St. Louis at Toronto

The St. Louis Blues will travel into Toronto tonight to face the Leafs. Maple Leafs fans have been calling for Ron Wilson's head all season but the reality is, the roster lacks the talent needed to make the playoffs. The Leafs have yet to make the playoffs since the lockout, and currently sit 13 points behind 8th place Montreal for the 8th seed this year. Unless a dramatic turnaround, the Leafs won't be there again this season. Making matters worse is for the 2nd straight summer, the Maple Leafs will be without a top first round pick barring a trade. GM Brian Burke has traded away this year and last years first round pick in trades leaving them without a top prospect and player they could have acquired.

The Blues are a team that once again are battling injuries. T.J. Oshie remains out as well as David Perron, Andy McDonald and Paul Kariya. Oshie, Perron and McDonald are the Blues top scorers along with David Backes, who remains healthy. Alex Steen has picked up some of the slack on the scoring end while Jaroslav Halak continues to have an impressive season.

We give this one to the Blues and they battle for yet another playoff spot while being decimated by injuries.

Pick: St. Louis -120

Tuesday Prediction

Look for Phoenix to win over Columbus to get back in the playoff race

The Pick: Phoenix -145 Over Columbus

Both clubs are on the outside looking in the difficult Western Conference playoff race heading into action tonight in Phoenix. Even though each team is sitting in last place in their respective division, they're still only a few points back for the 8th seed. The Coyotes are coming off a very tough 6-5 loss to the Wild in overtime on Sunday in a game they feel they should of won. The good news for Phoenix is that they're finally starting to score some goals in their last three games. Columbus recently had a three game win streak snapped by Nashville on Sunday night. Columbus coach, Scott Arniel benched his top line for the third period of that game. We like the goaltender matchup tonight for Phoenix between Ilya Bryzgalov and Steve Mason. We also like the fact that the Coyotes offense is playing better and that they are at home. In a night where it's hard to distinguish a clear cut winner on the schedule, the Coyotes look like the best option.

Monday Prediction

Look for the Sharks to cool of the white hot Canucks tonight at HP Pavilion.

The Pick: San Jose -135 over Vancouver

A possible Western Conference Finals preview will take place in San Jose tonight, as no team is hotter than the Vancouver Canucks as of late. Vancouver will be playing on consecutive nights after defeating Colorado 2-1 last night. Backup goalie Corey Schneider gets the call for the Canucks, putting his undefeated record on the line. The Canucks have won five in a row and have not lost in regulation in their last ten games. However, playing on back to back nights and playing in a building that they have not had success in lately may make them vulnerable tonight. In addition to that everyone in Canada is throwing accolades in their direction lately by anointing them the best team in the West. Maybe they are a bit tired and a little too high on themselves against a Shark team that is fighting for the Pacific Division lead and coming off a big win in Los Angeles. The Sharks have been a bit inconsistent lately, but are getting solid goaltending from Antti Niemi. Look for the Sharks to win a tight checking game at home and end the Canucks streak.