RANGERS (+180) at PENGUINS (-220), 12:30 p.m.
Pick: Penguins To Win (-220)
Saturday afternoon, the Penguins (30-21-7) dropped a tough one to the Flames, 5-4, at home against one of the better teams in the league. That loss let the Hurricanes pass them in the standings and take the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins’ recent string of play has been borderline mediocre, they’ve gone 5-8-1 in the last 14 during the part of the season where they usually start ramping things up in anticipation of the postseason. We don’t think they will let another game slip through their fingers here as the Rangers (24-24-8) come to town.
The Blue Shirts are coming off a huge win against Buffalo Friday where they managed to put up a touchdown but miss the extra point. New York is out of a playoff spot and at this point in the season are just a spoil sport team. They normally like to play up to their competition but we think that the Penguins will be too amped up after their loss Saturday to let the Rangers really get things going. We like Pittsburgh, so do your thing, Sydney Crosby.
SABRES (-120) at DEVILS (+100), 6 p.m.
Pick: Sabres To Win (-120)
The Devils (22-28-8) had a miraculous come-from-behind win against the Wild on Friday when Nico Hischier was able to pot his third overtime goal of the season (the most by any Devil under 21 in one season in franchise history). G Corey Schneider, who came in to relieve Keith Kindkaid (four goals allowed in two periods), also got his first win since December 2017. This was a huge moment for the Devils team and an even bigger moment for the fans. Even in this disaster of a season, watching Hischier and Jesper Bratt develop into playmakers and leaders for the Devils makes things feel sort of right for New Jersey fans. The Devils will look to replicate the win from Friday Sunday against the Sabres (28-22-7).
Buffalo’s offense is high-powered and skilled. Jeff Skinner has continued to dominate the league and scored both goals (team-leading 36 on the season) in the Sabres’ 6-2 loss on Friday. The Sabres are going to look to strike quick to take down the Devils, like most things and will probably succeed. The Devils may be feeling on top of the world after their win in Minnesota but they will come back down to earth. Take Buffalo here.
FLYERS (-120) at RED WINGS (+100), 6 p.m.
Pick: Flyers To Win (-120)
It’s the latter half of a home-and-home between the Flyers (27-24-7) and the Red Wings (23-28-8). Saturday, the Flyers avoided a total meltdown (blowing a four-goal third-period lead) with a 6-5 overtime victory. We like the Flyers odds again in this matchup, especially for the road price.
The Flyers, 11-1-1 in their last 13, have been one of the most surprising teams out of the All-Star Break. The Red Wings have been struggling to get things going this season due to their young roster and inexperienced players.