Pittsburgh Penguins - New Jersey Devils
The Devils barely beat Buffalo the other day. The Penguins feel a lot hotter. Pittsburgh wins!
Boston Bruins - Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres finally fired Krueger. I don't expect it will turn them into a juggernaught though. This should be an easy win for the Bruins. Boston wins!
Philadelphia Flyers - New York Islanders
The Flyers will be looking to turn things around after suffering a major smackdown against the other New York team. The Islanders have been really good lately, and will be looking to finally get a win over Philadelphia, who have won both of the previous meetings. I expect an even and hard-fought battle, but I can't go with the team that got hammered by 9-0 last night. NY Islanders wins!
Columbus Blue Jackets - Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus are very much Jekyll and Hyde. They can be great, and they can be... Not so good. The Canes are always at least decent, and often very good. I give them the upper hand here. Carolina wins!
Chicago Blackhawks - Tampa Bay Lightning
The Bolts have won four of the five meetings, against a Blackhawks team that tends to do better against the weaker teams in the division. I won't count them out, but I believe more in the Lightning. Tampa Bay wins!
Nashville Predators - Florida Panthers
The Panthers are just better. Florida wins!
Dallas Stars - Detroit Red Wings
A must-win for the Stars! They cannot afford to drop too many points if they want to make the playoffs. Detroit are not that easy to take on right now. They work hard in every game, and there are no cheap victories here. But most of the times, they are not quite good enough to get the win, so I have to go with the Stars here. Dallas wins!
Winnipeg Jets - Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers blasted some serious fireworks last night against the Flames, scoring 7 goals. But the Jets have been really good this season. They have won two each in the previous meetings, and I expect a close game here. But I'll give a slight edge to the Jets. Winnipeg wins!
Minnesota Wild - Colorado Avalanche
Two really strong teams! I feel this one could go either way. The Avs have been ramping up lately though, so I'll go with them. Colorado wins!
Arizona Coyotes - Anaheim Ducks
The Yotes have been struggling lately, but they have done well in their games agains the Ducks. I think this will be a break for theme. Arizona wins!
In summary, my winners are:
Pittsburgh Penguins
Boston Bruins
New York Islanders
Carolina Hurricanes
Tampa Bay Lightning
Florida Panthers
Dallas Stars
Winnipeg Jets
Colorado Avalanche
Arizona Coyotes
