I pretty much broke even on last night’s NHL slate, going 7-6-1 to lose just 0.2 units. Before tomorrow’s huge slate with most of the league in action, tonight we have a five game slate following today’s 3 pm trade deadline.
Blue Jackets vs. Kraken (7:00)
The Blue Jackets are one of the worst teams in the NHL this season with a 20-35-6 record. They’re coming off a big win though, beating my Sabres 5-3 in Buffalo on Tuesay night and they’ve played relatively well recently with a 5-2-2 record in their last nine games. Statistically Columbus has been one of the worst teams in the NHL on both ends of the ice. They made a pretty big trade sending Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo to LA in exchange for Jonathan Quick, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick and then quickly trading Quick to the Golden Knights. The Kraken are in the second half of a back to back, coming off a 5-4 overtime win in Detroit last night. A fun game that I’m glad I cashed in on. That was Seattle’s second win in a row to improve to 34-21-6, currently sitting in third place in the Pacific Division. They’ve been good offensively this season but inconsistent defensively. In the first game this season between these cross conference teams on January 28th in Seattle, the Kraken got a 3-1 win. I like them to win again tonight and will take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet it.
Oilers vs. Jets (9:00)
This is a very interesting matchup between the two teams in the Wild Card spots in the Western Conference. The Oilers are coming off a big 5-2 win at home against the Leafs on Tuesday (hitting the over for me). That was their third win in their last five games, improving to 33-21-8 on the season. They acquired Nick Bjugstad from Arizona to bolster their lineup. Led by McDavid and Draisaitl, who have been absolutely incredible, the Oilers have the best offense in the NHL. They’ve struggled defensively though. The Jets are in their biggest slump of the season, coming into tonight’s game on a four game losing streak with only one win in their last seven games, dropping to 35-24-4 on the season. On Tuesday night they lost 6-5 in a shootout to the Kings. Over the course of the season, Winnipeg has been elite defensively but a bit inconsistent offensively. The Jets won the first game between these teams in Edmonton on New Year’s Eve, winning 2-1 in a grind. I’d lean the Oilers win at home tonight and the over, but not enough to bet either. I’ll stay off this matchup entirely.
Coyotes vs. Hurricanes (9:30)
This is a giant mismatch. In the first game between these teams in Carolina, the Coyotes pulled out a shocking win, shutting out the Canes 4-0 on November 23rd with Karel Vejmelka making 36 saves in his shutout, despite the Yotes getting outplayed. Carolina leads the Metro Division with a 39-12-8 record, with a three point lead over the Devils for the first seed in the division. They’re coming off two losses in a row, losing 3-2 at home to the Ducks in a shocker on the 25th and then losing 3-2 in Vegas on Wednesday night in a defensive grind of a game (big winner for me on the under). They acquired Shane Gostisbehere this week from Arizona. The Hurricanes have played really well on both ends of the ice, especially defensively. The Coyotes are in full tank mode. Coming off a 4-2 loss in Dallas (double winner for me) on Wednesday, they’ve only won one of their last four games. They’re 21-31-9 on the season and traded away even more assets to increase their chances at getting Bedard. Along with trading Gostisbehere to the Canes, they also sent Nick Bjugstad to the Oilers, and Jakob Chychrun to the Senators. Statistically they’ve been terrible on both ends of the ice. I’d expect an easy win for Carolina tonight. The moneyline and the regulation line are too expensive for me in this game but I will go with half a unit each on the Canes -1.5 puck line, the Canes team total over 3.5 and the Coyotes team total under 2.5.
Ducks vs. Canadiens (10:00)
This is a pretty bad matchup between two of the worst teams in the league. They’ve both played relatively well recently though which should set up what might be a fun game. The Ducks are 20-34-8, but have picked up points in each of their last four games, with a three game win streak coming to an end on Wednesday night with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Capitals at home (winner for me). They made several moves before the deadline to increase their chances at Bedard, sending John Klingberg to the Wild and Dmitry Kulikov to the Pens. The Habs are 26-31-4 on the season, in last place in the Atlantic Division. They’ve won six of their last ten games. The Ducks won the first game between these teams this season, winning 5-2 in Montreal on December 15th. The Canadiens are slightly better statistically on both ends of the ice and I’d lean they win on the road tonight. I’d also slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet on either, so I’ll stay off this game completely.
Golden Knights vs. Devils (10:00)
We have the best game on tonight’s slate to close out the night in Vegas. The Golden Knights lead the Western Conference with a 36-19-6 record. Coming off a 3-2 win against Carolina on Wednesday, they’ve gone 7-1-2 in their last ten games. Yesterday they acquired Jonathan Quick from LA by way of Columbus, along with adding Teddy Blueger from the Penguins. Vegas has been pretty good on both ends of the ice. The Devils have been fantastic this season and with three straight wins and 16-3-2 record in their last 21 games, they’re just three points back from Carolina to lead the Metro Division. They have a 40-15-5 record and have play incredible hockey on both ends of the ice, coming off a huge 7-5 win in Denver on Wednesday after blowing out the Flyers 7-0 on Saturday. The Devils needed overtime but got a 3-2 win at home in the first game they had against the Knights this season on January 24th. I’d lean New Jersey wins again here tonight and will take them for half a unit. I like the under on this matchup as well and will take the alternate under 6.5 here for half a unit.
Game Bets
.5u Kraken ML (-165)
.5u Hurricanes -1.5 (-137)
.5u Hurricanes TT over 3.5 (-159)
.5u Coyotes TT under 2.5 (-190)
.5u Devils ML (-120)
.5u Devils/Golden Knights under 6.5 (-129)
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: 513-428-18 (-44.54 units)
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