Great bounce back night for me on yesterday’s quick NHL slate going 3-1 to win 2.22 units. Huge 13 game slate today with a bunch of day games and the Winter Classic. Let’s close out 2024 with some more wins!
Capitals vs. Bruins (12:30)
Pretty solid Eastern Conference matchup to start off today’s big slate, both playing pretty good hockey right now. The Capitals are coming off a surprising 4-2 loss in Detroit on Sunday in the second half of a back to back after Ovi made his return on Saturday with a 5-2 win against the Leafs. They’ve been a really solid team this season, a point behind the Devils for first in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins are coming off a 4-0 shutout win at home against the Blue Jackets on Saturday to bounce back from getting crushed by them on Friday and have a 9-3-1 record in their last 13 games. The B’s won the first game between these teams 4-1 at home about a week ago. I like the Caps to answer back here and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Maple Leafs vs. Islanders (1:00)
Not a great game here in the East. The Leafs have just one win in their last four games, but have been quite good this season, two points back from the Panthers for the Atlantic Division lead, coming off a 5-2 loss at home to the Capitals on Saturday. The Islanders have been awful all season, just two points ahead of the Rangers at the bottom of the Metro Division. Coming off a 3-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday, they have just two wins in their last six games. One of those wins came in the first meeting between these teams in Toronto, with the Isles winning 6-3 on the road on the 21st. I love the Maple Leafs to answer back here, even with Auston Matthews still out of the lineup. I’ll take Toronto for a unit.
Golden Knights vs. Canadiens (3:00)
Pretty huge cross conference mismatch in this game. The Golden Knights are an elite team this season, my pick to win the Stanley Cup, and currently leading the NHL. Coming off a 3-0 shutout win at home against the Flames on Sunday they are on a six game win streak with just one loss in their last eleven games. They’ve especially been elite at home with a 15-3 record in the Fortress. The Habs are playing good hockey right now with just one loss in their last six games, but they’re a terrible team compared to Vegas, even with how impressive those two big wins in the state of Florida this past weekend were. The Knights won the first game between these teams 6-2 on the road in November and I expect a similar result this afternoon for VGK at home. I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Winter Classic: Blackhawks vs. Blues (5:00)
The NHL takes it outdoors tonight to Wrigley Field in Chicago for one of my favorite yearly traditions that this league puts together for the annual Winter Classic. I kind of hate that they hid it in this huge slate and made it on New Year’s Eve instead of making it the only marquee game on New Year’s Day. That being said, this matchup from a hockey sense blows since both of these teams stink. The Blackhawks, who come into today on a four game losing streak after a 5-1 blowout loss at home against the Stars on Sunday are literally the worst team in the NHL. The Blues aren’t great either, but are far better than Chicago is. They’re coming off a surprising 4-2 loss to the Sabres on Sunday where St. Louis was the far better team, outshooting Buffalo 37-16 but not solving Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. They have just two wins in their last six games. I still like the Blues to win this one outdoors as the Blackhawks have been a complete auto fade. I’ll take St. Louis, who are 2-0 in Winter Classics (while Chicago’s 0-3), not that it means anything, for half a unit. I’d lean the over slightly with the choppier ice in outdoor games, but not enough to bet it.
Stars vs. Sabres (8:00)
Horrible matchup for my Sabres tonight that no one cares about (even in Buffalo). The Stars are a point back from the Avs for third place in the Central Division but should at the least be a Wild Card team this season. They’re coming off a 5-1 win in Chicago on Sunday but haven’t played all that great lately with a 5-5–1 record in their last eleven games. Statistically Dallas has been good on both ends of the ice this year. My Sabres blow. After going on the 13 game losing streak, Buffalo’s now on a three game win streak coming out of it with a 4-2 win that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stole in St. Louis on Sunday. We did win the first game between these teams 4-2 back in October, in a really solid victory for Buffalo. I like the Stars to answer back tonight at home and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the over, but I’m not touching it. I won’t be doing my normal blog recap of this game, I have shit to do tonight, not watch this dumpster fire organization.
Red Wings vs. Penguins (8:00)
Quite the shitty Eastern Conference matchup here. Both of these teams stink. The Red Wings ended a four game losing streak with a kind of surprising 4-2 win at home against the Capitals on Sunday, just their fourth win in their last 14 games. The Penguins had a horrid start to the season, but have played better as of late with a 10-4-1 record in their last 15 games, coming off a 3-2 win at home against the Isles in the second half of a back to back home and home. These teams split their first two games this season, with the Pens winning 6-3 in Detroit in October and the Red Wings answering back with a 3-2 overtime win in Pittsburgh in November. I’d lean the Penguins win the season series here with a win on the road and I’d lean the over, but I’m not touching this game. I’ll lay off it completely.
Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes (8:00)
This is huge mismatch in the Metro Division. The Blue Jackets have been a team of runs this season. At points they look horrible and at other times they look like they’re far exceeding expectations. After they went on a losing run with just one win in nine games, they’ve since gone 3-1-1 in their last five games, coming off a 4-0 shutout loss in Boston on Saturday. The Hurricanes have been solid and should make the playoffs as they have a six point lead over the Pens for third place in the Metro. They’ve been a bit inconsistent as well, with just two wins in their last five games, coming off a 5-2 win in Jersey on Saturday. These teams split their last two games, with Columbus winning 5-4 in a shootout at home in November and the Canes answering back with a 4-1 win at home earlier this month. Carolina’s the way better team here and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I also like the over, but not enough to bet on at 6.5 or buy down to 6 at -140.
Wild vs. Predators (8:00)
This is kind of an interesting Central Division matchup right now despite these teams being on the opposite ends of the standings. The Wild have been very good this season, comfortably in second place in the division, but they’ve struggled a bit as of late, with just two wins in their last seven games (one of which was against the lowly Blackhawks), coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Sens on Sunday. They should get Kirill Kaprizov back in the lineup tonight, giving them a much needed boost. The Predators have easily been the biggest disappointment of the season, but they’re playing their best (which still isn’t great) hockey right now with a 4-3-1 record in their last eight games. They are in the second half of a back to back tonight coming off a 3-0 shutout loss in Winnipeg last night (double winner for me). Minnesota needed overtime but won the first game between these teams 3-2 at the end of November. I like them to win again at home and I’ll take the Wild for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Avalanche vs. Jets (8:00)
Great Central Division matchup here between two of the top three teams in the division. The Avs had a slow start to the season but they’re playing really well right now. Coming off a 4-1 win in Utah on Friday they are on a four game win streak with nine wins in their last twelve games. The Jets have been fantastic this year and come into tonight on a four game win streak as well with a 9-2-1 record in their last twelve. With their 3-0 shutout win at home against the Preds last night (double winner for me), the Jets are back in first overall, jumping Vegas in the standings. The first game between these teams back in November was a grind with the Jets winning a 1-0 shutout at home. With Winnipeg on the road and in the second half of a back to back, I’d lean the Avalanche win this one at home, but I don’t think Colorado’s worth the -185 here. I’d also lean the over, but the best play on this game is none at all. If this wasn’t on New Year’s Eve at 8pm EST, I’d love to watch it.
Ducks vs. Devils (8:00)
This is probably the biggest mismatch on a slate filled with a bunch of them. The Ducks are one of the worst teams in the NHL, but they’re coming off a pretty big shocker of a win on Sunday, beating the Oilers 5-3, and they have four wins in their last seven games. The Devils though have been fantastic on both ends of the ice, leading the Eastern Conference. They’re coming off a 5-2 loss in Carolina in the second half of a back to back home and home on Sunday, ending a three game win streak but have six wins in their last eight games. The Devils won the first game between these teams 6-2 early in the season and I expect a similar result for them on the road here. I’ll take Jersey in regulation for 1.5 units. The total in this one’s a complete crapshoot to me.
Sharks vs. Flyers (8:00)
Horrendous matchup. Easily the worst game on today’s slate. The Sharks are one of the worst teams in the NHL, coming into tonight on a seven game losing streak with just one win in their last eleven games after a 3-1 loss at home to the Flames on Saturday. The Flyers are just marginally better. They’re coming off a 4-3 loss in LA on Sunday and have just two wins in their last seven games. The first game between these teams in Philly in November needed a shootout to determine the winner, with the Flyers winning 4-3 at home. I’d lean Philly wins here on the road, but I’m not touching them at -175. That’s way too rich for a bad team. I do like the over though since neither team can keep the puck out of the back of the net, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Flames vs. Canucks (9:00)
This is such a boring Pacific Division matchup to me. I’m not sold on either of these teams. The Flames aren’t great but coming off a 3-0 shutout loss in Vegas in the second half of a back to back on Sunday, they have a 3-1-2 record in their last six games. They have just five wins in their last 15 games though. The Canucks are likely a Wild Card team in the West. They have just three wins in their last ten games and come off blowing a 4-1 lead with just 4:45 left in regulation to lose 5-4 at home against the Kraken in an embarrassing collapse on Saturday. These teams split their first two games in Vancouver, with the Flames winning 6-5 in overtime on the road in October and the Canucks answering back at home with a 3-1 win in November. I’d slightly lean Vancouver’s the better team here and should win this one on the road, but this game is as close to a coin flip between two mid teams and there’s zero value in betting it. The total is even more of a coin flip, so I’m not touching this game. Who cares.
Oilers vs. Utah HC (9:00)
Lousy Western Conference mismatch to close out the night, especially with Utah in the second half of a back to back tonight. The Oilers have been really solid lately, moving to third place in the Pacific with eleven wins in their last 15 games. They are coming off two back to back losses in California over the weekend, losing 4-3 in OT in LA on Saturday and then 5-3 in Anaheim on Sunday. Utah’s in the second half of a back to back tonight coming off a 4-2 loss in Seattle last night, preventing me from sweeping the board. After a hot run they’re now on a four game losing streak after a pretty hot run. Edmonton won the first game between these teams 4-3 on the road in overtime earlier this season and with Utah in the second half of a back to back, I think the Oil get it done easier tonight. I’ll close out 2024 with 1.5 units on the Oilers in regulation. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet on it.
Game Bets
.5u Capitals ML (-148)
1u Maple Leafs ML (-148)
1u Golden Knights in regulation (-170)
.5u Blues ML (-148)
1u Stars in regulation (-155)
.5u Hurricanes in regulation (-135)
.5u Wild ML (-142)
1.5u Devils in regulation (-170)
.5u Flyers/Sharks over 6 (-122)
1.5u Oilers in regulation (-145)
Futures
2u Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup (+1800)
Record: 251-205-10 (-10.03 units)
Please follow me:
Instagram: @atownszone
Twitter: @atownszone
If you like the site and my work, share it with your friends!
… and tell Dave Portnoy to hire me at Barstool…
A Town's Zone 