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Hockey Survivor Pool Picks for Mar. 12: Sabres, Red Wings, Predators

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The Hockey Survivor Pool is down to two, and we came under 30 seconds from a three-way split last week, before the Boston Bruins scored on the Pittsburgh Penguins to keep ezcollectibles and markymark2281 alive. Now they go head-to-head in week 17 of the pool, and hopefully they each have at least one of these best bets available.

 
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

Hockey Survivor Pool Picks for Feb. 12: Sharks, Wild, Predators

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Again, we cater to our Hockey Survivor Pool, poolies’ needs providing at least two available options this week for each of our four remaining competitors – but it ain’t getting any easier. Our remaining alive entries don’t seem ready to bow out any time soon, but twelve weeks in, now that they are down to only eighteen teams to choose from, they have to get creative with their selections. Here are the most one-sided matchups available for our competitors this weekend:

 
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