NHL: Dietel examines 5 games, picks 4 and steers clear of the 5th

Red Wings +120 @ Rangers -140 7:00 p.m.
Pick: Under -105

More often than not, whenever either the Red Wings (25-37-10) or the Rangers (28-31-13) play a game, they struggle to fill the back of the net. Obviously, there are exceptions to this but recently it has been a growing trend. In Detroit’s last 8 matchups, they’ve only managed to score more than 2 goals, twice. Not good! In New York’s last 10 games they’ve only managed to score more than 2 goals 2 times. Worse! Tonight, we are hoping that these two basement dwellers stick to this pattern of mediocrity to help bolster our wallets.

The Red Wings are 2-7-1 in their last 10 and only 4 points above the league worst Senators at 60 points. The Rangers are 1-5-4, have lost the last 4 games in a row and can’t seem to get anything to go their way. Picking either one of these two teams to win is just a toss-up, so we will go with the under tonight in Madison Square Garden.

Canadiens -110 @ Flyers -110 7:00 p.m.
Pick: Flyers -110

With no clear favorite tonight, we like the odds of the home team in this matchup. The Flyers (35-29-8) are fighting for their lives to reach the post season, they are 6 points behind the Wild Card 2 spot Blue Jackets and are going to need to pull out all of the stops against the Habs tonight.

The Canadiens (37-28-7) have been sluggish recently. They dropped their last 2 games, are 4-3-3 in their last 10 and have seemed to be dialed back a lot even though they are in the thick of a playoff race. They’ve got 81 points on the season and could sorely use a win tonight. Both teams will be out for flood, but we think the Flyers, especially coming off of the heels of a comeback victory against Pittsburgh are the tam to side with tonight.

Bruins -120 @ Islanders +100 7:00 p.m.
No Pick

This is a piece of action that we want no part of. The Bruins (43-20-9) have been an absolute wagon down the stretch. They are 7-3-0 in their last 10 and recently went on a 19-game point streak (which was broken the second we opened our mouths about it). In an attempt not to mush anything tonight, we will steer clear of this action with 4 other games on tap.

The Islanders (42-23-7) need to win tonight to maintain a tie for first place in the Metropolitan Division tonight. The Capitals will take on the Devils on the road and should have no problem pummeling New Jersey. The Islanders have the tougher opponent tonight, so let’s sit back and see what they’ve got.

Penguins +120 @ Hurricanes -140 7:00 p.m.
Pick: Penguins money line +120

How can we not take the Penguins (39-24-10) road price here? They have lost their last 2 games in a row, but Sidney Crosby will be damned if he lets the Hurricanes (39-25-7) inch any closer to his 3rd place playoff position in the division. Plus, Pittsburgh is only 3 points behind the Islanders/Capitals duo going into tonight. This is the perfect chance to make up some ground and potentially move into 2nd place by week’s end. There’s a lot on the line for the Penguins here and we think they produce.

Carolina has really turned up the heat. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10, are up 1 point over Columbus, and look to be a real threat in the post season. They have some of the best defensemen in the league on their roster along with some incredible talent up front. It won’t be easy for the Pens tonight, but we think they ultimately get the job done.

Capitals -230 @ Devils +190 7:30
Pick: Capitals to cover the spread -1.5 +120

The Devils (27-37-9), no matter how you look at it, are bad. They somehow strung two wins together last week but they were against the Oilers and the Canucks, not the best competition. They also had to fight for their lives against the Canucks and took the game into a late round shootout. All of this combined with the fact that Washington absolutely has their number this season paints a pretty horrific picture at Prudential Center tonight.

The Capitals (42-23-7) have to win this matchup tonight, and they most likely will. They have way more talent throughout their lineup than the Devils do currently and should demolish them tonight. We think it’s going to get ugly and that the Caps will run up the score, so that’s what we’ve got our money on tonight, and you should too.