NHL: Friday we’ve got our salary on Caps, think Coyotes may upset

Islanders +138 (27-15-4) @ Capitals -167 (27-14-5) 7:30 pm
Pick: Capitals money line -167

The Islanders have shown that they are a team to be reckoned with this season. They are riding a 3-game winning streak, they beat one of their division rivals in the Devils last night at the Nassau Coliseum and they’ve won 8 of their last 10. They can take first place in the Metropolitan Division tonight with a win and a Blue Jackets regulation loss. However, we just don’t think that’s going to happen for them.

New York is going into the second half of a back-to-back and is facing the Capitals who are itching for a win. They’ve dropped their last three games and are 4-4-2 in their last 10 which is completely out of the ordinary for them. Last we saw the Capitals play, they got decimated by the Predators 7-2. When top tier teams screw up that badly the game previously, they come out looking for blood during their next tilt and that’s exactly what we think will happen. Let’s also not forget to mention that the Caps have won their last three matchups against New York. This is the perfect storm for Washington, a tired Isles team and a will to win that just can’t be matched.

Penguins (25-15-6) -145 @ Coyotes +125 (21-22-3) 9:05 pm
Pick: Coyotes money line +125

We are going to get weird with it for a second on this one. The Coyotes have been perennially bad for a while now, but their current roster is actually loaded with talent. Their backend is stacked with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Nikolas Hjalmarsson, and Alex Goligoski. Up front they’ve got Alex Galchenyuk, Derek Stepan, Clayton Keller, and Nick Schmaltz. They are no joke and they are finally starting to figure things out. They are 5-4-1 and are coming off of their second win this season against the Sharks who have been on fire recently.

The Penguins have slowed down ever so slightly recently and have dropped their last two games. They are still 7-3-0 in their last 10 but in the NHL anything can happen. Heck, the Kings snapped their most recent 6-game winning streak and if they can do that, the Coyotes can absolutely tack on another loss for Pittsburgh. Look for them to come out and upset the Penguins tonight.