Completely broke even, going 2-2 on yesterday’s NHL slate, which is fine. Free entertainment. Tonight we have a solid eleven game slate, let’s win!
Bruins vs. Panthers (7:00)
This Atlantic Division game is a huge mismatch. After the trade deadline and Boston sending Brad Marchand to the Panthers, me and the rest of the hockey world couldn’t wait for his return here…unfortunately though, Marchy’s out injured for a couple weeks, so he’s not playing against his former team. The Bruins dismantled the whole team on Friday, in the midst of a terrible season. They ended a three game losing streak on Saturday with a 4-0 shutout win in Tampa, in a game where I thought the Lightning were the far better team. That was just Boston’s second win in their last ten games. The Panthers on the other hand have been on fire, and I’d say after the deadline, they’re the favorite to come out of the East for the third straight season. Coming off a 4-0 shutout win against my Sabres on Saturday, they’re on a six game win streak with just two losses in their last 13 games. Florida’s 2-0-1 against the B’s this year, winning 6-4 at home, 4-3 on the road, and losing 4-3 in overtime at home. I like the Panthers to win again here and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Devils vs. Blue Jackets (7:00)
This should be a pretty good game between the two teams currently battling for the third spot in the Metro and one of the Wild Card spots in the tight battle in the East. The Devils have been on a downward spiral, now just four points ahead of Columbus and without Jack Hughes for the rest of the year. They just ended a three game losing streak on Sunday with a 3-1 win in Philly, but have definitely struggled, even before the Hughes injury, with just ten wins in their last 27 games. The Blue Jackets have been the biggest positive surprise of this season, currently holding the first Wild Card spot in the East. Coming off a big 7-3 win in MSG against the Rangers on Sunday, they have five wins in their last seven games. Columbus won the first game between these teams 4-2 at home in December. I’d slightly lean they win again here on the road, although they’re much better at home than on the road this season, but definitely not enough to bet it. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet that either, so I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Flyers vs. Senators (7:00)
Not a great game here in the East. The Flyers have been terrible, and come into tonight on a four game losing streak after a 3-1 loss at home to the Devils on Sunday. The Senators are on a hot run right now, on a five game point streak with a 4 wins in that span. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 2-1 win at home against the Red Wings on Dylan Cozens’ game winner on the power play with 5:04 left in the game, which Ottawa got outshot 49-23, staying in the game on an incredible night in goal from Linus Ullmark. The first game between these teams in Ottawa back in November went to overtime, with the Flyers winning 5-4 on the road. I’d lean the Sens win this one, as they’re definitely the better team, but in the second half of a back to back, I’ll stay off it. The total’s pretty much a toss up to me, so I’ll stay off this game completely.
Penguins vs. Golden Knights (7:00)
Huge mismatch for this cross conference game. The Penguins have been awful this season, in last place in the Metro Division. They ended a four game losing streak on Sunday with a 3-1 win in Minnesota, just their second win in their last ten games, really struggling on both ends of the ice. The Golden Knights have been fantastic, with a four point lead over Edmonton for first place in the Pacific. They’re my pick to win the Cup and had a four game win streak come to an end on Sunday, losing 6-5 at home to the Kings in a crazy game, where they came close to erasing 3-0 and 5-2 deficits, but falling short. That was just their second loss in their last nine games, both losses to the Kings. Vegas won the first game between these teams with a 4-0 shutout win at home on Friday. I expect a similar bounce back win here for my Knights and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but didn’t even consider betting it.
Hurricanes vs. Lightning (7:30)
Great game here between two playoff teams in the East, both coming in hot. The Hurricanes are on a four game win streak, coming off a 4-2 win against the Jets on Sunday night, which completely fucked me on my under in a game they were leading 3-0 with less than 3 minutes to go. Regardless, Carolina’s in great shape right now, comfortably in second place in the Metro, where they should stay till the end of the year. Tampa’s played great hockey lately, three points back from Toronto. They’re coming off a surprising 4-0 shutout loss at home to the Bruins on Saturday (which ruined a great night for me), in a game that I thought they were the way better team in and just couldn’t get the puck in the back of the net. That was just their second loss in their last twelve games. The Lightning won both previous games between these teams, winning 4-1 on the road in the first week of the season and then 3-2 at home in January. I’d lean the Bolts bounce back with a win here to complete the season sweep, and I’d slightly lean the under, but the best play on this game is laying off it completely.
Wild vs. Avalanche (8:00)
Big matchup here in the Central for the two teams fighting for the third spot in the Central and the first Wild Card in the West. The Wild have struggled lately, dealing with a ton of injuries. Coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Penguins on Sunday, they have just two wins in their last seven games. The Avs are in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 3-0 shutout win at home against the Blackhawks, where they had a slow start, not scoring until the third period. That extended Colorado’s win streak to six in a row, with ten wins in their last 13 games. The Avalanche are 2-1 this season against Minnesota, winning 6-1 on the road, losing 3-1 at home, then winning 5-2 at home. I like the Avs to win here again on the road, even in the second half of a back to back, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under slightly, but definitely wouldn’t bet it.
Jets vs. Rangers (8:00)
Not the best cross conference matchup with these teams separated by 24 points in the standings, but I do think it’s an interesting game. The Jets lead the Western Conference, but come into tonight with just two wins in their last six games, coming off a 4-2 loss in Carolina on Sunday that I couldn’t believe didn’t hit the under, with three goals in the last three minutes. The Rangers got hot to get back in the Wild Card mix, but are coming into tonight off three straight losses after getting smoked 7-3 at home by the Blue Jackets on Sunday. Winnipeg won the first game between these teams 6-3 on the road in November, and I like them to win again here at home. I’ll take the Jets for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Canucks vs. Canadiens (10:00)
This cross conference Canadien matchup isn’t great, but this should be a pretty good, competitive game. The Canucks are a point back from the Flames for the second Wild Card in the West and have struggled this season. They’re coming off a 4-1 loss at home to the Stars on Sunday and have three wins in their last eight games. The Habs were hot for a while, getting to within five points of the second Wild Card in the East. Coming off a 1-0 shutout loss in Calgary on Saturday that ended a six game point streak, they’ve lost their last two in a row, with a 5-1-1 record in their last seven games. The first game between these teams went to overtime with the Habs winning 5-4 in OT at home in January. I’d give a slight edge to Vancouver here at home and would lean the over, but the best play on this game is nothing at all.
Ducks vs. Capitals (10:00)
Pretty big mismatch in this cross conference game. The Ducks have improved and went on a hot run in January and February, but they’ve since cooled down, with just three wins in their last eight games, coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Isles on Sunday. The Capitals on the other hand are the best team in the East, and Alex Ovechkin is now just single digits away from Gretzky. Coming off a 4-2 win at home against the Kraken on Sunday afternoon where Connor McMichael scored the game winner with 4:16 left in regulation and Ovi capped it off with a sick backhand empty net goal to get to 9 away from the record, Washington’s on a four game win streak. I like the Caps to win again here on the road for a unit. I’ll also go back to Ovi anytime goal for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not quite enough to bet.
Kings vs. Islanders (10:30)
Such a boring matchup. The Kings are pretty comfortably in third place in the Pacific Division, now three points away from the Oilers for home ice in the first round. They’ve won their last two games in a row after a five game losing streak, coming off a 6-5 win in Vegas on Sunday in a crazy game that they almost blew a 3-0 and 5-2 lead. They held on though for the big win. The Isles have struggled all season, but are definitely playing better lately with four wins in their last six games, coming off a 4-1 loss in Anaheim on Sunday. LA won the first game between these teams 3-1 on the road in December. I’d lean they win again here, but the price on it at -190 I think is too expensive, so I’ll stay off it. I do love the under here though, with two offenses that can’t score and two solid defenses. I’ll take the under for half a unit.
Sharks vs. Predators (10:30)
Horrible matchup in the West to end the night. Both of these teams blow. The Sharks (along with the Blackhawks) are the worst team in the NHL. They’re coming off a 4-2 loss at home to the Islanders on Saturday and have just three wins in their last 19 games. The Predators are the biggest disappointment there’s been this season, but they do come into tonight on a three game win streak after a 3-2 overtime win at home against the Blackhawks on Saturday. Nashville won the first two games in January between these teams, 7-5 at home and then 6-5 on the road. I like them to complete the season sweep, with San Jose still being a complete auto-fade for me. I’ll take Smashville for half a unit. I also like the over, which I’ll take for half a unit as well.
Game Bets
1u Panthers in regulation (-125)
1u Golden Knights in regulation (-120)
.5u Avalanche ML (-155)
.5u Jets ML (-192)
1u Capitals ML (-192)
.5u Alex Ovechkin anytime goal (+110)
.5u Kings/Islanders under 5.5 (-120)
.5u Predators ML (-166)
.5u Predators/Sharks over 6.5 (-102)
Futures
2u Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup (+1800)
Record: 443-404-13 (-53.3 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 