Bounced back from my terrible hockey weekend with a mini sweep on the NHL last night going 3-0 to win 2.79 units. Tonight we have a big ten game slate. Let’s crush it and start a new win streak!
Sabres vs. Kraken (7:00)
Both of these teams are having their struggles at times this season but both come into tonight’s game on decent runs. The Sabres have won their last two games in a row for just the second time all season and we have three wins in our last four games, coming off a 3-1 win in Pittsburgh on Saturday where we won despite being outplayed pretty much in every facet of the game. We’ve struggled on both ends of the ice. The Kraken are coming off a 4-1 win against the Sens on Thursday to extend their win streak to six in a row with an 8-0-2 record in their last ten games to get themselves right back in the Wild Card mix. Seattle’s struggled offensively big time this season, but they’ve played well defensively with Joey Daccord having a really solid year in goal. I like the Kraken to get the win here on the road in Buffalo and I’ll bet against my team here for half a unit. I like the under as well, which I’ll also take (at 6.5) for half a unit.
Maple Leafs vs. Sharks (7:00)
Giant mismatch in the second half of a home and home between these two cross conference teams. On Saturday in San Jose, the Leafs cruised to an easy 4-1 win. The Leafs are coming home from a 3-0 California road trip beating the Sharks, Ducks, and Kings. Toronto’s struggled defensively at times but they’ve been fantastic offensively. The Sharks are a horrendous team, looking like the worst team in NHL history. THey’re now on an eleven game losing streak, playing the worst hockey in the league on both ends of the ice. I fully expect the Leafs to trounce San Jose again tonight. The price on the moneyline and regulation lines are too expensive but I’ll take their puck line for 1.5 units. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet on it.
Lightning vs. Kings (7:00)
This should be a pretty fun cross conference matchup. Both of these teams are having pretty good seasons but have been in slumps recently. The Lightning are coming off a big 7-3 loss in Boston on Saturday and are in the Wild Card mix in the East but after a hot run have just two wins in their last six games. They’ve been solid offensively but the Bolts have been inconsistent on the back end. The Kings are still hanging onto their third place spot in the Pacific but coming off a 4-3 loss in DC on Sunday, they’re on a five game losing streak. Statically, LA has been fantastic on both ends of the ice this season and have to find a way out of this slump. I’d slightly lean the Kings win on the road and the over in this matchup, but neither enough to bet on, so I’ll stay off this game entirely.
Islanders vs. Canucks (7:30)
This is an interesting matchup with these cross conference teams both holding playoff spots. The Islanders, coming off a 5-2 loss in Vegas on Saturday have cooled off a bit lately with just four wins in their last eleven games. Statistically they haven’t been all that impressive on either end of the ice and have been inconsistent, but they’re still sitting in third place in the Metro with the tiebreaker over the Flyers. The Canucks are in the second half of a back to back after a big 6-3 win at MSG last night. They’re a point back from leading the Western Conference and have played excellent hockey lately on both ends of the ice, with a 10-2-2 record in their last 14 games. In Bo Hornet’s return to Vancouver earlier this season, the Canucks got a 4-3 win in overtime at home. I’d lean they win again tonight, but in the second half of a back to back, I’ll lay off this game. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Blues vs. Panthers (8:00)
I don’t really expect a whole lot out of this matchup tonight. The Panthers are an elite team. They didn’t just catch magic in a bottle last year on their run to the Cup Finals and have been phenomenal this year. Coming off a huge 8-4 win on Saturday afternoon in Colorado, they’re now on a seven game win streak. Florida has one of the best defenses in the NHL and although their offense hasn’t been all that great on the year, they keep scoring. This team wouldn’t shock me in the slightest to make another trip to the finals. The Blues picked up a 2-1 win in a shootout in Carolina on Saturday for their second win in a row. They’ve been a middle of the road team, struggling a bit on both ends of the ice and are just a bit outside of the Wild Card mix. The Blues pulled off a 4-1 win in the first game between these teams a couple weeks ago on the road in Florida. I expect the Panthers to answer back on the road tonight and I’ll take Florida for a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet on it.
Predators vs. Ducks (8:00)
Not a great Western Conference matchup here. The Predators, coming off a 4-3 win in Dallas on Saturday have played well this season, currently in the first Wild Card spot in the West with three wins in their last four games. The Ducks have been terrible on both ends of the ice and after a 3-2 loss to the Red Wings on Sunday at home, they only have four wins in their last 24 games, on a five game losing streak. Anaheim actually won the first game between these teams 3-2 on the road in Nashville. I fully expect Smashville to answer back here with a win at home tonight and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet on it.
Jets vs. Blue Jackets (8:00)
Huge mismatch here. The Jets have been phenomenal this season, leading the Western Conference with elite play on both ends of the ice, especially defensively. They’re on a six game win streak and twelve game point streak with a 14-1-2 record in their last 17 games. The Blue Jackets are pretty terrible, in last place in the Metro. They’re coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Wild on Saturday and although they have just two wins in their last eight games, they keep going to OT, picking up at least a point in five of their last six games. Winnipeg’s just so much better than them though and that overtime run doesn’t really scare me. I’ll take the Jets in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the under but not enough to bet on it.
Blackhawks vs. Oilers (8:30)
This matchup blows and the -450 line makes sense. The Oilers have been very good lately. Coming off a 3-1 win against the Sens on Saturday, they’re on a seven game win streak with just three losses in their last 18 games. The McDavid led offense is elite and their defense and goaltending, which has been a struggle for them at several points this year, has been solid recently. The Blackhawks, who are now without Connor Bedard for 4-8 weeks with a broken jaw, are the second worst team in the NHL. They pulled off a 4-3 win at home against the Flames on Sunday, a huge loss for me as I hammered Calgary there. That win ended Chicago’s five game losing streak with their third win in their last 14 games. They’ve been brutal on both ends of the ice. This team is going to be even more awful without Bedard and it sucks that we don’t get a battle of the Connor’s tonight. Edmonton won the first game between these teams with an easy 4-1 win at home. I’m expecting a similar result if not an even bigger blowout. The prices on this game make it almost impossible to bet on though. I’ll take the Oilers team total over 4 here for a unit.
Flames vs. Senators (9:00)
The Flames let me down big time on Sunday, where I took them heavily against the Blackhawks and they lost 4-3. They haven’t been all that great this season statistically on either end of the ice. Calgary has six wins in their last nine games. The Senators have been terrible this year, at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings, ten points back from the Sabres. They’re on a three game losing streak with just three wins in their last 18 games. Ottawa won the first game between these teams 4-1 at home. Even though I don’t think the Flames are a good team, I like them to get a win here at home and I’ll take a shot on them for half a unit.
Coyotes vs. Bruins (9:00)
Not too bad of a matchup here to close out the slate, or at least not as bad as it looks on paper. The Coyotes haven’t been too bad this season, with a winning record and they’ve been solid at home in Mullett Arena. The Yotes haven’t been great statistically, especially on offense, but their defense has been better than expected. They come into tonight on a three game losings streak after a 6-2 loss on Sunday at home against the Jets. The Bruins are in the second half of a back to back tonight after a 4-3 shootout loss in Colorado last night (easy win on my over in that game to complete the sweep). They lead the Atlantic Division and have been a good team on both ends of the ice. The B’s won the first game between these teams 5-3 at home and I like them to win this one again tonight, even in the second half of a back to back. I’ll take Boston for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to even consider betting it.
Game Bets
.5u Kraken ML (-105)
.5u Sabres/Kraken under 6.5 (-122)
1.5u Maple Leafs -1.5 (-166)
.5u Islanders/Canucks over 6.5 (-118)
1u Panthers ML (-178)
1u Predators in regulation (-141)
1u Jets in regulation (-150)
1u Oilers TT over 4 (-165)
.5u Flames ML (-130)
.5u Bruins ML (-144)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 289-271-7 (-54.56 units)
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