Nice bounce back for me on the NHL last night, with a nice 3-0 mini sweep to win 2 units. After a small three game slate yesterday, we have a fully loaded eleven game slate. Let’s crush it!
Panthers vs. Sabres (7:00)
This is such a huge game for both of these teams, both looking to make the playoffs and battling for a Wild Card spot in the East, but it is especially important for the Sabres. We essentially need to win this game or the season is over. The Sabres are still alive right now with a 37-31-7 record, five points back from the Penguins for the second Wild Card spot with two games in hand. They’re coming into tonight’s game on a five-game point streak, with a 4-0-1 record in that span, coming off a big 6-3 win in Philly on Saturday night. Buffalo’s young offense has been fantastic this year but the defense and goaltending has been terrible this season. The goaltending has some hope though as our hopefully goalie of the future, Devon Levi is projected to make his second start of the year tonight after his 3-2 overtime win against the Rangers where he had a spectacular 19 save third period performance on Friday. The Panthers are just a point behind the Penguins with a 39-31-7 record. They’re on a three game win streak, coming off a 7-0 blowout win in Columbus on Saturday (huge triple winner for me). Florida has been once again very good offensively this season, but their defense and goaltending has been a struggle as well. The Panthers are 2-1 this season against the Sabres, with the road team winning all three games between these teams, a 4-3 Panthers win in Buffalo on October 15th, a 4-1 win for Florida on the road on January 16th, and a 3-1 Sabres win in Sunrise on February 24th. With obviously a huge bias for me on this game, I’d slightly lean my Sabres win here on the road for those two huge points. I don’t see enough value to betting it though and my bias as a fan is definitely playing a part in that lean. I do like the over in this matchup though and will take the alternate over 6.5 in this game for half a unit.
Hurricanes vs. Senators (7:00)
This is a pretty big mismatch in the East. The Hurricanes lead the Metro Division with a three point lead over the Devils, with a 49-18-9 record. They coming off two back to back low scoring wins in a row, beating the Islanders 2-1 on Sunday. Carolina’s played fantastic hockey on both ends of the ice this season, especially defensively. The Senators aren’t having all that great of a season with a 37-34-6 record, likely missing the playoffs as they’re six points back from the Penguins, having played more games already than all the other teams in that race. They’re coming into tonight’s game off back-to-back losses after a 3-0 shutout loss at home to the Leafs on Saturday and a 4-3 overtime loss in Columbus on Sunday (big loser for me). Ottawa’s played below league average on both ends of the ice. The Canes won the first game between these teams easily this season, winning in a 4-0 shutout at home on February 24th. I’d expect Carolina to win again tonight at home. The moneyline is a bit too expensive for me at -250, but I’ll take Carolina in regulation for a unit.
Canadiens vs. Red Wings (7:00)
This isn’t the best matchup today, but I definitely see some value in it. Both of these Atlantic Division teams are having lousy seasons. The Habs are just 30-41-6 on the season, eliminated from playoff contention. They’re on a three game losing streak, coming off a 3-0 shutout at home against the Canes on Saturday. Montreal’s struggled on both ends of the ice and to make matters worse, they’re decimated with injuries. The Red Wings are having a poor season as well, coming into tonight’s game with a 34-33-9 record. They’re coming off a surprising 5-2 win in Toronto on Sunday and have won three of their last four games. Detroit hasn’t been great on either end of the ice this year, but better than Montreal both offensively and defensively. They’re won two of the three games between these teams this season, winning 3-0 at home on October 14th, losing 3-2 in a shootout on November 8th at home, and then winning 4-3 in overtime on the road on January 26th. I expect them to win again tonight with how shorthanded the Habs are, and will take Detroit for a unit. I’d slightly lean the over but not enough to bet it.
Devils vs. Penguins (7:00)
This should be a really fun Metro Division game with both points mattering plenty for these two teams. The Devils are coming off a 6-1 blowout loss on Sunday night in Winnipeg, but they’ve had a fantastic season. They’re already locked into the playoffs, comfortably in second place in the Metro Division with a 48-21-9 record, just three points back from the Canes for first place in the division. New Jersey’s played fantastic hockey on both ends of the ice this season. The Penguins are right in the Wild Card race, currently hanging onto the second Wild Card spot in the East, a point ahead of the Panthers and a point back from the Islanders. They’re coming off a 4-2 win on Sunday against their rival Flyers but have just four wins in their last eleven games. Pittsburgh’s been decent, but inconsistent on both ends of the ice this year. The Devils have won all three previous games between these teams this season, winning 4-2 in Pittsburgh on December 30th, 2-1 in overtime at home on January 22nd, and 5-2 on the road on February 18th. Jersey is the much better, well rounded team in this matchup and I expect them to complete the season sweep tonight. I’ll take them for half a unit.
Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets (7:00)
This is such a huge mismatch. The Leafs are having a fantastic season, locked into a first round rematch against the Lightning, which I expect them to win and finally get out of the first round again. They’re coming off a surprising 5-2 loss on Sunday against the Red Wings on Saturday. Toronto’s played great hockey on both ends of the ice. The Blue Jackets on the other hand are one of the worst teams in the NHL, right in the Bedard sweepstakes with a 24-44-8 record but had a 4-3 overtime win at home against the Senators on Sunday (big loss for me) to end a four game losing streak, which was just their fourth win in their last 15 games. They’ve been horrible on both ends of the ice, especially defensively. As if Columbus didn’t already have enough goaltending problems, they have Jet Greaves confirmed in goal tonight, an AHL goaltender who’s been horrible in the AHL with a .895 save percentage. Toronto should score on him easily. These teams surprisingly split their two previous games this season, with the Leafs winning in a 3-0 shutout in Columbus on February 10th and then getting upset the next day at home, losing 4-3. I’m loading up on the Leafs here, expecting them to win easily. The moneyline and the regulation lines are too expensive but I’m going to take the puck line for 1.5 units, their team total over 4 for 2.5 units, and the alternate over 6.5 on the game for a unit.
Predators vs. Golden Knights (8:00)
Both of these teams are in the second half of a back-to-back in what could be a fun game. I broke it down in depth in my article on StatSalt. As I said in that article, I like the Golden Knights to win here on the road to complete the season sweep of Nashville and will take them for a unit. I also like the under, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Blues vs. Flyers (8:00)
This matchup sucks and means nothing. Both of these teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Blues are 35-525-7 on the season and were big sellers before the deadline. They are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Bruins on Sunday, but have played pretty well recently, with a 6-2-2 record in last ten games. Their offense has been decent but their defense has been horrendous. The Flyers are on a three game losing streak coming off a 4-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday, dropping to 29-34-13 on the year. Philly’s been lousy on both ends of the ice, especially offensively. That didn’t show in the first game between these cross conference teams this season in Philadelphia on November 8th, with the Flyers winning 5-1 at home. I’d lean the Blues answer back with a win on home ice in this completely meaningless game, but not enough to bet it. I’d also slightly lean the over but not enough to bet that either, so I will lay off this game entirely.
Flames vs. Blackhawks (9:00)
This is another huge mismatch on the board. The Blackhawks are one of the worst teams in the NHL, coming into tonight’s game on an eight game losing streak with just three wins in their last 18 games to fall to 24-46-6 on the season. They’ve been awful on both ends of the ice. The Flames are having a disappointing season with just a 36-26-15 record, but their playoff hopes are still alive as they find themselves just two points back from the Jets for the second Wild Card spot in the West. They come into tonight’s game on a four game win streak after a 5-4 win at home against the Ducks (which should’ve likely been an easy win for them). Calgary hasn’t been all that great on either end of the ice, but they’re far better than the Blackhawks. Chicago surprisingly won both previous games between these teams this season, winning 4-3 in overtime at home on January 8th and then 5-1 on the road in Calgary on January 26th. I’d expect the Flames to avoid the season sweep tonight with an easy win at home tonight. The problem is so do the books. The moneyline at -420 is way too expensive, as is the regulation line at -245. I’ll take a shot on the puck line for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Canucks vs. Kraken (10:00)
This should be a pretty fun matchup in the Pacific Division that I expect to be very entertaining. The Kraken comfortably hold the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference with a 42-26-8 record. They’re coming off an 8-1 blowout win at home against the Coyotes last night (easy double winner for me). Seattle’s been good offensively this season, but they’ve been inconsistent defensively. The Canucks have had a disappointing season with a 34-35-7 record, but they’ve played well recently. Although they’re on a three game losing streak after a 4-1 loss at home against the Kings on Sunday, they have a 10-3-2 record in their last 15 games. Vancouver’s been good offensively all season, but terrible defensively. All three previous games between these teams were very high scoring with the Canucks going 2-1 in those games, winning 5-4 in Seattle on October 27th, winning 6-5 in a shootout at home on December 22nd, and then getting blown out 6-1 on January 25th in Seattle on January 25th. With the Kraken in the second half of a back-to-back on the road, I’d slightly lean the Canucks win here, but not enough to even consider betting on it. I love the over in this game, which I’ll take for 2 units. I also like both team totals here. I’ll take the Kraken TT over 3 for a unit and the Canucks TT over 3 for half a unit.
Kings vs. Oilers (10:30)
This should be an interesting matchup for the last time of the regular season between two of the top three teams in the Pacific Division who could very likely meet in the first round of the playoffs. The Kings are having a fantastic season, comfortably in second place in the Pacific Division with a 45-22-10 record. They’ve played really well recently with an 12-2-2 record in their last 16 games, coming off a 4-1 win in Vancouver on Sunday. LA’s been good offensively, but inconsistent defensively this season. The Oilers are in third place in the Pacific with a 45-23-9 record, coming into tonight’s game on a ten game point streak with an 9-0-1 record in that span after a 6-0 blowout win at home against the Ducks on Saturday. Lead by the greatest hockey player in the world in Connor McDavid, Edmonton’s offense is easily the best in the NHL, but their defense and goaltending has been inconsistent at best. The Kings lead the season series between these teams 2-1, winning 3-1 in Edmonton on November 16th, winning 6-3 at home on January 9th, and then losing 2-0 just five days ago in Edmonton last Thursday. I’d slightly lean the Oilers tie up the season series here tonight but not enough to bet it. I’d lean the over as well, but for some reason, even though this matchup screams to bet the over, that hasn’t come through this year. I’ll stay off this game completely from a betting perspective, but it should be a fun one to watch.
Sharks vs. Avalanche (10:30)
This is a pretty lousy matchup to close out tonight’s slate. The Avs have been great once again this year to defend their Cup title. They’re in third place in the Central Division, two points back from both the Stars and the Wild to lead the division. Coming off a 5-2 win at home against the Stars on Saturday, they have ten wins in their last twelve games. Colorado’s played really well on both ends of the ice. The Sharks are one of the worst teams in the NHL with a 22-39-15 record, but are surprisingly on a three game win streak, coming off a 7-2 win in Arizona on Saturday. San Jose has been terrible statistically on both ends of the ice. The Avs won the first game between these teams this season in a 6-0 blowout at home on March 7th and I’d expect a similar result for them on the road tonight as the far better team in this matchup. The moneyline, despite being cheaper than I expected tonight on them at -250 is still a bit too expensive for me but I will take the Avalanche in regulation here for 1.5 units. I’d lean the over on the game but not enough to bet it.
Game Bets
.5u Panthers/Sabres over 6.5 (-159)
1u Hurricanes in regulation (-157)
1u Red Wings ML (-120)
.5u Devils ML (-165)
1.5u Maple Leafs -1.5 (-167)
2.5u Maple Leafs TT over 4 (-177)
1u Maple Leafs/Blue Jackets over 6.5 (-139)
1u Golden Knights ML (-150)
.5u Golden Knights/Predators under 6 (-110)
.5u Flames -1.5 (-167)
2u Kraken/Canucks over 6.5 (-125)
1u Kraken TT over 3 (-165)
.5u Canucks TT over 3 (-150)
1.5u Avalanche in regulation (-148)
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)
.5u Minnesota Wild – Stanley Cup Champions (+2000)
1u Minnesota Wild – Western Conference Champions (+800)
Record: 668-542-27 (-52.81 units)
Please follow me:
Instagram: @atownszone
Twitter: @atownszone
TikTok: @atownszone
If you like the site and my work, share it with your friends!
… and tell Dave Portnoy to hire me…
A Town's Zone 