Yesterday I made a slight half unit profit on the NHL, going 2-1, a goal short of sweeping the board. Today we have an early start with a ton of day games on a big ten game Monday slate. Let’s crush it!
Sabres vs. Sharks (12:00)
Pretty lousy matchup to start off the day. My Sabres have been pretty lousy this season, but coming off such a boring 1-0 shutout loss on Saturday afternoon against the Canucks before the whole city of Buffalo got shut down with a blizzard, we actually have three wins in our last five games. The Sharks are by far the worst team in the NHL this season. They have just one win in their last 14 games, coming off a 5-4 loss against the Sens on Saturday. Both of these teams have struggled on both ends of the ice, but the Sabres are the far better team here and should be able to get the win. I’ll back my team in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet it.
Bruins vs. Devils (1:00)
Interesting matchup in the East here. The Bruins, who ended their three game losing streak with a 4-3 overtime win in St. Louis on Saturday, lead the Atlantic Division as they’ve played well on both ends of the ice. Although they come into tonight’s game with just two wins in their last six games, they’ve picked up at least a point in nine of their last ten games. They’ve played well on both ends of the ice. The Devils surprised me on Saturday where despite their injuries, they got a 4-1 win in Florida. They come into today’s game with a 6-2-1 record in their last nine games and although their defense has struggled, their offense has been very good. These teams split their first two games with the Devils winning 2-1 in overtime at home and the B’s answering back with a 5-2 win in Boston. With the big defensive edge here, I like the Bruins to win, which I’ll take for a unit. I also like the over, and I’ll take the over 6 for half a unit.
Panthers vs. Ducks (1:00)
This is a huge cross conference mismatch. The Panthers have been fantastic this season, better this year than they were last season on their run to the Cup Finals and I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if they came out of the East again. Their defense is elite and their offense continues to improve. On Saturday they surprisingly had their nine game win streak come to an end with a 4-1 loss at home to the Devils. The Ducks have been brutal, just better than that the Sharks in the Pacific. Coming off a 5-1 loss in Tampa on Saturday, they have just one win in their last eight games and five in their last 27. Anaheim’s been bad on both ends of the ice this year and the Panthers should crush them today at home to bounce back from Saturday’s loss. The first game between these teams in Anaheim, the Panthers won 2-1. I expect this to be by a bigger margin. I’ll take the Florida puck line for 1.5 units.
Blue Jackets vs. Canucks (1:00)
Another pretty big mismatch between these cross-conference teams. The Canucks, coming off a boring 1-0 shutout win against my Sabres on Saturday, lead the Western Conference and come into today’s game on a five game win streak and have picked up at least a point in 15 of their last 17 games. Vancouver’s been great on both ends of the ice and Rick Tocchet is my vote for the Jack Adams. The Blue Jackets have been terrible. Coming off a 7-4 loss at home to the Kraken, they’re on a three game losing streak with just two wins in their last ten games, struggling on both ends of the ice. This should be a pretty easy win for Vancouver, who I’ll take in regulation for a unit. I like the over too, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Penguins vs. Kraken (1:00)
This is a pretty solid matchup for this cross conference game as both of these teams have played well and are in the Wild Card mix in their conferences. The Penguins, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in Carolina on Saturday, have played well with a 9-3-3 record in their last 15 games. They’ve been really solid on the back end and have been decent enough offensively. The Kraken are the hottest team in the NHL right now. After their miserable start to the year, they’re on a nine game win streak with a 11-0-2 record in their last 13 games, coming off a 7-4 win in Columbus on Saturday. Seattle’s offense hasn’t gotten a whole lot going, grinding out all these low scoring wins with elite goaltending from Joey Daccord. I think this game’s pretty close to a coin flip. The Penguins I think are the better team here but it’s tough to bet against Seattle in this hot run. I was surprised the total in this game was 6.5 on some books, and I like the under quite a bit, with Jarry and Daccord both projected to start. I’ll take the under for a unit.
Hurricanes vs. Kings (3:00)
Really solid cross conference matchup here that should be a fun mid-afternoon game. Although they’re both coming into tonight on different trajectories, both of these teams still hold playoff spots in their divisions. The Hurricanes, who were my preseason pick to win the East, have been very good lately. Coming off a 3-2 overtime win at home against the Penguins on Saturday, they have seven wins in their last eight games (with that loss coming in OT), picking up at least a point in all but one of their last 13 games. The Kings, while still in third place in the Pacific with a point lead over the Oilers and Kraken, have been in a huge slump lately. Coming off a 5-3 loss in Detroit on Saturday, they’re on an eight game losing streak. The first game between these teams was very close, with the Hurricanes winning 6-5 on the road in a shootout in the first week of the season. Both of these teams have been really solid on both ends of the ice. I like Carolina to win here at home, which I’ll take for half a unit. I also like the over, and I’ll take the alternate over 6 for half a unit too.
Wild vs. Islanders (5:00)
This is a pretty lousy matchup. The Wild have really struggled this season on both ends of the ice, and come into tonight’s game on a four game losing streak with just one win in their last nine games, coming off a 6-0 shutout loss as they were blown out at home by the Coyotes. The Islanders have been decent on the season, in the first Wild Card spot in the East. They’re coming off 3-1 loss in Nashville on Saturday and have just two wins in their last seven games. Minnesota won the first game between these teams 4-2 on Long Island. I’d lean the Isles win this one on the road to tie the season series and would slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet on either. I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Golden Knights vs. Predators (6:00)
This should be a pretty solid matchup in the West tonight. The defending Cup Champion Golden Knights are comfortably in second place in the Pacific Division but have struggled as of late, with just three wins in their last eleven games, coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Flames. The Preds have been quite good this year, in the first Wild Card spot in the West. Coming off a 3-1 win at home against the Islanders on Saturday, they have five wins in their last seven games. Vegas is the better team here and I’d lean they win tonight at home, but I don’t really see any value in betting on them. I feel like the total is pretty much a coin flip as well, and I’ll stay off this game completely. Could be quite an interesting game to watch.
Canadiens vs. Avalanche (7:00)
Pretty huge mismatch in this cross conference game. Montreal’s been pretty terrible this season and have struggled on both ends of the ice. They come into tonight on a three game losing streak after a 2-1 loss in overtime at home against the Oilers on Saturday, they have just two wins in their last nine games. The Avalanche on the other hand have been fantastic. They’re on a three game win streak, coming off a big 5-3 win against the Leafs on Saturday where they erased a 3-0 first period deficit with five unanswered goals. Colorado’s a point back from the Jets for first in the Central, with seven wins in their last eight games, picking up at least a point in ten of their last eleven games. This should be a pretty easy win for the Avalanche on the road tonight, and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Blues vs. Flyers (8:00)
On paper this game isn’t great, but it could be an interesting, fun matchup to watch. The Flyers have far exceeded expectations for the hockey world this season. With their elite defense, despite struggling offensively, they’re in the third place spot in the very close Metro Division. They come into tonight’s game on a three game win streak after a surprising, and impressive 2-0 win in Winnipeg on Saturday. The Blues have played pretty well recently. Coming off a 4-3 overtime loss at home to the Bruins on Saturday, they have eight wins in their last 13 games. They haven’t been all that great on either end of the ice, especially offensively. I’d lean the Flyers, who are the better team, win on the road here, but I don’t like it enough to bet on. Both of these teams have really struggled to score, which lines up to the under nicely for me, especially with the elite defense for Philly. I’ll take the under 6.5 for half a unit.
Game Bets
1u Sabres in regulation (-155)
1u Bruins ML (-170)
.5u Bruins/Devils over 6 (-110)
1.5u Panthers -1.5 (-141)
1u Canucks in regulation (-130)
.5u Canucks/Blue Jackets over 6.5 (-130)
1u Penguins/Kraken under 6.5 (-130)
.5u Hurricanes ML (-146)
.5u Hurricanes/Kings over 6 (-120)
1u Avalanche in regulation (-130)
.5u Blues/Flyers under 6.5 (-134)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 317-289-7 (-53.68 units)
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