Tues. Picks: Caps rebound at Bruins' expense
Welcome to NHL Picks where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz make their predictions for every game, every day.
Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m. ET
The Boston Bruins have had a few days to reset after a disappointing showing at the NHL Winter Classic in Foxborough on New Year’s Day. It’s been said by many that have played in the event that a loss in the Winter Classic is tougher than your normal regular-season losses due to the playoff-like feel to that game. Unfortunately for the Bruins, they have to play the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals to try and bounce back.
The Bruins will also have to do it without Brad Marchand, who has two games left on his suspension for clipping Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki last week. Additionally, David Krejci remains on the shelf with injury. So that’s two key losses with the conference’s and one of the league’s best teams in town.
The Capitals, meanwhile, have lost back-to-back games to the two teams at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings – the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets. That was the first time the Caps had lost consecutive games all season, but those losses followed a nine-game winning streak.
Washington has been without defensemen Brooks Orpik and John Carlson, both out with injury. Orpik could be out for a while longer and Carlson has been termed as doubtful for Tuesday night’s contest. Having two top-four blueliners out at the same time may help level the playing field a bit for Boston as they deal with their own lineup deficiencies.
These two teams have met before. Washington earned a 4-1 win on home ice in early November. The Caps have also been one of the best road teams in the NHL with a 13-4-2 record, while the Bruins are 9-10-2 in Boston. So there’s not a lot adding up favorably for the Bruins in this one.
Despite the defensive losses the Caps are dealing with, they’ve got Braden Holtby between the pipes and there hasn’t been a goaltender better than him so far this year. Holtby owns a .932 save percentage, which is tops among goalies with at least 20 appearances, and is 24-4-2. Look for him to be the difference as the Bruins contend with missing two of their top scorers. Pick: Capitals 4, Bruins 1
Braden Holtby will look to get the Capitals back on track against the Bruins. (USATSI)
The rest of Tuesday’s picks
Florida Panthers 3, Buffalos Sabres 1
Dallas Stars 4, New York Rangers 3
Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Chicago Blackhawks 2
Minnesota Wild 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Montreal Canadiens 3, Philadelphia Flyers 2
Nashville Predators 3, Winnipeg Jets 1
Calgary Flames 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 1
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