every day.
It still doesn’t seem quite right that these two aren’t in the same division anymore, but even in small doses, the Blackhawks and Red Wings can entertain in their matchups. This game will mean a little more, too, with the Red Wings looking to halt a bit of a slide and the Blackhawks still searching for the consistency that seemingly left them after the 2014 portion of the season wrapped up. Detroit is currently on a three-game losing streak heading into a six-game road trip through the Western Conference. So it definitely doesn’t get any easier from here. Chicago is 4-2-2 in their last eight games and have a chance to go on their first winning streak of three or more games since mid-December. In the last meeting between the two sides, the Red Wings earned a 4-1 win at Joe Louis Arena. Chicago’s home-ice advantage could prove important in this one. Daily Pick: Blackhawks 3, Red Wings 2
As two of the five teams within four points of each other at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture, this game is a huge one for both the Wild and Flames. Calgary has a one-point advantage over the San Jose Sharks for third in the Pacific Division. They’re also tied with the Vancouver Canucks with 67 points, with the Canucks having a game in hand. If the Flames were to drop into the wild card spot, they’d have to be looking over their shoulder at both the Los Angeles Kings and Wild, and to a lesser-extent the Dallas Stars. The Wild are currently three points out of the last wild card spot. Taking two points from one of the teams in front of them is key. They missed an opportunity Monday night to take a pair from the Canucks, so failing again would be pretty crushing. Minnesota has been on a remarkable run with eight wins in their last 10 games, but they have to stay hot for a while to push for one of those two wild card spots. Pick: Wild 2, Flames 1
Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche, 10 p.m. ET, NBCSN
After another loss by the San Jose Sharks, the Los Angeles Kings have an opportunity to jump back into playoff position with a win Wednesday night. If the Kings can take two from the Colorado Avalanche, they’re in the last wild card spot, bumping the Sharks out, at least temporarily. The Avs, meanwhile, are hanging onto playoff contention by their finger nails. Every game is a must-win, with the in-conference games especially important. The Kings have won five straight games, however, and have scored 19 goals over that span. Colorado has two consecutive wins, but their upcoming schedule is awfully tough with the Kings, Blackhawks, Lightning, Predators, Stars, Wild and Penguins up next. Tough sledding. Pick: Kings 4, Avalanche 2
Two weeks ago it looked as though the Eastern Conference was secure. The top eight teams looked as though they could not be caught. Now the Bruins have been sliding and they’re suddenly at risk of falling out of playoff position again. Four consecutive losses has the Bruins holding just a two-point advantage over the Florida Panthers for the last wild card spot in the East. Everything has gone south for the Bruins in the last week-plus. Defense has been suboptimal and goaltending has been much the same. After starting their road trip 0-1-1, the Bruins cannot falter against one of the worst teams in the NHL. The Oilers have lost three of their last four games and are holding strong with the second worst record in the NHL. Pick: Bruins 5, Oilers 3
The rest of Wednesday night’s schedule
Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m. ET
Three Stars
1. Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild: Dubnyk has given little reason to pick against him since joining the Wild. He’s 10-2-1, with a .935 save percentage and 1.71 goals-against average. In a game that couldn’t be bigger for the Wild, their goaltender is taking on a heavy workload, but he’s been equal to the challenge. Additionally, he shut out the Flames on Jan. 29 in a 1-0 win for Minnesota.
2. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks: The league’s leading scorer has been pretty strong against the Red Wings over his career with 32 points in 38 games. He scored the lone goal in Chicago’s loss to Detroit earlier in the season. With the Blackhawks looking to stabilize after a rocky start to 2015, look for their top producer to come up with a big game for them.
3. Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings: Over his NHL career, Carter has only played the Colorado Avalanche 12 times, but he’s scored nine goals against them. Additionally, Carter is pretty hot right now with seven points in his last four games. He’s been a major contributor to LA’s five-game winning streak.
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