I got crushed on last night’s NHL slate, with the Panthers killing me, as I went 1-4-1 to lose 6.39 units. Not good. It’s still been a solid week. Let’s bounce back on today’s big twelve game slate!
Sabres vs. Lightning (12:30)
Early start today for my Sabres as the Lightning come to town…and I don’t feel great about it for Buffalo. We’re coming off two good 3-0 shutout wins for UPL in a row, beating the Sharks on Monday and the Blackhawks on Thursday, two of the worst teams in the NHL. Despite four wins in our last six games though, we are not a good team on either end of the ice. The Lightning have been pretty solid this season, in a Wild Card spot in the East and just a point back from the Leafs for third place in the Atlantic. They’re on a four game win streak, coming off a big 7-3 win against the Wild on Thursday night (nice double winner for me). The Bolts have been good offensively but have struggled on the back end this season. The first game between these Atlantic Division teams needed overtime as the Sabres won 3-2 at home back in October. The price on this game is way cheaper than I expected and I like Tampa to win on the road up here in Buffalo today. I’ll take the Lightning for 1.5 units.
Flyers vs. Avalanche (1:00)
This should be a really solid cross conference matchup. Both of these teams are comfortably in playoff spots and playing really well right now. The Flyers, coming off a dominant 5-1 win over the Stars at home on Thursday are on a five game win streak. They’ve shocked the hockey world as they’re in second place in the Metro with Torts having this team play elite defense, despite them struggling offensively. The Avs have been very good as well. They’re in second place in the Central, a point back from the Jets, coming off a 5-2 loss in Boston on Thursday night (winner for me on the over). They’ve played well on both ends of the ice, with elite offensive talent. Colorado’s picked up at least a point in eleven of their last 14 games with eight wins in their last eleven games. The Flyers won the first game between these teams 5-2 on the road in Colorado in December. I’d lean the Avs answer back with a win here on the road in Philly tonight and would slightly lean the over, but this is a game that I think it’s best to just stay off of.
Senators vs. Jets (3:00)
Huge mismatch in this cross conference Canadian matchup. The Jets have been awesome this year, leading the Central. Coming off a huge 4-2 winner for me against the Isles on Tuesday, they’ve won nine of their last ten games, picking up at least a point in 15 of their last 16. They’ve been great on both ends of the ice. The Senators on the other hand have been awful. Although they’re coming off a 6-2 win over the Habs on Thursday and have two wins in their last three games, they’re in last place in the East with one of the worst defenses in the league despite their offense being pretty decent. They have just two wins in their last eight games and five in their last 18. This should be an easy Winnipeg win. The price is great here, so I’ll take the Jets for two units along with another unit on the puck line. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Coyotes vs. Predators (3:00)
Not a great matchup in the Central here. The Yotes have struggled recently. Coming off a 2-1 loss in Vancouver on Thursday, they have just two wins in their last eight games. They have played better at home this season. The Preds have played well, in a Wild Card spot in the West. They’re coming off a 2-1 win in LA on Thursday night, they’ve won six of their last nine games. Statistically both of these teams have been a middle of the road team on both ends of the ice, with a slight edge offensively to the Preds and slight edge defensively to the Coyotes. Arizona won the first game between these teams in a 7-5 show on the road in Smashville in November. I like the Predators to bounce back with a win on the road today. I’ll take them for a unit. I’d lean the under but not enough to bet it.
Bruins vs. Canadiens (7:00)
This is a huge mismatch in the Atlantic Division tonight at the Garden. The Bruins lead the Eastern Conference, coming into tonight’s game on a three game win streak after a 5-2 win against the Avs at home on Thursday, capped off by Pasta’s hat trick to hit the over. They’ve picked up at least a point in eleven of their last twelve games, playing great hockey on both ends of the ice. The Habs, coming off a lousy 6-2 loss in Ottawa on Thursday have struggled this season. They have just four wins in their last twelve games and have struggled on both ends of the ice. These teams split their first two games this season, with the Canadiens winning 3-2 in overtime at home in the first matchup and the B’s answering back with a 5-2 win at home a week later. This should be an easy win for Boston at home. The moneyline at -275 is way too expensive, but I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Devils vs. Stars (7:00)
This should be a pretty fun matchup. The Stars have been good this season, comfortably in their third place spot in the Central. They’re coming off a 5-1 blowout loss in Philly on Thursday but they have four wins in their last six games, playing solid hockey on both ends of the ice. The Devils are in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets last night. They’re still dealing with a bunch of injuries and although they’ve been really good offensively, they’ve struggled defensively. I like Dallas to get the win here on the road tonight, especially with Jersey in the second half of a back to back and pretty beat up. I’ll take the Stars for a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Canucks vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
Solid matchup up North in Vancouver tonight between these cross conference Canadian teams. The Canucks have been fantastic this year on both ends of the ice. Rick Tocchet has to be the Jack Adams favorite as Vancouver leads the Western Conference. Coming off a 2-1 win over the Coyotes on Thursday night, they’ve won six of their last seven games, picking up at least a point in 17 of their last 19 games. The Leafs, while holding a playoff spot in the Atlantic, are a broken team in the typical Toronto way. They ended a four game losing streak on Thursday in Calgary with a 4-3 win in a fantastic game, but they have just six wins in their last 15 games. Their offense has been solid but they’ve struggled defensively. The Maple Leafs won the first game between these team 5-2 at home in November. I like Vancouver to win tonight at home to answer back and I’ll take them for a unit. I also like the over, which I’ll take for half a unit as well.
Blues vs. Capitals (8:00)
Interesting matchup here in the second half of a home and home between these team. On Thursday night in our nation’s Capital, the Caps won 5-2 at home. Washington’s having a decent season, in the Wild Card race in the East. They’ve won four of their last six games after a bit of a slump. The Capitals have been really solid defensively, but their offense has struggled a bit. The Blues have been a mid tier team, a bit outside of the Western Conference Wild Card race. They’ve played relatively decent, despite not being all that great on either end of the ice, with an 8-6-1 record in their last 15 games but they have just one win in their last five games. I like the Capitals to win again here on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Flames vs. Oilers (10:00)
The Battle of Alberta! With the way these teams are both playing right now, this should shape up to be a great game between the two biggest rivals in the NHL. Both of these teams started the season slow but are playing much better lately. The Oilers are the hottest team in the league right now, setting a record for the longest win streak by an Canadian team in NHL history, coming into tonight’s game with twelve straight wins, coming off a come from behind 4-2 victory (crazy double winner for me) against the Kraken on Thursday night. McDavid and that Edmonton offense has been fantastic but now their defense and goaltending has been to the level of a Stanley Cup contender. The Flames have gotten themselves into the Wild Card race in the West. They had a four game win streak come to an end on Thursday with a 4-3 loss to the Leafs in a very entertaining game at home, but have seven wins in their last ten games. Statistically they’ve done nothing spectacular but haven’t been too bad on either end of the ice. The Oilers won the first game between these teams 5-2 earlier this season. I like them to continue their win streak on the road but I am proceeding with a little bit of caution here since this rivalry is pretty unpredictable. I’ll take Edmonton for half a unit.
Golden Knights vs. Penguins (10:00)
This is a pretty solid cross conference matchup tonight. My Golden Knights after being in a big slump, have been pretty good recently. Coming off a 5-1 win in a dominant game on Thursday night at home against the Rangers, they’ve won three of their last four games. They’ve played really well statistically on both ends of the ice. The Penguins, although in second last in the Metro, are just a couple points out of the Wild Card with how close the East is this season. Coming off a 3-0 win at home against the Kraken on Monday, they’ve played pretty well lately with a 10-3-3 record in their last 16 games. They’ve been really solid on the back end and have been decent enough offensively. The Pens won the first game between these teams with a 3-0 shutout at home. I’d lean the Knights answer back here with a win tonight in Vegas, but not enough to bet it. I’ll lay off the side, but I do like the under here, which I’ll take at the 6.5 alt line for half a unit.
Sharks vs. Ducks (10:00)
Horrible California matchup between the two worst teams in the Pacific. The Sharks are arguably the worst team in NHL history, with just one win in their last 16 games, coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to the Blackhawks on Tuesday night. The Ducks aren’t much better, just six point ahead of them. Coming off a 2-0 loss to the Caps on Tuesday on the road, they have just two wins in their last ten games, and six in their last 29. Both of these teams are horrendous on both ends of the ice, but the Ducks are the better team here. Anaheim won the first game between these teams this season 4-1 at home. I’ll take them again for half a unit since betting against SJ is pretty much an auto bet every night. I’d lean the under with the pathetic offenses for both teams, but not enough to bet it with how bad these defenses are.
Kings vs. Rangers (10:30)
This should be a great game to close out tonight’s slate. Both of these teams have been very good this season in playoff spots, but they’re both in pretty lousy slumps. The Kings, coming off a 2-1 loss at home to the Preds on Thursday dropped to the Wild Card, on a horrible skid with just one win in their last eleven games. Statistically they’ve been a good team on both ends of the ice this year, but that’s a pretty bad run for a team I thought had the ability to win the Cup this year. The Rangers lead the Metro Division, but coming off a 5-1 loss in Vegas on Thursday, they’ve only won two of their last seven games. They’ve played great on both ends of the ice this year. The Rags won the first game between these teams 4-1 at home in MSG. I’d lean the Rangers win again here on the road and the under but not enough to bet this game.
Game Bets
1.5u Lightning ML (-120)
2u Jets ML (-142)
1u Jets -1.5 (+170)
1u Predators ML (-130)
1u Bruins in regulation (-175)
1u Stars ML (-126)
1u Canucks ML (-125)
.5u Canucks/Maple Leafs over 6.5 (-125)
.5u Capitals ML (+105)
.5u Oilers ML (-162)
.5u Penguins/Golden Knights under 6.5 (-145)
.5u Ducks ML (-125)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 342-302-8 (-49.13 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 