I had to sweat it out, but won 1.5 units on the NHL, winning my only bet last night on the Leafs. Tonight we have big eleven game slate, let’s cash some more winners!
Lightning vs. Avalanche (7:00)
Really fun cross conference matchup to get the night started as both of these teams are playing solid hockey. In the first game between these teams the Lightning won 5-2 on the road late in October. Tampa’s been a bit inconsistent lately, with just three wins in their last nine games, coming off a 4-2 loss to the Stars at home on Saturday. The Avs, getting more of their lineup back now, have been very solid recently. Coming off a dominant 7-4 win in Florida on Saturday, they’re on a three game win streak with six wins in their last seven games. I’d slightly lean Colorado wins here on the road, but not enough to bet it. I like the over here, with both teams being very good offensively but struggling a bit defensively. I’ll take it for half a unit.
Panthers vs. Capitals (7:00)
Great game here in the Eastern Conference. Both of these teams have been very good this season but come into tonight on losing streaks. The Panthers to me are still the best team in the East, but coming off a 7-4 blowout loss at home to the Avalanche on Saturday, they’re on a three game losing streak with just one win in their last six games. The Capitals have been great this season, but lost both of their games since Ovi got injured, coming off a 3-2 loss to the Devils on Saturday. I’d lean the Panthers win this game at home and the over, but not enough to bet either, so I’ll stay on the sidelines on this one.
Devils vs. Predators (7:00)
Not the best cross conference matchup here. The Devils have been very good this season and have played up to my high expectations for them going into the season. They come into tonight with seven wins in their last nine games, coming off a 3-2 win in Washington on Saturday. The Preds on the other hand have been the biggest disappointment of this season. I thought they’d be just as good, but have struggled immensely on both ends of the ice. Nashville’s coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Jets (who were in the second half of a back to back) on Saturday, just their third win in their last ten games. I really like Jersey in this matchup and I’ll take the Devils for a unit on home ice along with half a unit on the puck line. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Rangers vs. Blues (7:00)
This cross conference game isn’t all that interesting. The Rangers are coming off two losses in a row after getting blown out 6-2 in Edmonton on Saturday night, but they’ve had a good season so far on both ends of the ice. The Blues have struggled after their hot start to the season. Coming off a 3-1 loss on Long Island on Saturday, they have just two wins in their last nine games. Jim Montgomery wasn’t unemployed long as the Blues fired Drew Bannister this weekend and very quickly hired Monty to be their new head coach. I think that’s a great move for St. Louis and they should improve with the change in coaching, but I still like the Rags here. I’ll take the Rangers in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but I’m not betting it.
Flyers vs. Golden Knights (7:00)
This isn’t all that interesting of a cross conference matchup to me. I don’t think the Flyers are a great team, but they’ve played decent hockey as of late, with a 5-2-1 record in their last eight games, coming off a 3-2 overtime win against the Blackhawks at home Saturday afternoon. The Golden Knights are still my pick to win the Cup, but their performance on the road is pretty concerning as they’re just 5-4-2 outside of T-Mobile Arena. They have won their last two road games in a row though, coming off blowing out the Habs 6-2 in Montreal on Saturday. I like Vegas to win here and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but I’ll just stick with the Knights here.
Hurricanes vs. Stars (7:00)
Absolutely spectacular cross conference matchup here between two of the top teams in the league, that both play similar styles of hockey. The Hurricanes are coming off two losses in a row after a surprising 5-4 shootout loss in Columbus on Saturday. The Stars have been very good lately with five wins in their last six games, coming off a 4-2 win in Tampa on Saturday. I think this game’s a complete toss up. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll lay off this matchup, but will absolutely be tuning into it.
Senators vs. Flames (7:30)
This is an interesting matchup that I don’t think anyone really cares about. The Senators started the season decent but they’ve been pretty bad lately, on a five game losing streak, coming off a 4-3 loss at home on Saturday to the Canucks. Calgary, I’m still not sold on, but they’ve been playing way better than expected this season with a 12-6-3 record. Coming off a surprising 4-3 shootout win against the Wild on Saturday, they’re on a four game win streak with just one regulation loss in their last nine games. I think Ottawa’s the better team here by a little bit, but this line makes no sense. I feel like this matchup should be close to a pick’em rather than the -160ish that the Sens come in at. I see value on the Flames here, but the best play on this game is none at all. I’ll lay off it.
Islanders vs. Red Wings (7:30)
What a boring matchup this game is. Neither of these are playoff teams. The Islanders are coming off a 3-1 win against the Blues on Saturday that ended their three game losing streak. The Red Wings are coming off a 2-1 loss at home to the Bruins Saturday, and have just two wins in their last eight games. Detroit won both previous games between these teams, winning 1-0 on Long Island in October and 2-1 at home last Thursday. I’d lean the Isles avoid the season sweep here at home and would lean the under, but I don’t think either are worth betting. I’m not touching this garbage.
Wild vs. Jets (8:00)
GREAT matchup here between the top two teams in the Central Division, both coming off losses on Saturday. These teams have both played fantastic hockey this season, both exceeding expectations. The Wild are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss in Calgary after forcing overtime with just 34 seconds left in regulation. The Jets have been the best team in the league in their 17-4 start, but have lost three of their last five games, coming off a 4-1 loss in Nashville on Saturday in the second half of a back to back after cashing my biggest plays of the year on Friday night in their 4-1 win in Pittsburgh. This game’s a toss up that I’d very slightly lean the Jets and the under in, but neither with enough conviction to bet it. I’m not betting this game but can’t wait to watch it.
Ducks vs. Kraken (10:00)
Pretty lousy Pacific Division matchup although both of these teams are playing decent lately. The Ducks are one of the worst teams in the league, but they’ve improved to 8-8-3 on the season, on a three game point streak coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to my Sabres on Friday night that ended a three game win streak as they blew a 2-0 lead late in the second period. The Kraken were terrible to start the season but have since gotten it going with five wins in their last seven games, coming off a 2-1 loss in LA on Saturday. I like Seattle enough in this one to take them for half a unit on the road. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Sharks vs. Kings (10:30)
Terrible California matchup to end the night. The Sharks stink. They’re the worst team in the league and on a three game losing streak with just one win in their last seven games, coming off a 4-2 loss to my Sabres on Saturday on Joe Thornton night. The Kings are the far better team here but have struggled a bit lately too with two wins in their last five games, coming off a 2-1 win at home against Seattle on Saturday. These teams split their first two games both home wins, 3-2 for the Kings and then 4-2 for the Sharks a few days later. I like LA to win this one on the road and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but I’m not betting it.
Game Bets
.5u Lightning/Avalanche over 6.5 (-105)
1u Devils ML (-130)
.5u Devils -1.5 (+185)
.5u Rangers in regulation (-130)
.5u Golden Knights ML (-142)
.5u Kraken ML (-155)
.5u Kings in regulation (-150)
Futures
2u Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup (+1800)
Record: 133-111-4 (-11.32 units)
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A Town's Zone 