Pretty lousy return from the NHL All Star break for me last night, going 0-3 to lose 2.94 units, both games in close losses. Tonight we have a solid eight game slate, let’s bounce back and really launch upwards for the second half of the season!
Bruins vs. Flames (7:00)
This cross conference matchup isn’t great to come out of the All Star break. The Bruins have been fantastic, leading the Eastern Conference and tied with the Canucks for first in the NHL. They’ve been elite on both ends of the ice, and went into the break with seven wins in their last eight games. The Flames, who sent Elias Lindholm to Vancouver in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko, a first and a fourth last week, haven’t been great. They’re a bit outside of the Wild Card in the West and went into the break with a 1-0 win over the Blackhawks to end a four game losing streak after they’d gone on a decent run prior to that. Statistically they haven’t been great on either end of the ice. I really like the B’s to come out of the All Star break hot here at home. I’ll take the Bruins in regulation for 1.5 units. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Sabres vs. Stars (7:00)
This isn’t going to be a great game for my Sabres tonight. We went into the All Star break pretty well with two wins in California, beating the Kings 5-3 on Wednesday and then the Sharks 5-2 on Saturday afternoon. It was an awful first half of the season though on both ends of the ice for this team, and it’s not going to get better. To make matters worse, we lost Mattias Samuelsson for the rest of the season. The Stars have been fantastic in the first half of the year, coming into tonight in second place in the Central, in a great spot for the playoffs. They went into the break on a three game win streak with an 8-2-1 record in their last eleven games, playing great on both ends of the ice. This should be an easy win for the Stars on the road up here in Buffalo. The price on this matchup is way cheaper than it should be. I’ll take the Stars moneyline for 1.5 units and the puck line for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not quite enough to bet it.
Panthers vs. Flyers (7:00)
This isn’t a great matchup. The Panthers have been fantastic this season, clearly not having just caught lightning in a bottle last season. They’re second in the Atlantic, just behind the Bruins and playing great hockey on both ends of the ice, especially defensively. They went into the break on a four game win streak with a 13-2-2 record in their last 17 games. The Flyers dropped off pretty bad after their hot start to the year. Along with the Carter Hart drama, they went into the break on a five game losing streak, multiple goal losses in all of those games. Philly’s struggled offensively all season but prior to that losing run, they were solid defensively. I like Florida to win here at home and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Penguins vs. Jets (7:00)
Interesting cross conference matchup here. The Penguins haven’t been all that great this season, a bit outside of the Wild Card in the tight Eastern Conference race. They ended a three game losing streak with a 3-2 overtime win against the Habs to go into the break. Statistically their defense has been good, but they’ve struggled offensively. The Jets went into the All Star break on a three game losing streak, but they’ve been really good in the first half of the season on both ends of the ice, comfortably in a playoff spot in the talented top of the Central Division. I like the Jets to win this game on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit on the road with this game pretty close to a pick em at even money. I like the under as well, and I’ll take the alternate under 6 for half a unit.
Capitals vs. Canadiens (7:00)
This Eastern Conference matchup isn’t great. Both of these teams went into the All Star break in pretty lousy form. Although the Wild Card race is pretty close and wide open in the East, the Caps fell off a bit from their decent start to the season. They’re on a four game losing streak with just five wins in their last 17 games. Although their defense has been pretty solid this season, their offense has been horrible. The Habs have struggled all season, with just five wins in their last 16 games. They’ve been pretty bad on both ends of the ice. The first game between these teams in Montreal needed overtime, with the Canadiens winning 3-2 at home. I’d lean the Caps answer back with a win at home and I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet on either with the lines at -165 and 5.5 between both of these teams underperforming. I’ll lay off it completely.
Hurricanes vs. Canucks (7:00)
Awesome cross conference matchup! These teams have both been fantastic on both ends of the ice this season and the first game between them in December was close, with the Canucks winning 4-3. The Hurricanes went into the break comfortably in second place in the Metro, on a three game win streak with an 11-2-1 record in their last 14 games. The Canucks lead the NHL this season, and Rick Tocchet has to be the favorite for the Jack Adams. They went into the break on an eleven game point streak with a 9-0-2 record in that span. Vancouver’s the better team here on both ends of the ice and I’d lean they win on the road, but Carolina’s a very good team, especially at home where they’re 15-5-4, so I’ll stay off this game. I don’t even hate a bet on this game to go to OT, but I don’t like it enough to bet it. I’d slightly lean the under, but again, don’t see enough of an edge to bet it.
Devils vs. Avalanche (7:30)
This should be a pretty fun cross conference matchup tonight. Last night the Avs returned from the All Star break with a 2-1 overtime loss on the road in MSG to the Rangers. That loss ended their three game win streak, but Colorado’s played fantastic hockey on both ends of the ice this season, with the most elite offense in the league. The Devils have struggled a ton with injuries this season, and they’re a bit outside of the Wild Card in the East. Their offense has been good this year, but the defense has really struggled for Jersey. In the first game between these teams in Colorado in November, the Avs won 6-3. I like the Avalanche to bounce back from last night’s loss with a win on the road here. I’ll take them for half a unit at the pick em price. I also like the over too, which I’ll take for half a unit as well. I considered the Avalanche team total, but I like those two plays better.
Golden Knights vs. Oilers (10:00)
Really good matchup in the Pacific to close out tonight’s game with the only late night West coast game. The Oilers are easily the hottest team in the NHL right now. They went into the All Star break with a record breaking 16 game win streak, with just three losses in their last 27 games. I think they’re going to go from being the worst team in the league at one point early in the year to winning the Stanley Cup, 2019 St. Louis Blues style. Not only are McDavid and that offense buzzing at an elite level, Stuart Skinner in goal and that defense are clicking at an unreal level as well. The Golden Knights are still comfortably ahead of the Oilers in the Pacific Standings, in second place behind the NHL leading Canucks. Despite dealing with a ton of key injuries, they were still solid going into the All Star break with a 5-1-1 record in their last seven games. Statistically they’ve been very good on both ends of the ice. The first game between these teams needed a shootout to decide it in November, with the Oilers winning 5-4 at home. I like the Oil to keep the win streak going here, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not quite enough to bet it.
Game Bets
1.5u Bruins in regulation (-124)
1.5u Stars ML (-150)
.5u Stars -1.5 (+164)
1u Panthers in regulation (-129)
.5u Jets ML (+100)
.5u Penguins/Jets under 6 (-134)
.5u Avalanche ML (-110)
.5u Avalanche/Devils over 6.5 (-110)
.5u Oilers ML (-134)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 380-345-10 (-60.46 units)
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