Last night I pretty much broke even going 2-2 to lose just 0.16 units. Not terrible. Tonight we have a ten game NHL slate, let’s stack up some wins!
Sabres vs. Penguins (7:00)
Tage Thompson, who scored five goals with a first period hat trick and the Sabres put on an absolute offensive clinic against the Blue Jackets on Wednesday with a 9-4 win that was already over after it was 6-0 in the first period. Buffalo’s played well lately with a 5-2-1 record in our last eight games to improve to 12-13-1 on the season. We have the highest scoring offense in the NHL but have struggled quite a bit on the back end. The Penguins are 14-8-4 on the season and on a three game win streak and have played great as well. Coming off a 4-1 win against Columbus on Tuesday, they’ve gone on a 10-2-2 run in their last 14 games. Similar to the Sabres, their offense has been fantastic but they’ve struggled on the back end. The first time these teams played this season in Buffalo on November 2nd, the Sabres pulled off a 6-3 win, coming back from down 3-1 early in the third period with an electric five unanswered goal performance to finish the game and outshooting the Pens 33-21. I’d lean Pittsburgh gets a win here on the road but not enough to bet on it. I love the over though and will take it for a unit.
Blue Jackets vs. Flames (7:00)
The Blue Jackets are horrendous. Against my Sabres on Wednesday they were already in a 6-0 hole in the first period on their way to a 9-4 loss. They’re on a three game losing streak with only one win in their last seven games to drop to 8-15-2 on the season. Not only is their defense and goaltending the worst in the NHL, they’ve also started to tank offensively as well. The Flames have played solid hockey lately. Coming off a 5-3 win against the Wild on Wednesday, they’re on a three game win streak and just have one loss in their last five games to improve to 13-10-3 on the year. Statistically they’ve been decent offensively but have struggled a bit on the back end. I like the Flames to win on the road here but the moneyline is a bit too expensive for me at -250. I’ll take the Flames in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet it.
Devils vs. Islanders (7:00)
This is a pretty solid matchup tonight. The Devils are an absolutely incredible team this season with a 21-4-1 record. They’re coming off a 3-0 shutout win against the Blackhawks at home on Tuesday and they haven’t lost by more than a goal (which only happened twice, once in OT) since October 24th. This team can absolutely contend to win the Stanley Cup this year and Lindy has to already have coach of the year locked up. New Jersey has been one of the best teams in the NHL on both ends of the ice. The Isles have been pretty good this season with a 16-11 record but they’ve struggled a bit as of late, coming off a 7-4 loss at home to the Blues on Tuesday and just getting one win in their last four games. They’ve been pretty good on both ends of the ice this season. On Long Island on October 20th the first time these teams played, the Devils put on a hell of a clinic, outshooting the Islanders 43-17 on their way to a 4-1 win on the road. I like them to win against tonight and will take the Devils in regulation for half a unit.
Capitals vs. Kraken (7:00)
The Kraken have had an impressive season so far, coming into tonight’s game with a 15-7-3 record. After going on a seven game win streak, they’ve lost their last two games, losing 4-2 to the Habs on Tuesday and 5-1 to the Panthers on Saturday, both at home. Seattle’s been fun to watch, playing fantastic offense but they’ve had issues defensively. The Caps are coming off wins against the Flyers and Oilers and they’ve gotten healthier. They’re 12-12-4 on the season and with all the injuries they have sustained they haven’t been great on either end of the ice. The first time these teams played in Seattle this season on December 1st, the Kraken came back from down 2-0 and won 3-2 just seven seconds into overtime. I like the value on them on the road tonight to get another win here and will take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet on it.
Blackhawks vs. Jets (8:30)
The Jets have had a fantastic season so far and last night got their third 5-2 win in a row, winning in St. Louis after home wins against the Panthers and Ducks. Winnipeg’s 17-7-1 on the season and playing great hockey on both ends of the ice this year. On the second half of a back to back, they’re projected to start backup David Rittich instead of Hellebuyck tonight, who’s a significant downgrade but he’ll have a relatively easy matchup tonight against the Blackhawks. Chicago’s horrible with a 7-14-4 record and are easily a lottery team. They’re coming off back to back 3-0 shutout losses in Jersey and on Long Island and they’ve only won one of their last eleven games. The Hawks are horrendous offensively and quite bad defensively as well. These teams on the opposite ends of the Central Division standings have already played twice this year with blowout wins for the Jets in both of those matchups, a 4-0 shutout win at home on November 5th and a 7-2 win in Chicago on November 27th. Even with Rittich starting and the Jets on the second half of a back to back, I like them to win again and will take Winnipeg for half a unit.
Avalanche vs. Rangers (9:00)
The Avs have had a ton of key injuries as of late and the champs are struggling because of it, losing their last three straight. Coming off a 4-0 shutout at home against the Bruins on Wednesday, they only have one win in their last five games, dropping to 13-10-1 on the year. The Rangers are coming off a huge 5-1 win in Vegas on Wednesday, their second win in a row but they haven’t been all that good this season. They’re 13-10-5 and have been quite the disappointment after their run in the Eastern Conference finals last year. Both of these teams have been okay on both ends of the ice, but around league average and haven’t been special whatsoever. The Avalanche needed a shootout to beat the Rags 3-2 the first time these teams played this season on October 25th in MSG in a game that saw 90 total shots. I’d slightly lean Colorado wins at home but with all the Avs injuries and how lousy the Rangers have played, I’d rather just stay off this game entirely. I’d also slightly lean the under but not enough to bet that either.
Oilers vs. Wild (9:00)
This has the potential to be a pretty fun game to watch. The Oilers are 15-12 and haven’t been all that impressive. They’re coming off an 8-2 win against the Coyotes on Wednesday and have five wins in their last seven games. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl run the offense as two of the best players in the league but they haven’t had much depth behind them. The Edmonton defense has sucked and they’ve gotten brutal goaltending this season. The Wild’s four game win streak came to an end on Wednesday with a 5-3 loss in Calgary. They’ve played well lately with six wins in their last eight games to improve to 13-10-2 on the year. Minnesota has been good offensively but they’ve struggled a bit on the back end. The first matchup this year between these two teams resulted in a 5-3 Wild win at home. I feel like this is sort of a toss up matchup on who wins it and although I see a bit of value to the Wild as a dog on the road, I don’t think its worth betting. I do like the over though which I’ll take for half a unit.
Coyotes vs. Bruins (9:30)
This is a severe mismatch of a game between the best team in hockey and one of the worst. The Bruins have had a historic start to their season at a very impressive 21-3-1 on the year and they are absolutely the Stanley Cup favorite this year. Bouncing back from a 4-3 shootout loss to Vegas on Monday, they shut out the defending Cup champs with a 4-0 win in Colorado on Wednesday night. The B’s are one of the best teams in the NHL offensively and the best team in the league defensively. The Coyotes on the other hand are a lottery team with a 7-13-4 record. Coming off an 8-2 blowout loss in Edmonton on Wednesday, they’re on a six game losing streak with just one win in their last eleven games. Although the Yotes have hung in a lot of games with a lot of one goal losses, they’ve sucked on both ends of the ice. In one of the first few games of the season on October 15th in Boston, the B’s blew out Arizona 6-3 and outshot them 43-24. I’d expect a similar result tonight. The price on this game is insane at -345 but I have to get in on this game. I’ll take the Bruins -1.5 puck line for half a unit.
Ducks vs. Sharks (10:00)
Both of these California teams have sucked this season but both games they’ve played were very entertaining. Both those high scoring games in San Jose needed shootouts for the Ducks to win with a 6-5 victory on November 1st and a 5-4 victory on November 5th. Coming off a 6-5 overtime loss to the Canucks on Wednesday, the Sharks are on a four game losing streak to drop to 8-16-5 on the season with just two wins in their last eleven games. They’ve struggled quite a bit on both ends of the ice. Eetu Makiniemi is confirmed in goal for the Sharks tonight, who had a 4.91 GAA and .750 save percentage in his first start of the year in their 6-5 overtime loss on Wednesday against Vancouver. The Ducks are coming off a surprising 4-3 overtime win against the Canes on Tuesday (big loss for me), their first win in their last seven games. They’ve only picked up three wins in their last 15 games to come into tonight with one of the worst records in the NHL with a 7-17-3 record and only one regulation win all season. Anaheim’s been the third worst team in the NHL offensively and the absolute worst defensively. This team’s brutal. I’d slightly lean the Sharks get a win on the road here but not enough to bet on it in this lousy matchup but I like the over in this game, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Golden Knights vs. Flyers (10:00)
The Golden Knights have been fantastic this season, leading the Western Conference with a 19-8-1 record after missing the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last year. After a huge 4-3 shootout win to give Boston their first home loss of the season on Monday, they fell 5-1 at home to the Rangers on Wednesday in a disappointing game where they were tied 1-1 after two periods and gave up four third period goals. The Knights have very good on both ends of the ice this year. The Flyers suck though. They’re 9-13-5, coming off a 4-1 loss at home to the Caps on Wednesday with just two wins in their last 15 games. They’ve struggled quite a bit on both ends of the ice this season, especially offensively. I love the bounce back spot here for Vegas at home and will take them to win in regulation for a unit. I’d slightly lean the under but not enough to bet on it.
Game Bets
1u Sabres/Penguins over 6.5 (-139)
.5u Flames in regulation (-155)
.5u Devils in regulation (-121)
.5u Kraken ML (+125)
.5u Jets ML (-145)
.5u Oilers/Wild over 6.5 (-110)
.5u Bruins -1.5 (-132)
.5u Sharks/Ducks over 6.5 (-130)
1u Golden Knights in regulation (-152)
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: 183-167-2 (-26.54 units)
Please follow me:
Instagram: @atownszone
Twitter: @atownszone
TikTok: @atownszone
If you like the site and my work, share it with your friends!
… and tell Dave Portnoy to hire me…
A Town's Zone 