7 NHL Games You Can't Miss for Week Starting March 17

No matter where you are from, you should be able to find an intriguing matchup this week.

Vancouver and Los Angeles will play each other in a contest that is becoming a bona fide rivalry game. The new realignment will put these two Pacific coast teams in the same division next year.

If you’re a Midwesterner, Minnesota and Detroit face off to determine which hockey-crazed state is the most dominant force in the Midwest.

And, if you live out east you can’t miss the Flyers-Penguins matchup on Sunday. Those two teams can’t stand one another.

Even hockey fans in the South can see how the Hurricanes fare against the Devils, an East Coast foe.

Regardless of whether you live in the Midwest, South or either coast, it’s a great week to be a hockey fan.

March 19: Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins

Time: 7:30 pm Eastern

TV: NBC Sports Network

Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby used to be an outstanding matchup. Unfortunately, this game might remind us just how far Ovie has fallen and how well Sid the Kid is playing right now.

Prediction: Capitals 1, Penguins 4

March 20: Minnesota Wild at Detroit Red Wings

Time: 7:30 pm Eastern

TV: NBC Sports Network

It’s the State of Hockey vs. Hockeytown: Minnesota and Michigan are two cities that love their hockey and produce a lot of hockey players.

Can the Elderly Men of the Winged Wheel hold off the upstart Wild or will Minnesota assert itself as the premier “hockey state” in the Midwest?

It’s always hard to win in Motown, but Minnesota looks tough to beat right now.

Prediction: Minnesota 3, Detroit 2 (OT)

March 21: New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes

Time: 7:00 pm Eastern

TV: NHL Network

In the only game Carolina will get on national television this week, the Hurricanes will take on a Devils squad that has struggled recently.

Have the Devils turned things around? Can the Hurricanes, a Southeast Division team, beat an East Coast club? Is this a potential No. 3/No. 6 matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Carolina is not great at home, but New Jersey has run into trouble away from the Prudential Center.

Prediction: Carolina 3, New Jersey 2

March 22: Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks

Time: 7:00 pm Pacific

TV: NHL Network

A matchup pitting one team on the rise and another established powerhouse, this game will probably tell us more about Detroit than it will Anaheim. The Red Wings will make the playoffs (they always do), but if they want to make a run, they probably have to go through Anaheim.

The Ducks are virtually unbeatable at home, and the Wings struggle on the road. I see Anaheim taking this game in the OC.

Prediction: Detroit 1, Anaheim 4

March 23: Vancouver Canucks at Los Angeles Kings

Time: 1:00 pm Pacific

TV: NHL Network

With the new realignment that will put the Canucks and Kings in the same division (finally!), this could become a big-time rivalry.

These two teams have both had their fair share of success in this league and are no strangers in the playoffs.

This is a can’t-miss matinee for hockey fans.

Prediction: Vancouver 2, Los Angeles 3 (OT)

March 23: Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs

Time: 7:00 pm Eastern

TV: NHL Network

Along with the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins, the Bruins are the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. Toronto appears to have turned a corner and is in position to make the playoffs this year.

In a battle of two O6 teams, the Leafs, a team that has struggled at home, will have to prove that they can compete against the elite in the East.

Prediction: Boston 3, Toronto 2

March 24: Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins

Time: 7:00 pm Eastern

TV: NBC Sports Network

This game is always fun to watch, no matter how either Pennsylvania team is doing. The Flyers and Penguins absolutely don’t like each other, and this is a meaningful game even if Philadelphia is not doing so well this year.

Prediction: Philadelphia 0, Pittsburgh 4

Tom Schreier writes a weekly column for TheFanManifesto.com and contributes to Hockey’s Future and Stadium Journey.

Follow @tschreier3