NHL Picks: Bruins earn needed win over Keith-less Blackhawks – CBSSports.com
Welcome to NHL Picks where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz make their predictions for all of the day’s games.
Boston Bruins at Chicago Blackhawks, 12:30 p.m., NBC
The Boston Bruins woke up Sunday morning outside of the playoff picture despite earning 6-5 win over the St. Louis Blues Friday. The Detroit Red Wings earned a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday to unseat the Bruins from the third spot in the Atlantic Division. A win over the Blackhawks on Sunday, however, would put things right back the way they were.
The Bruins have just four games remaining in the season, while the Red Wings have three. The Eastern Conference wild card spots are also still within reach as Boston sits just a point behind the Philadelphia Flyers and three behind the New York Islanders, but both of those teams have a game in hand on the Bruins. Closing out the season with as many points as possible from these last four games is the priority for the Bruins as they look to avoid missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
After struggling themselves before picking up that much-needed win over the Blues, the Bruins will meet a Blackhawks team that is limping into the postseason. Chicago has won three of their last four games to recover from a stretch in which they lost six of eight, but, they’ll be playing their second game without top defenseman Duncan Keith, who will be serving the second game of his controversial six-game suspension for hitting Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle in the face with his stick.
Losing Keith didn’t hurt against the Winnipeg Jets, who the Blackhawks beat 5-4 in overtime Friday. It could be a different story against a Bruins squad that just put up six goals against the Blues, who had allowed just one goal in their four previous games.
If that game woke up Boston’s previously struggling offense, this could be a tough one for Chicago. In addition to Keith being out with the suspension, Corey Crawford remains sidelined with an upper-body injury. Backup goalie Scott Darling will be making his ninth consecutive start. The results have been mixed for Darling more recently, but his .912 save percentage over that span is quite a drop off from the type of goaltending Crawford was providing before his injury.
Chicago is expected to have Marian Hossa back for the game, however, after missing Friday’s win over the Jets. Hossa is currently sitting on 499 career goals in the NHL, so there’s a good chance he will hit the 500-goal mark before the season is out if he can stay healthy.
All the Blackhawks have to do in terms of the playoff race is to earn one point over any of their last four games to guarantee third place in the division. Dropping into the wild card spot would set up a matchup with either the Los Angeles Kings or Anaheim Ducks, but that looks highly unlikely this point. It also doesn’t look likely that Chicago will be able to catch Dallas or St. Louis to finish any better than third. It’s still mathematically possible, but so many things would have to fall into place.
The Blackhawks would like to continue their more recent upward trend, but it’s going to be difficult against a highly-motivated Bruins team that is fighting for their playoff lives still. It’s hard to believe that the Bruins managed to dig themselves into this kind of hole, but it’s even harder to see them missing out on the postseason. Look for them to help their cause against the Blackhawks. Pick: Bruins 4, Blackhawks 2
Marian Hossa seeks his 500th goal, while the Bruins need a win. (USATSI)
The rest of Sunday’s picks
Flyers 4, Penguins 3
Blues 3, Avalanche 2
Wild 4, Jets 1
