As October comes to a close, the teams look ahead to November and start positioning themselves in the conference for playoff contention down the road. Will the Maple Leafs maintain their lead in the Atlantic Division? We take a look at their match up and four others. Note that all information is for games played through October 29.
Dallas Stars versus Toronto Maple Leafs
Dallas enters near the bottom in the Central Division, while Toronto is fighting off Montreal, Tampa Bay and Boston in the Atlantic Division. Toronto holds a +30 to +16 advantage on the Power Ranking Indicator, while both teams are “burning hot” on the Power Ranking Indicator. Dallas is 0-3 on the road, but the Maple Leafs have struggled to 3-4 at home. Toronto won the last meeting between the teams on October 9 and despite the home struggles, will be favorites. Look for Toronto to stay on top in the division with a narrow win.
Pittsburgh Penguins versus New York Islanders
The Penguins and the Islanders face off in this Metropolitan Division battle. Pittsburgh looks to maintain their lead in the division,while the Islanders try to stay above .500. The Penguins have a large +25 to +6 advantage on the Power Ranking Indicator. They are winners of their last four and are “burning hot” on the Team Strength Oscillator. After a bad start, the Islanders are trending up with their current two game winning streak. Pittsburgh won three of the four meetings between the teams last season and are 4-0-1 on the road so far. Pittsburgh should win this one by two goals.
New Jersey Devils versus Detroit Red Wings
Detroit is the worst team in the NHL at the moment, while the Devils try to move up from the middle of the pack in the Metropolitan Division. New Jersey is 0-1 on the road this season and Detroit is just 1-3-1 at home. Not surprisingly, the Red Wings are the second lowest on the Power Ranking Indicator and “dead” on the Team Strength Oscillator. Top make matters worse, the Red Wings have been outscored by 18 goals already, while the Devils have a +5 scoring differential. There’s little to indicate Detroit can win, even at home. Go with the Devils in what should be a relatively easy win.
Vegas Golden Knights versus St. Louis Blues
Vegas is off to a 5-5-1 start and St. Louis is 3-4-3 and last in the Central Division. Vegas won two of the three meetings between the teams last season and have a +7 to +3 advantage on the Power Ranking Indicator. Both teams are trending poorly, “average down” for the Golden Knights and “dead” for the Blues. The teams are evenly matched in terms of point differential, Vegas being outscored by 4 and St. Louis by 3. Although much of a toss up game at this point, look for Vegas to edge a win.
Philadelphia Flyers versus Los Angeles Kings
The Flyers are off to a poor 4-7 start and second to last in the Metropolitan Division. The Kings are at the bottom in the Pacific Division at 3-7-1. Not surprisingly, both teams are fairing poorly on the oscillators. Los Angeles is 0 on the Power Ranking Indicator and the Flyers are +5. Similarly, Philadelphia has an “ice cold down” status versus “dead” for the Kings. Both teams are dreadful in scoring differential, -14 for Philadelphia and -17 for the Kings. This is a game that could go either way and likely not a very entertaining one to watch. If you want to bet, it’s probably best to go with the Kings and could be an overtime win.
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