Ottawa and Arizona took part in a wild contest at Gila River Arena earlier this month and we’re expecting more excitement at Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators fought back from 4-0 down to lead 5-4, only for the Coyotes to rally again in a crazy third period and prevail 8-5.
Tampa Bay have suffered three straight defeats on their road trip to Canada and will be determined to stop the rot when visiting Vancouver. The Lightning are now looking over their shoulders at Toronto and Boston in terms of securing a top-three finish in the Atlantic Division.
St Louis have been hugely impressive in two big wins over the past few days and can maintain the momentum by seeing off Winnipeg on home ice. The Jets do lead the Blues 2-1 in this season’s head-to-head series but Dave Lowry’s side have just been blowing hot and cold of late.
Calgary can move another step closer to winning the Pacific Division title by brushing aside struggling Detroit at Scotiabank Saddledome. The Flames have been red hot of late, going 15-2-1 since the end of January, whereas their opponents arrive on a four-match winless run.
Montreal have looked more like the team which reached last season’s Stanley Cup final of late and are fancied to see off Seattle at Centre Bell. The Kraken are never short of effort going forward, but leaking goals has been a constant issue throughout their first campaign.
Ottawa will have their tails up after two straight wins but we’ve also been impressed by Chicago of late and feel this is a tricky test for the Senators. The Blackhawks invariably find top sides too hot to handle but have been faring well against teams around them in the table of late.
Edmonton will look to build on their thrilling overtime win over Washington when Tampa Bay roll into Rogers Place. For the Lightning, this road trip has not been the best, with defeats in Winnipeg and Calgary, and they will be keen to get things back on track.
Two in-form teams will do battle at Rogers Arena but we just feel Vancouver will be hungrier for success than Washington on home ice. The Canucks are fighting for every point to earn a wild card berth, whereas the Capitals look comfortably on course to make the playoffs.
Winnipeg have shown they can turn on the style and grind it out in back-to-back victories and look worth following against the Islanders. Their hosts are coming off a big win over Columbus at UBS Arena, so it won’t be easy, but the Jets just get the nod to complete the hat-trick.
Unheralded New Jersey and Winnipeg are coming off cracking wins over Stanley Cup favourites Colorado and Tampa Bay respectively. The Jets have the better overall form of these teams this term, but the Devils can counter that with a solid home record at Prudential Center.
Toronto are back on track after a couple of wins this week and expected to prove a cut above Arizona at Scotiabank Arena. The Coyotes are coming off a hat-trick of victories themselves, though, and have been scoring heavily, so an entertaining encounter could be on the cards.
Calgary will look to strengthen their position at the top of the Pacific Division when entertaining Tampa Bay. The Flames currently sit four points clear of Los Angeles, with two games in hand. Tampa Bay are in a battle of their own for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Vancouver sit seven points out of a wild card spot and will be in a determined mood as they look to make it three wins in a row. However, Montreal have been a revelation since a change of coach and Martin St Louis has overseen seven wins in the last 10 games.
Washington put a lot into last night’s 5-4 victory at Calgary and that could open the door for Edmonton to pick up a much-needed success. The Oilers have gone three games without a win but did beat the Capitals on the road last month and can come out on top again on home ice.