Losing night for me on the NHL yesterday that could’ve been a monster winner, going 3-2 to lose 1.18 units. Huge almost 6 unit swing for me on the Rangers blowing a 3-1 lead with less than 6.5 minutes left in the game and needing OT to beat the Blackhawks. Could’ve been an incredible night. Today we have a huge 13 game slate loaded with day games, let’s bounce back!
Sabres vs. Blues (1:00)
This isn’t all that great of a game to get the day started. My Sabres have struggled this season and after going into the All Star break with two wins in California, they came out of it with a 2-1 loss at home to the Stars at home on Tuesday night. The Blues return from the break today and they’re right in the Wild Card mix in the West. They went into the All Star break with a 1-0 shutout loss at home to the Blue Jackets that ended their five game win streak. On the year these teams actually match up pretty closely on both ends of the ice stats wise, not really great for either. The first game between these teams was close, with the Blues winning 6-4 at home. I’d slightly lean my Sabres get the win here at home and the under, but this is too tight of a matchup between two sub par teams than I see worth betting. I’ll lay off this one entirely. Let’s go Buffalo!
Canadiens vs. Stars (1:00)
Kind of a lousy matchup here. The Stars are a really solid team this year, leading the Central, tied with the Avs in points. On Wednesday they had a four game win streak and six game point streak come to an end with a 5-4 loss in Toronto. Statistically they’ve been really good offensively and decent on the back end. The Habs have struggled on both ends of the ice this year, but are on a three game point streak, coming off a 5-2 win in DC on Tuesday night. The Habs actually won the first game between these cross conference teams 4-3 in January on the road. I like the Stars to answer back and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I also like the over, which I’ll take at the alt 6 line for half a unit.
Red Wings vs. Canucks (1:00)
This should be a really fun cross conference game. The Red Wings have had their runs of success this season and come back from the All Star break this afternoon in a Wild Card spot in the East. Their offense has been great all season, but they’ve struggled defensively at times. The Canucks, who are coming off a 4-0 shutout loss in Boston on Thursday, lead the West, in a tie with the Bruins for first in the league. They’ve been phenomenal on both ends of the ice. I like Vancouver to bounce back here on the road and I’ll take them for a unit at the decent price here. I’ll also take the over for a unit as well.
Islanders vs. Flames (1:00)
This matchup’s pretty boring to me, but it should be a competitive game. Neither of these teams are all that great, both in the Wild Card mix in their Divisions, on the outside looking in. They both come into this game on winning streaks since returning from the All Star break. The Isles dominated the Bolts with a 6-2 win at home on Thursday after a 3-2 win in Toronto on Monday, while the Flames are on a three game win streak with a 5-3 win in Jersey and a 4-1 win in Boston this week. Statistically the Flames have a slight edge over the Isles on both ends of the ice, but definitely not convincingly enough to bet on them. The first game between these teams in Calgary needed a shootout to determine it, with the Islanders winning 5-4 on the road. I’d slightly lean the Flames win here as a road dog and the over, but I absolutely am not betting this one. I’ll lay off this game completely.
Bruins vs. Capitals (3:30)
Pretty big mismatch in the East here. The Bruins are tied with the Canucks to lead the NHL, coming off a huge 4-0 shutout win at home against them on Thursday. They’ve been phenomenal on both ends of the ice. The Caps have struggled big time lately. Coming off a 4-2 loss against the Panthers on Thursday, they’re now on six game losing streak, struggling on both ends of the ice. This should be a pretty easy win for the B’s at home and I’ll take them in regulation for 1.5 units. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Panthers vs. Avalanche (6:00)
This is a phenomenal cross conference matchup to start off the evening games that could very well be a preview of the Stanley Cup Finals. Both of these teams have been phenomenal this year. The Panthers have improved a ton this year after their run to the Cup Finals last year, playing elite hockey this year. Coming off a 4-2 win against the Caps on Thursday, they’ve won five of their last six games. The Avs are in a little bit of a slump with three straight losses since returning from the All Star break, coming off a 5-2 loss in Carolina on Thursday, but they’ve been elite offensively this year. The first game between these teams in Colorado was a very high scoring affair, with the Panthers winning 8-4 on the road in January. I’d lean that Florida wins again here at home with a far better defense, but not enough to bet it. I’d also lean the over, but I’ll lay off this game entirely and just sit back and enjoy it as a hockey fan.
Senators vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
No matter what the records are, the Battle of Ontario is always a fun matchup. Despite the Leafs being the far better team in this Atlantic Division rivalry this season, the Sens actually lead the season series 2-1, with 6-3 and 4-2 wins in Toronto and the Leafs winning 4-3 in Ottawa earlier this season. Ottawa returns from the All Star break tonight with two OT wins in their last two games, beating the Red Wings and Predators. They’ve struggled big time on the back end, but have been decent offensively. The Leafs are coming off a 5-4 win against the Stars on Wednesday with four wins in their last five games. Similar to the Sens, Toronto’s offense has been solid this season but they’ve been inconsistent defensively. I like the Leafs to tie up the season series in this final matchup of the year between these teams and I’ll take them for half a unit. I like the over too, which I’ll take for a unit.
Flyers vs. Kraken (7:00)
This cross conference matchup isn’t great. The Flyers got out of the slump they went into the All Star break with, coming into tonight’s game with two big wins, beating the Jets 4-1 on Tuesday and the Panthers 2-1 on Tuesday. They still sit in the third place spot in the Metro. The Kraken went into the break with a 2-0 shutout loss in San Jose and haven’t played all that great recently, a bit outside of the Wild Card race in the West. Both of these team have struggled offensively but have been pretty good defensively. The first game between them in Seattle was close, with the Kraken winning 2-1 in overtime. I’d lean the Flyers win this one at home, but not enough to bet it. I do like the under though, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Hurricanes vs. Devils (7:00)
I don’t really expect much out of this Metro Division matchup. The Hurricanes, coming off a 5-2 win against the Avs at home on Thursday to bounce back from their Tuesday night 3-2 loss to the Canucks, have been fantastic recently. They’re comfortably in second place in the division, with a 12-3-1 record in their last 16 games. The Canes have been very good on both ends of the ice. The Devils have struggled with a ton of injuries this season, and have just one win in their last four games, coming off a 5-3 loss to the Flames on Thursday. Although their offense has been good, their defense has been brutal. A few weeks ago in the first game between these teams, Carolina won 3-2 at home. I like them to win again and I’ll take them for a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Blue Jackets vs. Lightning (7:00)
Pretty shitty matchup. The Blue Jackets have been terrible this season on both ends of the ice, at the bottom of the Metro Division standings. Although the Lightning are coming off two losses since returning from the All Star break, losing 6-2 to the Isles on Thursday and 3-1 to the Rangers on Wednesday, they’ve been really solid this season, in the first Wild Card spot in the East. Their offense has been very good, but the defense and goaltending has been inconsistent. The Jackets actually won the first game between these teams in November, winning 4-2 at home. I like the Bolts to answer back with a win here, and I’ll take them for a unit. I like the over too, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Jets vs. Penguins (7:00)
These teams are in the second half of a home and home after the Penguins just won with a 3-0 shutout (I split that game, easy win on the under, but loss on the Jets) on Tuesday night. The Penguins haven’t been all that great this season, a bit outside of the Wild Card in the tight Eastern Conference race. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 3-2 loss in Minnesota last night in Flower’s 1000th game (split that one as well). 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, which has been extended to five games now with their loss to the Pens and then a 4-1 loss to the Flyers on Thursday. 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 Winnipeg to end their losing streak here, especially with the Pens in the second half of a back to back and I’ll take them for half a unit. I also like the under again, which I’ll take the alternate under 6 for half a unit as well. Same plays as Tuesday.
Predators vs. Coyotes (8:00)
This isn’t a great Central Division matchup with both of these teams struggling right now. The Preds went into the All Star break on a three game losing streak, with just one win in their last six games, falling out of a Wild Card spot in the West. The Coyotes, coming off a 3-2 loss to Vegas at home on Thursday are now on a four game losing streak, and haven’t played great lately. Both of these teams haven’t been all that great on either end of the ice. The Yotes won the first two games between them, winning 7-5 on the road and then 3-2 at home. I’d slightly lean Smashville wins at home and the under, but not enough to bet on either. I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Kings vs. Oilers (10:00)
This is a pretty interesting matchup in the Pacific to close out the night with the only late game on today’s slate. The Oilers have been phenomenal. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, bouncing back from their 3-1 loss to the Golden Knights on Wednesday that ended their 16 game win streak, with a 5-3 win (double winner for me) in Anaheim last night. They’ve been fantastic on both ends of the ice. The Kings went into the All Star break with a 4-2 win against the Preds to end their four game losing streak, just their third win in their last 17 games. They fired head coach Todd McClellan during the All Star break, as the team’s been decent on both ends of the ice statistically and just haven’t been able to get wins in that horrible skid. The first game between these teams needed a shootout, with Edmonton winning 3-2 on the road in LA on December 30th. I like the Oilers to win this one on the road again, but in the second half of a back to back, and with the Kings playing their first game under a new head coach, I’ll lay off it. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Game Bets
1u Stars in regulation (-130)
.5u Stars/Canadiens over 6 (-130)
1u Canucks ML (-135)
1u Canucks/Red Wings over 6.5 (-114)
1.5u Bruins in regulation (-159)
.5u Maple Leafs ML (-134)
1u Maple Leafs/Senators over 6.5 (-137)
.5u Flyers/Kraken under 5.5 (-105)
1u Hurricanes ML (-157)
1u Lightning ML (-175)
.5u Lightning/Blue Jackets over 6.5 (-125)
.5u Jets ML (-150)
.5u Jets/Penguins under 6 (-137)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 392-355-10 (-60.62 units)
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