NHL Tuesday 2 Game Parlay

Eastern Conference action

Tuesday’s NHL action features the third, fourth and fifth place teams in the Eastern Conference and one team that hopes to be near the top by season’s end.

Buffalo Sabres (33-18-9) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (36-22-4)
7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

•    The Pittsburgh Penguins rank 5th on offense, and average 3.0 goals per game. The Penguins are 16.5% on the power play and have 41 power play goals.
•    The Buffalo Sabres rank 14th on offense, and average 2.7 goals per game. The Sabres are 17.6% on the power play for a total of 42 power play goals.
•    The Penguins average 3.4 goals per game at home, and give up 2.7 goals against on defense.
•    The Sabres average 2.6 goals per game on the road, and give up 2.7 goals against on defense.

Moneyline: There are no lines available for this game.

Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have somehow stuck around in the Eastern Conference Playoff picture without a major name on their roster, except for goaltender Ryan Miller and he is not expected to start on Tuesday against the Penguins due to a day of rest. Without their Save Master, Buffalo is simply an average team. Coach Lindy Ruff has done a masterful job thus far in the season and should be mentioned in Coach of the Year discussions, but without Miller even he doesn’t look quite as good.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are, make no mistake about it, an elite NHL team. They have solid goaltending, a competitive defense and a forward unit that is the envy of every NHL team. Sidney Crosby, fresh off of historic overtime goal in the Gold Medal game on Sunday could be a bit emotionally exhausted, but is certainly good enough to rise above the fatigue and play a strong game. Evgeni Malkin is the player with something to prove. He was a disappointment for the Russians in the Olympics and would like nothing more than to upstage Crosby in the latter part of the season. The Penguins will be too much for the Millerless Sabres on Tuesday night – the Pens win easily.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

New York Rangers (28-27-7) vs. Ottawa Senators (36-23-4)
7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, Ontario

•    The Ottawa Senators rank 12th on offense, and average 2.8 goals per game. The Senators are 16.1% on the power play and have 34 power play goals.
•    The New York Rangers rank 20th on offense, and average 2.6 goals per game. The Rangers are 18.0% on the power play and have 42 power play goals.
•    The Senators average 3.1 goals per game at home, and give up 2.4 goals against on defense.
•    The Rangers average 2.1 goals per game on the road, and give up 2.6 goals against on defense.

Moneyline: New York: +135  : Ottawa: -155

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers currently sit in tenth place in the Eastern Conference – one point behind the Canadiens for eighth with one game in hand. The Rangers are a difficult team to bank on – they have a huge payroll, a slough of talent and a goaltender that has been the sole reason for their success at times during the season. Still, inconsistency and apathy continue to plague this team. Coach John Tortarella has called out his team on numerous occasions to no avail. The best thing for the Rangers right now is that Tuesday could mark the start of a new season, one in which they can put the mediocrity behind them. Note: Marian Gaborik was indeed injured in the Olympic tournament but is expected to play on Tuesday.

Puck Line: New York: + 1 ½ : Ottawa: - 1 ½

Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators are one of the few teams that did not welcome the Olympic break with open arms. They were 14-2 in their 16 games prior to the break. Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza have elevated their games and the team has finally found some secondary scoring. Brian Elliot seems to be the answer in net – you get the picture – everything is rosy in Sensland.

Pick: Ottawa Senators -155