I went 1-2 last night on the NHL to lose 1.46 units, with multi-goal leads blown by the Coyotes and Stars, who had a 3-0 lead halfway through the game and couldn’t score a fourth goal to hit my team total as they lost 4-3 and Tyler Seguin was just a second too late to tie the game at the buzzer. Tonight we have big ten game slate. Let’s get some wins.
Also, in anticipation of the Rangers more than likely acquiring Patrick Kane tonight, I am adding a unit on the Rags to win the Stanley Cup. Great value on them at +1300.
Penguins vs. Oilers (7:00)
I expect this to be a very entertaining cross-conference matchup. I broke this game down in depth on StatSalt. As I said in that article, I’d lean the Oilers win this game on the road but not enough to bet on them. I do like the over though and will take the alternate over 6.5 here for half a unit.
Devils vs. Kings (7:00)
Interesting matchup here with two playoff teams having good seasons and facing off tonight in Jersey. I broke this game down in depth with my article on StatSalt. I like the Devils to win here at home and will take them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over but not enough to bet on it.
Blue Jackets vs. Wild (7:00)
I’d expect this one to be a pretty boring cross-conference matchup and broke it down in depth with my article on StatSalt. As I said there, I like the Wild to win on the road and will take them for half a unit along with the under for half a unit.
Lightning vs. Sabres (7:00)
I expect this to be a very tough test for my Buffalo Sabres tonight. They’re coming off a 6-3 loss to the Leafs on Tuesday night that was completely horrendous through the first two periods of the game with Toronto having a 4-0 lead in the first period. We’re 28-23-4 on the season and still control our own destiny in the tight Eastern Conference Wild Card race. Buffalo’s offense has been incredible and one of the best in the league this season but the defense and goaltending has been quite the struggle. The Lightning have been fantastic, pretty much locked in to face the Leafs again in the first round as they come into tonight’s game with a 36-17-3 record, comfortably in third place in the Atlantic Division. They’re coming off a 6-1 blowout win on Tuesday against the Ducks. The Bolts have been incredible offensively and although they haven’t been quite up to par to their last several seasons defensively, they’ve still been very good on the back end. Tampa won both previous games between these teams, winning 5-3 at home on November 5th and 6-5 in overtime in Buffalo on November 28th. I’d expect them to beat us again tonight but not enough to bet it, especially at the -225 price. I like the over though and will take the alternate over 6.5 here for a unit.
Red Wings vs. Rangers (7:00)
With the way these teams have played recently, this sets up what should be a very fun matchup. The Red Wings are playing their best hockey of the season right now with six wins in their last seven games to put themselves into the tight Wild Card race with a 27-21-8 record, coming off a 3-1 win in Washington on Tuesday. They haven’t been great statistically on either end of the ice. The Rangers are coming off a 4-1 loss at home to the Jets on Monday night, their first regulation loss in over a month. They’ve gone 7-1-1 in their last nine games to improve to 33-15-9 and sit comfortably in third place in the Metro Division. They’ve played really well on both ends of the ice. These teams split their first two games this season with the Red Wings winning 3-2 in overtime at MSG on November 6th and the Rags answering back with an 8-2 blowout with in Detroit on November 10th. I’d expect the Rangers to win again tonight on the road to bounce from their two losses in a row and will take them for a unit, along with half a unit on the alternate over 6 in this matchup.
Capitals vs. Ducks (7:00)
Both of these teams are looking to end long losing streaks tonight. Ovi’s back for the Caps tonight which is such a huge addition for this team that has struggled in his absence, especially offensively. Coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Red Wings on Tuesday night, the Capitals are on a five game losing streak to drop to 28-25-6 on the year. They’ve really struggled offensively, only scored more than two goals three times in their last 13 games. Defensively Washington hasn’t been too bad though. The Ducks are even worse. They’re one of the worst teams in the NHL with a 17-34-7 record and right in the mix for the Bedard sweepstakes, coming into tonight’s game on a six game losing streak. After a 6-1 loss in Tampa on Tuesday night, they’ve allowed an average of six goals per game in their six game losing streak. Anaheim’s one of the worst teams in the NHL statistically on both ends of the ice. This is the perfect matchup for the Capitals to wake up and end their losing streak at home tonight. The moneyline at -315 is too expensive though, which makes this a tough game to bet on. Its tough to back the Caps offensively on the team total over or on the puck line when they’ve struggled to score and although I initially liked the Ducks team total under, that’s tough too cause they keep scoring three goals in their losses. I’ll lay the juice and take the Caps in regulation for half a unit. Along with that, I’ll go with half a unit on Ovechkin over 4.5 shots on goal and him to score for a unit in his return. I rarely ever bet these but with the narrative of him coming back tonight after the death of his father, I’ll also go with .2u each on him to score first and last.
Blues vs. Canucks (8:00)
This matchup stinks with these two pretty pathetic teams facing off tonight. The Blues are 26-28-3 on the season and on a three game losing streak after a 4-1 loss in Carolina on Tuesday night. They have just three wins in their last eleven games and already traded three of their best players before the deadline. The Canucks are a mess of an organization and have a 22-30-5 record. Coming off a 5-4 shootout loss to the Predators on Tuesday (big win for me), they’ve won just one of their last five games and six of their last 23 games. The Blues easily won the first game between these teams 5-1 on the road in Vancouver on December 19th. I’d lean the Canucks get a win on the road tonight but not enough to even consider betting it. Both of these teams have been decent enough offensively but they’re both horrendous defensively, which leads me to liking the over a bit here. I’ll take the alternate over 6.5 for half a unit.
Golden Knights vs. Flames (9:00)
Last night the Calgary Flames picked up a 6-3 win against the Coyotes, scoring five unanswered to come back from a 3-1 deficit halfway through the game. They dominated the Yotes and outshot them 51-14. Calgary’s been pretty disappointing this season though with a 27-20-11 record and they’ve been inconsistent on both ends of the ice, especially defensively. The Golden Knights are coming off a disappointing 3-2 shootout loss to the Blackhawks on Tuesday night (big loser for me) that ended their five game win streak, as they gave up the tying goal with 55 seconds left in regulation. Vegas still leads the Western Conference with a point lead over the Stars. They’ve played well on both ends of the ice. On October 18th in the first game between these teams, the Flames got a 3-2 win at home. I’d expect the Knights to answer back, especially with Calgary in the second half of a back to back on the road. I’ll take them for a unit. I’d slightly lean the under but not enough to bet it.
Kraken vs. Bruins (10:00)
This should be a really entertaining game. The Bruins are the best team in the NHL this season with a historic 43-8-5 record. They come into tonight’s game on a four game win streak after a 3-1 win against the Senators on Monday night. Boston’s been the best team in the league defensively and one of the top teams offensively. The Kraken are having a good season as well, in third place in the tight Pacific Division with a 32-19-6 record. They’ll look to bounce back tonight after getting shut out 4-0 in San Jose on Monday. Seattle’s been very good offensively this season but they’ve been inconsistent at best on the back end. In the first game between these teams on January 12th, the Kraken gave the Bruins their first home regulation loss of the season in Boston with a 3-0 shutout win. I’d expect the B’s answer back here and will take them for a unit. I’d slightly lean the over but not enough to bet it.
Sharks vs. Predators (10:30)
This is a pretty boring matchup to me. The Preds are a mid tier team, coming into tonight’s game with a 27-22-6 record after a 5-4 shootout win against the Canucks on Tuesday night (nice win for me to cash). Although they’ve been good defensively, they’ve struggled to score. The Sharks are one of the worst teams in the league with an 18-29-11 record and are likely to trade one of, if not both of their best players, Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier at the trade deadline. They’ve struggled on both ends of the ice, especially defensively. The Preds already won both previous games they played against the Sharks when they opened the season in Prague for the NHL Global Series, winning 4-1 on October 7th and then 3-2 the next day. I expect them to complete the season sweep tonight and get a win in San Jose. I’ll take Nashville for half a unit. I’d lean the under but not enough to bet it.
Game Bets
.5u Oilers/Penguins over 6.5 (-167)
.5u Devils ML (-140)
.5u Wild ML (-180)
.5u Wild/Blue Jackets under 6 (-125)
1u Lightning/Sabres over 6.5 (-148)
1u Rangers ML (-150)
.5u Rangers/Red Wings over 6 (-137)
.5u Capitals in regulation (-195)
.5u Alex Ovechkin over 4.5 shots (-134)
1u Alex Ovechkin anytime goal (-137)
.2u Alex Ovechkin first goal (+700)
.2u Alex Ovechkin last goal (+700)
.5u Blues/Canucks over 6.5 (-148)
1u Golden Knights ML (-130)
1u Bruins ML (-185)
.5u Predators ML (-120)
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 York Rangers – Stanley Cup Champions (+1300)
1u New Jersey Devils – Stanley Cup Champions (+1600)
Record: 462-392-16 (-43.14 units)
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