I bounced back from my terrible Tuesday last night going 2-1 to win .4 units on the NHL. Tonight we have a huge twelve game slate, let’s win again!
Rangers vs. Sabres (7:00)
Not a great game here. The Rangers, coming off a 5-2 win against the Isles in the Battle of New York on Sunday, have been fantastic in their 8-2-1 start to the season. My Sabres have struggled quite a bit this season, but they do come off a 5-1 impressive win against the Senators on Tuesday night that ended a three game losing streak. The Rags are the way better team here and I expect them to get a win at home tonight. I’ll bet against my boys here and take the Rangers in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the under a bit, but not enough to bet it.
Bruins vs. Flames (7:00)
Interesting cross conference matchup here although I don’t think either of these teams have played great recently. The Bruins have been underperforming, coming off a 4-0 shutout loss in Toronto on Tuesday night after two shutout wins against the Kraken and Flyers. The Flames had a hot start to the season but have been pretty lousy since then, although they’re coming off a 3-2 overtime win in Montreal on Tuesday night. I’d expect the B’s to win this game tonight, but I don’t think they’re worth trusting at -190. I’d lean the under here, but with both backups projected to start in goal, I’ll lay off it.
Senators vs. Islanders (7:00)
Not the best matchup here. Both of these teams are struggling right now. The Sens started their season looking solid, especially offensively but are coming off a 5-1 loss in Buffalo on Tuesday night and have just two wins in their last six games. The Islanders, especially offensively have been terrible this year, coming off a 5-3 shootout win agains the Penguins Tuesday. I like Ottawa to win this one at home and I’ll take them for half a unit.
Panthers vs. Predators (7:00)
Going into the season I would’ve though this would be a great game, but the Preds have been so disappointing this year that it honestly isn’t exciting in the slightest. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 3-2 loss in Washington on Ovi’s game winner and have just one win in their last five games. The Panthers have been just as good as expected and the best team in the East, returning from Finland on a five game win streak against two wins against Dallas. This should be an easy win for Florida and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Devils vs. Canadiens (7:00)
Pretty lousy game here. The Devils are playing great hockey again, with three wins in their last four games, coming off a 3-0 shutout in Edmonton on Sunday. The Habs have been terrible all season, coming into tonight on a three game losing streak after a 3-2 overtime loss at home against the Flames on Tuesday. This should be an easy win for the Devils and I’ll lay the -182 on them in regulation for a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but I’m not touching it.
Hurricanes vs. Penguins (7:00)
Another real lousy matchup in the Metro Division tonight. Carolina’s been spectacular on both ends of the ice this season and come into tonight’s game on a seven game win streak after 6-4 win against Philly on Tuesday. The Penguins have been terrible this season, but are coming off a 4-3 shootout win against the Isles Tuesday. This should be a cakewalk of a game for the Canes at home and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the over, but I’ll just stick to the side.
Lightning vs. Flyers (7:30)
This slate’s loaded with lousy matches and this is another one. The Lightning are 7-6 to start the season. They started the year off hot, but they’ve lost their last three in a row on the road, coming off a 3-2 loss in St. Louis on Tuesday. The Flyers, coming goff a 6-4 loss in Carolina have been horrible all year. I like Tampa to win here at home and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but the Flyers can’t score, so I’ll stay off the total.
Blues vs. Utah HC (8:00)
Not the best matchup, but this one should be a pretty fun game. The Blues have been decent this season with a 7-6 record and have won their last two games in a row, beating Toronto and Tampa. Utah started the season hot but have since won just one of their last seven games, coming off a 3-0 loss in Winnipeg on Tuesday. I’d lean the Blues win this one at home, and it doesn’t make any sense they’re a dog in this one, and I’d lean the over, but I don’t like anything on this game enough to bet it. I’ll lay off it completely.
Stars vs. Blackhawks (8:00)
On a slate filled with a bunch of mismatches, this might be the biggest one on the board in this lousy Central Division game. The Stars are a very good team and come back tonight after losing both of their games to the Panthers in Finland for the Global Series. The Blackhawks, who are in the second half of a back to back after a 4-1 loss to the Red Wings last night have struggled this season. I think they’re a bottom five team in the league and this should be such an easy win for Dallas to bounce back at home. Even the regulation line is too expensive here, but I’ll take the Stars puck line for a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Jets vs. Avalanche (8:00)
Interesting Central Division matchup here. The Jets are the best team in the NHL right now. Coming off a 3-0 shutout win against Utah on Tuesday, they’re on a four game win streak with an extremely impressive 12-1 record, playing the best hockey in the league on both ends of the ice. The Avalanche haven’t been great this year, really struggling on the back end. They’re coming off a 6-3 win against the Kraken on Tuesday that ended their three game losing streak. I like the Jets to win this one at home and I’ll take them for half a unit. I also like the over, which I’ll take for half a unit as well. I also considered the Jets team total but I’ll roll with what I got.
Kings vs. Canucks (10:30)
This might be the best matchup on this slate in the Pacific Division. Both of these teams are playing solid hockey right now after slow starts to the season. The Kings impressed me with a 5-1 win in Minnesota on Tuesday night, extending their point streak to four straight games. The Canucks are coming off two wins in California. This game’s a complete toss up to me and I’ll stay off it entirely.
Sharks vs. Wild (10:30)
Another big mismatch to close out the night. The Sharks, coming off a 2-1 overtime win against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday where they were outshot 50-27 and yet somehow got the win, have now won four of their last five games. I still think this is a horrible team though. The Wild on the other hand have been very good this year with their 8-2-2 start to the season. They had a three game win streak come to an end on Tuesday with a 5-1 loss to the Kings at home. I expect an easy win for Minnesota here to bounce back and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Game Bets
.5u Rangers in regulation (-122)
.5u Senators ML (-142)
1u Panthers in regulation (-118)
1u Devils in regulation (-182)
1u Hurricanes in regulation (-165)
.5u Lightning in regulation (-130)
1u Stars -1.5 (-130)
.5u Jets ML (-142)
.5u Jets/Avalanche over 6.5 (-115)
1u Wild in regulation (-160)
Futures
2u Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup (+1800)
Record: 85-68-3 (-5.59 units)
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