Welcome to the NHL Daily Picks where hockey writers Adam Gretz and Chris Peters make their selections for all of the day's games.
New York Islanders[1] vs. Tampa Bay Lightning[2], 7 p.m. ET
Thanks to losses in six of their past eight games the New York Islanders have gone from a team that looked to have a playoff spot already secured, to a team that now appears to be on the bubble in the middle of the chaotic wild card race in the Eastern Conference. They enter play on Friday in the first wild card spot, just two points up on the Flyers[3] (second wild card) and Red Wings (on the outside for the moment).
But how much trouble are they really in at this point? For as close as they are to the Flyers and Red Wings at the bottom of the playoff picture, they are also just one point behind Pittsburgh for a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division. What's even more important is the fact that they still have 10 games remaining in the season while everybody else they are competing with only has eight or nine.
The key, though, is making sure they take advantage of those extra games and win.
They make up one of those games in hand on Friday night -- and it's not going to be an easy one -- when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that is trying to keep pace with the Florida Panthers[4] for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
The Lightning have been a streaky team over the past month, going on a nine-game winning streak that stretched from the middle of February to early March, before going on a stretch where they lost four out of the next five games. Now they have won two in a row, including a complete dismantling of the Detroit Red Wings[5] earlier this week to open a six-game homestand.
They have been a difficult team to get a read on at times this season. Sometimes they look like the machine that rolled through the Eastern Conference playoffs a year ago on their way to the Stanley Cup Final, and sometimes they look like an ordinary team that has taken a step back.
One player that hasn't been ordinary for them lately has been Steven Stamkos[6] who, after a slow start to the season, is starting to fill the net like the elite goal scorer that he is. He has five goals in his past five games for the Lightning and 12 in his past 17. He is now on pace for 38 goals on the season, and even though it's not the level we have seen from him in the past, it is still likely to put him in the top-five in the entire league for the season.
Both teams have had their struggles recently, and it's a fairly big game for both teams, but the Lightning are playing a little better at the moment, have the home ice, and the better goaltender as the Islanders continue to try and get by without the services of their starter, Jaroslav Halak.
Tampa Bay takes Friday's game and move back into first place. Even though they would be tied with Florida in points, the Lightning would actually move ahead of them due to having more regulation and overtime wins. Pick: Lightning 4, Islanders 2
The rest of Friday's scores
References
- ^ New York Islanders (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ Tampa Bay Lightning (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ Flyers (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ Florida Panthers (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ Detroit Red Wings (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ Steven Stamkos (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ Capitals (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ Devils (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ Blues (www.cbssports.com)
- ^ Canucks (www.cbssports.com)
