I had a slight losing night on the NHL yesterday, going 3-1 but losing 0.3 units with the Golden Knights giving up six unanswered goals to the Yotes in the third period. Today we have an eleven game slate, let’s bounce back for our third winning day in the last four.
Penguins vs. Lightning (1:00)
Solid matchup in the East to start the day in the Wild Card race. The Penguins after looking like their season was completely over, now find themselves just two points back from the Flyers and Islanders for third in the Metro and the second Wild Card. They’re playing really well right now, coming into today’s game on a three game win streak and seven game point streak after a 4-1 win in DC on Thursday. The Lightning are playing fantastic hockey as well. Coming off a 7-4 blowout win in Montreal on Thursday, they’ve gone 10-1-1 in their last twelve games. They are comfortably in the first Wild Card and are just two points back from Toronto for third in the Atlantic. These teams split their two previous games in Tampa with the Pens winning 4-2 on the road in November and the Bolts answering back with a 3-1 win in December. I’d slightly lean Pittsburgh wins this one at home and the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll stay off this game entirely.
Bruins vs. Panthers (3:30)
Great matinee for this Atlantic Division matchup between the top two teams in the Division. The Bruins lead the division, four points ahead of Florida. They come into tonight’s game on a three game win streak after a 4-1 win in Carolina on Thursday. The Panthers I think are the most talented team in the East, but they’ve struggled a bit lately. On Thursday they picked up just their third win in their last eleven games, blowing out the Senators 6-0 on the road. Boston’s won all three previous games between these teams, winning 3-2 in overtime in October at home, winning 3-1 on the road in November, and then 4-3 on the road a couple weeks ago. I think Florida’s the better team here but I’d slightly lean the Bruins win this one. I’d lean the under here as well, but I think the right play on this game is just staying off it.
Blackhawks vs. Stars (3:30)
Terrible mismatch between the top team in the Central Division and the worst team in it. The Stars lead the Western Conference, playing great hockey right now. After blowing out the Oilers with a 5-0 shutout win at home on Wednesday, they’re on an eight game win streak with 13 wins in their last 15 games. This is Cup contender. The Blackhawks on the other hand are awful, one of the worst two teams in the NHL. Dallas is already 3-0 against the Hawks, winning 5-4 in overtime at home in December and then in an 8-1 blowout a few days later on New Year’s Eve, followed by a 3-1 win in Chicago in January. I fully expect them to complete the season sweep here, as do the books with the price on this game at -335, but I’ll take the puck line for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to touch it.
Wild vs. Jets (4:00)
Solid Central Division matchup in this one. The Jets are comfortably in third place in the division, coming into tonight’s game off two wins in a row, beating the Flames 5-2 on Thursday and the Kings 4-3 on Monday. The Wild technically haven’t been eliminated from the playoffs yet, but they’re not making it. They have played well lately, but they’re coming off a 5-2 loss at home to the Avs on Thursday. Winnipeg’s 3-0 this season between these team, winning 4-2 at home in December and then 3-2 in Minnesota the day after, followed by a 6-3 win at home in February. The Jets are the better team here, but I’d slightly lean the Wild avoid the season sweep at home. I’d also lean the over, but I think the best move here is not touching this game.
Sharks vs. Blues (6:00)
This matchup isn’t great. The Sharks are the worst team in the NHL. Coming off a 2-1 loss to the Kings at home on Thursday, they have just two wins in their last 22 games, just playing awful hockey on both ends of the ice. The Blues are getting hot too late to make the playoffs, but they’re playing solid hockey lately. Coming off a 6-3 loss in Nashville on Thursday, they come into tonight’s game with eight wins in their last twelve games. Somehow San Jose won both previous games between these team convincingly, despite being the far worse team, winning 5-1 in November at home and then shocking me for a big loss a week ago, winning 4-0 in St. Louis. I love the Blues to avoid the season sweep here and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but I’m not touching that.
Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
Kind of a lousy matchup up in Canada for this Atlantic Division game. The Leafs are in third place in the Atlantic with a two point lead over the Lightning. They’re coming off a 4-1 loss at home to the Lightning on Wednesday that ended their three game win streak. The Habs are tied with Ottawa for last in the division, but they’ve played pretty decent, with four wins in their last six games, coming off a 7-4 loss to the Lightning on Thursday. Toronto won both previous games between these teams, winning 6-5 in a shootout at home in the first week of the season, and then winning 3-2 on the road last month. I like the Leafs to complete the season sweep here and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit.
Senators vs. Devils (7:00)
Not the most interesting game here. The Senators have been terrible this year, tied with Montreal for last in the Atlantic Division and already eliminated from the playoffs. They’re coming off two losses in a row after a 6-0 shutout loss at home to the Panthers on Thursday. The Devils haven’t technically been eliminated from playoff contention yet, but they’re pretty much out of it. They come into tonight on a three game losing streak, after a 4-3 loss in MSG to the Rangers on Wednesday. These teams split their first two games, with the Devils winning 6-2 on the road in December and the Sens answering back with a 6-2 win in Jersey a few weeks ago. I’d lean the Devils win this one on the road too, as they are the better team here, but I’ll stay off it. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Blue Jackets vs. Flyers (7:00)
Such a boring matchup in the Metro Division here. The Flyers went from being comfortably in third place in the division for most of the season, to now being in rough danger of missing the playoffs. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 4-2 loss in Buffalo last night, extending their losing streak to six games in a row with four teams now within two points of the race for that third spot in the Metro and the second Wild Card in the East. The Blue Jackets are awful, easily the worst team in the East. They’re coming off a 4-2 loss at home to the Islanders on Thursday and have just two wins in their last nine games. Philly’s 2-0-1 against the Jackets this season, winning 4-2 on the road, 5-2 at home, and then losing 3-2 in a shootout at home. I like them to win here again to get out of this slump, and even in the second half of a back to back, I’ll take the Flyers for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but I’m not touching the total.
Islanders vs. Predators (7:30)
Fun cross conference matchup here between these two teams in the Wild Card race. The Islanders are tied in points with the Flyers, holding the third spot in the Metro Division in the midst of a crazy race for the playoffs with four teams within two points for those two spots. The Predators are comfortably in the first Wild Card, pretty close to locked in with a few scenarios to clinch a playoff spot tonight. Following their 18 game point streak, the Preds ended their three game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Blues on Thursday night. Smashville won the first game between these teams 3-1 in January. I’d lean Nashville wins this one again on the road on Long Island tonight and I’d slightly lean the under, but I’m not touching this game, which I see pretty close to a complete coin flip.
Flames vs. Oilers (10:00)
Gotta love the Battle of Alberta. These games are always fun no matter how these teams come into their games. Edmonton’s the way better team this year and they’re 2-1 this season against their biggest rival, winning 5-2 at home in October, 3-1 on the road in January, and then losing 6-3 at home in February. The Oilers are in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a big 6-2 win against the Avs last night and they come into tonight with a 4-1-1 record in their last six games. The Flames have had a lousy season. They come into tonight with just one win in their last eight games after a 5-2 loss in Winnipeg on Thursday night. The Oilers are the way better team here and I’d expect them to win on the road tonight, but at -170 with them in the second half of a back to back and that this rivalry can have very off the wall results, I’ll stay off this side here. I like the over in this game though, expecting both teams to score, with them both trending over lately, and I’ll take it for half a unit.
Kings vs. Canucks (10:00)
Really solid game to close out tonight’s slate. Both of these Pacific Division teams are in playoff spots and have played well. The Kings, coming off a 2-1 win in San Jose on Thursday night, are in the second Wild Card in the West, a point back from Vegas for the #3 seed in the Pacific. The Canucks lead the Pacific, and have two wins in their last three games after a 2-1 win in Arizona on Wednesday night. The Kings are 2-0-1 in the previous games between these teams with a 5-1 win in Vancouver in February, a 2-1 overtime loss at home in the beginning of March and then a 3-2 win on the road two weeks ago. I think this game’s a complete toss up, and I don’t even have a lean on who wins it. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet that, so I’ll stay off this game completely.
Game Bets
.5u Stars -1.5 (-125)
.5u Blues in regulation (-145)
.5u Maple Leafs in regulation (-125)
.5u Devils/Senators over 6.5 (-125)
.5u Flyers ML (-166)
.5u Oilers/Flames over 6.5 (-115)
Futures
4u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)
Record: 549-492-11 (-95.19 units)
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