Bruce's Picks (2 Live)
Wow, if the Blue Jackets would have known Rick Bowness would make such a difference behind the bench, maybe they would have hired him away from the TNT studios a bit sooner! The "Bowness Bounce" is real in Columbus as the Jackets have win six straight and nine of ten since Bowness took over, the latest a 3-0 blanking of the Devils last night behind Elvis Merzlikins in goal, plus two Mathieu Olivier goals. Tonight it will be Jet Greaves between the posts at Nationwide, and all he's done lately is win in five of his last six starts. Meanwhile the Hawks are off of a 6-3 win over San Jose on Monday but had dropped five straight prior. Play Blue Jackets on ML
Good move lately for Seattle to get into playoff position with four straight wins, keyed mostly by solid defense into tonight at Anaheim. Joey Daccord has had a good run lately in goal for the Kraken, too, allowing just two goals in each of his last three starts, all Seattle wins. Daccord also has a win over the Ducks earlier this season when stopping 35 of 36 shots on opening night. Meanwhile Lukas Dostal remains solid in goal for Anaheim, posting a 2.49 GAA in January, and the Ducks winning 7 of his last 8 starts. Play Kraken-Ducks Under
If the Penguins had their way they would likely erase the past 64 minutes of ice time, when the Rangers got close with three late goals on Saturday before losing 3-2 to the Sens last night. Still the offense has been popping, scoring six goals three times in the past five games, and Stuart Skinner is back in the nets tonight and looking for a sixth straight win. Into tonight, Skinner is 8-1 in his last nine starts, and posted solid numbers (2.13 GAA, .910 saves) in January. Meanwhile the Devils continue to flounder for Sheldon Keefe, losing three of four into the Rock tonight. Play Penguins on Money Line
Beware the "Bowness Bounce" which continuess in Columbus as the the Blue Jackets have continued their winning ways since Rick Bowness took over behind the bench in mid-January. Columbus has won five straight and now eight of nine under Bowness, part of a current 9-1 run that has the Jackets back in the mix for an East playoff berth. Goals have been flying into the net in recent games, 22 goals in fact the last four games with everybody seeming to contribute, including recently-added Mason Marchment (via Seattle), who tallied a hat-trick in a recent win over Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, the Devils continue to flounder for Sheldon Keefe, losing three of four entering the Rock tonight. Play Blue Jackets on Money Line
Even with two losses on the spin, the Sharks look a better option at the moment than the Blackhawks, who are now losing touch with the playoff contenders in the West after vie straight losses, the latest on Saturday by a 4-2 count vs. the Blue Jackets. Offensive issues are sinking Chicago, with just nine goals int he slump, as GK Spencer Knight (likely in the nets again tonight) has almost been forced to shut out opponents for the Blackhawks to have a chance. With young guns Macklin Celebrini (now 79 points) and Will Smith, San Jose usually has enough offense to help GK Yaroslav Askarov, who has 17 wins this season. Play Sharks on the Money Line.
The Preds got the big guns firing again on Saturday in an important 4-3 win vs. the Islanders, on the heels of back-to-back OT losses. Nashville has played well enough in its three-game skid but finally got over the hump at UBS Arena when Roman Josi scored the late winner after Filip Forsberg had netted twice. Juuse Saros also picked up a well-deserved win in goal and likely is back in the nets tonight. Meanwhile the Blues have lost six of seven and GK Joel Hofer, who had provided a better chance the Jordan Binnington for much of the season, might be wearing down, allowing four goals in each of his last two starts. Play Preds on the Puck Line.
Saturday's 6-5 win vs. the Rangers looks closer than the game played, as the Pens were in control from the outset and saw NY score a three goals in the last 4:45, and two in the final 1:07 at PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh, however, now has six straight wins, and four times in those six landed on six goals, too, so the offense is percolating, with Anthony Mantha the hot scorer, tallying three times in the last two games. Arturs Silovs likely goes in goal tonight after stopping 101 of 109 shots in his last four starts. As for the Sens, they've won three straight but now go on the road, where they've lost five of their last seven. Play Penguins on the Money Line.
The Golden Knights look a bit frazzled, losing four straight, on the road in Anaheim after losing at home vs. Seattle last night, Bruce Cassidy is also forced to use GK Adin Hill after Arika Schmid worked vs. the Kraken; reason for concern, perhaps, as Hill is off of a rough January in which he posted a 4.15 GAA and .832 saves. The Ducks are reeling a bit, too, now on a two-game spinout after getting blanked 2-0 in Vancouver, but had won seven straight prior, and now back at Honda Center where they've won three straight. Lukas Dostal (2.49 GAA in January), in the nets for that seven-game win streak, also looks a better option in goal than Hill. Play Ducks on Money Line
Look out for the "Bowness Bounce" which continues for the Blue Jackets after last night's 4-2 win at Chicago. That puts Columbus 7-1 across its last eight games, 6-1 since Rick Bowness took over behind the bench, as the Jackets have revived their playoff hopes before the Olympic break next week. No shortage of goals lately (17 across the last three games), with Mason Marchment two games removed from a hat-trick vs. the Lightning, and Jet Greaves back in goal tonight after wins in four of his last five starts. Meanwhile the Blues have lost the last five and nine of the last ten starts in goal made by Jordan Binnington. Play Blue Jackets on Money Line
That was a bitter loss for the Sharks on Thursday in Edmonton, letting a 3-0 lead slip away as the Oilers scored twice very late to force OT before Zach Hyman scored the winner. Still, San Jose has won 10 of its last 15, and Macklin Celebrini remains in top form, posting 7 points across the past three games. Also note five straight wins in goal for Alex Nedeljkovic, whose January numbers include a 2.13 GAA and .913 saves. On the other side, things are not going well at all for the Flames, with five straight losses and just seven goals scored across that span. Play Sharks on Money Line
Before the season, it looked a good move for Mike Sullivan from behind the Pittsburgh bench to behind New York's. Now, however, not so much. Instead this afternoon it's a battle of maybe the most disappointing (Rangers) and surprising (Penguins) teams in the league. New York is already out of playoff contention and doesn't have GK Igor Shesterkin, who has been badly missed in recent weeks as the flailing Rangers have lost 10 of 12, with recently-added GK Spencer Martin posting a subpar 4.13 GAA in six appearances. Meanwhile, the surging Pens have won five straight, and Stuart Skinner (6-1-0, 1.72 GAA, .929 saves in January) continues to shine in goal. They don't seem to miss Sullivan! Play Penguins on Puck Line
The Red Wings have had two tough losses ina row after forcing OT vs. the Caps on Thursday with a pair of goals by Alex DeBrincat within the last two minutes of regulation time. John Gibson in goal, however, has had a superb January, with an 8-2-1 mark along with a 1.89 GAA and .929 saves. Detroit is also 17-3 in games started by Gibson since the beginning of December, and Gibson had won four straight OTs/shootouts before Thursday. Meanwhile the Avs have lost some altitude since their blazing start, with wins in just one of five and two in eight, with neither goalie Scott Wedgewood nor Mackenzie Blackwood (in goal today) enjoying a good January. Play Red Wings on Money Line
No blame for Tuesday's Detroit loss to LA on GK John Gibson, who stopped 19 of 21 shots though losing his first start since January 3. Still, quite a run lately for Gibson, 17-3 in his starts since the beginning of December, and January marks still quite superb, including 1.79 GAA and .934 saves. It's also worth noting that the Red Wings have won the last four OT games with Gibson in goal. Meanwhile the Caps are enduring a brutal stretch, losing six of seven, and at the conclusion of a long road trip tonight in which they've lost four of five. Charlie Lindgren also in goal after losing his last three starts, with a 4.52 GAA in January. Play Red Wings on Money Line