Yesterday I split my two bets on the Winter Classic, making a small .2 unit profit for my fourth winning day in the last five days. Tonight we have a huge 13 game NHL slate, let’s crush it and keep grinding away!
I love that the Winter Classic gets its own shine as the only game on New Year’s Day, but the fact that there’s 13 games today and only two tomorrow before another giant slate on Thursday is absolutely ridiculous. The NHL scheduling department needs to really get their stuff together.
Rangers vs. Hurricanes (7:00)
Solid matchup between the top two teams in the Metro Division to start off tonight’s slate. The Rangers have been fantastic this season, leading the Eastern Conference. They’ve been great on both ends of the ice and after losing to the Panthers, bounced back big on Saturday night with a 5-1 win in Tampa to close out 2023. The Hurricanes after a pretty slow start to the season are now sitting in second place in the Metro, playing much better hockey recently. Coming off a 3-2 win in Toronto on Saturday, they’re on a three game win streak and they’ve now picked up at least a point (with a 6-1-3 record) in all but one of their last ten games. They’ve struggled a bit defensively but have been fine offensively this year. The Rangers got a 2-1 win at home on November 2nd in the first game between these teams and I’d expect them to win again here. I’ll take the Rags for half a unit here in MSG. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Blue Jackets vs. Bruins (7:00)
This isn’t a great game by any means tonight. The Bruins have been a very good team this year, leading the Atlantic Division and just a point behind the Rangers to lead the Eastern Conference. They finished 2023 with three straight wins, coming off a 5-3 win in Detroit on Sunday. Boston’s been good on both ends of the ice. The Blue Jackets have sucked. They’re coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in Buffalo on Saturday, their fourth time in their last five games going to overtime. They’ve picked up at least a point in five of their last six games, but have only one win in their last five games. Columbus has been okay offensively, but they’ve struggled on the back end. These teams split their first two games this season, each winning at home, a 5-2 Jackets win and then the Bruins answering back with a 3-1 win. I expect the B’s to win this one on the road and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Penguins vs. Capitals (7:30)
Interesting Metro Division matchup here between two teams that have been pretty similar this season and are tied in points. They come into tonight on opposite runs though. The Pens, coming off a 3-1 win against the Isles on Sunday, they’ve gone 8-1-1 in their last ten games. Pittsburgh’s been good defensively all season and Jarry’s been solid in goal, and now their offense is playing much better. The Caps have come crashing down a bit, coming into tonight on a four game losing streak after a 3-2 shootout loss at home to the Preds on Saturday. When these teams played their first game in Washington early this season, the Pens won a 4-0 shutout on the road. I’d lean they win again here at home but not enough to bet that. I do like the under though and I’ll take the under 6 for half a unit.
Predators vs. Blackhawks (8:00)
Kind of a lousy matchup. The Blackhawks are one of the two worst teams in the NHL (along with the Sharks). They finished 2023 with two losses in Dallas, getting blown out 8-1 on Sunday and they have just two wins in their last ten games. Chicago’s brutal on both ends of the ice. The Preds are having a solid season and went into the New Year with a 3-2 shootout win in Washington to end a three game losing streak. They’ve won the first two games between these teams, winning 4-2 at home and then 4-3 in a shootout in Chicago. I like them to make it 3-0 tonight. The moneyline is too expensive for me but I’ll take the Preds in regulation for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but I’m not touching it.
Stars vs. Canadiens (8:00)
Huge mismatch in this cross conference game tonight. The Stars have been very good this season on both ends of the ice, a point back from the Avs for first place in the Central. They’ve gone 7-1-1 in their last nine games, coming off two wins in a row against the Blackhawks, blowing them out 8-1 on Sunday. The Habs, who are on a three game losing streak, have struggled this season. Dallas is the way better team in this game on both ends of the ice and I expect them to win pretty easily at home. I’ll take the Stars puck line for half a unit since the moneyline and even the regulation line are too expensive. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet it.
Wild vs. Flames (8:00)
This is such a boring matchup to me. Neither of these teams have been all that great this year, both struggling a bit on both ends of the ice. The Wild had a good run but come into tonight’s game off back to back losses to the Jets on Saturday and Sunday afternoon in their home and home. The Flames went into the New Year with a 4-3 win over the Flyers. Minnesota won both previous games between these teams, winning 5-2 on the road and then 3-2 in a shootout at home. I’d slightly lean the Wild win here at home in pretty much a pick em and would slightly lean the over, but I’m not touching this game. I’ll stay off it entirely.
Jets vs. Lightning (8:00)
This should be an awesome game here. The Jets, coming off two wins in their afternoon home and home on back to back days against the Wild to close out 2023, have been a fantastic surprise this season. They’re just a point behind the Avalanche for first in the Central and have picked up at least a point in all but one of their last 13 games, playing great hockey on both ends of the ice. The Lightning have been pretty solid too, tied in points with Toronto for a playoff spot, coming off a 4-3 win against the Habs on Sunday. Their offense has been good, but they’ve struggled on the back end a bit at times. The Jets won the first game between these teams 3-2 in overtime on the road in Tampa. I give them an edge defensively to win again tonight and will take Winnipeg for half a unit at home. I’d slightly lean the under, but think this game ends up with 5-7 goals, and don’t see any edge in betting the total.
Avalanche vs. Islanders (9:00)
To me this isn’t the best matchup but it could end up being a pretty solid and entertaining game. The Avalanche have been hot lately. Coming off a 3-1 win against the Sharks on Sunday, they’ve picked up a point in each of their last five games, winning seven of their last ten and sitting in first place in the Central. The Isles have been pretty good, tied in points with the Flyers for third place in the Metro and in a Wild Card spot in the East. They’ve been on a kind of lousy run recently though with just three wins in their last eight games, coming off a 3-1 loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Colorado won a 7-4 blowout win in their first game between these teams in October on Long Island. I’d lean they win again at home and would slightly lean the over, but note enough to bet on either. I’ll lay off this game.
Oilers vs. Flyers (9:00)
This is a pretty fun cross conference matchup with both of these teams playing completely opposite styles of hockey. McDavid and the Oilers are on fire right now. They’re on a five game win streak after a dominant 7-2 blowout win in Anaheim on Sunday, and they have 13 wins in their last 16 games. The Flyers have been a huge surprise this season, in third place in the Metro as Torts has this team playing fantastic defense to keep them rolling despite their offense struggling. Right now they’re in a bit of a slump, with just one win in their last five games. Philly won the first game between these teams 4-1 at home early in the season. I’d lean the Oilers tie up the season series at home with the runs these teams are on right now and would slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet on this game with how different both teams play. I’ll lay off it.
Coyotes vs. Panthers (9:00)
This should actually be a pretty fun game. The Coyotes are a wagon, currently holding onto a playoff spot with a winning record. They’ve been especially good at home where they’re 12-5 at the Mullett. Arizona’s been rolling lately with six wins in their last seven games. The Panthers have been fantastic this year. They’re in second place in the Atlantic, and coming into tonight’s game off a 4-1 win over the Panthers on Friday they’re now on a four game win streak. I’d actually expect this to be a close, competitive game, and although Florida’s the better team in this matchup, I don’t see enough of an edge to bet it. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it either, so I’ll stay off this game completely.
Canucks vs. Senators (10:00)
Not the best game here by any means. The Canucks have been fantastic this season, leading the Western Conference. They had a nice game point streak come to an end last Thursday with a 4-1 loss at home to the Flyers. Vancouver’s been great on both ends of the ice this year. The Senators are on a hot little run now, with three wins in their last four games, coming off a 5-1 win against the Sabres on New Year’s Eve but this is one of the worst teams in the NHL, although their offense has been good, their defense has been atrocious this season. In the first game between these teams this year, the Canucks got an easy 5-2 win on the road in Ottawa and I fully expect them to bounce back from that loss to the Flyers with a win here at home tonight. The price on this game is way cheaper than I expected it to be, and I’ll take the Canucks for a unit. I also like the over in this matchup, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Kings vs. Maple Leafs (10:30)
Huge cross conference game tonight. Both of these teams have been very good this season, both in third place in their conferences. The Kings are coming off two losses in a row, losing 3-2 on Saturday in a shootout at home to the Oilers after losing 3-2 in their previous game in Vegas. LA’s been very good on both ends of the ice this year. The Leafs are on a three game losing streak after their 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes at home on Saturday and they’re in a slump with just one win in their last six games. Although they’ve been slightly better offensively than the Kings, their defense has struggled big time. The Kings won the first game between these teams 4-1 on the road in Toronto back on Halloween, and I like LA to win again tonight at home. I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet on it.
Sharks vs. Red Wings (10:30)
This game ain’t great to finish off tonight’s slate. The Sharks are one of the worst teams in history and with their 3-1 loss in Colorado on New Years Eve, they’re now on an eight game losing streak. They’re horrendous on both ends of the ice. The Red Wings had a pretty solid start to their season but they’re on a downward slide lately with just three wins in their last 13 games, coming off a 5-3 loss at home to the Bruins on Sunday. Detroit’s offense has been good, but their defense has completely sucked. San Jose actually won the first game between these teams 6-5 in overtime on the road early in December when they went on a hot run. I don’t see that happening again and see this as a pretty good bounce back spot for Detroit. I’ll take the Red Wings here for a unit on the road. I’d lean the over in this game and also considered spicing it up with some alt lines on Detroit, but I’ll play it safer here and just stick with the one play on the moneyline.
Game Bets
.5u Rangers ML (-120)
.5u Bruins in regulation (-137)
.5u Penguins/Capitals under 6 (-120)
.5u Predators in regulation (-159)
.5u Stars -1.5 (-115)
.5u Jets ML (-130)
1u Canucks ML (-148)
.5u Canucks/Senators over 6.5 (-125)
.5u Kings ML (-130)
1u Red Wings ML (-182)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 266-252-6 (-53.21 units)
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