I took yesterday off betting hockey but it was a nice sign that all four of my leans hit. After a nice night off, tonight we have the biggest slate of the NHL season so far with twelve games. Let’s make it two winning nights in a row in a big way!
Sabres vs. Flames (7:00)
The Sabres finally (not sure if that’s the right word here after just two losses, but it felt like it) got their first win of the season on Tuesday night, beating the Lightning 3-2 in overtime after giving up the game-tying goal with just seven seconds left in regulation. Calgary’s 1-1-1 on the season after losses in DC and Pittsburgh. I’d lean the Sabres win here at home but not enough to bet them. I’d also lean the over but not enough to bet that either. I’ll stay off this game completely. Let’s Go Buffalo!
Lightning vs. Canucks (7:00)
After opening the season with a win at home against the Preds, they’ve struggled since, coming into tonight’s game on a three game losing streak after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Sabres on Tuesday where they tied up the game with seven seconds left to force OT, but then lost in overtime. The Canucks disappointed me on Tuesday with a 2-0 shutout loss in Philly after two impressive wins over the Oilers to open the season. I’d lean the Canucks bounce back with a win here since I’m not sold on Tampa without Vasilevskiy, and I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet either. I’ll skip this matchup.
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
This feels like a get right spot after the Leafs lost 4-1 to the Blackhawks at home and the Panthers beat the Devils 4-3 on the road. I like the Leafs to bounce back here and will take them for half a unit. I also like the over a lot, and I’ll also take the alternate over 6.5 for half a unit.
Rangers vs. Predators (7:00)
This is an interesting matchup but I’m not really sold on either of these teams yet this year. The Rags after opening their season with a 5-1 dominant win over my Sabres, which probably rattled me as a Sabres fan more than it actually showed for the Rangers, they bounced back with grinding out a 2-1 win at home over the Coyotes. The Preds are 1-3 after getting dominated 6-1 by the Oilers and their offense hasn’t figured anything out yet. I’d expect the Rangers win here at home but I don’t think they’re worth the -195. I would slightly lean the under, but I’m not touching that either.
Flyers vs. Oilers (7:30)
The Flyers surprised me with their 2-0 shutout win over Vancouver on Tuesday night, but I still think they’re going to be one of the worst teams in the NHL this season. The Oilers finally got right after their losses in their home and home against the Canucks with a 6-1 win in Nashville and I expect another easy win for McDavid, Draisaitl, and Edmonton here tonight. The moneyline is too expensive for me at -205, but against a poor Flyers offense I’ll trust the shaky Oilers defense enough to take the regulation line for half a unit, and what I like even more is the Oilers team total over 3.5, which I’ll also take for half a unit. I’d lean the over on the game too but I’ll just stick with the two plays on the Oil.
Wild vs. Kings (8:00)
I think the -110 line on this game is pretty accurate with this game essentially being a coin flip to me. I don’t think either team here is winning the Cup, but they’ll both be pretty good teams that both likely make the playoffs, or at least compete for playoff spots in the West. I’ll stay off this game completely.
Blues vs. Coyotes (8:00)
Despite this being a pretty lousy matchup, I could see it being a pretty competitive and interesting game, which I broke down in depth in my article on StatSalt. As I said in that blog, I’d slightly lean the Yotes and the over, but not enough to bet on either. I’ll stay off the game entirely.
Jets vs. Golden Knights (8:00)
The Golden Knights and Jets battle in a rematch of last year’s first-round series and I broke this game down in depth in my article on StatSalt yesterday. The Knights are the better team in this game and I expect them to pretty easily beat the Jets on the road, just as they made quick work of Winnipeg last season, beating them in five games in the first round last season. Vegas has the much better offense in this game. Last year they scored the 14th-most goals in the NHL, generating the 16th-most expected goals and the 10th-most high-danger shots in the league. Meanwhile, the Jets struggled to score, scoring just the twelfth-fewest goals in the NHL. I think the Knights’ price on this game is fantastic at just -110, which I’ll take for half a unit. I’d lean the under but not enough to bet on it.
Ducks vs. Stars (10:00)
On Tuesday, the Stars gave up the tying goal to Vegas with less than three minutes left in regulation and then went on to lose 3-2 in the shootout. That was a huge win for me since I was on my Knights there, but Dallas impressed me in their losing effort defensively. The Ducks shocked me with their 6-3 win over the Canes on Sunday but I think that’s more of an outlier result. The Stars should be able to dominate this matchup and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit.
Kraken vs. Hurricanes (10:00)
The Canes bounced back nicely in San Jose on Tuesday after losing to the Ducks on Sunday, mounting a four goal third-period to come back and beat the Sharks 6-3. The Kraken meanwhile have gotten nothing going offensively this season, not being able to score more than a goal in a game, starting the season 0-3-1. Until they do something to turn it around I’m going to keep betting against them. I think Carolina’s a fantastic team and I’ll take them to get a win on the road here for half a unit. I considered their team total too but I’ll just stick with the moneyline.
Avalanche vs. Blackhawks (10:30)
This one’s the biggest mismatch on the slate and although Chicago shocked me with their 4-1 win in Toronto on Monday, they’re not bottling up that magic for two games in a row. The moneyline and regulation line even are way out of reach for me here, and the Blackhawks defense has been better than I expected, so I’ll go with Avs puck line for half a unit.
Sharks vs. Bruins (10:30)
Another huge mismatch to close out the night. I don’t think this year’s Bruins are going to be even close to the powerhouse that they were last year, but I do think the Sharks will be the worst team in the NHL. Don’t overthink this and keep hammering whoever plays San Jose every night. I’ll take the Bruins in regulation for a unit.
Game Bets
.5u Maple Leafs ML (-130)
.5u Maple Leafs/Panthers over 6.5 (-120)
.5u Oilers in regulation (-125)
.5u Oilers TT over 3.5 (-152)
.5u Golden Knights ML (-110)
.5u Stars in regulation (-150)
.5u Hurricanes ML (-140)
.5u Avalanche -1.5 (-142)
1u Bruins in regulation (-165)
Record: 18-24 (-7.74 units)
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