Ben Burns Analysis

December 12th
Tampa Bay at Montreal
The Lightning have cooled down a bit from their hot start, but are still playing well. As of this writing, they sit atop the South East division. Montreal will be playing their first game back home off a tough four game road trip. The Habs haven't been getting the goaltending that they grew accustomed to last year. Through the first three games of their road trip they gave up 14 goals. Look for Tampa to take advantage, and to come away with the road win.
Take the Lightning.

December 13th
Chicago at Buffalo
Back on October 13th, Buffalo came to Chicago full of hope for the upcoming season. They had a 2-0 record, and had outscored their first two opponents 11-2. The Hawks handed them a 3-0 loss, and the Sabres went on to win just twice in their next 21 games. Buffalo is playing much better of late though. Look for them to avenge that early season loss.
Play on the Sabres.

December 14th
NY Rangers at Toronto
These teams last met on October 15th. Pavel Bure scored two goals for New York en route to a 5-4 win. A struggling Ranger team entered that game having been outscored 10-1 in their previous two games. Once again the Rangers are struggling entering this game in Toronto. Although they will be without Bure, I expect them to upset the Leafs once again.
Take the underdog Rangers.

Shawn York's Analysis

Saturday December 14th Boston at Montreal
A battle of two of the original six teams in Montreal as the Bruins are in town. The two teams met Tuesday in Boston as the Habs wrapped up a long road trip. Montreal played at home Thursday against Tampa while Boston played their 5th game in 8 nights at home Thursday to Ottawa. I like Montreal especially if Boston won the game between the teams Tuesday.
Take Montreal on the Moneyline.

Vancouver at Edmonton.
The Oilers were on home ice last night against Colorado while Vancouver already in town awaiting tonight's matchup. Canucks well rested will be looking forward to getting some respect with a win in this nationally televised game. Edmonton is facing a much different style of play from the Canucks then Colorado and will have a tough time making the adjustment.
Take Vancouver on the Moneyline.

Tuesday December 17th
Edmonton at Minnesota
The Oilers beginning a road trip while Minnesota plays their second straight home game. This is a revenge game for the Wild who lost an overtime game 2-1 in Edmonton on December 3rd. The Wild should have won that game and I expect a strong effort from the Wild while the Oilers demanding schedule as of late will start to catch up to them.
Take Minnesota on the a moneyline at -120 or better otherwise lay the half goal.

St. Louis at LA
This is the first game of a three game road trip for the Blues while the Kings are playing their 3rd in 4 nights. The Kings are always seem to match up well with the Blues and tonight should be no different. The Kings will use the home ice and special teams to their advantage and I expect a solid effort and an LA win while the Blues are at Anaheim tomorrow night.
Take LA on the moneyline for -120 or better otherwise lay the half goal.

Winner's Edge Analysis

Thursday, December 12th
Pittsburgh at San Jose
The Penguins started the season fast, getting out of the gate at 7-2-2, but the last six weeks have not been as kind (they are 4-10-1 in their last 15 games heading into Toronto on Tuesday the 10th). Tonight's opponent, the San Jose Sharks, did not get out to a great start (3-7 in October), and are still waiting to really turn things around. Much of the Sharks' woes can be attributed to missing players, as their number one netminder, Evgeni Nabokov was on the sidelines when the year began, and one of their best players, defenseman Brad Stuart, also watched his team play through the beginning of the 2003/2003 campaign. These struggles cost their coach Darryl Sutter his job last week. New coach Ron Wilson won his debut vs. Columbus. Although Sutter shoulders very little of the blame for the problems, the arrival of Wilson should shake this team up and get them playing closer to their potential, which is a top-tier team. They have the pieces to make a real run over the next couple of months, and signs are appearing that they could do just that. Facing a beat up Penguins squad, at home, is a game they have to win. They have significant matchup advantages on defense, and with the second and third lines, which will be enough to win them this game.
Take San Jose -1/2, minus the money.

Saturday, December 14th
New Jersey at Ottawa
The last time these two met in Ottawa, Martin Brodeur stole the game for his Devil team. It was the team's first game of the season. Ottawa outplayed New Jersey with each of their top three lines, and got a great goaltending performance themselves from Patrick Lalime, but Brodeur was sensational. Both clubs are playing well right now, but the Senators have been particularly good. Heading into their Tuesday night game on the 10th in Buffalo, they had only lost once in their last 13 games. Solid defense, solid offensive play throughout the lineup and stellar goaltending is the winning combination for this balanced team. This is a club that doesn't have room in their lineup for Jason Spezza, who arguably would be getting 12 minutes or more of ice time on virtually any other team in the league. New Jersey is going to be a contender right to the end this season, but they will struggle vs. the best teams in the league, like Ottawa, especially on the road, when opposing teams get last change and can dictate matchups. Ottawa should get the matchups they want, which will lead to the better chances for the home side. This is a very tough team to beat right now, particularly on home ice.
Take Ottawa.

You can visit Ben Burns at www.benburnsconsulting.com
You can visit Shawn York at www.yorkyspix.com