I had my second shitty day in a row on the NHL last night, going 1-3 to lose 4.11 units. Going up against the National Championship tonight, we have a quick four game hockey slate. Let’s get a big bounce back here.
Rangers vs. Canucks (7:00)
Phenomenal cross conference matchup to start off the night as the top seeds in each conference meet in MSG for the second time this season. In the first game between these teams in Vancouver, they needed overtime to determine the winner with the Rangers pulling off a 4-3 win on the road on K’Andre Miller’s game winner. Coming off a surprising 4-3 shootout loss in Montreal on Saturday, the Rangers have seven wins in their last eleven games. The Canucks are coming off a big 6-4 win in Jersey on Saturday (double winner for me) and have played really well lately with a 9-2-2 record in their last 13 games. Both of these teams have played fantastic hockey on both ends of the ice. I’d give a slight edge to the Rangers in this matchup at home, but this is way too close of a coin flip game for me to bet on it, and the total is even more of a crapshoot than the side. I’ll stay off this game entirely and at least watch the beginning of it prior to the Natty.
Flyers vs. Penguins (7:00)
It’s always a fun matchup when the two Pennsylvania rivals meet, and both of these teams have similar records this season, just four points apart despite being on opposite ends of the tight Metro Division standings. Both previous games between these teams needed overtime with the Flyers winning both of those games, 4-3 in a shootout on the road in Pittsburgh and then 2-1 in overtime at home. Torts has the Flyers playing really well, currently in third place in the Division. They ended a four game losing streak on Saturday afternoon with just their second win in their last eight games, beating the Flames 3-2 at home. The Penguins outplayed the Sabres on Saturday in every facet of the game on Saturday, but still ended up losing 3-1. They’re playing great right now, right in the Wild Card race in the East. They’re gone 8-3-1 in their last twelve games. These teams have both played similar hockey this season, with elite defense and a bit of a struggle offensively. I think Pittsburgh’s the better team here and I’d give them the slight edge to get the win here on the road. I don’t like it enough to bet on though. I do like the under quite a bit though and I’ll take the alternate under 6.5 here for half a unit.
Wild vs. Stars (8:00)
This isn’t a great matchup in the Central tonight. The Wild have struggled this season on both ends of the ice. They just ended a four game losing streak on Saturday night, beating the Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime on the road. The Stars on the other hand are having quite a good season, currently holding their third place spot in the Central comfortably. Coming into tonight they’re on a three game losing streak though after a 4-3 loss at home to the Predators on Saturday. They’ve played well on both ends of the ice, and despite that three game losing streak, they’ve gone 7-3-2 in their last twelve games. Dallas dominated the first game between these teams with a big 8-3 win on the road in November. I expect another pretty easy win for them tonight to end this losing streak. I’ll take the Stars for a unit.
Avalanche vs. Bruins (9:00)
Really fun cross conference matchup to finish the slate between two really solid teams, comfortably in playoff spots near the top of their conferences. The Bruins lead the Atlantic Division and coming off their 7-3 win at home against the Lightning, they’ve won five or their last six games. Boston’s played fantastic hockey on both ends of the ice, especially defensively. The Avalanche are comfortably in second place in the Central. They had their four game win streak and seven game point streak come to an end on Saturday afternoon, losing 8-4 at home to the Panthers. They’ve played really well lately though, with a 6-1-1 record in their last eight games. Their offense is one of the best in the NHL and their defense has been solid as well. I’d lean the Avs win this game at home with the better offense, but not enough to bet on it with how much better the B’s are defensively. I do like the over though, expecting both teams to light the lamp and I’ll take it for a unit, boosted to +129 on BetRivers.
Game Bets
.5u Flyers/Penguins under 6.5 (-128)
1u Stars ML (-135)
1u Avalanche/Bruins over 6 (+129)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 286-271-7 (-57.35 units)
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