Lost my two biggest plays from yesterday’s NHL slate to finish the night going 5-2, but losing 1.28 units. Always sucks when that’s the way a night goes. Tonight we have a ten game slate to bounce back on and finish off February with winners!
Senators vs. Red Wings (7:00)
These teams just played last night with the Senators winning 6-2 at home. Tonight the Red Wings get a rematch at the same time, same place (a rescheduled game from earlier this season) for the last of four games between these Atlantic Division teams this season. They split the first two games in Detroit, with the Senators winning 6-3 on December 17th and the Red Wings winning 4-2 on New Years Eve. Coming off yesterday’s loss, the Red Wings are 28-23-8 on the season and put themselves a bit outside but definetely still in the mix for a Wild Card spot in the East. The Sens are 29-26-4 on the season and have been playing well, going 9-3-1 in their last 13 games. Statistically these teams match up very evenly on the season and have been below league average on both ends of the ice. I’d expect Ottawa wins again tonight and will take them for half a unit. I’ll also take the over for a unit.
Lightning vs. Panthers (7:00)
Tonight we have the final Battle of Florida of the regular season as the Panthers travel to Tampa to take on the Bolts. The Lightning are 2-1 in those three previous games, winning 3-2 in overtime in Sunrise on October 21st, winning 4-1 at home on December 10th, and then getting blown out 7-1 in Sunrise on February 6th. The Lightning are having a great season with a 37-18-4 record, pretty much locked into a first round series against the Leafs once again. They have struggled a bit recently though with just two wins in their last six games, coming off a 7-3 loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday where they gave up six straight goals in the second period. Tampa’s offense has been incredible this season and although they haven’t been as consistent defensively as they’ve been the last several season, the Bolts have still been pretty solid on the back end. They made a huge move this week, acquiring Tanner Jeannot from Preds in exchange for a Cal Foote and a haul of draft picks. The Panthers are coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Sabres on Friday night and are 29-26-6 on the season, a solid drop off from last year when they won the President’s Trophy. Their offense has once again been really good this season but their defense and goaltending blows. I like the Lightning to win at home tonight and will take them for half a unit. I love the over in this game, which I’ll take for 1.5 units. I’m also going with two props I really like in this game, the Panthers over 33.5 shots on goal, along with over 65.5 total shots on goal, for half a unit each.
Sabres vs. Blue Jackets (7:30)
My Sabres are on fire right now! Coming into tonight’s game off a 7-4 win at home against the Capitals on Sunday afternoon, we’re on a three game win streak with five wins in our last six games. We’re right in the Wild Card picture in the East with a 31-23-4 record. Buffalo’s young offense has been incredible this season but the defense and the goaltending has been quite the struggle. The Blue Jackets have been horrible this season with a 19-35-6 record. They haven’t been an easy out for teams recently though, going 3-1-2 in their last six games. Columbus has been awful on both ends of the ice. In the first game between these teams this season in Columbus on December 7th, the Sabres put on the biggest offensive show we’ve seen all season, picking up a 9-4 win on the road. I’d expect another win for my boys tonight. I’ll take the Sabres in regulation and the Sabres TT over 3.5 for a unit each, along with half a unit on the alternate over 6.5.
Wild vs. Islanders (8:00)
This game sets up for a great defensive battle for this cross-conference matchup. I broke this game down in depth with my article on StatSalt. As I said in my article, I’d lean the Wild win tonight at home but not enough to bet a side in this matchup. I absolutely love the under here though, with both teams struggling offensively but playing incredibly on the back end. I’ll lay the heavy juice and take the under for 2 units.
Predators vs. Penguins (8:00)
This has been a big week for the Predators. They hired Barry Trotz as their new GM and made a huge trade, sending Tanner Jeannot to Tampa in exchange for a giant haul of draft picks and Cal Foote. Nashville’s 29-22-6 on the season and come into tonight’s game on a three game win streak with just one loss in their last five games. Although the Preds offense has really struggled this season, they’ve averaged an impressive 5.4 goals per game in that last five game stretch. Backstopped by Juuse Saros, the Preds have played quite well defensively this season. The Penguins could be in trouble to miss the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, coming into tonight’s game with a 29-21-9 record. After a four game losing streak, they’ve since won their last two games, winning in overtime in St. Louis on Saturday in a game they dominated and then coming back home Sunday to get a huge 7-3 win against Tampa. Pittsburgh’s veteran lead team has been good offensively but they’ve been inconsistent at best on the back end. I’d slightly lean the Penguins win on the road here and the over but not enough to bet this game at all. I’ll lay off this one.
Blues vs. Kraken (8:00)
The Blues have been extremely disappointing this season and the era where they won the Cup in 2019 is over, as they’ve traded Ryan O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, and Vlad Tarasenko and now they’re rumored to be getting calls on Colton Parayko as well. St. Louis is 26-28-5 on the season and after a 3-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday at home, they’re on a five game losing streak with only three wins in their last 13 games. Although their offense hasn’t been great, their defense is much worse, and one of the worst units in the NHL. The Kraken are on a three game losing streak after a 5-1 loss at home to the Leafs on Sunday, but they’re having a good season, right in the mix in the Pacific with a 32-21-6 record. Seattle’s offense has been very good this season but they’ve been pretty inconsistent defensively. These teams split their two previous games in Seattle this season with the Blues winning 4-3 in overtime on October 19th and the Kraken answering back with a 5-2 win on December 20th. I like Seattle to get a win here on the road tonight and will take them for half a unit along with a unit on the over.
Jets vs. Kings (8:00)
This is a very interesting matchup to me in the West. Both of these teams have played very well this season and are in playoff spots but they’re both in a bit of a slump right now. The Kings are in second place in the Pacific with a 33-20-8 record with an 8-3-2 record in their last 13 games. Coming off a 5-2 loss in MSG to the Rags on Sunday, they’ve just won one of their last four games. LA’s been good offensively but they’ve been inconsistent defensively. The Jets have fallen out of the top three in the Central, but still very much in the mix to win the division with a 35-24-1 record. After a 4-0 shutout loss at home to the Islanders on Sunday, they’re coming into tonight’s game on a three game losing streak with just one win in their last six games. Although their offense has struggled recently, they’ve been pretty good on both ends of the ice, especially defensively with an elite goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes. In the first game this season between these teams in LA on October 27th, the Jets got a 6-4 win on the road. I’d slightly lean the Jets win again at home here tonight to end their losing streak and would slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet either. I’ll stay off this one, but I’d anticipate that this ends up being a very fun game.
Coyotes vs. Blackhawks (9:00)
The Patrick Kane era in Chicago will officially come to an end today in a deal to send him to the New York Rangers in exchagne for draft picks. Hell of a era. Onto tonight’s game, this is a terrible matchup between two of the worst teams in the league in the Blackhawks and Coyotes, but it could be a fun game. I broke it down in depth in my article previewing it on StatSalt. As I said in that article, I’d lean the Yotes and the over but not enough to bet on either. I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Flames vs. Bruins (9:00)
The Bruins are easily the best team in the NHL this season with a historical 46-8-5 record. They’re on a seven game win streak after a 3-2 win in Edmonton last night where they didn’t play all that great, but still held the win. The B’s have been fantastic offensively and the best defensive team in the NHL this season. The Flames are having a disappointing year, with a 27-21-12 record and coming off a 4-1 loss in Colorado on Saturday, they have just three wins in their last ten games. They haven’t impressed on either end of the ice and are the most “mid” team in the NHL. The B’s won their first game between these teams 3-1 at home on November 10th. Even in the second half of a back to back on the road, I like the Bruins to win tonight in Calgary…and I like the value even more. I’ll take Boston for a unit.
Sharks vs. Canadiens (10:30)
This matchup blows. The Sharks are a horrible team this season with an 18-30-12 record and earlier this week they traded one of their best players, Timo Meier to the Devils. No shock there and it wouldn’t surprise me if they traded Erik Karlsson as well before Friday’s deadline. Coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Blackhawks on Saturday, San Jose’s picked up just one win in their last six games. The Habs are 25-30-4 on the season, coming off a 5-2 loss at home to the Senators on Saturday but have played relatively well recently with five wins in their last eight games. Both of these teams have struggled immensely on both ends of the ice this year. In the first game between these cross-conference teams in Montreal on November 29th, the Sharks picked up a 4-0 shutout win on the road. I’d lean the Habs win on the road tonight and like the over as well but not enough to bet on either.
Game Bets
.5u Senators ML (-120)
1u Senators/Red Wings over 6 (-124)
.5u Lightning ML (-170)
1.5u Lightning/Panthers over 6.5 (-130)
.5u Lightning/Panthers over 65.5 shots (-125)
.5u Panthers over 33.5 shots (-125)
1u Sabres in regulation (-130)
1u Sabres TT over 3.5 (-162)
.5u Sabres/Blue Jackets over 6.5 (-141)
2u Wild/Islanders under 5.5 (-120)
.5u Kraken ML (-145)
1u Kraken/Blues over 6 (-120)
1u Bruins ML (-135)
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: 493-414-17 (-45.66 units)
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