Yesterday’s NHL slate went pretty lousy for me, going 1-3 to lose 2.61 units, with a big swing on Carolina giving up their lead with 17 seconds left in regulation. Tonight we have a big eleven game slate with a bunch of day games.
No video today. I’m shot from yesterday’s Bills game.
Sabres vs. Panthers (1:00)
The Sabres ended their three game win streak with a very entertaining 5-3 win in Nashville on Saturday. We’re now 21-18-2 on the season with the highest scoring offense in the NHL but have a pretty lousy defense. Florida is setup pretty similarly. Their offense is pretty good but their defense is horrible. On Saturday their game against the Canucks started with a lot of scoring and the Panthers went on to win 4-3, for their fourth win in their last six game, improving to 20-20-4 on the season, a huge drop off when they won the Presidents Trophy last year. In the first game between these Atlantic Division teams this season on October 15th in Buffalo, the Panthers got a 4-3 win on the road. I’d lean the Sabres answer back with a win on home ice this afternoon but not enough to bet on them. I like the over in this game a lot though and will take the alternate over 6.5 here for 1.5 units, expecting a lot of scoring from both teams.
Bruins vs. Flyers (1:00)
On a clutch goal with 1:16 left in regulation on Saturday, the Bruins beat the Leafs 4-3 at home to bounce back from their first regulation loss of the season on Thursday when the Kraken beat Boston 3-0 in a shutout. The Bruins are easily the best team in the NHL this season with a 33-5-4 record and a 20-1-3 record at home. They have the best defense in the league and the second best offense in the league. The Flyers are easily playing their best hockey of the season with Torts somehow figuring it out for them after he took the iPads off the bench. They’ve won seven of their last eight games to improve to 18-18-7, playing shockingly really well in that span of time. On the season their offense has been horrible and their defense has been okay but now it seems like their offense has figured somehting out, scoring at least three goals in all but one of their last 12 games. In the first game between these teams this season in Boston on November 17th, the Bruins got a 4-1 win. I’d expect another win for them tonight. Even with how well the Flyers are playing right now, they don’t have nearly the talent the B’s do. The moneyline at -286 is too expensive but I’ll take the Bruins in regulation for half a unit.
Avalanche vs. Red Wings (3:00)
The Avalanche have been on a pretty bad run for the last several weeks, winning just two of their last nine games to come into tonight’s game with a 21-17-3 record, a far drop from how they played last year on their way to winning the cup. They did have a dominant win on Saturday night though that looked reminiscint of last year, beating the Senators with a 7-0 shutout at home. On the season Colorado’s been good defensively but they’ve struggled big time to score. The Red Wings are 18-16-7, coming off a 4-3 loss to the Blue Jackets on Saturday where they got into a 4-0 hole early in the second period and were unable to complete the comeback. They’ve struggled on both ends of the ice, especailly defensively. I’d lean the Avs win here at home but I don’t think they’re worth betting on at -190.
Sharks vs. Devils (4:00)
After going on a lousy run for the month of December, the Devils are back to their dominant play that they started this season with, coming into tonight’s game on a four game win streak. They’re now 28-12-3 on the season with an impressive 17-2-1 record on the road and have played great hockey on both ends of the ice. The Sharks on the other hand have been pretty lousy with a 12-23-8 record. Coming off a 7-1 blowout loss at home on Friday, they’ve only gotten three wins in their last 13 games. They’ve struggled on both ends of the ice this season, especially defensively where they’ve been horrendous. The Devils won the previous game between these teams at home on October 22nd, winning 2-1 in a grind of a game. I’ll take the Devils for a unit to get another win against SJ this year, along with the over for half a unit.
Kraken vs. Lightning (4:00)
This is a great afternoon matchup. The Kraken put on a clinic in Chicago on Saturday with an 8-5 win over Blackhawks, where they scored six goals in the first period. With that win Seattle become the first team in NHL history to sweep a road trip of at least seven games. They’ve improved a ton this year, coming into tonight’s game with a 26-12-4 record, tied with LA for second place in the Pacific Division. They’ve been great offensively this season but have had their struggles defensively. The Lightning are on a win streak of their own, winning their last three straight games, coming off a 4-2 win in St. Louis on Saturday to improve to 27-13-1 on the season, comfortably in third place in the Atlantic. They’ve been fantastic offensively this season and although their defense hasn’t been as great as the last few season, the Bolts have been pretty good on the back end. In the first game this season between these teams on December 13th, Tampa won 6-2 at home. I’d lean they win again on the road tonight to end the Kraken’s win streak but not enough to bet it. I do like the over in this game a lot though, which I’ll take for a unit.
Golden Knights vs. Stars (6:00)
Fun early evening matchup here between two of the top three teams in the Western Conference. The Golden Knights are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Oilers on Saturday night but continue to lead the Pacific Division with a 28-14-2 record. They’ve played well on both ends of the ice this season. The Stars are coming off back to back losses but have had a good season, coming into tonight with a 25-12-7 record. On Saturday they got into a 6-1 hole late in the second period against the Flames and couldn’t complete the comeback, to finish the game losing 6-5. Solid effort to make it close though in the third. Dallas has played really well on both ends of the ice this season, really overachieving from my preseason expectations that they would end up being a lottery team. I’d slightly lean the Golden Knights win at home in this matchup and the under, but neither enough to bet on in what I think is pretty much a coin flip game, so I’ll completely stay off this one.
Blue Jackets vs. Rangers (7:00)
Yesterday the Rangers played a complete dud of a game, losing 2-1 to the Habs at home for their first regulation loss in their last seven games. The Rags have played great lately, going 13-3-2 in their last 18 games to improve to 24-13-7 on the season. They’ve played well on both ends of the ice. On the second half of a back to back tonight, they are starting backup goalie Jaro Halak, who hasn’t been all that great this year. The Blue Jackets have been horrible this year with a 13-27-2 record. They are coming off a 4-3 win in Detroit on Saturday night that ended their three game losing streak. Columbus has only been able to pick up three wins in their last 15 games, playing horrible on both ends of the ice this season. Shockingly in the first game between these Metro Division teams, the Jackets won 5-1 in a blowout. I expect the Rags to answer back here tonight on the road and bounce back from last night with a win. I’ll take the Rangers for a unit along with the alternate over 6 for a unit with both lousy goalies playing.
Penguins vs. Ducks (7:00)
This is a pretty huge mismatch. The Penguins, despite losing back to back to Winnipeg and in Carolina on Friday and Saturday have been decent this season with a 21-15-6 record. They’ve been decent on both ends of the ice. The Ducks on the other hand are one of the worst teams in the NHL this season with a 12-27-4 record. They’re on a three game losing streak, getting blown out in all of those and giving up at least 6 goals in all three of those games. Anaheim’s been horrible and are one of the worst teams on both ends of the ice. The moneyline for the Pens at -345 is way too pricey for me and een the -210 regulation line is above what I want to pay on this one. I’ll take the Pens TT over 3.5 in regulation for half a unit along with the -1.5 puck line for half a unit.
Islanders vs. Capitals (7:30)
This is a fun Metro Division matchup between two pretty good teams that are both in a little bit of a slump. The Isles ended a four game losing streak on Saturday night in a boring game, beating the Habs 2-1. They’re 23-18-3 on the season, playing well defensively but not really producing offensively. The Caps have just one win (a 1-0 win at home against the Blue Jackets where they were outplayed) in their last four games. They’re 23-16-6 on the season and have played pretty well on both ends of the ice this year. I’d lean the Caps win here on the road but not enough to bet it. I do like the under though, not expecting a whole lot of fireworks in this game and will take the alternate under 6 here for half a unit.
Predators vs. Flames (8:00)
The Preds after going on a solid run have since lost their last three games in a row to drop to 19-17-6 on the season, coming off a 5-3 loss at home to the Sabres on Saturday in what was a very entertaining game. Nashville’s been good defensively this season but they’ve struggled offensively. The Flames are playing pretty well lately. Coming off a 6-5 win in Dallas on Saturday, they’ve won their last two games, going 8-2-3 in their last 13 games. Calgary was my pick to win the cup this season and they’ve been quite disappointing, not doing anything special on either end of the ice. In the first game between these teams this season on November 3rd in Calgary, the Preds got a 4-1 win on the road. I’d lean the Flames and the over in this game but not enough to bet on either. I’ll lay off this game completely.
Blues vs. Senators (8:00)
This isn’t all that appealing of a cross conference matchup to finish off the night. The Blues have been very inconsistent with a 21-20-3 record on the season, coming off a 4-2 loss at home to the Lightning on Saturday. They’ve been pretty good offensively but terrible defensively. The Senators haven’t been great either, coming into tonight’s game with a 19-20-3 record. They got dominated on Saturday night in Colorado, getting shutout and blown out in a 7-0 loss, their second shutout loss in their last three games. They’ve only won one of their last four games, with that win coming against the lowly Coyotes. Ottawa hasn’t been great on either end of the ice this season. I’d slightly lean the Sens and the over in this game but not enough to bet on either.
Game Bets
1.5u Panthers/Sabres over 6.5 (-139)
.5u Bruins in regulation (-175)
1u Devils ML (-180)
.5u Devils/Sharks over 6.5 (-110)
1u Lightning/Kraken over 6.5 (-110)
1u Rangers ML (-165)
1u Rangers/Blue Jackets over 6 (-127)
.5u Penguins TT over 3.5 in regulation (-167)
.5u Penguins -1.5 (-137)
.5u Islanders/Capitals under 6 (-139)
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: 311-273-8 (-37.58 units)
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