Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily Picks: Playoff hockey returns to Winnipeg – CBSSports.com
The Winnipeg Jets want to give their fans something to cheer about. (USATSI)
Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily Picks, where CBS hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz get you ready for every game every day of the postseason and share their predictions for each.
New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. NBCSN, Game 3
Series tied 1-1
The Penguins return home with this first-round series all square, a result they have to be pretty thrilled with. It has been a much closer series than most expected through the first two games and the Penguins, with a patchwork defense, are very much in it, especially now that Sidney Crosby may have rediscovered his scoring touch after a netting a pair of goals in Game 2 on Saturday night.
The Penguins are once again expected to be without defensemen Derrick Pouliot and Christian Ehrhoff on Monday for Game 3 so there is still no relief coming on the blue line. That means the likes of Taylor Chorney, Brian Dumoulin and veterans that have been logging a ton of ice time like Paul Martin, Ian Cole and Ben Lovejoy are going to still have their hands full with the Rangers’ team speed. They did a pretty good job as a team neutralizing it Saturday, but were once again in penalty trouble that left the door open for the Rangers. Even though Pittsburgh’s penalty kill has been excellent all season, you’re not doing yourself any favor when you’re playing more than a third of the game short-handed.
The Penguins still may not win this series, but they are definitely not going away without a fight.
Pick: Penguins 3, Rangers 2
St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m. CNBC, Game 3
Series tied 1-1
After completely shutting down Vladimir Tarasenko in the first game of the series, not even allowing him to register a shot on goal (he had six shot attempts that were blocked), the Minnesota Wild did not have an answer for him in Game 2 as the Blues’ best player exploded for a hat trick in their series-tying win.
This is one of the most interesting matchups of the first round because the winner of this series is going to be one of the favorites to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final, and so far both teams have shown that ability in this series.
A potential concern for the Wild: In his his past seven starts, Devan Dubnyk has a .909 save percentage, including a sub-.900 mark in his first two games in this series. There is no way he was going to maintain the pace he had over the second half of the season, and when combined with the workload there was always the chance he could start to wear down as the season progressed. Hopefully for the Wild it’s just a small slump and not the sign of something bigger.
Pick: Blues 3, Wild 2
Anaheim Ducks at Winnipeg Jets, 9 p.m. NBCSN, Game 3
Ducks lead series 2-0
Winnipeg. White. Out.
This is going to be amazing, at least at the start.
For the first time since 1996, an NHL playoff game will be played in Winnipeg and what’s already one of the loudest and toughest buildings in the league is going to be even crazier. But the important business here is that the Jets simply need a win. They’ve entered the third period in each of the first two games of this series with a lead and managed to lose both of them to put them in their current position, where they pretty much need a win on Monday to still have a fighting chance in this series.
Along with simply needing a win in the series, the current Jets organization is still looking for the first playoff win in its franchise history, taking an 0-6 record into Monday’s game against the Ducks.
The frustrating thing for the Jets is they haven’t played poorly in this series. Their biggest issue has been their play once they get the lead — attempting to sit back and nurse one-goal leads. You can’t do that against a team that has the firepower that Anaheim has, allowing it to win come from behind after two periods more than any other team in the league this season.
Pick: Jets 4, Ducks 3
Three Stars
1. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins: Crosby busted out of his recent playoff “slump” on Saturday with a pair of goals, which could be the start of another hot streak for the Penguins captain. If it is, the Penguins are going to have a significantly better chance in this series than anybody originally gave them.
2. Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues: One of the best and most underrated defensemen in the league, Shattenkirk has been tremendous for the Blues so far in their series against the Wild and has already recorded four assists.
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