Lousy night again yesterday on the NHL for me, shaking off the All Star break rust, as I went 3-6 to lose 2.82 units. Tonight we have a small slate with just three games, let’s bounce back.
Maple Leafs vs. Stars (7:00)
This should be a fun cross conference game tonight. The Leafs came out of the All Star break on Monday night with a close 3-2 loss to the Islanders (loss for me). They tied up the game with John Tavares’ goal with 4:48 left in regulation but gave up the game winner with 2:02 left in the game. That loss ended a three game win streak for Toronto, who hold the first Wild Card spot in the East. The Leafs have been solid offensively this season but they’ve been inconsistent on the back end. The Stars are in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming back from the All Star break last night with a tight 2-1 win on the road up here in Buffalo against my Sabres. They’ve been fantastic this year, right in the mix with the Avs and Jets at the top of the Central, playing really well on both ends of the ice. Toronto won the first game between these teams relatively easy back in October, with a 4-1 win on the road in Dallas. If Dallas wasn’t in the second half of a back to back here, I’d probably take the Stars, but I think the right move here is to lay off the side. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Rangers vs. Lightning (7:00)
Fantastic matchup here in the East tonight. The Rangers came back from the All Star break on Monday night with a grind of a game, beating the Avs 2-1 in overtime at home on Lafreniere’s game winner. They continue to lead the Metro Division, playing great hockey on both ends of the ice, but were in a slump going into the All Star break. Monday’s win was just their fifth in their last 13 games. The Lightning were fantastic going into the All Star break. They’re a point ahead of the Leafs for third place in the Atlantic Division and went into the break with eight wins in their last nine games, with three straight 6-3 wins against the Devils, Coyotes, and Flyers. They’ve been fantastic offensively this season but have been inconsistent defensively. The Rags dominated the first game between these teams, winning 5-1 on the road in Tampa on December 30th. I’d slightly lean the Bolts win this one as a road dog and would slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet on this game. I’ll lay off this matchup. Just sit back and enjoy this one.
Blackhawks vs. Wild (9:30)
Pretty lousy matchup to close out the night between the two worst teams in the Central…who are still separated by 17 points in the standings. The Wild have been pretty bad this season. They’re not going to make the playoffs but they’re also not bad enough to be a lottery team, essentially the worst spot to be in this league, and they’ve struggled on both ends of the ice. Going into the All Star break, they lost their last two games 3-2 to the Ducks and Preds, both at home after a three game win streak. Minnesota’s picked up just five wins in their last 16 games. The Blackhawks, who went into the break on a four game losing streak with three shutouts in that span have been brutal, neck and neck with the Sharks for the worst team in the NHL. They’ve been terrible on both ends of the ice, especially offensively. The Wild won the first game between these teams easily, with a 4-1 win at home on December 3rd. I’ll take the Wild in regulation for a unit on the road. I’d slightly lean the under here with two poor offenses, but at 5.5 and the struggles of both defenses, I’ll just stick with Minnesota.
Game Bets
.5u Maple Leafs/Stars over 6.5 (-106)
1u Wild in regulation (-129)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 383-351-10 (-63.28 units)
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A Town's Zone 