Swept the board on yesterday’s small slate going 3-0 to win two units with Florida demolished the Jets 6-1. After having only two NHL games last night, we have a huge slate with 14 games today with a bunch of day games. Let’s win big!!

Bruins vs. Penguins (12:30)

Both of these teams are good playoff teams out of the East. The Penguins clinched their spot in the playoffs on Thursday night with a big 6-3 win at home against the Islanders (loser for me on the under with four goals in the last three minutes of the game). Pittsburgh’s 43-22-11 on the season, currently in third place in the Metropolitan Division but they haven’t played very well lately with just two wins in their last seven games. They’ve scored an average of 3.29 goals per game, ninth most in the NHL. They’ve been even better defensively, allowing a sixth fewest in the NHL average of 2.71 goals per game. Today the Pens are going with backup Casey DeSmith confirmed in goal. DeSmith hasn’t been great this season with a 2.94 GAA and a .906 save percentage. The Bruins are coming off a 3-2 loss at home to the Senators (I split that one, winning on the under and losing on the B’s) which gave them their first three game losing streak of the season. Boston’s pretty much guaranteed to make the playoffs, comfortably in the first Wild Card spot in the East. They come into tonight’s game with a 45-24-5 record. The Bruins have been even better defensively than the Penguins, allowing an average of 2.7 goals per game, fourth fewest in the NHL. They’ve scored an average of 3.09 goals per game but in their last ten games have averaged a pretty good 3.7 goals per game. The first time these teams played this season in Boston on February 8th, the Penguins won 4-2. I was waiting on a goalie confirmation to decide what to bet on this game and with DeSmith starting in goal for the Penguins today, I think the Bruins get off their losing streak with a win today at home and I will take them for half a unit. If Jarry would’ve started I was going to go with the under instead, but with DeSmith I’d slightly lean the over but not enough to bet on it.

Rangers vs. Red Wings (12:30)

This game’s a pretty big mismatch. The Rangers already clinched their place in the playoffs with a 48-21-6 record and they’re just two points back from the Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan Division. They’re coming off a 4-0 shutout win in Philly on Wednesday night and have four wins in their last five games. The Rags have allowed the second fewest goals in the NHL, an average of only 3.51 goals per game. Igor Shesterkin’s this year’s guaranteed Vezina winner with a 2.09 GAA and .934 save percentage and he’s confirmed in goal today for the Rangers. They’ve averaged 3.03 goals per game but this season and win on their defensive play. The Red Wings are coming off a shocking shutout win as well, winning 3-0 in Carolina on Thursday night but the story of their season is much different. Detroit sucks with a 29-35-10 record and they’ve been even worse on the road where they have just an 11-21-3 record. They have a 3-1-1 record in their last five games but only have five wins in their last 20 games. They’ve been pretty terrible on both ends of the ice, as they’re allowing the second most goals in hockey, an average of 3.77 goals per game and have only scored an average of 2.84 goals per game, twelfth fewest in the NHL. Despite the huge discrepancy of talent between these teams, both games they previously played this season went to overtime with the road team winning. The Red Wings beat the Rangers 3-2 in a shootout on February 17th and the Rangers answered back in Detroit with a 5-4 overtime win on March 30th. I think the Rags get a pretty easy win at home today but in no way is the -375 moneyline worth betting on. I also don’t see any value to the puck line or regulation line. I’ll go with half a unit each on the Red Wings TT under 2.5 in regulation and the Rangers TT over 3.5.

Predators vs. Blackhawks (12:30)

The Blackhawks have been horrible this season with a 25-38-11 record but they’re coming off a 5-4 shootout win at home against the Sharks on Thursday that ended their eight game losing streak. They have been horrible on both ends of the ice. They’re averaging only 2.62 goals per game, sixth fewest in the NHL and allowing an average of 3.54 goals per game, seventh most in the league. Their defensive numbers have gotten worse and worse since they traded Fleury (right move) at the deadline and they’ll be starting Kevin Lankinen today in goal, who’s sucked with a 3.66 GAA and .887 save percentage. The Predators are a pretty solid team at 42-27-5 and they’re currently tied with the Stars for the two Wild Card spots in the tight Western Conference playoff race, with a two point lead and a game in hand over the Vegas Golden Knights. They just got shut out in a 4-0 loss to the Oilers at home on Thursday night but they’ve played well lately with a 12-7-1 record in their last 20 games. Nashville’s been pretty good on both ends of the ice this season. They’ve averaged 3.18 goals per game and have allowed an average of 2.87 goals per game, eleventh fewest in the NHL. Juuse Saros is confirmed to start in goal today for the Preds and he’s one of the best goalies in the NHL with a 2.53 GAA, .921 save percentage and four shutouts this season. The first two games these Central Division teams played this season in Chicago stayed close and needed overtime with the Blackhawks winning 2-1 on November 7th and the Preds winning 3-2 on December 17th but then on New Year’s Day, Nashville blew out the Blackhawks 6-1. I think this is a perfect “get right” spot for the Preds to bounce back from their loss on Thursday with a win at home in Smashville. I’ll go with a unit each on the Predators in regulation and Blackhawks TT under 2.5 in regulation along with half a unit on the Preds TT over 3.5.

Blues vs. Wild (3:00)

The Blues and Wild have both played great lately and it’s looking like these two Central Division teams are going to end up facing off in the first round of the playoffs and are tied in points, so this game could ultimately end up determining home ice advantage during that series. The Blues, who are coming off a 6-2 win in Buffalo against my Sabres on Thursday night are on a seven game win streak with a 9-0-1 record in their last ten games to improve to 44-20-10 on the season. They’ve been really solid on both ends of the ice. St. Louis is averaging 3.68 goals per game, fourth most in the NHL and they have allowed an average of 2.81 goals per game this season, tenth fewest in the NHL. Ville Husso, who’s projected to start in goal today after having Thursday night off in Binnington’s win in Buffalo, went from being an almost guaranteed bet against the Blues for me last year to actually really solid between the pipes this season as he has a 2.37 GAA and .925 save percentage. The Wild are on a three game win streak of their own, coming off a 3-2 overtime win in Dallas on Thursday night and have a 46-21-6 record on the season. They’ve played fantastic lately with a 12-1-2 record in their last 15 games. Minnesota’s offense is awesome as well, scoring a fifth most in the NHL average of 3.64 goals per game. At times this season they have struggled defensively and on the year are allowing an average of 3.03 goals per game but the goaltending tandem of Fleury and Talbot have fed off each other since the trade deadline and the Wild have allowed an average of only 2.27 goals per game in their last 15 games. The Blues won both games these teams have played so far this season with a 6-4 win outdoors in the Winter Classic in chilly Minnesota on January 1st and then again 4-3 in overtime in St. Louis just eight days ago on March 8th. I’d slightly lean the Blues here but not enough to bet on it. I will take a shot on the over 6 though for a unit, expecting both teams to score.

Oilers vs. Golden Knights (4:00)

This Pacific Division matchup could be a ton of fun to watch today with both teams coming off huge wins on Thursday night. The Golden Knights are currently on the outside looking in on a playoff spot, a point back from the Kings for the third spot in the Pacific and two points back from both the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars for the two Wild Cards in the West. Every point is huge for this team who have definitely struggled at times this season. They just blew out the Flames 6-1 on Thursday night in Calgary, a big divisional win and the Knights have played well lately with a 7-1-1 record in their last nine games to improve to 41-29-5 on the season. They’ve averaged 3.2 goals per game this season, twelfth most in the NHL. Although they’ve had their issues offensively at times this season, they have been able to score a lot lately, averaging 5.33 goals per game in their last three games. They were able to activate their best player Mark Stone on Tuesday to give them a huge jolt to their lineup. Vegas has allowed an average of 2.95 goals per game. The Oilers haven’t locked in a playoff spot yet, but I’d expect them to get in (and probably get bounced in the first or second round) with them currently in second place in the Pacific with a 43-26-6 record. They’re coming off a big 4-0 shutout win in Nashville on Thursday and have played great lately with a 13-3-2 record in their last 18 games. Their offense runs through two of the best players in the league, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and even without much depth behind those two, the Oilers are averaging 3.41 goals per game, seventh most in the NHL. They have sucked defensively with bad goaltending for most of this season, allowing an average of 3.12 goals per game, 13th most in the NHL but they have played much better on the back end lately allowing only an average of 1.83 goals per game in their last six games (including give up five goals to Minnesota in one of those games). Edmonton is 2-1 this season against Vegas with the road teams winning all three of those games, a 5-3 Oilers win on October 22nd, a 3-2 Oilers win on November 27th and 4-0 shutout win for the Golden Knights on February 8th. I’d lean the Golden Knights win this game on the road today to continue their playoff push and would lean the over as well, but not enough to bet on either of them. I’ll lay off this game entirely from a betting standpoint but Go Knights Go!

Sabres vs. Flyers (7:00)

The Sabres got blown out 6-2 by the Blues at home on Thursday night. They only have one win in their last five games but the have played well lately. They’re showing some good signs for the future that Sabres fans are happy to see right now. The Sabres are 9-6-3 in their last 18 games with a lousy 27-38-11 record on the season. They’ve scored an average of just 2.72 goals per game on the year, eighth fewest in the NHL but they’ve averaged 3.3 goals per game in their last 13 games. They’ve been pretty bad defensively with some lousy goaltending, allowing an average of 3.54 goals per game, seventh most in the NHL. The Flyers are an even worse team than the Sabres, with a 23-40-11 record, coming off a 4-0 shutout loss at home to the Rangers Wednesday and on a three game losing streak with only two wins in their last ten games. They’ve been horrible on both ends of the ice this year, scoring the second fewest goals in hockey, an average of just 2.55 goals per game and allowing and average of 3.58 goals per game, sixth most in the NHL. They’ll be starting Martin Jones in goal today who has posted a horrible 3.49 GAA and an .899 save percentage. When these teams played the first time this season on January 22nd the Sabres beat the Flyers 6-3. I’d expect a similar result tonight and will take the Sabres ML, Sabres TT over 3 and the over 6 for a unit each.

Canadiens vs. Capitals (7:00)

Last night Carey Price made his much anticipated return for the Habs, but it ultimately didn’t matter as they got shut out in a 3-0 loss at home to the Islanders, their fourth loss in a row. Montreal is the worst team in the NHL this season with a 20-44-11 record and they have just five wins in their last 19 games. They’ve been the worst team in the NHL defensively this season, allowing 3.8 goals per game. Sam Montembeault is projected to get the start for them tonight and has been terrible this season with a 3.64 GAA and .895 save percentage. They’ve been horrible offensively as well, averaging just 2.53 goals per game, second fewest in the NHL. The Caps are coming off a 7-3 loss in Toronto on Thursday night that ended their four game win streak. Washington’s 41-23-10 and they’re comfortably in the second Wild Card spot in the East, almost guaranteed to make the playoffs with a 13 point lead over the Islanders. They’re playing great right now with a 13-5-1 record in their last 19 games. The Capitals are having a good season on both ends of the ice. They are scoring an average of 3.34 goals per game, eighth most in the NHL and they’ve allowed an average of 2.93 goals per game. The two previous times these teams played this season, the Caps won by three goals with a 6-3 win at home on November 24th and a 5-2 win in Montreal on February 10th. This should be another easy win for the Capitals in Montreal tonight, especially with the Habs on the second half of a back to back. I’ll go with 1.5 units on the Capitals in regulation, a unit on the Caps TT over 3.5 and half a unit on the Caps alternate puck line -2.5.

Senators vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)

This will be the last battle of Ontario of the season with these two teams on the opposite ends of the Atlantic Division standings. The Leafs are in second place in the Atlantic and have their place in the playoffs already clinched with a 48-20-6 record. I’m expecting them to get bounced in the first round but they have played well lately, coming off a big 7-3 win over the Capitals on Thursday night and they have an 8-1-1 record in their last ten games (the regulation loss came against my Sabres, love to see it). Toronto has the second highest scoring offense in the NHL, averaging 3.84 goals per game. Defensively they’ve been pretty shaky though and have had some of the worst goaltending in the NHL in the second half of the season and on the year they have allowed an average of 3.08 goals per game. Rookie Erik Kallgren’s confirmed in goal and hasn’t been great with a 2.93 GAA and .899 save percentage. The Sens have sucked this season with a 28-40-6 record but come into tonight’s game with two straight road wins on Thursday against the Bruins (3-2) and the Red Wings (4-1) on Tuesday. They’ve struggled on both ends of the ice, only scoring an average of 2.69 goals per game, seventh fewest in the NHL and allowing an average of 3.2 goals per game, eleventh most in the NHL. The Leafs are 2-1 against the Senators this season, losing 3-2 in Ottawa on October 14th then winning 3-1 at home two days later on October 16th and blowing out the Sens 6-0 in Toronto on New Year’s Day. The Leafs should win this game but I’m not betting it at the -280 price against one of their biggest rivals on the road. I will take the over though for half a unit.

Lightning vs. Jets (7:00)

The back to back Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning clinched their spot in the playoffs on Thursday night with the Islanders losing to the Penguins but they haven’t played great lately. The Bolts are 45-21-8 on the season but have just two wins in their last seven games. They’re coming off a sloppy 4-3 overtime win at home against the Ducks on Thursday where Nikita Kucherov scored the game tying goal with just 13 seconds remaining in regulation in a game that saw Andrei Vasilevskiy get pulled in the second period, the first time he’s been taken out of a regular season game that he started since March 2018. On the season, Tampa has been good on both ends of the ice. They’re scoring an average of 3.26 goals per game, eleventh most in the NHL and they’ve allowed an average of just 2.74 goals per game, eighth fewest in the NHL. After replacing Vasilevskiy on Thursday and saving all 13 shots he face, Brian Elliot gets the start in goal tonight for the Bolts. He hasn’t been too bad this season in his limited appearances and has a 9-3-3 record, 2.23 GAA and .921 save percentage. The Jets got blown out 6-1 last night in Florida (triple winner for me). They’re likely out of the playoffs with a 35-29-11 record and have been very inconsistent this season. Winnipeg comes into tonight’s game with just two wins in their last seven games. They haven’t been great on either end of the ice, averaging 3.01 goals per game and allowing an average of 3.09 goals per game. When these teams played in Winnipeg on March 9th, the Jets got a huge 7-4 win against the Bolts. The Lightning should answer back and win this game at home today, especially with the Jets on the second half of a road back to back. I’m not even thinking about betting on it at the -250 price though with the way this team is playing lately. I will take a half unit shot on the Lightning TT over 3.5 though since the price on that is reasonable and they could hit that even in a loss. I’d slightly lean the over on the game but not enough to bet on it.

Stars vs. Sharks (8:00)

Every point is so important to the Stars who are making their push to get into the playoffs. They have a 42-27-5 record and they’re tied with Nashville going into today in points for the two Wild Card spots, with Vegas just two points behind them. Dallas has been good at home this season where they have a 23-10-3 record. They’re coming off a 3-2 overtime loss against the Wild on Thursday night but they’ve played well lately with 9-3-2 record in their last 14 games. They grind out boring games, scoring an average of 2.88 goals per game and allowing an average of 2.95 goals per game. The Sharks have been one of the worst teams in the NHL during the second half of the season with only seven wins in their last 30 games. They’re 29-33-11, coming in tonight’s game on an eight game losing streak off a 5-4 shootout loss in Chicago on Thursday. They’ve been one of the worst teams in the NHL offensively, averaging just 2.58 goals per game, fifth fewest in the NHL and they’ve allowed an average of 3.16 goals per game, twelfth most in the NHL. These teams split their two previous games in San Jose earlier this year with the Sharks winning 2-1 on December 12th and then the Stars winning 5-4 on April 2nd. I’d expect Dallas to keep their playoff push going with a win at home today against a very weak Sharks team and I’lll take the Stars in regulation for a unit.

Avalanche vs. Hurricanes (9:00)

This could be a fun game that could potentially be a Stanley Cup Finals preview (I doubt it, but it’s definitely possible). The Avs have the best record in the NHL at 54-14-6 and they have the top seed in the West pretty much all locked up. They have an impressive 30-4-3 record at home. After their 3-1 win over NJ on Thursday (them missing the buzzer beater by a second or two to hit my TT hurt) they’re on an eight game win streak with a 13-1-1 record in their last 15 games. Colorado has the third highest scoring offense in the NHL, averaging 3.82 goals per game and they’ve allowed an average of just 2.72 goals per game, seventh fewest in the NHL. Darcy Kuemper’s been very good in the second half of the season and has a 2.38 GAA, .926 save percentage and 5 shutouts this year. He’s confirmed in goal tonight. The Canes are leading the Metropolitan Division by two points over the Rangers with a 48-19-8 record. They’re coming off a 3-0 shutout loss at home to the Red Wings on Thursday and they haven’t played great lately with just seven wins in their last 17 games. On the season, they’ve allowed the fewest goals in the NHL, an average of only 2.37 goals per game. Freddy Andersen, who’s likely to start in goal tonight is having a great season with a 2.07 GAA, .926 save percentage and 4 shutouts. Carolina’s been pretty good offensively as well, averaging 3.28 goals per game, tenth most in the NHL. The first time these teams played this season in Carolina on March 10th, the Hurricanes shut out the Avs in a 2-0 win. I’d expect for Colorado to grind out a low scoring win here at home tonight. I’ll go with half a unit each on the Avalanche ML and the under 6.5 in this game. 

Flames vs. Coyotes (10:00)

Calgary took a beating at home on Thursday night, losing 6-1 to the Golden Knights to end their five game win streak. The Flames have been great this year and lead the Pacific Division with a 45-20-9 record. They have allowed the second fewest goals in the NHL, an average of just 2.51 goals per game. Jacob Markstrom, who’s likely to start tonight has had a hell of a season with a 2.24 GAA, .922 save percentage and an NHL leading nine shutouts. Calgary’s been very good offensively too, averaging 3.47 goals per game, sixth most in the NHL. The Coyotes on the other hand, have been one of the worst teams in the NHL this season with a 22-47-5 record. They got blown out 7-1 in Vancouver on Thursday night for their fifth loss in a row. They only have two wins in their last 14 games and have scored less than two goals per game in all of their losses in that span. The Yotes have the lowest scoring offense in the NHL, averaging only 2.45 goals per game and they’re only slightly better defensively, allowing a third most in the NHL average of 3.7 goals per game. They’ll be starting Harri Sateri (sounds like a made up name) in goal tonight two had a 4.5 GAA and .838 save percentage in his limited play this season. Both times these teams played this season, the Flames won 4-2, in Arizona on February 2nd and at home on March 25th. They should blow out the Coyotes tonight at home and the insane -600 price on this game reflects that. I’ll go with 2 units on the Flames TT over 4 and a unit each on the Coyotes TT under 2 in regulation and a SGP of the Flames TT over 3.5 with the Coyotes TT under 2.5.

Kraken vs. Devils (10:00)

This cross conference game sucks between two pretty bad teams. The Kraken haven’t had the inaugural season that they had hoped for with a 23-44-6 record, coming off back to back losses in a home and home with the Flames. They only have two wins in their last seven games. Seattle’s been bad on both ends of the ice. They’re averaging only 2.56 goals per game, fourth fewest in the NHL and allowing an average of 3.48 goals per game, tenth most in the NHL. The Devils aren’t much better with a 24-42-6 record this year. They have two wins in their last three games (one of those was against the Coyotes) but just four wins in their last 15 games. NJ has averaged 3.04 goals per game but they’re one of the worst teams in the NHL defensively with horrible goaltending and have allowed an average of 3.65 goals per game, fifth most in the league. The first time these teams played in Jersey on October 19th, the Devils won 4-2. I’d slightly lean they win again and would lean the over but not enough to bet either on this lousy game.

Kings vs. Blue Jackets (10:30)

The Kings are still hanging onto their spot in the playoffs in third place in the Pacific but its just by a thread with Vegas hot on their tail just a point back with a game in hand going into today. They’ve struggled quite a bit lately with just three wins in their last nine games, coming off a 9-3 blowout loss in Colorado on Wednesday. Despite giving up nine goals to the Avs on Wednesday, the Kings have been pretty good defensively, allowing an average of just 2.82 goals per game, twelfth fewest in the NHL. They haven’t been very good offensively, which is likely why they end up getting bounced in the first round if they get into the playoffs as they’ve averaged just 2.81 goals per game, eleventh fewest in the NHL. The Blue Jackets haven’t been great, with a pretty inconsistent season to give them a 35-33-6 record. They’re coming off back to back wins against the Habs and Red Wings with three wins in their last four games (the other win was against the Flyers, so not saying much) which were their only three wins in their last eleven games. They play the opposite way than the Kings, with decent offense and shitty defense and goaltending. Columbus has averaged 3.19 goals per game, 13th most in the NHL but they’ve allowed an average of 3.68 goals per game, fourth most in the NHL. Elvis Merzlikins hasn’t been very good with a 3.35 GAA and a .904 save percentage this season. When these teams played in Columbus on March 4th, the Kings won 4-3 in overtime. I’d lean LA wins this game at home to help keep their playoff hopes alive, but with how lousy they’ve played lately it’s definitely not worth betting the -195 price. I’d lean the over as well, but not enough to bet on it. So I’ll just stay off this game. As a Vegas fan, I hope the Jackets win. 

Game Bets

.5u Bruins ML (-128)

.5u Rangers TT over 3.5 (-165)

.5u Red Wings TT under 2.5 in regulation (-190)

1u Predators in regulation (-170)

1u Blackhawks TT under 2.5 in regulation (-166)

.5u Predators TT over 3.5 (-139)

1u Wild/Blues over 6 (-120)

1u Sabres ML (-135)

1u Sabres TT over 3 (-142)

1u Sabres/Flyers over 6 (-120)

1.5u Capitals in regulation (-159)

1u Capitals TT over 3.5 (-159)

.5u Capitals -2.5 (+180)

.5u Leafs/Senators over 6.5 (-110)

.5u Lightning TT over 3.5 (-127)

1u Stars in regulation (-139)

.5u Avalanche ML (-134)

.5u Avalanche/Hurricanes under 6.5 (-137)

2u Flames TT over 4 (-155)

1u Coyotes TT under 2 in regulation (-167)

1u SGP: Flames TT over 3.5 & Coyotes TT under 2.5 (+110)

Record: 736-542-30 (+15.55 units)

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