I went 2-1 on yesterday crappy NHL slate, winning .4 units last night. I’ll take it. After just those two lousy games yesterday, tonight we have a huge slate loaded with 14 games. Let’s get out third profitable night in a row!
Maple Leafs vs. Ducks (7:00)
Pretty lousy cross conference matchup to start off the night. The Leafs are playing good hockey and although they got outplayed for most of the game, they’re coming off a 2-1 overtime win in Jersey on Tuesday in a game they were outshot 39-17. The Ducks are awful and in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 5-1 loss in Ottawa last night. This should be a very easy win for Toronto at home and the price reflects it as they’re coming in as -375 favorites. That and the regulation line are way too expensive, but I’ll take the Leafs puck line for a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Canadiens vs. Penguins (7:00)
Pretty lousy matchup here but this could be an interesting game since both of these shitty teams have been winning games lately. The Habs are coming off their third win in their last four games, having beat the Ducks 3-2 in a shootout at home on Monday. They’re still dead last in the East. The Pens are only three points ahead of them, coming off a 6-2 loss at home to the Avs on Tuesday (easy double winner for me). They’ve easily played their best hockey of the year lately though after their brutal start to the season, with a 5-2 record in their last seven games. Both of these teams have struggled immensely on both ends of the ice. Pittsburgh won both previous games between these teams this season, winning 6-3 on the road in October and then 3-1 at home in November. I’d lean the Penguins complete the season sweep here on the road and would also lean the over, but I’m not touching this game.
Devils vs. Kings (7:00)
Solid cross conference matchup as both of these teams have played good hockey this year. The Devils are coming off a disappointing 2-1 overtime loss to the Leafs at home on Tuesday, where they dominated the game, outshooting Toronto 39-16, their second loss in a row after getting shut out 4-0 by the Avs at home on Sunday. The Kings come into tonight on a six game win streak after a 3-1 win on Long Island on Tuesday night. I think the Devils are the better team here and I’d lean they win it on home ice, but not strongly enough to bet it. I’d also lean the under, but don’t like it enough to bet that either, so I’ll lay off this game.
Flyers vs. Red Wings (7:00)
This is another shitty Eastern Conference matchup tonight. Both of these teams have struggled this season. The Flyers are coming off a 5-3 win in Columbus on Tuesday to end a three game losing streak. The Red Wings ended a five game losing streak of their own on Monday with a 6-5 shootout win in Buffalo, erasing a 5-3 deficit in the third period against my Sabres. I’d very slightly lean the Flyers win this one at home, but this game’s a pretty close toss up that no one outside of Philly or Detroit should give a shit about. The total’s a toss up too, so I’ll lay of this matchup entirely.
Blue Jackets vs. Capitals (7:00)
Pretty big mismatch here between the top and bottom teams in the Metro Division. The Blue Jackets at points this season have been a pain in the ass for teams to play against, but right now have struggled with just one in their last five games, coming off a 5-3 loss at home against the Flyers on Tuesday. Their offense has been pretty good, but their defense and goaltending has been brutal. The Capitals have been spectacular, even without Ovi in the lineup, coming into tonight on a seven game point streak with a 6-0-1 record in that span, coming off a 4-2 win in Montreal on Saturday. Washington dominated the first game between these teams, winning 7-2 at home last month. I expect a Caps win here and I’ll take them for a unit. I like the over as well, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Islanders vs. Blackhawks (7:30)
Such a boring, shitty cross conference matchup in this one. The Islanders are coming off a 3-1 loss at home against the Kings on Tuesday after winning two in a row, but they’ve won just five of their last 16 games. Their defense has been decent but their offense sucks. The Blackhawks have been lousy on both ends of the ice as expected, but are coming off a 2-1 win in MSG against the Rangers on Monday, ending a five game losing streak with just their third win in their last twelve games. I’d lean the Isles win here at home, but I’m not betting them at -190, or anywhere close to it. I’d also lean the under but I’m not touching this game.
Blues vs. Sharks (8:00)
This Western Conference matchup sucks. The Blues have been pretty solid since making the coaching change to hire Jim Montgomery as their new bench boss with a 5-1-1 record in their last seven games. After blowing a 3-1 lead and the game tying goal with 1:52 left in regulation, they still found a way to beat the Canucks 4-3 on the road on Dylan Holloway’s game winner on Tuesday. The Sharks meanwhile are one of the worst teams in the league, on a three game losing streak, coming off a 3-2 loss in Carolina on Tuesday. St. Louis needed overtime, but got wins in both previous games between these teams, winning 5-4 in overtime on the road in October and then 3-2 in a shootout at home in November. I like them to complete the season sweep here and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Stars vs. Predators (8:00)
Huge mismatch here in the Central in a game that would’ve looked like a fun one going into the season. The Stars, as expected have been very good this season. After losses in LA and Vegas, they’re coming off a big 6-2 win to get right at home against the Flames on Sunday. Meanwhile the Predators, who had high expectations going into the year with their offseason moves, have been absolutely atrocious. They’re on an eight game losing streak, coming off a 4-3 loss to the Flames on Tuesday. Dallas won the first game between these teams 4-3 on the road in Smashville in the first week of the season. I fully expect another win here for them at home and I’ll take the Stars in regulation for a unit. I like the under too, which I’ll take at 6 for half a unit.
Jets vs. Golden Knights (8:00)
Really solid matchup here between two of the best teams in the Western Conference. The first game between these teams was close a few weeks ago, with the Golden Knights getting a 4-3 win at home on Brett Howden’s late goal with 4:05 left in regulation. The Jets were the best in the league, setting records to start the season. They went on a bit of a cold streak but have won three of their last four games, coming off a dominant 8-1 win in a heated game at home against the Bruins on Tuesday night that almost saw the coaches go at it. The Golden Knights are on a three game win streak, coming off a 3-2 win at home against the Stars last Friday, and have a 7-1-1 record in their last nine games. I think this matchup is a complete toss up on the side. I think Vegas is the better team here but I don’t like it as much with them on the road against a really solid Jets team. I’d also lean the under, but not quite enough to bet it as both of these teams have been really solid offensively.
Wild vs. Oilers (8:30)
Great matchup here in the West. Both of these teams are playing great hockey right now. The Wild are coming off a 5-4 win in Utah on Tuesday night, where Marco Rossi tied up the game with 44 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and then won in a shootout on the road. That was their sixth win in their last seven games as Minnesota leads the NHL, tied with the Jets at the top of the standings. The Oilers come into tonight on a three game win streak with six wins in their last seven games, coming off a 2-1 win against the Lightning on Tuesday at home. The Wild won the first game between these teams on November 21st 5-3 on the road. I’d lean they win here at home, but not enough to bet on them, even with a good price as a +120 home dog. I’d also lean the under, but not enough to take it at 5.5, so I’ll stay off this game completely.
Avalanche vs. Utah HC (9:00)
This isn’t the best, but it’s definitely not a terrible matchup in the Central Division. Both of these teams have played pretty well lately. The Avalanche are on a three game win streak, coming off a dominant 6-2 win in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Colorado’s been good offensively this season, but they’ve definitely had their issues on the back end. Utah is coming off a 5-4 shootout loss to the Wild on Tuesday where they gave up the game tying goal with 44 seconds left in regulation. They have gone 4-1-2 in their last seven games though. The Avs won the first game between these teams in dominant fashion, winning 5-1 on the road in October. I like the Avalanche to win here again and will take them for half a unit along with half a unit on the over.
Flames vs. Lightning (9:00)
Not a real interesting cross conference matchup here. The Flames are coming off a 4-3 win in Nashville on Tuesday but haven’t been all that great this season as that was just their second win in their last eight games. Their defense has been good on the year, but they’ve really struggled offensively. The Lightning have been a pretty solid team. They’re coming off a 2-1 loss in Edmonton on Tuesday, but have three wins in their last five games. Tampa’s the better team here and I’ll take them to win on the road for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it with both of these defenses being pretty good.
Canucks vs. Panthers (10:00)
Interesting cross conference matchup to get into the late games. The Canucks forced overtime with a late goal against the Blues on Tuesday night, but weren’t able to get the win, using 4-3 at home in OT. Vancouver’s been pretty solid, with a 5-2-2 record in their last nine games. The Panthers are still the best team in the East, coming into tonight on a three game win streak following a 2-1 shootout win off a NASTY goal from Barkov and a pretty solid one for Reinhart. They’re on a seven game point streak with six wins in that span, and the loss should’ve been a win too, as they were the far better team in that game in Pittsburgh. The first game between these teams went to overtime with the Canucks winning 3-2 on the road. I like the Panthers to answer back with a win here on the road tonight and I’ll take them for half a unit. I really like the over here too, which I’ll take for a unit.
Kraken vs. Bruins (10:00)
Pretty interesting cross conference matchup to end the night. Both of these teams had horrible starts to their seasons but have played way better lately, coming in hot. The Kraken are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss at home to the Panthers on Tuesday with a 3-1-1 record in their last five games. The Bruins are coming off getting completely stomped 8-1 on the road in Winnipeg on Tuesday, ending a four game win streak for the B’s, as they come into tonight with a 7-3 record in their last ten games. Boston won the first game between these teams with a 2-0 shutout at home in early November. I feel like this is pretty much a toss up on the side, but I do like the over, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Game Bets
1u Maple Leafs -1.5 (-140)
1u Capitals ML (-166)
.5u Capitals/Blue Jackets over 6.5 (-118)
.5u Blues ML (-173)
1u Stars in regulation (-140)
.5u Stars/Predators under 6 (-108)
.5u Avalanche ML (-185)
.5u Avalanche/Utah over 6.5 (-118)
.5u Lightning ML (-155)
.5u Panthers ML (-170)
1u Panthers/Canucks over 5.5 (-118)
.5u Bruins/Kraken over 5.5 (-112)
Futures
2u Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup (+1800)
Record: 189-157-7 (-12.85 units)
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