There are only a couple more days left until the NHL All-Star break begins, and there are several teams that are desperate to pick up much needed points heading into the break. Also, we would like to grab a few more winners to end the season’s “first half” on a strong note. Let’s have a look at tonight’s NHL board!
NHL Picks January 23rd
Ottawa @ Los Angeles
The lone meeting of the season between these two teams sees two of the hottest goalies in the NHL going head-to-head. Things have been surprisingly great in Ottawa so far this season and a great deal of that success has to be credited to net minder Craig Anderson. Anderson is tied for 3rd in the NHL with 25 wins on the year so far, and has had to work for every single one of them. Anderson ranks first in the NHL in games played for a goalie, shots against, saves, and minutes played as well. Anderson has been a huge reason why the Sens are 5th in the Eastern Conference standings, but I wonder how much longer Ottawa can keep winning while allowing so many shots on goal and letting in so many goals. The Senators have given up 153 goals on the season, which is ranked 27th in the NHL and averages out to about 3.1 goals against per game which ranks 25th in the league. One reason why Ottawa continues to win is because they have found ways to consistently score goals, something which might come at a premium tonight. We’ve talked about Anderson, but Jonathan Quick has been just as good if not better than Anderson this season. Quick ranks 4th in the NHL with a 1.95 goals against average, and 5th in save percentage at .933 on the year. But what’s most impressive about his season so far is his league-leading 6 shutouts. In his last 11 games played, Quick is 5-2-4 but has a 1.41 goals against average and a .950 save percentage despite only the 5 wins over that stretch. The Kings were starting to find ways to score again but that was halted on Saturday night with a 3-1 loss to the Avalanche. Still, the Kings top line of Justin Williams, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown has been clicking at a good pace recently. Williams is playing his best hockey of the year and has 8 points in his last 6 games, Brown has a couple of points in his last 2 games, while Kopitar has been the offensive leader all season and has registered 7 points in his last 6 games. With few goals expected, I am looking for the better defensive team to win this game, and I believe that is the Kings. The Kings rank 4th in overall defense, allowing just 2.2 goals per game, and that number goes down slightly to 2.1 per game at home. They also boast the league’s 4th ranked home penalty kill at 87.2%. The Kings are 6-2 in their last 8 games vs. Ottawa, and 9-1-1 in their last 11 at home vs. the Sens. Look for the hometown Kings to win a low-scoring affair.
My Pick – KINGS (-130) (bet it at www.5dimes.com and get $520 FREE)