Slight winning night for me yesterday going 2-1 to win 0.15 units. We’ll take it. After just two games last night, we have a full Frozen Frenzy 16 game slate today with every NHL team in action. Lot of opportunities. Let’s get it!
Capitals vs. Rangers (1:00)
Interesting Metro Division matchup to get the day started off as both of these teams have been pretty good this season but they’re in slumps. The Caps, coming off a 4-1 loss to the Kraken on Thursday (double winner for me), are still in the Wild Card mix in the East but have only two wins in their last nine games. They’ve been good defensively but have really struggled to score this year. The Rangers lead the Metro, but they’re in their biggest slump of the season right now. Coming off a 5-2 loss in St. Louis on Thursday that swung my night to a loser, they’re on a three game losing streak with just two wins in their last seven games. These teams split their first two games, with the home team winning each game by four goals, a 4-0 shutout win for the Caps on December 9th and a 5-1 win for the Rags to answer back on December 27th. New York’s the way better team in this matchup and I like them to win this game to end their losing streak. I’ll take them for a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Sabres vs. Canucks (4:00)
Pretty big cross conference mismatch with some nice value here, and I don’t have faith in my Sabres in the slightest today. We’ve won three of our last four games, coming off a 5-3 win at home on Thursday again the Senators, but this has not been a good team as we’ve struggled on both ends of the ice. The Canucks have been fantastic this year on both ends of the ice, leading the Pacific Division and just a point back from the Jets for first place in the West. Coming off a 4-3 overtime win in Pittsburgh on Thursday, they’re on a four game win streak. I like Vancouver to win this one in windy, snowy Buffalo today and I’ll take them for a unit. I like the over as well, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Senators vs. Sharks (4:00)
Brutal matchup here between two of the worst teams in the NHL. Both of these teams have been awful this season, the worst teams in their conferences. The Senators are on a five game losings streak after a 5-3 loss in Buffalo on Thursday, with just three wins in their last 15 games. San Jose ended their twelve game losing streak on Thursday with a 3-2 win in Montreal. The Senators are the better team here on both ends of the ice, especially offensively. I like them to win and although I hate doing this, I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Panthers vs. Devils (6:00)
This game should be pretty fun tonight. The Panthers have been fantastic this season, a point back from the Bruins for first in the Atlantic. The defending Eastern Conference Champs are better this year than they were last season on their run to the Cup Finals. Their defense is elite and their offense continues to improve. Florida comes into tonight’s game on a nine game win streak off their 3-2 overtime win on Thursday against the Kings. The Devils have dealt with a ton of injuries and are coming off two losses in a row off a 4-3 overtime loss in Tampa on Thursday. They’ve been pretty solid recently though with five wins in their last eight games. Jersey’s been great offensively this year but they’ve struggled on the back end. Florida won the first game between these teams 4-3 on the road in October. I expect them to win easier today and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not quite enough to bet it with the injuries to forwards on the Devils and the elite defense of the Panthers.
Maple Leafs vs. Avalanche (7:00)
This is a really solid cross conference matchup between two good playoff teams. The Leafs are comfortably in third place in the Atlantic, and had a four game win streak come to an end on Thursday with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Isles on the road on Long Island. In typical Leafs fashion, this season their offense has been good but their defense has struggled. The Avs have been incredible, in second place in the Central. They shut out the Golden Knights 3-0 on Wednesday and have six wins in their last seven games, picking up at least a point in nine of their last ten games. I think this ends up being a close, competitive game. I’d lean the Avs win it on the road and the over, but not enough to bet on either.
Canadiens vs. Oilers (7:00)
Big cross conference mismatch here in Montreal tonight. The Habs have been pretty bad this season, struggling on both ends of the ice. They lost 3-2 to the Sharks, the worst team in the NHL on Thursday and have just two wins in their last eight games. The Oilers have been awesome lately, reminding the hockey world a lot of the 2019 Blues. Coming off a 3-2 overtime win in Detroit on Thursday on Darnell Nurse’s game winner, in a game where Edmonton outshot the Red Wings 47-17, they’re on a nine game win streak with 17 wins in their last 20 games. McDavid and the offense has been awesome and although the defense has struggled at times, they’re clicking on the back end recently, not giving up more than two goals in any of their last seven games, and they haven’t given up more than three goals since December 16th. This should be an easy win for Edmonton. I’ll take the Oilers in regulation for a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Red Wings vs. Kings (7:00)
This cross conference matchup should be pretty entertaining. The Kings are still holding onto their third place spot in the Pacific but they’re struggling right now. Coming off 3-2 overtime losses on the road to both of the state of Florida teams, they’re now on a seven game losing streak. Statistically though, LA has been a really solid team this season on both ends of the ice. The Red Wings had their three game win streak come to an end on Thursday with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Oilers where Alex Lyon kept them in the game as they were outshot 47-17. Detroit’s been very good offensively this season but they’ve had their issues on the back end. The first game between these teams in LA was very close, with the Red Wings winning 4-3 in a shootout just a week ago. I’d lean the Kings end their losing streak tonight on the road, as they are the stronger team here and I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet on either. I’ll lay off this game completely.
Lightning vs. Ducks (7:00)
This cross conference game is a huge mismatch. The Lightning have been a pretty solid this year, right in the Wild Card mix in the Eastern Conference. They’re coming off two overtime wins in a row, beating the Devils and Kings. Tampa’s been pretty solid offensively, but inconsistent on the back end. The Ducks, coming off a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday have been bad. They’re only better than the Sharks in the West and have just one win in their last seven games, and just five in their last 26. Anaheim’s been bad on both ends of the ice this year and this should be an easy win for the Bolts at home. I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the over, but don’t see any value in betting it.
Hurricanes vs. Penguins (7:00)
This should be a pretty solid matchup in the tight Metro Division tonight. The Hurricanes have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL as of late. After a bit of a slow start to the season have been cruising lately, holding the second place spot in the division. They’ve picked up at least a point in all but one of their last twelve games, with six wins in their last seven games, coming off a 6-3 win against the Ducks on Thursday. Carolina’s been a solid team this year on both ends of the ice. The Penguins are right in the big Wild Card race in the East with a 9-3-2 record in their last 14 games, coming off a 4-3 overtime loss (winner for me) on Thursday at home against the Canucks. They’ve been really solid on the back end and have been decent enough offensively. These teams split their first two games this season, with the Canes winning the first game 4-2 at home and the Pens answering back with a 2-1 shootout win at home. I think the Hurricanes are the better team here and like them to win at home. I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it with how these teams have trended recently.
Blue Jackets vs. Kraken (7:00)
This is such a boring matchup to me. The Blue Jackets, who are coming off a 5-0 blowout, loss getting shut out in Winnipeg on Tuesday, have stunk this season. They have just two wins in their last nine games and have struggled on both ends of the ice. The Kraken meanwhile after a terrible start to the year, have since become the hottest team in the NHL off the fantastic goaltending from Joey Daccord. Coming off a 4-1 win in Washington on Thursday, they’re on an eight game win streak with a 10-0-2 record in their last twelve games. Seattle’s offense hasn’t gotten a whole lot going, grinding out all these low scoring wins. I like the Kraken to keep extending their win streak and I’ll take them for a unit tonight. I also like the under, which I’ll take at 6.5 for half a unit.
Jets vs. Flyers (7:00)
Pretty interesting cross conference game here tonight between two teams that have really exceeding their expectations going into the season. The Jets are in first place in the NHL, leading the league and their clearly a Cup contender. On Thursday they let me down, not covering their puck line against the Blackhawks, but with their 2-1 win (on two goals in the last five minutes of the game) they’re on a eight game win streak and a 14 game point streak with a 16-1-2 record in their last 19 games. Winnipeg’s playing great on both ends of the ice. The Flyers have exceeded expectations as well. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, after a 4-3 overtime win (winner for me) in Minnesota last night. With their elite defense, despite struggling offensively, they’re in the third place spot in the very close Metro Division. Especially with Philly on the road in the second half of a back to back, I like the Jets to keep on winning tonight. The moneyline is a little bit too expensive for me around -200, but I’ll take Winnipeg in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but at 5.5, that’s a tough bet, so I’ll just stick with the Jets.
Blackhawks vs. Stars (8:00)
Huge mismatch in the Central Division with this game. The Stars have been very good this season, in third place in the division. They have struggled a bit recently though with just two wins in their last six games, on the second half of a back to back tonight coming off a 6-3 loss at home to the Preds last night. Dallas has been very good offensively, but they’ve been inconsistent defensively, especially with Jake Oettinger out with injury. The Blackhawks, especially without Bedard in their lineup right now with a broken jaw, have been one of the worst teams in the NHL. Coming off a 2-1 loss in Winnipeg on Thursday, they’re at the bottom of the Central by 13 points and they have just three wins in their last 16 games, playing really poorly on both ends of the ice. The Stars won both games between these teams in Dallas at the end of December, winning 5-4 in overtime and then in a 8-1 blowout. Even in the second half of a back to back, this should be an easy Stars win on the road. I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Blues vs. Bruins (8:00)
Although the Bruins are the much better team in this matchup, these teams come into tonight’s game on quite different trajectories. The Bruins, coming off a 2-1 overtime loss in Vegas late Thursday night, are on a three game losing streak (all in overtime on the road) with just one win in their last five games. They still lead the Atlantic Division despite just having five wins in their last 13 games, and they’ve played well on both ends of the ice. The Blues kind of shocked me with a 5-2 win over the Rangers at home on Thursday (a pretty big loss for me). They’re a mid tier team that come into tonight with three wins in their last four games and although they haven’t been all that great statistically on either end of the ice, they’ve won eight of their last twelve. I like this game to go back to the status quo, and I’ll take the Bruins for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Predators vs. Islanders (8:00)
I like this matchup and although a lot of people might find it boring, I think it could be pretty fun. These teams match up very closely stat wise, with a very slight edge to the Preds on both ends of the ice. Nashville is in the second half of a back to back tonight coming off a 6-3 win in Dallas last night and have four wins in their last six games. The Islanders are right in the Wild Card race in the East, holding the first Wild Card spot. They’re coming off a 4-3 overtime win at home against the Leafs on Thursday but have just two wins in their last six games. I think this game’s a complete toss up. I think the Predators at home have an edge, but being in the second half of a back to back, the right play on the side is staying off it. I do like the over though, especially at 6 (shop that line), which I’ll take for half a unit.
Wild vs. Coyotes (8:00)
Pretty lousy Central Division matchup here. Both of these teams haven’t been all that great and they’ve really struggled as of late. The Wild are in the second half of a back to back, coming off a 4-3 overtime loss at home to the Flyers last night. They’re on a three game losing streak with just one win in their last eight games. The Coyotes were pretty solid to start the year but they’re in a slump now, dropping in the standings. Coming off a 6-2 loss at home to the Flames on Thursday, they have just one win in their last five games. I’d lean the Yotes win on the road and the over in this game, but not enough to bet on anything. This is a game where the best bet is no bet at all.
Golden Knights vs. Flames (10:00)
This isn’t all that interesting of a Pacific Division game tonight. The Golden Knights are coming off a big 2-1 overtime win against the Bruins on Thursday night, but the Cup Champs have struggled lately, with that win over the B’s being just their third win in their last ten games. The Flames have been better lately but they just haven’t been a great team. Coming off a 6-2 win in Arizona on Thursday, they have eight wins in their last eleven games. Both previous games between these teams needed overtime, both won by the home team, with a 2-1 Flames win and then a 5-4 Golden Knights win. Vegas is the better team here and should win at home, but with how they’ve played lately, I’ll finish my night early and stay off this game. The total’s also a complete coin flip.
Game Bets
1u Rangers ML (-162)
1u Canucks ML (-152)
.5u Canucks/Sabres over 6.5 (-132)
.5u Senators in regulation (-152)
.5u Panthers in regulation (-139)
1u Oilers in regulation (-148)
1u Lightning in regulation (-162)
.5u Hurricanes ML (-143)
1u Kraken ML (-162)
.5u Kraken/Blue Jackets under 6.5 (-130)
.5u Jets in regulation (-117)
1u Stars in regulation (-167)
.5u Bruins ML (-166)
.5u Predators/Islanders over 6 (-120)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 308-281-7 (-53.4 units)
Please follow me:
Instagram: @atownszone
Twitter: @atownszone
If you like the site and my work, share it with your friends!
… and tell Dave Portnoy to hire me at Barstool…
A Town's Zone 