Buffalo Sabres vs. Ottawa Senators (Sunday, 5:00 Eastern)

It’s officially “must-win” time for the Buffalo Sabres who currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes nipping at their heels, the Sabres have been on a roll of late reeling off a 5-1-2 record in their last eight games.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s “must-lose” time for the 29th-ranked Ottawa Senators, but more points at this stage won’t help their cause in acquiring a top selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in June. While Craig Anderson’s stifling play between the pipes for the Sens have made wins easier to come by, the Sabres lead the season series 4-1 and need to continue beating up on weaker opponents to secure a playoff berth.

Prediction: Sabres win 3-1

 
Detroit Red Wings at St. Louis Blues (Saturday, 8:00 Eastern)

The Detroit Red Wings seem like contenders year after year, while the St. Louis Blues seem like pretenders year after year. The 2010-11 season has been no different and despite suspect goaltending, Nick Lidstrom’s Red Wings are again among the NHL’s elite. Look for the ageless wonder to lead his team to a road victory over the 23rd-ranked St. Louis Blues on Saturday night at the Scottrade Center.

Prediction: Red Wings win 4-2

 
Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche (Saturday, 8:00 Eastern)

The Nashville Predators could not have picked a worse time to hit a rough patch. Having won just two of their past nine, Nashville has slipped to 10th-place in an extremely tight Western Conference playoff battle. Fortunately for the sputtering Preds, the abysmal Colorado Avalanche come to town on Saturday having won just one of their past 17, posing an ideal opportunity for a turnaround. The Predators have been awful offensively all season, but the Avalanche have been even worse defensively. One of Shea Weber’s signature slap shots could well be the deciding factor in this matchup of slumping squads.

Prediction: Predators win 3-2

Keep in mind that Vancouver, Tampa Bay, Washington, San Jose, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Atlanta are off the table for all three of our remaining contestants, so short of picking some big underdogs to outright win, the choices are pretty slim.

 
Boston Bruins vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Saturday, 7:00 Eastern)

Pittsburgh has done an admirable job holding it together without Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, but their lack of depth is starting to shine through. The Pens have won just three of their last ten, and they roll into Beantown to face a streaking Bruins team that has won six straight.

Not only are the Bruins on a tear, but they are the NHL’s leaders in goals against. The B’s have allowed just 148 goals so far this year. This doesn’t bode well for a Pens team that is missing its two best offensive players.

Prediction: Bruins win 4-1

 
Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers (Saturday, 10:00)

In a battle of two of the NHL’s worst teams, the Avs get a slight edge. They still have most of the core that made it to the playoffs last year, and can at least boast a couple of legit offensive stars in Matt Duchene and Paul Stastny. The Oilers are still too erratic, and frighteningly thin on D as long as Ryan Whitney is out. Taylor Hall injured his ankle in their game Thursday and is questionable. Dealing Dustin Penner won’t help them this year, but I can’t help but marvel at how much Steve Tambellini was able to fetch for the one dimensional winger.

Prediction: Avalanche win 4-3

 
Boston Bruins at Edmonton Oilers (Sunday, 8:00 Eastern)

The Bruins-Oilers matchup will mark the first meeting between top two 2010 draft picks Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin. While Hall has had the better rookie season, it’s Seguin who will likely get the first taste of playoff hockey at the NHL level, as his Bruins have been the far superior team. With a measly 46 points, Hall’s Oilers are the NHL’s basement dwellers and appear to be just a few months away from yet another lottery pick. While the Oilers could be a perennial contender a few years from now, they are presently no more than a team to beat up on.

Prediction: Bruins win 4-1

 
Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres (Saturday, 7:00)

Winners of five of their past six, the Detroit Red Wings appear poised to capture their ninth Central Division title in 10 seasons. Following some abysmal play around the midway point of the season, Red Wings’ goaltender Jimmy Howard has rediscovered his game. Detroit’s offense has also received a substantial boost since Pavel Datsyuk returned from a broken hand eight games ago.

The mediocre Buffalo Sabres have lost three of their last four, and have struggled to find consistency all season long. Superstar netminder Ryan Miller has allowed 13 goals in his past four starts en route to an 0-3-1 record.

Prediction: Red Wings win 4-2

 
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Saturday, 7:00 Eastern)

Under normal circumstances, there is no way I would take the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Unfortunately for the Penguins, these are anything but normal circumstances. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and several other regulars on the shelf with injuries, the Penguins are mired in a slump, having won just twice in their past nine.

Conversely, the Maple Leafs are red hot with a 7-2-2 record in February. Rookie goaltender James “Optimus Reim” Reimer has been stifling between the pipes, and is making it so that the Leafs don’t have to do much scoring to win games. This is great news for the Leafs, because they’re zero for 10 on the powerplay since Tomas Kaberle’s departure.

Prediction: Maple Leafs win 3-1

Had the Sabres lost in regulation, this pool would be decided with markymark2281 declared the winner. Instead, his pick of the Dallas Stars failed him, yet he is still alive in the pool because that is just his first incorrect since we started 13 weeks ago. This pool is double elimination remember. The other three entries are all on their last life.

On to this week, pickings are definitely getting slim because we’re almost halfway through the available NHL teams! In fact, at this point, five teams are off limits for all four of our contestants: Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, and Washington. This does take some of my favourite matchups off the table, but there are still some solid picks this week. Let’s have a look!

 
San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche (Saturday, 10:30 Eastern)

Last year, the Colorado Avalanche looked like they could be the league’s next up and coming contender, with their solid core of drafted talent. They still should be, but this year has been a rough learning experience for the young bunch. The recent distractions surrounding Foppa’s abbreviated comeback surely didn’t help, and this was evident in the Avs 9-1 dismantling at the hands of the Calgary Flames on Monday. To make matters worse, the Avs lost their leading scorer, Matt Duchene, to an injury in that same contest. With a 1-8-1 record in their last ten, things are looking pretty bleak for one of last season’s biggest surprise teams.

On the flipside, the Sharks seemed to have turned things around nicely after a rough holiday season. They are 7-2-1 in their last ten, thanks largely due to efforts from depth players such as Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture. If Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Ryan Clowe can get back on track, the Sharks could be scary.

ezcollectibles and JoePoolGuy, this one’s for you.

Prediction: Sharks win 4-2

 
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators (Saturday, 7:00)

I can’t believe it’s come to this. I am picking the Toronto Maple Leafs to win a hockey game. Not only that, I’m actively telling others, who have money at stake, that I think they should do the same.

Let’s look at the facts though: the Senators have recently shipped out Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly, and Daniel Alfredsson is out indefinitely. Things aren’t looking good. The Fisher and Kelly deals sort of puzzle me, because I really don’t think they were part of the problem in Ottawa. Unfortunately for Brian Murray, he doesn’t have much else in the way of marketable assets, as guys like Alex Kovalev, Jason Spezza, Filip Kuba and Sergei Gonchar all have contracts that seriously hamper their trade value. So Murray is stuck with dealing two of his character guys for draft picks in what is supposed to be one of the weakest draft classes in recent memory.

The Senators have also won just once in their last ten, while the Maple Leafs have won six of their last ten and are currently riding a two game winning streak. As if I needed to rub more salt in the wound… not surprisingly, all of our contestants still have the Leafs available as a pick. Hold on tight and good luck!

Prediction: Leafs win 3-1

 
Detroit Red Wings at Minnesota Wild (Sunday, 12:30)

I was actually pretty shocked that only one of our contestants (Eugenius) picked the Red Wings so far. The Wings and Wild have actually split their two meetings thus far this season, but Detroit took the last meeting in Minnesota by a 4-1 margin, and their other matchup needed OT to be decided.

Detroit is currently riding a two game winning streak, and getting Dan Cleary back in the lineup has helped the team get back to its regular forward lines and re-establish their depth up front. Minnesota meanwhile, is currently riding a two game losing streak.

Prediction: Wings win 4-2

 
San Jose Sharks at Florida Panthers (Sunday, 5:00 Eastern)

Who do the Sharks have to thank for their 9-0-1 record in their last 10? It’s not the usual suspects, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley or even Patrick Marleau, who have stepped up but rather the return to Stanley Cup-form of backstopper Antti Niemi and Logan Couture’s knack for scoring timely goals. Couture doesn’t just lead all rookies in goals with 24, he recently set the record for most game-winning goals scored on the road by an NHL rookie with seven. He’ll have a great opportunity in Florida against the struggling Panthers to push that mark to eight on Sunday.

Prediction: 4-2 Sharks

 
Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues (Saturday, 9:00 Eastern)

The Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks aren’t the only hot teams in the Northwest division right now. Having outscored their opponents 29 to 13, the Wild are winners of seven of their last nine. The Blues have struggled in 2011 so far, winning just four of 15 games in the New Year. In his last 17 starts, Blues’ goaltender Jaroslav Halak has surrendered three or more goals 12 times so look for the Wild to pepper the 25-year-old Czech early and often on Saturday.

Prediction: 3-1 Wild

 
Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche (Saturday, 8:00 Eastern)

With two convincing three-goal victories over the Detroit Red Wings in the past week, the Predators are making a legitimate run at the Central division title. They only got stronger yesterday after acquiring two-way centre Mike Fisher from the Ottawa Senators. He’ll debut for the Preds on Saturday night against the Avalanche, who have a new – well, sort of new – player of their own in Peter Forsberg. This one could come down to goaltending though, and Pekka Rinne has been significantly better than Craig Anderson this season.

Predicition: 3-2 Predators

As mentioned a couple weeks ago, our poolies are starting to run out of elite teams to choose from, making some tougher matchups more and more relevant. This is definitely evident in this week’s picks.

 
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. St. Louis Blues (Sunday, 3:00 Eastern)

Tampa Bay is red-hot, currently riding a six game winning streak. They’re also sporting a solid 17-4-2 home record. St. Louis, on the other hand, would actually probably be in the playoff picture if they could manage to play .500 hockey on the road. The Blues are 15-8-3 at home, but sit at 7-12-4 on the road.

This is my favourite pick this week, and of our remaining contestants, only JoePoolGuy used Tampa Bay already.

Prediction: 5-3 Lightning

 
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Atlanta Thrashers (Saturday, 7:00)

Carolina is simply too good, and too battle-tested, to not make the playoffs. If they’re going to make the playoffs however, it’s likely they will need to leapfrog their Southeast Division rivals, the Atlanta Thrashers. Carolina currently sits one point back of Atlanta, but the ‘Canes have a pair of games in hand.

With so many of the ‘Canes players having won a Stanley Cup together, you can bet this group will recognize the importance of Saturday’s tilt in Raleigh. Add to this the fact that the Thrashers have won just two of their last ten, plus the ‘Canes have won both meetings between the two this year. It’s a strong bet that Carolina will find itself sitting in a playoff position come Sunday morning.

Of interest for our poolies, JoePoolGuy was left out from the Tampa Bay pick, but is our only entry that can still pick Carolina. Bring it home, JPG!

Prediction: 4-1 Hurricanes

 
Buffalo Sabres vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday, 7:00)

The Buffalo Sabres have very quietly won seven of their last ten, and moved themselves into a great spot to make a playoff push. They sit six points back of Atlanta for the eighth and final playoff spot, but currently have four games in hand on the Thrashers.

It won’t be easy for the Sabres down the stretch, as they will have to do without arguably their best forward in Derek Roy, but Sabres fans can take some solace in the fact that Buffalo is 2-0 against the Leafs this season.

All four of our remaining poolies can pick Buffalo. Perhaps the choices aren’t that tough just yet, but we’ll know for sure after Saturday.

Prediction: 3-1 Sabres

Not to worry though, all five survivors have the Sabres at their disposal, and JoePoolGuy and lyonn can also turn to the Capitals.

 
Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames (Saturday, 10:00 Eastern)

Lost in the Flames’ disappointing record this season is the fact that they’re actually playing better than .500 hockey at home. Unfortunately for them, they are a terrible road team, posting a 9-12-5 record away from the Saddledome. Even more unfortunate for the Flames is the fact that the Canucks are a ridiculous 15-3-3 on home ice.

When you take into account all the NHL team payrolls and the state of their respective farm systems, it’s hard to argue there is an NHL team in worse overall shape than the Calgary Flames. I can’t help but hope that Jarome Iginla gets dealt to a contender, because there isn’t a guy in the game who deserves to win more than Iggy.

Prediction: Canucks win 4-1

 
Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday, 7:00)

Toronto’s actually a respectable 5-4-1 in their last ten, and the Capitals are a very pedestrian 9-9-3 on the road. Ovechkin loves the original six matchups and the big atmosphere buildings though, and the Leafs just got handed a 7-0 thumping at the hands of the Rangers. It’s not too late to call James Reimer back up, is it?

Prediction: Capitals win 5-2

 
Buffalo Sabres at New York Islanders (Sunday, 3:00)

Buffalo started the season off on the wrong foot, but has slowly worked themselves back to .500 and into playoff contention. The Sabres are 6-3-1 in their last ten, and their resurgence has oddly enough come after Derek Roy was lost to injury.

The Islanders, on the other hand, currently hold the distinction of being the only NHL team currently using two goalies I had never heard of prior to this season. Dwayne Roloson was just shipped out of town, and Rick DiPietro’s latest injury woes have left the Islanders with Kevin Poulin and Nathan Lawson to man the crease. Maybe Islanders owner Charles Wang can convince Garth Snow to come out of retirement.

Prediction: Sabres win 3-2

 
Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs (Saturday, 7:00 Eastern)

The Capitals haven’t been great this year but – let’s face it Leafs’ nation – the Buds have been alarmingly inconsistent this season. The Maple Leafs’ season can be best described as a gut-wrenching, mind-blowing, heart-breaking rollercoaster ride from hell. The past two weeks have been no different. After winning four straight games, including a 9-3 thrashing of the Atlanta Thrashers, the Leafs have lost their last three and managed just two goals in those games, one coming with just seconds left on the clock. The team hit rock bottom in a 7-0 loss to the New York Rangers Wednesday night.

Alex Ovechkin is mired in a serious slump right now, and a matchup with the blue and white could be just what the doctor ordered. The sniper has four goals and eight assists in his last five meetings with Toronto.

Prediction: 4-2 Capitals

 
Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames (Saturday, 10:00 Eastern)

Sitting atop the NHL as I write this, the Canucks are a force to be reckoned with this season. The trio of Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler have combine for 155 points this season. What is the sum of the Flames’ top three point-producers? Try a measly 102. That being said, the Flames have turned it on recently and could make a game of this one if the struggling Miikka Kiprusoff finds his groove. Still, the Canucks are arguably the deepest team in the NHL and the Flames will have trouble matching them line for line.

Prediction: 3-2 Canucks

 
Montreal Canadiens vs. Anaheim Ducks (Saturday, 7:00 Eastern)

This is far from my idea of a sure thing, but I have to give the Canadiens the advantage in this one. The Habs are 6-1-2 in their last nine games, though each win has been by a single goal. The Ducks, on the other hand, have not been so mighty on the road as of late. They’ve been outscored 30 to 23 en route to a 4-5-1 record in their last ten away games, and will once again be without superstar Ryan Getzlaf, who has been on the shelf with nasal sinus fractures since December 29th. While both teams feature goaltenders that are contending for the Vezina Trophy, Carey Price has been slightly more consistent than Jonas Hiller lately and gives the Canadiens the slight edge.

Prediction: 4-3 Canadiens

 
Detroit Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (Saturday, 7:00 Eastern)

Columbus has lost five straight, and the Wings just keep plugging along like they always do, currently tied with Philly for second most points in the league. As if that alone wasn’t reason enough to pick the Wings, Detroit is 2-0 against Columbus this year, and went 4-1 against the Blue Jackets last year. It seems as if maybe the Blue Jackets are still haunted by their four game sweep against the Wings in their only playoff appearance to date.

Prediction: 4-1 Wings

 
Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers (Saturday, 10:00)

The Oilers have won just once in their last ten, so it seems like a safe bet to pick against them versus almost anyone right now. All is not well in L.A. though, where the Kings currently find themselves on the outside looking in as far as the playoff picture is concerned, and Drew Doughty has regressed significantly since last year.

Kings fan and our survivor pool players can take some comfort in the fact that the Kings are 14-7-1 at home, compared to 9-11-0 on the road.

Prediction: 5-2 Kings

 
Washington Capitals vs. Ottawa Senators (Sunday, 3:00)

The Ottawa Senators are a mess. Firing Clouston is probably the next move, but the team’s problems run much deeper than that. The Sens aging, high-priced core of Alex Kovalev, Daniel Alfredsson, and Sergei Gonchar is not producing at all, and their salaries render them virtually untradeable. Jason Spezza is out for an extended period, and Pascal Leclaire and Brian Elliott have played so poorly that the club is currently looking into bringing Evgeni Nabokov back across the pond.

The Capitals, meanwhile, have turned things around in a big way since enduring one of their worst slumps during Bruce Boudreau’s tenure. They are 6-1-3 in their last 10, and it’s only a matter of time before Alexander Ovechkin breaks out in a big way.

Prediction: 6-2 Capitals

 
Philadelphia Flyers vs. New Jersey Devils (Saturday, 1:00 Eastern)

With all the Winter Classic and HBO hype around the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, the Flyers have quietly been among the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. They have won seven of their last 10, despite inconsistency between the pipes and foot surgery for their top defenseman Chris Pronger. Fortunately, fellow blueliner Andrej Meszaros is a league-leading plus-25, and he’ll likely have the opportunity to raise that total against the NHL’s lowest scoring team. The Devils are averaging a truly abysmal 1.77 goals per game this season and their prized $100 million offseason acquisition – Ilya Kovalchuk – has a league-worst minus-29 rating. Ouch!

Prediction: Flyers 6-1

 
Colorado Avalanche vs. New York Islanders (Saturday, 3:00 Eastern)

I don’t mean to pick on the New York Islanders (okay – maybe I do considering they’re 1-6-2 in Saturday games this season), but I’m not ready to buy in to this young team just yet. While the Islanders are 7-2-1 in their last 10 (including wins over the Penguins and Red Wings), the Avalanche are a far superior team at all positions and on the powerplay. Heck, the Islanders have won just five out of 20 road games this season and that should be more than enough to have you considering the Avalanche this weekend.

Prediction: Avalanche 4-1

 
Tampa Bay Lightning at Ottawa Senators (Saturday, 7:00 Eastern)

The only race the Ottawa Senators are in right now is for last place in the Northeast division with the woeful Toronto Maple Leafs. The Lighting on the other hand have pried the Southeast division lead out of the Washington Capitals cold, not-yet-dead hands. Look for the Bolts to get back on track after an 8-1 walloping at the hands of the Penguins on Wednesday night. The Lightning have responded well this season following routs, with a record of 4-2-2 following losses by two or more goals.

Prediction: Lightning 4-2