I went 2-1 on the NHL last night, losing 0.7 units thanks to the Kings loss to the Kraken. Tonight we have a gigantic slate with twelve games on the docket. Let’s get some wins here!
Sabres vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
My Sabres have been fucking embarrassing this season. I reached my breaking point with this team on Tuesday as we got laughed off our own ice with a 9-4 loss to the Jackets. Completely pathetic. Fire everyone. We only have three wins in the last eleven games. The Leafs have been a solid team this season, but they’re coming off a 5-2 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday at home. The Sabres pulled off the upset earlier this season in Toronto, winning 6-4 on the road on November 4th. I expect the opposite result tonight with an easy bounce back win for the Leafs. I’ll take them for a unit along with the puck line for half a unit. I like the over too, which I’ll take of half a unit as well.
Lightning vs. Golden Knights (7:00)
Really interesting cross conference matchup tonight. Both of these teams have been good this season. The Lightning are coming off a big 6-1 blowout win against the Blues at home on Tuesday and have five wins in their last eight games. The Golden Knights lead the NHL once again this season and they’re my pick to repeat and win the Cup again. They’re playing excellent hockey on both ends of the ice with seven wins in their last ten games, coming off a 6-3 loss in Carolina on Tuesday. The big issue right now for Vegas though is that both of their top goaltenders, Adin Hill and Logan Thompson are both out with injury. Because of the goaltending situation, I’d lean the Bolts win this one at home. I don’t like it enough to bet on though. I do like the over quite a bit though, and I’ll take the alternate over 6 for a unit.
Panthers vs. Blues (7:00)
Not the greatest cross conference matchup here. The Panthers are having a good season, and clearly didn’t just catch magic in a bottle last season on their way to the Cup Finals. They’re in a bit of a slump right now though with just one win in their last four games, coming off a 3-1 loss in Calgary on Monday night. The Blues are coming off a 6-1 loss in Tampa and have been slightly better than I expected, but still not a great team. I like Florida to get right with a win at home here tonight and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Flyers vs. Predators (7:00)
Unexpectedly great cross conference matchup here. Torts has his Flyers playing great hockey and they’re shockingly one of the best defensive teams in the NHL this season. Coming off a big 3-2 overtime win against the Devils on the road on Tuesday, they’ve won seven of their last eight games, picking up a point in their last nine games in a row and winning 13 of their last 18. The Preds have been very good too. They’re coming off a 5-2 loss to the Canucks on Tuesday that ended their four game win streak, just their second loss in their last nine games. They’ve picked up wins in 13 of their last 17 games. I think this game’s pretty much a toss up. In the first game these teams played a few weeks ago in Smashville, the Preds won 3-2 in overtime (winner on my under). I’d give a slight edge to Philly at home, but not enough to bet what’s essentially a coin flip. I do like the under though and will take the under 6 (shop this line) for half a unit.
Penguins vs. Hurricanes (7:00)
Solid matchup here in the Metro tonight. Both these teams have been underachieving this season. They’re both coming out of slumps. The Pens, coming off a 4-3 win against the Wild on Monday have three wins in their last four games while the Canes have three wins in their last five games, picking up at least a point in all five of those games after a 6-3 win over the Golden Knights at home on Thursday. The Canes won the first game between these teams 4-2 on November 18th in Carolina. I’d slightly lean they win again on the road tonight and would slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet either. I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Blue Jackets vs. Capitals (7:00)
Not a whole lot of luster to this Metro Division game. The Capitals have played well recently, picking up points in six of their last seven games, with four wins in their last six. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight after a 3-2 overtime win against the Isles last night (nice win on the under there for me). The Blue Jackets have sucked but have three wins in their last five games after blowing out and embarrassing my Sabres 9-4 on Tuesday. Washington won both of the previous games this season with a 2-1 win and a 4-3 win at home. I’d slightly lean they complete the season sweep (which I’d absolutely bet if the Caps hadn’t played last night) and would slightly lean the under here, but not enough to bet either. I’ll lay off this game.
Devils vs. Oilers (7:30)
This should be a great game. The Devils are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers at home on Thursday night and after a big slump, with eight wins in their last twelve games. The Oilers are on a three game losing streak after they were on an eight game win streak, coming off a 3-1 loss on Long Island on Tuesday. In the first game between these teams in Edmonton, the Oil won 4-1 at home. I love the over in this game, with two really good offenses and two really struggling defenses. I’ll take the over at 7 for half a unit. Even though I don’t like the 7s, I like it better than laying the -165 on the 6.5.
Stars vs. Canucks (8:00)
Great game out West here. Both of these teams have been excellent this season. The Stars have picked up at least a point in their last four games with three wins in that span. The Canucks have been fantastic this season with six wins in their last seven games, picking up at least a point in all of those seven. Vancouver won the first game between these teams 2-0 at home on November 4th. Although the Canucks are the better team statistically in this matchup, I’d slightly lean the Stars win this one at home. I’d also lean the over slightly, but not enough to bet either. I’ll stay off this game entirely.
Wild vs. Canadiens (8:00)
Kind of a lousy matchup here. The Wild have played well recently with eight wins in their last eleven games, coming off a 4-3 overtime win in Boston on Tuesday night. The Habs are coming off a huge 3-2 overtime win in Winnipeg on Monday and have picked up a point in four of their last five games. The Wild won the first game between these teams 5-2 on the road on October 17th. Minnesota’s the better team here and I’ll take them to win this one again for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet on it.
Avalanche vs. Senators (9:00)
Pretty lousy matchup here. The Senators have been awful this season. You could call them the Titanic, sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic. They’re on a five game losing streak with just three wins in their last twelve games. After firing DJ Smith on Monday, it looked like they were going to get the win in Arizona on Tuesday, but blew a 3-0 first period lead to lose 4-3, not scoring again after the 14:19 minute mark. This team’s broken. The Avs haven’t played their best hockey. They let me down big on Tuesday, losing 3-2 in Chicago. Colorado’s struggled recently with four wins in their last eleven games. The Avalanche are the far better team here and I don’t see them losing two games in a row to two of the worst teams in the NHL. I’ll take the Avs for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Ducks vs. Flames (10:00)
This Pacific Division matchup sucks. Both of these teams have wins in their last two games after going on lousy slumps, with the Ducks beating the Red Wings in Detroit 4-3 on Monday and the Flames beating the Panthers 3-1 (both losses for me). Neither of these teams have impressed me whatsoever this season. I’d lean the Flames win on the road but think they’re way overpriced, seeing some value on the Ducks as a +165 home dog. I’d slightly lean the over, but the best move on this game is staying off it entirely.
Sharks vs. Coyotes (10:30)
My first reaction to this game was “yikes”. The Sharks, coming off a 4-1 loss at home to the Kings on Tuesday seem to have reverted to being the worst team in the league after a little run that they were keeping their games competitive. The Yotes have been pretty decent this season, and after coming back from a 3-0 first period deficit to the Sens to beat them 4-3 on Tuesday night, they’re now on a three game win streak. These teams just played six days ago at the Mullett with the Coyotes winning a 1-0 shutout at home. Arizona’s the far better team here and I’ll take them to get the win on the road for half a unit.
Game Bets
1u Maple Leafs ML (-148)
.5u Maple Leafs -1.5 (+160)
.5u Maple Leafs/Sabres over 6.5 (-142)
1u Lightning/Golden Knights over 6 (-137)
.5u Panthers in regulation (-130)
.5u Flyers/Predators under 6 (-124)
.5u Devils/Oilers over 7 (-105)
.5u Wild ML (-177)
.5u Avalanche ML (-176)
.5u Coyotes ML (-155)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 227-222-3 (-52.98 units)
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