After a few nice weeks off for the incredible 4 Nations tournament, the NHL is back today with a fully loaded 13 game slate throughout the day. Let’s come back hot and crush it!
Proceeding with a bit of caution across the board here with teams coming off a long layoff and the high emotion for the players that were just in the 4 Nations, just sticking with half unit bets across the slate.
Red Wings vs. Wild (12:30)
Solid early cross conference game to dive back into the NHL after the 4 Nations. The Red Wings were hot going into the break, with a 6-3 loss to the Lightning ending a seven game win streak, as Detroit’s right back in the Wild Card mix. The Wild are in the third spot in the Central with five wins in their last seven games. I’d slightly lean the Red Wings at home and the under in this game, but I’ll lay off it completely.
Flyers vs. Oilers (1:00)
Huge mismatch for this cross conference game. The Flyers are awful, tied for last place in the Metro with the Penguins, who they beat 3-2 going into the break to end a five game losing streak. The Oilers have been very good, tied with Vegas at the top of the Pacific Division. The first game between these teams was closer than it should’ve back in October, going to OT with the Oilers winning 4-3 at home. With McDavid coming off scoring the golden goal for Canada on Thursday, I expect him and the Oilers to keep rolling here on the road in this matinee, and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Penguins vs. Capitals (3:00)
This rivalry game isn’t great here, with the Capitals being the best team in the Eastern Conference and the Penguins being one of the worst. These teams did split their first two games in Washington, with the Pens winning 4-2 on the road in November and the Caps answering back with a 4-1 win at home. I’ll take Washington here for half an hour unit. I’d lean the over, but I’m not touching it. I considered taking Ovechkin to score, just 16 away from Gretzky’s record, but I’ll skip it coming out of the break.
Sabres vs. Rangers (5:30)
Not the best game in the East, but I could see this being a fun matchup. Both of these teams have been pretty terrible for plenty parts of the season, but they are coming in playing decent. My Sabres headed into the break off a 6-4 loss in Nashville that ended their only four game win streak of the season. The Rangers looked brutal through November and December, but did play pretty well, with three wins in their last four games going into the break, to get back into the Wild Card race. These teams split their first two games, with the Sabres winning a 6-1 blowout on the road in MSG in November and the Rangers answering back with a 3-2 win in Buffalo in December. I’d lean the Rags win this one again, as the far more talented team, but I don’t like it enough to bet on. I do like the over though, which I’ll take the alternate over 6 for half a unit.
Panthers vs. Kraken (6:00)
Huge cross conference matchup here. The first game between these teams in Seattle in December was a lot more of a grind than I expected, with Florida still winning 2-1 on the road in a shootout. The Panthers are the far better team here, my pick to go to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight season. They lead the Atlantic and went into the break with five wins in their last six games. The Kraken on the other hand have been pretty terrible, with just two wins in their last seven, going into the break off a 3-2 overtime win in Calgary. I like Florida to win here at home and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I like the over as well at just 5.5, which I’ll also take for half a unit.
Devils vs. Stars (6:00)
This should be a great game as both of these teams have been very good this year, both in playoff spots with the Devils in third place in the Metro with an eight point lead over the Blue Jackets, and the Stars in second place in the Central, comfortably in a playoff spot, pretty much playing for seeding. I think Dallas is the slightly better team here, but with them on the road off the break, I’ll lay off them. I’d lean the under slightly, but I’ll lay off this one entirely.
Predators vs. Avalanche (6:00)
Huge mismatch in the Central. The Predators blow and they’re the biggest disappointment of the season, having struggled on both ends of the ice after big expectations in the offseason after a solid run to the playoffs last year and the acquisitions of Stamkos and Marchessault. They’ve been bad though, going into the break off a 6-4 win against the Sabres at home that ended a six game losing streak. The Avalanche have been very solid, comfortably in the first Wild Card in the West. They beat the Oilers 5-4 on the road in a fantastic game going into the break, with four wins in their last five games. The home teams have won all three previous games between these teams, with the Preds winning 5-2, Avs answering with a 3-2 overtime win and then a 5-2 win. I like Colorado to win this one again, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Bruins vs. Ducks (7:00)
Pretty terrible cross conference matchup, but I could see this being a pretty solid game. The Bruins haven’t been great, but are still in the Wild Card race in the East. The Ducks have been horrible on the year, but have were pretty hot going into the break, with six wins in their last seven games. Boston’s the better team here and should definitely win at home coming out of the break, but I think the -195 is way too expensive, especially with Charlie McAvoy out. I’d lean the under, but I’m not touching this game.
Maple Leafs vs. Hurricanes (7:00)
Great Eastern Conference matchup here. The Leafs have been good this season, with a two point lead over Tampa for second place in the Atlantic Division. They had a three game won streak come to an end with a 2-1 loss in Vancouver to go into the break, but have been pretty inconsistent lately, with six wins in their last 13 games. Auston Matthews was a disappointment in the 4 Nations, with no goals and a poor defensive effort on McDavid to give up the tournament winning goal in OT on Thursday. The Hurricanes are two points ahead of Jersey for second place in the Metro. They went into the break with a dominant 7-3 win at home against Utah to end a three game losing streak. I’d slightly lean Carolina and the under here, but this game is too close for me to bet on. I’ll lay off it completely.
Senators vs. Canadiens (7:00)
This should be a pretty good Atlantic Division matchup up in Canada. The Senators went into the break on a three game losing streak in the state of Florida after a five game win streak, but currently are in the first Wild Card spot in the East. The Habs, after being hot for a while, were horrible to go into the break, on a three game losing streak with only one win (which was against the lowly Sharks) in their last nine games. Montreal won the first game between these teams 4-1 at home in the first week of the season. I like Ottawa to answer back here and I’ll take the Sens of half a unit. I like the over at 5.5 too, which I’ll also take for half a unit.
Blue Jackets vs. Blackhawks (7:00)
Pretty terrible matchup. The Blue Jackets have far exceeded expectations this season. I thought they’d be one of the worst teams in the league, but they’re actually in the Eastern Conference Wild Card mix. They did go into the break on a four game losing streak, but they just activated their two best players off IR, Kirill Marchenko, and their captain Boone Jenner, who will play for the first time this season tonight. The Blackhawks are one of the worst two teams in the league and have just five wins in their last 22 games. I like Columbus to win here and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Blues vs. Jets (7:00)
I don’t think this Central Division matchup is great. The Blues have struggled this year, going into the break off a 6-5 shootout win against the lowly Blackhawks with just two wins in their last eight games. The Jets on the other hand have been the best team in the West all season, going into the break on an impressive eight game win streak. These teams split their first two games, each winning on the road, a 3-2 Jets win in October followed by a 4-1 win for St. Louis in December. I like Winnipeg to get the win here, even on the road with Comrie starting as Hellebuyck comes off the 4 Nations, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over slightly, but didn’t even consider betting it.
Kings vs. Utah HC (9:00)
Not the best Western Conference matchup by any means. The Kings are a solid team, although I think they get bounced pretty quick in the first round regardless of if they face Edmonton or Vegas. They’re in third place in the Pacific, with a three game win streak ending on a 2-1 shootout loss at home to the Ducks. Utah isn’t great, but they beat the Capitals in a shootout to go into the break and have three wins in their last four games. LA won the first game between these teams 3-2 at home and I think they win this one again at home, but the price is slightly too inflated for me at -170. The total’s a toss up to me, so I’ll lay off this matchup.
Golden Knights vs. Canucks (10:00)
Fun Pacific Division game to end the night. The Golden Knights are still my pick to win the Cup. They had been struggling before going into the break, but did end it with two big wins on the road in a row against the Bruins and Devils. The Canucks have been very inconsistent, looking horrendous at plenty of points this season. They did go into the break though on a three game win streak after a 2-1 win against the Leafs at home. The Knights won the first game between these teams 3-1 at home in December and I expect a pretty similar result. I like Vegas to win at home and I’ll take my VGK for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Game Bets
.5u Oilers in regulation (-110)
.5u Capitals ML (-155)
.5u Rangers/Sabres over 6 (-118)
.5u Panthers in regulation (-150)
.5u Panthers/Kraken over 5.5 (-125)
.5u Avalanche ML (-135)
.5u Senators ML (-155)
.5u Senators/Canadiens over 5.5 (-122)
.5u Blue Jackets ML (-175)
.5u Jets ML (-125)
.5u Golden Knights in regulation (-135)
Futures
2u Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup (+1800)
Record: 381-352-13 (-53.32 units)
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