NHL Picks: Team Canada Olympic Snub Will Motivate Claude Giroux

Montreal Canadiens at Philadelphia Flyers (-115, 5)

We all knew some extremely talented NHL players were going to be left off Team Canada’s 2014 Sochi Olympics hockey team. Still, it’s hard to imagine some of the league’s top scorers like Martin St. Louis, James Neal, Joe Thornton and Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux watching the Olympics at home instead of competing in the tournament. Giroux didn’t say much about not making the team, but you can bet he’ll be out to prove a point for the next month or so. He’s bounced back from a slow start to lead the Flyers with 38 points while sitting second with 13 goals. Giroux has also scored more points in the last three seasons than any other Canadian player in the NHL, so if he goes on a major tear don’t be surprised. Sports Interaction has him set at +229 to score tonight and that’s probably a bargain. Meanwhile, the Flyers come into tonight riding a nine-game home winning streak.

Pick: Philadelphia Flyers

New York Rangers at Chicago Blackhawks (-220, 5.5)

It’s been one step forward, one step back for the New York Rangers through half of the regular season. They rebounded after a tough start to flirt with the .500-mark, but haven’t been able to gain any ground since then. The good news is that New York’s offence is showing signs of waking up. Rick Nash scored twice against Columbus before he was named to Team Canada and the Rangers put seven on the board in Toronto last weekend. This is a big gut-check for New York and it will be interesting to see how Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford responds to Team Canada’s snub. He’s allowed 13 goals in his last four starts.

Pick: Over 5.5 goals