*NHL: Washington Capitals At Columbus Blue Jackets*
The Washington Capitals got away from the type of hockey that coach Trotz would like them to play. Perhaps it was a fallback to past habits, but the Capitals conceded 3, 4, and 4 goals in their last three games and lost all three. Coach Trotz likes his teams' to play defensively sound hockey, and what they displayed before the break was not that. Goaltender Holtby was not playing up to the standard he has shown this year, but he is the definition of a battler. A lot of this bet hinges on him fixing his mistakes over the break, but he is one of my favourite goalies mentally because of how resilient he is. I'm confident he will have a much better game tonight. It helps that they are facing a Blue Jackets side that has been a little impotent at home of late. The Jackets have not scored more than 2 goals in their last three home games, and were shutout in their last game before the break. In fact, they rank near the bottom of the league with only a 2.39 Goals per game average at Nationwide Arena. They've lost Bobrovsky to injury, and will have to rely on rookie Forsberg and McElhinney to handle the goaltending load. McElhinney is capable of a good game every now and then, but he also has faltered historically, when asked to be a starter. Ovechkin has started to heat up of late and will look to take advantage of the shaky goaltending situation. He has scored five goals in his last three games, and picked up five points in his first two games after the Olympic break last year. I hate this matchup for the Blue Jackets, and think they are going to have a really tough time tonight. **My Pick of The Day is the Washington Capitals to win in regulation @ 2.09**
*NHL: New York Rangers At New York Islanders*
The second and sixth placed teams in the Eastern Conference meet tonight in Nassau. The Islanders, second in the conference, won eight of eleven before the All-Star break and have posted a 16-4-0 record at home. The Rangers are also one of the NHL's hottest teams, going on a 16-3-0 run before the break. I'm going to side with the Rangers for a few reasons tonight, one of them being that Kyle Okposo is going to be out for a long-time due to an upper body injury. Visnovsky is expected to come off the I.R., but there isn't a good substitute for Okposo in the first line. He is the second leading scorer for the Islanders, but now Tavares will have to play without the second part of the Islanders star duo. Grabovski may come off the IR tonight to play on the line with Tavares and Bailey, but it's still going to take some time to create chemistry. Rarely is it an instantaneous thing. Helpfully, the Rangers are likely to start Lundqvist, and the man has gone 14-2-0 in his last 16, posting an otherworldly 1.71 GAA. In the Nassau Coliseum, he has won his last four with a 0.99 GAA. Rust after the break is certainly a worry, but the loss on the first line of the Islanders gives me confidence. I should also note that this game may be postponed due to the snowstorm bombarding the East Coast. I'm going to take the **New York Rangers to win @ 2.08**
*NHL: Winnipeg Jets At Pittsburgh Penguins*
The Winnipeg Jets have a massive opportunity tonight to grab a win in Pittsburgh. It's likely that the Pens will be without at least two, and possibly all three, of their leading scorers. Crosby and Malkin are likely to be out after having to sit out the All-Star break with lower body injuries. Letang suffered a concussion pre-break, and was cleared on Monday, but will still have to go through some more testing before he is declared ready. Additionally, it would not surprise me to see the Pens coaching staff give him an extra day against a Jets team that is quite physical. The Jets will also be facing backup Thomas Greiss in goal for the Penguins. The Jets are buoyed by the return of Perrault who has been an offensive catalyst before he suffered an injury that cost him two games. I'm extremely hopeful that the Jets will start Hutchinson in net as I do not trust Pavelec at all, but even if he is in net, the Jets still have the advantage due to the Penguins missings. The Penguins have lost their last four games, so they aren't heading into this one with even a semblance of momentum. The Jets are in the heart of the West playoff race, received Trouba back to solidify their defensive corps in the last game before the break, and need to take advantage of the Penguins situation. I'm going to take the **Winnipeg Jets to win @ 1.99**