Last night I went 3-2-1 on the NHL but lost 1.08 units with my heaviest play losing. Today we have a huge eleven game Saturday slate. Let’s crush it!
Blue Jackets vs. Oilers (12:30)
We start off today with a pretty big cross-conference mismatch. I broke this game down in depth with my article on StatSalt. Like I said in that article, I expect the Oilers to win pretty easily here. I’ll take Edmonton in regulation, the Oilers team total over 4 and the alternate over 6.5 in this game for half a unit each.
Capitals vs. Rangers (1:00)
This should be a fun game between these two Metro Division rivals. As I said in my article breaking this game down in depth on StatSalt, I like the Rags to get the win on the road. I’ll take them for a unit along with half a unit on the under.
Blues vs. Penguins (3:30)
Both of these teams are struggling right now and they’re not having the seasons that they had hoped for. The Blues, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Canucks at home on Thursday night are 26-28-4 and already sold off their good players prior to the deadline. They are on a four game losing streak with just three wins in their last 12 games. St. Louis has been okay (not great, but okay) offensively but they’ve been one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL this year. The Penguins are on a four game losing streak as well after getting blown out 7-2 by McDavid, Draisaitl, and the Oilers on Thursday night. They’re still in the Wild Card hunt, on the outside looking in with a 27-21-9 record. The Pens have been pretty good offensively but their defense and goaltending has been inconsistent at best. Pittsburgh won the first game at home between these teams 6-2 on December 3rd. I like them to win again here. I’ll take the Pens for half a unit along with the over for half a unit.
Canadiens vs. Senators (7:00)
This game matches up the two worst teams in the Atlantic Division, who are both playing pretty well right now and they’re both in the second half of a back-to-back. I broke this game down in depth on StatSalt. The Sens won all three previous games between these teams and I expect the sweep tonight. I’ll take Ottawa for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the under but not enough to bet it.
Hurricanes vs. Ducks (7:00)
This is a giant mismatch, as evidenced by the -455 price on the Cane, which is actually pretty fair considering these teams. Carolina leads the Metro Division with a 39-10-8 record and they’re the hottest team in hockey right now, coming into today’s game on a five game win streak and just one loss in their last 13 games. The Hurricanes have been fantastic on both ends of the ice this season, especially defensively. The Ducks on the other hand are one of the worst teams in the NHL with an 18-34-7 record. On the great play of John Gibson in goal, they ended their six game losing streak with a 4-2 win in Washington in a game they had no business winning with how much better the Capitals played then they did. Anaheim is statistically one of the worst teams in the league on both ends of the ice. The Ducks actually pulled off a big upset beating the Canes 4-3 at home on December 6th in overtime. I don’t expect that to happen again. Carolina should win easily. The prices on this game are so expensive but I’ll take the Canes TT over 4 for a unit.
Devils vs. Flyers (7:00)
This Metro Division matchup on paper looks like it stinks but even though the Devils are the far superior team in this game, the Flyers are 2-1 against them this season. Philly won 5-2 at home on October 13th, lost 3-2 at home on December 3rd and then won 2-1 in Jersey on December 15th. New Jersey is having a great season and they’re in second place in the Metro with a 38-15-5 record. Coming off a 4-3 overtime win against the Kings on Thursday night, they’ve gone 14-3-2 in their last 19 games. The Devils have been very good on both ends of the ice. The Flyers are in the second half of a back to back tonight after a 5-2 loss at home to the Habs yesterday. They’re 23-27-10 on the season and have only won one game in their last seven. Philly’s really struggled to score this season and have been around league average defensively. I like the Devils to tie up the season series at home in this final game between these teams. I’ll lay the juice on the Devils in regulation for a unit.
Canucks vs. Bruins (7:00)
I am shocked that the line for the Bruins in this game is cheaper than -300. This is a huge mismatch in Vancouver against the team that made the city burn down in 2011 when the B’s lifted Lord Stanley in Game 7. Boston’s easily the best team in the NHL this season with a 44-8-5 record, coming into tonight’s game on a five game win streak after a 6-5 win in Seattle on Thursday night (big winner for me). They have one of the best offenses in the league and lead the NHL defensively. The Canucks, despite coming off a 3-2 overtime win in St. Louis on Thursday and picking up at least a point in each of their last three games, are a mess of a franchise and having a pretty bad season at 23-30-5. They’ve been decent offensively but terrible on the back end. At home on November 13th, the Bruins beat the Canucks 5-2 and I expect another easy win for them again tonight. I’ll take the Bruins in regulation for 2 units, the Bruins team total over 3.5 for a unit, as well as the over for half a unit.
Red Wings vs. Lightning (8:00)
This is really an interesting matchup, even though it probably shouldn’t be. The Lightning are having a great season, pretty much locked into a first round matchup against the Leafs as they’re in third place in the Atlantic with a 36-17-4 record. Coming off a 6-5 overtime at loss to my Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night, they’ve picked up at least a point in six of their last seven games. Tampa’s offense has once again been incredible this season and although their defense and goaltending hasn’t quite been up to par with the last several years, they’re still pretty good on the back end. The Red Wings have put themselves into the Wild Card mix and are playing hot recently. Coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Rangers on Thursday night, they’ve won seven of their last eight games to improve to 28-21-8 on the season. They’ve haven’t been all that spectacular statistically on either end of the ice though. Detroit has surprisingly won both previous games between these teams by multiple goals, winning 4-2 in Tampa on December 6th and 7-4 at home on December 21st. I think the Bolts are the way better team here though and turn it around tonight. I’ll take them for half a unit along with the alternate over 6 for half a unit.
Avalanche vs. Flames (10:00)
The defending Stanley Cup champions are on fire recently. After a 5-1 win in Winnipeg last night that was shocking to push on the under for me after a five goal first period, the Avs are on a four game winning streak, improving to 32-19-5 on the season and are right in the mix for the Central Division. Colorado’s offense has taken a big step back from last season but they’ve been phenomenal defensively. The Flames have had a very disappointing season, on the outside and looking in for a spot in the playoffs with a 27-20-12 record. Coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Vegas on Thursday (big winner for me), they’ve only won three of their last nine games. Calgary hasn’t done anything special this season on either end of the ice and have been playing around league average at best. These teams split their two previous games in Calgary this season, with the Flames winning 5-3 on October 13th and the Avs winning 4-1 on January 18th. Even in the second half of a back to back, I like the Avalanche to win tonight at home and will take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet it.
Sharks vs. Blackhawks (10:00)
This game stinks with two of the worst teams in the NHL facing off. These teams split their two prior games this season with the road team winning each game 5-2. The Sharks are 18-30-11 on the season and will more than likely be trading either Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson or both, their two best players prior to the deadline. Coming off a 6-2 blowout loss at home to the Preds on Thursday (easy win for me), they’ve only gotten one win in their last five games. The Blackhawks and Patrick Kane specifically, who’s deal to get traded to the Rangers is all but officially, have impressively just kept on winning lately. Kane’s officially out of the lineup for “roster management” tonight, which means his time in Chicago has come to an end, the end of an incredible run that saw the Blackhawks lift the Stanley Cup three times in his time there. Coming off a 4-3 comeback win against the Stars on Wednesday where they came back from a 3-0 deficit, they’re on a four game win streak, entirely on the backs of Kane and Domi, to improve to a still terrible 20-32-5 on the season. Statistically both of these teams have been awful on both ends of the ice. I’d lean the Blackhawks win on the road and the over in this game but not enough to bet on either, so I’ll just stay off this one completely.
Golden Knights vs. Stars (10:00)
This should be a great game tonight between the two best teams in the Western Conference. The Golden Knights, coming off a 4-3 win in overtime against the Flames at home on Thursday night (big win for me) are leading the West with a 35-18-5 record. They’ve won six of their last seven games and have picked up a point in each of their last eight games. The Stars lead the Central Division with a 30-16-12 record but are in a slump right now on a five game losing streak with just two wins in their last ten games. They have picked up at least a point in seven of their last ten games though. On Wednesday night they screwed me, getting out to a 3-0 lead halfway through their game at home against the Blackhawks but not scoring again, losing my team total bet as they went on to lose 4-3. Both of these teams have been good on both ends of the ice. In the first game between these teams on January 16th in Vegas, the Stars dominated with a 4-0 shutout victory. I’d slightly lean the Knights get the win tonight on home ice in the fortress but not enough to bet it. I’d also slightly lean the under but I think the best move here is to just stay off this game completely.
Game Bets
.5u Oilers in regulation (-155)
.5u Oilers TT over 4 (-125)
.5u Oilers/Blue Jackets over 6.5 (-155)
1u Rangers ML (-145)
.5u Rangers/Capitals under 6 (-110)
.5u Penguins ML (-155)
.5u Penguins/Blues over 6.5 (-110)
.5u Senators ML (-170)
1u Hurricanes TT over 4 (-141)
1u Devils in regulation (-182)
2u Bruins in regulation (-162)
1u Bruins TT over 3.5 (-159)
.5u Bruins/Canucks over 6.5 (-120)
.5u Lightning ML (-190)
.5u Lightning/Red Wings over 6 (-129)
.5u Avalanche 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: 474-401-17 (-43.9 units)
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