NHL Saturday Three-Game Parlay – All East Affair

Game 1 Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs

The Penguins are stuck in a fairly large slump at the moment. They’ve dropped six of their last seven, including a 7-4 loss to their inter-state rival Flyers on Thursday. Marc-Andre Fleury may be suffering from Olympic fever, as he has yet to win a game since being named to Team Canada on December 30th. He’s lost three straight games, allowing a total of 12 goals in those losses. Luckily, the Penguins are playing the Leafs, the NHL’s resident slump-busters.

Things are beginning to unravel in Leafs Land. Clearly frustrated with Toronto’s recent play, Coach Ron Wilson lashed out against his team during practice on Thursday. He singled out Phil Kessel in the tirade, and had good reason to do so. After starting hot, Kessel has slowed down immensely. In a 10-game stretch, the American forward has one goal and zero assists. For someone being counted on as a franchise player, that lack of offensive output is simply unacceptable.

NHL Free Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins

Game 2 Preview: New York Rangers at Boston Bruins (1 pm ET Start)

The Rangers had a four-game unbeaten streak snapped on Thursday with a 2-1 shootout loss to Atlanta. A lot of that has to do with the recent play of Henrik Lunqvist. King Henrik has not lost in regulation in five straight games and did not surrender more than two goals in any of those contests. The Rangers have slipped a bit from their hot start, but as long as Lunqvist stays sharp and Marion Gaborik stays healthy and insanely talented (53 points in 41 games), the Rangers can be a force in the East.

There should be no shame for Boston losing to Chicago on Thursday. Everyone else is doing it, too. The Bruins should be happy that they’ve won six of their last eight and are climbing fast up the Eastern Conference leader board. The team took a hit with the injury to Patrice Bergeron, but Blake Wheeler has filled the gap nicely with seven points in three games. It hasn’t hurt that Tim Thomas is 5-2 with a sub-2.00 GAA in his last seven games. What early season slump?

Pick: Boston Bruins

Game 3 Preview: Florida Panthers at Ottawa Senators

The Panthers thought they were riding high with a 6-2 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday followed by a quick 2-0 lead against Toronto on Tuesday. All that went away by allowing Toronto, who have been one of the leagues weakest teams as of late, to score three unanswered and win the game 3-2. The Cats followed that with a 2-0 loss against Montreal on Thursday, and suddenly the morale in Florida isn’t so great. Their inconsistent play has their playoff hopes dwindling.

Ottawa’s 5-2 loss to Washington on Thursday wasn’t pretty, but before that game the Senators went on a run where they scored 17 times in four games. Impressive when you remember that Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson are both out. So who’s been scoring? Alex Kovalev has eight points in his last five games, while Ryan Shannon has a healthy five points in that same streak. Ottawa won’t go far without Alfie and Spezza, but as long as their secondary scoring can step up in their absence the team shouldn’t suffer too much. But don’t doubt for a second that Sens GM Brian Murray isn’t counting the days until his superstars return.

Pick: Ottawa Senators