I only had one play on the NHL last night and lost it with the Rangers losing the third period, losing me 0.61 units. Oh well. Today we have a gigantic 14 game slate to head into a few nice days off for Christmas. Let’s go out hot!
Predators vs. Stars (2:00)
Really fun Central Division matchup to get the day going. Both of these teams have played awesome hockey this season which lines up for this to be an awesome game. The Preds, who beat the Flyers 4-2 on the road on Thursday night have won eight of their last ten games with wins in 14 of their last 18. The Stars have been awesome as well, a point behind the Jets for first in the Central. Coming off a 4-3 overtime win against the Canucks on Thursday, they’ve picked up a point in each of their last five games, with a win in four of those games. I think Dallas is the more talented team here and would lean they win this game on the road, and would slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet anything on this game. I’ll stay off it entirely.
Panthers vs. Golden Knights (3:00)
We get the first rematch this season of last season’s Stanley Cup Final. Vegas trounced the Panthers, winning the Cup in five games in dominant fashion. Both of these teams have played really well this season, but they’re both in slumps right now. The Golden Knights are tied with the Canucks for first place in the NHL, but coming off their 5-4 loss in Tampa on Thursday, they’ve only won one of their last four games. Both of their top two goaltenders are out injured and without Adin Hill and Logan Thompson, that’s a big loss for them. On the season though, the Knights have been fantastic on both ends of the ice. The Panthers didn’t just capture magic last year and have been very good this year but they’re in a big slump right now too with just one win in their last five games, coming off a 4-1 loss at home against the Blues on Thursday. Vegas is the better team here, especially offensively, and I’d lean they win on the road in Florida but I don’t like it enough to bet on. I’d slightly lean the over, especially with Vegas trending that way, but I’ll stay off it today with how the Panthers have trended under and their offense not getting much going.
Senators vs. Penguins (7:00)
Not a great Eastern Conference matchup to start off the evening slate. The Senators have been horrible. They’ve now blown two leads in a row, coming off a 6-4 loss to the Avs on Thursday night (winner for me) where they blew a 4-2 lead with five minutes left in the second period after Tuesday’s collapse in Arizona. Ottawa is now on a six game losing streak and firing DJ Smith clearly hasn’t helped. The Penguins aren’t having a great season, floating a bit above .500. They’ve played solid defensive hockey recently though, with four wins in their last five games, coming off a 2-1 shootout win at home against the Canes on Thursday. The Sens won the first game between these teams on October 28th 5-2 in Pittsburgh and I like the Pens to answer back here with a win on the road. I’ll take Pittsburgh for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Devils vs. Red Wings (7:00)
This game should be fun. The Devils are on a three game skid after a hot streak, coming off a 6-3 loss to the Oilers at home on Thursday night (easy hit for me on the over, even at 7). Last night the Red Wings ended their four game losing streak with just their second win in their last nine games in a wild matchup against the Flyers, winning 7-6 in a shootout. After blowing a 5-1 first period lead, Dylan Larkin scored with 4:30 left in regulation to force overtime with Patrick Kane scoring the game winner in the shootout to get the two points in what would’ve been the biggest collapse of the year if Detroit couldn’t find a way to win. These teams split their first two games this season, both winning at home, a 4-3 Devils win in October and a 4-0 shutout win for the Red Wings in November. With the Red Wings on the second half of a back to back and still in a slump, I like the Devils to win this one at home and I’ll take Jersey for half a unit. I love the over in this matchup with both of these teams trending that way with really good offenses and poor defensive play. I’ll take the over 6.5 for a unit.
Capitals vs. Lightning (7:00)
Interesting matchup here. Both of these teams have been decent, but not excellent this year. The Caps are on a three game win streak, winning all of those games in OT, coming off a 3-2 OT win in Columbus on Thursday night. They’ve picked up at least a point in seven of their last eight games with five wins in their last seven. The Caps have struggled offensively but have been very good defensively. The Lightning are coming off a 5-4 win against the Golden Knights on Thursday at home, where they blew a 4-2 third period lead but were able to get the win on Nick Paul’s game winner with 1:13 left in regulation. Tampa’s now won six of their last nine games. The Bolts have played the opposite style of hockey than the Caps, excelling offensively but struggling on the back end. I’d slightly lean the Lightning win here on the road and the under, but definitely not enough to bet either. I’ll stay off this game entirely.
Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
This isn’t the best matchup here. The Leafs are coming off their worst loss of the season, with the Sabres blowing them out 9-3 on Thursday night. That was Toronto’s second loss in a row but they have been good this season, in second place in the Atlantic. They’ve struggled to win convincingly though, with a ton of OT wins and close games against opponents they should beat easily. Their offense has been incredible but the defense and goaltending has been a struggle, in typical Maple Leafs fashion. The Blue Jackets have been terrible this season, with horrendous defense and decent enough offense. The first game between these teams nine days ago in Toronto was close, with the Blue Jackets pulling off the upset on the road, winning 6-5 in OT. I’d expect the Leafs to have a big bounce back win here, both from that loss and from getting trounced in Buffalo on Thursday. The price on this game is too expensive for me though at -230, and I don’t trust their defense to bet them in regulation. I’ll lay a bit of juice here and take the Leafs team total over 3.5 for a unit. I like the over on the game quite a bit too and even at 7 (I don’t think it’s worth buying down to 6.5), I’ll take it for a unit.
Wild vs. Bruins (7:00)
This isn’t the best cross conference game on the slate tonight but it is interesting. The Wild are playing well recently with five wins in their last six games (four of those wins in OT or a shootout) and nine wins in their last twelve. The Bruins meanwhile, coming off a 5-1 loss in Winnipeg last night that I had expected to be a much more entertaining game, have just one win in their last five games, but have picked up at least a point in eight of their last ten games. These teams just played in Boston on Tuesday night, with the Wild winning 4-3 in overtime on the road. I’d lean the Wild win here again tonight at home with the B’s in a slump and in the second half of a back to back, but not enough to bet it. I’d slightly lean the under as well, but the best play here is none at all. I’ll stay off this game.
Hurricanes vs. Islanders (7:30)
Really interesting matchup in the Metro Division tonight. Both previous games between these two teams stayed very tight, needing overtime for the road team to win each time, a 4-3 win for the Canes on November 4th and a 5-4 win for the Isles on November 30th. These are both mid tier teams that are separated by just a point in the standings. The Hurricanes have just three wins in their last ten games, but have picked up at least a point in their last six, coming off a 2-1 shootout loss in Pittsburgh on Thursday. The Islanders after going on a nice run, have just one win in their last four games, but they’ve picked up at least a point in 16 of their last 18 games. I feel like this matchup is a complete toss up on who wins, so I’ll stay off the side in it, especially with the inflated price of Carolina all the way at -185. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for half a unit at 6.
Rangers vs. Sabres (7:30)
After getting blown out in a completely embarrassing 9-4 loss at home to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, the Sabres bounced back as well as a team could on Thursday, dominating the Leafs in a 9-3 blowout win of their own. Huge win, but this team has struggled to put wins together this season and they have a very tough test tonight against the Rangers on the road. The Rags are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Oilers last night, a fun, interesting game that came alive in the third period. New York’s been phenomenal this season, leading the Eastern Conference and playing great on both ends of the ice. These teams split their first two games this season, each winning 5-1 on the road. I’d fully expect the Rangers to beat us tonight, even on the second half of a back to back and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet it.
Blues vs. Blackhawks (8:00)
Pretty lousy matchup here in the Central Division. The Blues have been right around .500 this season and haven’t been all that great. They’re on a hot run right now though, with three wins in their last four games, coming off a surprising 4-1 win in Florida on Thursday night. The Blackhawks have been horrible. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 5-2 loss to the Habs at home last night and they’ve only gotten one win in their last six games. These teams split their first two games this season in Chicago, with the Blues winning 4-2 and Chicago answering back with a 3-1 win. Both of these teams have struggled on both ends of the ice. I like the Blues to win this one at home, especially with the Blackhawks having just played last night. I’ll take St. Louis in regulation for half a unit.
Ducks vs. Kraken (8:00)
Horrible matchup in the Pacific between two of the worst teams in the league. The Ducks after getting two wins in a row in Jersey and Detroit, returned home on Thursday and got shut out 3-0 by the Flames. The Kraken have been pretty bad but they’re playing their best hockey right now. Coming off a 2-1 win in LA on Wednesday (loss for me), they’ve picked up at least a point in each of their last five games, but they only have three wins in their last 13 games. Both of these teams have been bad on both ends of the ice. Seattle’s the more talented team here and should win on the road, and I’d lean the under slightly but I’m not touching this shitty game.
Avalanche vs. Coyotes (9:00)
Very interesting matchup in the Central here tonight. The Avalanche, who came back in the third period on Thursday night to beat the Senators 6-4, have been a bit inconsistent as of late, but they still have four wins in their last six games. The Coyotes after a bit of a slump are heating up again, with four straight wins coming into tonight’s game, coming off their 5-2 win in San Jose on Thursday. In the first game between these teams at the Mullett, the Yotes got a 4-3 win in overtime. I’d lean the Avs answer back as the more talented team in this game and get the win at home tonight, but I don’t see value in betting it at -215, nor do I want to buy it down to just regulation. I’d lean the over, but Arizona’s defense has played surprisingly well and the Avalanche offense has been a bit up and down, so I’ll just stay off this game completely.
Canucks vs. Sharks (10:00)
This game’s the biggest mismatch on the slate tonight. The Canucks have been fantastic this season, rolling through the Pacific and tied with the Golden Knights for first overall in the NHL. They’re playing great hockey on both ends of the ice. They’re coming off 4-3 overtime loss in Dallas on Thursday, but have picked up at least a point in their last eight games, with six wins in that span. The Sharks after going on a decent little run of staying competitive, look to have fallen back off again and they’re back to being the worst team in the NHL, on a four game losing streak after a 5-2 loss at home to the Coyotes on Thursday night. This will be the final game this season between these two Pacific Division teams with the Canucks leading the season series 2-1 after a 10-1 blowout in San Jose, a 3-1 win at home and then a 4-3 loss on the road. I fully expect an easy, dominant win for Vancouver at home tonight. Most of the prices on this game are too expensive, but I’ll go with a unit on the Canucks team total over 3.5 and half a unit on the Sharks team total under 2.5 here.
Kings vs. Flames (10:00)
Decent Pacific Division matchup to finish off the slate and head into the Christmas break. The Kings have been very good this season on both ends of the ice, but they’re not playing their greatest hockey right now. Coming off a 2-1 loss to the Kraken at home on Wednesday, they have two wins in their last six games after a really hot run of eight wins in the span of nine games. The Flames haven’t been all that great this year, but they come into tonight’s game on a three game win streak after home wins against the Lightning and Panthers and then a 3-0 shutout on the road against the Ducks. LA’s the better team here and with a solid price that’s lower than I expected, I’ll take the Kings for half a unit at home. I’d lean the under but not enough to bet it.
Game Bets
.5u Penguins ML (-102)
.5u Devils ML (-186)
1u Devils/Red Wings over 6.5 (-137)
1u Maple Leafs TT over 3.5 (-186)
1u Maple Leafs/Blue Jackets over 7 (-110)
.5u Hurricanes/Islanders over 6 (-120)
.5u Rangers ML (-170)
.5u Blues in regulation (-155)
1u Canucks TT over 3.5 (-166)
.5u Sharks TT under 2.5 (-132)
.5u Kings ML (-155)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 233-226-4 (-52.72 units)
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