I got trounced in the early games on Wednesday night starting the night 0-7 and finished the night 4-9 to lose a brutal 6.08 units, pretty much wiping out the big profits earlier this week. After a day off after a nice Thanksgiving, we come back today with another huge 13 game NHL slate. Let’s bounce back.
Bruins vs. Hurricanes (1:00)
I bet on both of these teams to win on Wednesday and they both lost in games that didn’t end up being close. The 17-3 Bruins have been the best team in the NHL and their 5-2 loss in Florida on Wednesday where they outshot the Panthers 39-31 ended their seven game win streak. I think Carolina’s still a really good team but they’ve struggled lately, especially on offense. They’re coming into tonight’s game on a four game losing streak after a 4-0 shutout at home against the lowly Coyotes on Wednesday. I like the B’s to bounce back and get a win at home today and will take Boston for a unit. I’d lean the under but not enough to bet on it.
Blackhawks vs. Canadiens (2:00)
Both of these teams haven’t been great but the Blackhawks have looked like one of the worst teams in the NHL where the Habs have improved from last year. Chicago’s 6-10-3 and on a five game losing streak with only two wins in their last 13 games. They’re coming off a 6-4 loss in Dallas on Wednesday night where they blew a 4-1 lead in epic fashion more than halfway through the third period, giving up five straight goals. This team’s bad. The Habs are a respectable 10-9-1, coming off a 3-1 win in Columbus on Wednesday (big loser on my over there). I like Montreal to win this one on the road and will take them for half a unit in this cross conference matchup.
Wild vs. Maple Leafs (2:00)
This game’s gross to me. These are two teams that have the talent to be really good but have underperformed. The Leafs are coming off a huge 2-1 win in Jersey on Wednesday and are 11-5-5. Their high powered offense is underperforming big time on the season and yet their depleted defense has been decent, which doesn’t make a whole lot of season. The Wild are 9-8-2 after blowing out the Jets in an impressive 6-1 showing on Wednesday night at home. Their offense started the season hot with bad goaltending and defense and that’s sort of flipped lately. I’d slightly lean that Toronto wins this one but not enough to even consider betting it. I’ll just skip this game.
Capitals vs. Flames (2:00)
The Caps needed overtime on Wednesday night (losing my regulation bet) to beat the Flyers 3-2 and end their four game losing streak. They’ve struggled lately with only three wins in their last twelve games, mainly attributed to a ton of injuries and they come into today’s game with an 8-10-3 record. Calgary’s coming off a 2-1 shootout loss in Pittsburgh and have played better lately to improve to 9-7-3 with a 4-1-1 record in their last six games. Even though they’ve struggled a bit defensively, their offense is firing at a really solid rate. I like the Flames to win here on the road and will take them for a unit.
Ducks vs. Senators (3:00)
Both of these teams blow. The Ducks finally got their first regulation win of the season on Wednesday night at home against the Rangers on an incredible 41 save performance from John Gibson in a close 3-2 game. They’re the worst team in the league at 6-13-1 and have had massive struggles on both ends of the ice. The Senators haven’t been much better in the standings, coming into today on a three game losing streak with only two wins in their last 13 games to tank down to 6-12-1 after their 4-2 start to the season. Their offense has been fine and producing goals at a decent level but their defense has been just as atrocious as Anaheim. I’d lean the Sens win here on the road but no way am I betting this shitty game. I’d also lean the over, expecting both teams to give up goals but not nearly enough to bet this matchup.
Flyers vs. Penguins (5:30)
This fantastic rivalry series for the state of Pennsylvania has lost a bit of its luster the last two years with how lousy of a team the Flyers are but even despite of that, they still always play competitively. Philly’s been horrible, dropping to 7-8-5 and coming into today’s game on an eight game losing streak with just two wins in their last 13 games and even Carter Hart’s fantastic play in goal can’t save them. The Penguins are 10-7-3 and playing great hockey again, coming into tonight’s game on a four game win streak with a 6-1-1 record in their last eight games. I like the Pens to beat their rivals on the road today but the money at -225 is a bit too expensive. I’ll take Pittsburgh in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the over as well but not enough to bet it.
Sabres vs. Devils (8:00)
After a very poor stretch going on an eight game losing streak, the Sabres have bounced back playing spectacular hockey in their last two games beating the Habs 7-2 on Tuesday and the Blues 6-2 on Wednesday. They’re now 9-11 on the season with the Devils coming to town. As a Sabres fan, I’m not feeling great about this matchup. The Devils are coming off a 2-1 loss at home to the Leafs on Wednesday that ended their incredible 13 game win streak. They’re 16-4 and playing some of the best hockey in the league right now. Their offense leads the NHL in expected goals and high danger scoring chances and their defense has been very good as well. New Jersey’s the better team here and they should over power the Sabres on both ends of the ice, with the -175 price very fair. I’d lean the Devils win but as a fan I’ll stay off a side in this one (if you’re reading into this, take the Devils ML, even though I’m not). I will take the over though for half a unit. Let’s Go Buffalo!
Blue Jackets vs. Islanders (8:00)
The Isles are 13-8 but playing better hockey than their record shows. Their offense has been performing to a solid level and Ilya Sorokin’s been one of the best goalies in the NHL this year. The Blue Jackets, coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Habs on Wednesday have gone 4-2-1 in their last seven games but they stink and are 7-11-1 on the season. Their offense has actually been pretty decent but they have one of the worst defensive units in the NHL. These teams played a few weeks ago with a 4-3 overtime win on Long Island for the Isles on November 12th. I’d expect this one to be an easier win for them and will take the Isles in regulation for a unit. I like the over as well and will take that for half a unit.
Red Wings vs. Coyotes (8:00)
The Yotes have won games this year that make no sense. They’re 7-9-2 and ended their four game losing streak with a shocking 4-0 shutout win in Carolina on Wednesday night (no doubt loser for me). Arizona’s one of the worst teams in the league and have played so poorly on both ends of the ice this year which is why I can’t figure out wins like that. The Red Wings are much improved from last year at 10-5-4, coming off a shutout win as well, beating the Preds 3-0 on Wednesday for their third straight win. With Ville Husso confirmed in goal for Detroit, I like the Red Wings to win here and keep their winning streak going and will take them in regulation for a unit.
Lightning vs. Blues (8:00)
Both these teams have played some poor stretches of hockey this season but they’re both good teams. Coming off a 5-3 loss in Boston on Monday, the Bolts were one of the two teams to get Wednesday night off. That loss ended their four game win streak and Tampa comes into tonight’s game with an 11-7-1 record. The Blues seven game win streak came to an end on Wednesday at the hands of my Buffalo Sabres as St. Louis lost 6-2. This should be a fun and competitive game. I’d lean the Lightning’s offense overpowers the Blues to get them a win at home and would also lean the over but not enough to bet on either, so I’ll just lay off this game.
Golden Knights vs. Kraken (8:00)
This is a sneaky fun matchup between the two most recent expansion teams. The Golden Knights are easily the best team in the West, coming into tonight’s game with a 16-4-1 record, coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Senators on Wednesday. They’ve played fantastic hockey on both ends of the ice. The Kraken are really impressing me with their improvement from last year, coming into tonight on three game win streak after a very entertaining 8-5 win against the Sharks on Wednesday night. They’re now 11-5-3, playing very well on both ends of the ice. I’d expect the Golden Knights to get a win at home tonight in the fortress but not enough to lay the -195 price on them. I’d lean the over as well but not enough to bet that either. I’ll lay off this game and might jump on some live bets on it.
Stars vs. Jets (8:30)
This is already the third and final matchup of the regular season between these two really solid Central Division teams. Both those previous games weren’t close with a 4-1 Stars win at home on October 17th and a 5-1 Jets win at home on November 8th. Dallas is 12-5-3 with a 6-2-1 record at home and they’re coming off an incredible 6-4 comeback win against the Blackhawks on Wednesday where they scored five straight goals in the last ten minutes of the game to come back from a 4-1 deficit to win. In their last six games the Stars haven’t lost in regulation with a 4-0-2 record in that stretch. They’ve played great defensively and their offense has far exceeded my expectations. The Jets are coming off a 6-1 blowout loss in Minnesota on Wednesday but have played really good hockey this season as well under head coach Rick Bowness, who faces his former team once again tonight. Winnipeg’s 11-6-1 and playing some of the best defensive hockey in the NHL backstopped by an incredible goalie in Connor Hellebuyck and their offense has been capable enough to keep stacking up wins for them. I’d slightly lean the Stars win here at home but not enough to bet it. I do like the under though and I’ll take the alternate under 6.5 in this game for half a unit.
Sharks vs. Kings (10:30)
All three of the California teams haven’t played great hockey lately and tonight the two better ones face off against each other. The Sharks are coming off an 8-5 loss to the Kraken on Wednesday where they dropped to 7-12-3 on the season. They’ve gotten better offensively as of late but have still struggled big time on the back end. The Kings are 11-9-2 on the season, coming into tonight’s game on a three game losing streak. Their offense has improved from last year but their defense has struggled immensely. They were one of the two teams off Wednesday night, coming off a 5-3 loss to the Rangers at home on Tuesday where they blew an early 2-0 lead. I’d lean the Kings end their losing streak with a win tonight and would lean the over here as well but not enough to bet on either, so I’ll stay off this game and end my hockey night early.
Game Bets
1u Bruins ML (-155)
.5u Canadiens ML (+100)
1u Flames ML (-120)
1u Penguins in regulation (-134)
.5u Devils/Sabres over 6.5 (-125)
1u Islanders in regulation (-124)
.5u Islanders/Blue Jackets over 6 (-120)
1u Red Wings in regulation (-124)
.5u Stars/Jets under 6.5 (-129)
Futures
1u Boston Bruins – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
1.5u Boston Bruins – Stanley Cup Champions (+1100)
2u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1200)
1.5u Carolina Hurricanes – Stanley Cup Champions (+1300)
1u New Jersey Devils – Stanley Cup Champions (+1600)
Record: 137-129-2 (-21.56 units)
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