Happy Valentine’s Day. Solid bounce back night for me on the NHL yesterday, going 4-3-1 and hitting my big bets to win 2.24 units. Tonight we have a loaded nine game slate. Let’s win again!
Canadiens vs. Blackhawks (7:00)
This isn’t a great matchup between two of the worst teams in the NHL this season. I broke this game down in depth with an article on StatSalt. As I said in that article, I’d lean the Habs and the over, but I’m staying off both from a betting perspective and laying off this game.
Capitals vs. Hurricanes (7:00)
This should be a fun defensive battle in the Metro Division tonight, which I broke down in depth in my article going through this game on StatSalt. I like the Canes to get a win here on the road and will take them for a unit with the new information that the Caps will be without Ovi for a while, who’s out attending to a family issue. Along with that, I like the under, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Blue Jackets vs. Devils (7:30)
This isn’t a great matchup here in the Metropolitan Division. The Devils are having a fantastic season, coming into tonight’s game in second place in the division with a 34-13-5 record. They’re coming off a 3-2 shootout loss in Minnesota on Saturday afternoon but have picked up at least a point in 15 of their last 17 games with 12 wins in that span. They’ve been good on both ends of the ice this week. Columbus is one of the worst teams in the NHL this season with a 16-33-4 record. On Saturday they pulled off a 4-3 win in Toronto to end a four game losing streak, with only six wins in their last 26 games. They’ve been one of the worst teams in the NHL statistically on both ends of the ice. In the first game between these teams this season, the Devils won in a 7-1 blowout at home. I expect a blowout again here tonight and will take Jersey in regulation for 2 units along with a half unit shot on the -2.5 alternate puck line.
Islanders vs. Senators (7:30)
Last night the Senators scored twice in the last three minutes of their game at home against the Flames to force overtime, winning 4-3 in OT on Tim Stutzle’s game winner. That was their fourth win in their last five games to improve to 25-24-3 on the season. Ottawa’s struggled on both ends of the ice. Their goaltending took a huge hit as they’re down to just their third string goaltender and their struggling AHL backup. The Islanders have been a bit better, coming into tonight’s game with a 27-23-6. Coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Montreal on Saturday where they blew a lead with three minutes left in regulation. They’ve played well recently after a bad stretch, with a 4-1-1 record in their last six games. The Isles have struggled offensively this season but have been quite good defensively with one of the best goaltenders in the league in Ilya Sorokin. These teams split their two previous games this season in Ottawa, with the Isles winning 4-2 on the road on November 14th and the Sens getting a 2-1 win at home on January 25th. I like the Isles to win here at home and will take them in regulation for 1.5 units. I’d lean the under but with the goaltending situation for the Sens, I’ll lay off the total.
Blues vs. Panthers (8:00)
The first game between these cross-conference teams back on November 26th needed overtime to be decided, with the Blues picking up a 5-4 win in Florida on November 26th. I don’t really expect that close of a game again tonight. The Panthers are playing much better hockey as of late, with an 11-5-2 record in their last 18 games to improve to 27-23-6. Their offense has been fantastic again this year but they’ve struggled defensively. The Blues are coming off a 6-5 overtime win at home against the Coyotes on Saturday, ended a five game losing streak. They’ve been very inconsistent this season with a 24-25-3, really struggling on the back end. I expect the Panthers to get a win here on the road and will take it for a unit. I love the over though, which I’ll take for 2 units.
Jets vs. Kraken (8:00)
This should be a pretty fun game between these two Western Conference playoff teams. They split their two previous games in Seattle this season with the Jets winning 3-2 in overtime on November 13th and then the Kraken getting a 3-2 win of their own at home on December 18th. They’re both having great seasons but have struggled a bit as of late. The Jets are 33-19-1 on the season, coming off two wins in a row, beating the struggling Blackhawks 4-1 for a big cash for me on Saturday night. Winnipeg’s defense has been elite this season backstopped by one of the best goalies in the league in Connor Hellebuyck. The Kraken ended a three game losing streak on Sunday afternoon in Philly with a 4-3 win (winner for me) to improve to 30-18-5 this season. Seattle’s been great offensively, but have been inconsistent defensively. I like the Jets to get a win tonight at home and will take them for a unit, along with the alternate under 6.5 for half a unit.
Stars vs. Bruins (8:30)
This game could give us a preview of the Stanley Cup Finals with the top team in each conference facing off for the second time this season. The Bruins lead the NHL as easily the top team in the league with a 39-8-5 record. They’re in a slump right now though, coming off a 2-1 loss to the Caps on Saturday with just one loss in their last five games. Boston’s been one of the best teams in the NHL statistically on both ends of the ice this season. The Stars have been grat on both ends of the ice as well, leading the West with a 30-14-10 record. Coming off a 3-1 loss to the Lightning on Saturday, they have 2-1-3 record in their last six games. The B’s won the first game between these teams at home, 3-1 on October 25th. I’d expect they win again on the road tonight and will take them for half a unit along with the alternate under 6 for half a unit.
Avalanche vs. Lightning (9:00)
This will be the second rematch up the season of last year’s Cup Finals. The Bolts got their revenge in the first game at home on February 9th last Thursday, winning in a 5-0 shutout. Tampa’s been great again this season, pretty much locked into a first round playof series against the Leafs again as they sit comfortably in third place in the Atlantic with a 24-16-2 record, essentially just playing for home ice in that series at this point. Their offense has been spectacular this season and although they aren’t as good as their last several seasons, the defense has been good as well. The Avalanche are having a good year as well with a 28-19-4 record, coming off a 5-3 win in Florida on Saturday against the Panthers. Their offense has struggled a bit this season but they’ve been great defensively. I’d slightly lean the Avs answer back with a win and would lean the under as well but not enough to bet on either in this game.
Sharks vs. Penguins (10:30)
Despite being pretty terrible this season with a 17-26-11 record and likely trading their two best players in Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier at the deadline to get even worse. Somehow San Jose has won three of their last four games though, coming off a shocking 4-1 win in Washington on Sunday afternoon. They’ve struggled offensively but have been one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL this season. The Penguins are coming off a 6-0 shutout loss in LA on Saturday to drop to 26-17-9 in the season in the second Wild Card spot in the East. They’ve been good offensively but inconsistent on the back end. The Sharks pulled off the upset in Pittsburgh getting a 6-4 win on January 28th. I also like the over even more which I’ll take for a unit.
Game Bets
1u Hurricanes ML (-170)
.5u Hurricanes/Capitals under 6 (-124)
2u Devils in regulation (-129)
.5u Devils -2.5 (+195)
1.5u Islanders in regulation (-121)
1u Panthers ML (-140)
2u Panthers/Blues over 6.5 (-130)
1u Jets ML (-130)
.5u Jets/Kraken under 6.5 (-120)
.5u Bruins ML (-130)
.5u Bruins/Stars under 6 (-143)
.5u Penguins ML (-165)
1u Penguins/Sharks over 6.5 (-125)
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: 419-358-12 (-37.26 units)
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