I swept the board on the NHL yesterday, going a perfect 8-0 to win 6 units, my fifth winning day in a row. Let’s make it six and crush today’s eight game slate with a lot of bad mismatches!
Panthers vs. Canadiens (1:00)
This isn’t a great Atlantic Division matchup to get today’s slate started out, quite the mismatch. Brad Marchand picked up the assist on Sam Bennett’s game winner in his Panthers debut on Friday night, in a 2-1 overtime win for Florida, their third win in their last four games, all needing OT. Florida is tied at second in the division with the Lightning, and just a point behind the Leafs. Montreal’s struggling right now, on a five game losing streak, coming off a 4-1 loss in Carolina on Friday. They’re now two points back from the Rangers, on the outside looking in on the second Wild Card spot in the East. The Habs surprisingly won both previous games between these teams, with a 4-0 win on the road in December and a 3-1 win at home a couple weeks ago. I like the Panthers to get the win here at home and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Capitals vs. Sabres (3:00)
Huge mismatch in the East between the best and worst team in the conference. The Capitals have been fantastic this year, easily leading the Eastern Conference and in a race with the Jets for the President’s Trophy. They do come into tonight off two losses in a row though after a 4-2 loss in Minnesota on Thursday night, but still have a 9-2-1 record in their last twelve games. My Sabres are a pathetic team and in the second half of a back to back today, coming off a 7-4 loss in Philly yesterday that ended a three game win streak, staying at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. These teams split their first two games with the Caps winning 4-2 at home in December and Buffalo answering back with a 4-3 shootout win at home in January. I fully expect an easy win for Washington here at home today and I’ll take them in regulation, laying the -180 for a unit. I like the over too, which I’ll take for a unit at 6 for a unit. Alex Ovechkin is just six goals away from Gretzky’s record and I feel like he should be able to score at least once today. I’ll take his anytime goal for half a unit.
Jets vs. Canucks (3:00)
Pretty big mismatch out West. The Jets lead the Western Conference, four points ahead of the Stars and in a race with the Caps for the President’s Trophy. Coming off a 4-0 shutout win against the Devils on Friday, they have eight wins in their last eleven games. The Canucks have a 5-2-2 record in their last nine games, coming off a 7-6 shootout loss in Columbus on Friday, still six points back from the Oilers, Wild, and Blues for a playoff spot. These teams split their first two games, both winning blowouts at home with a 6-1 Jets win in January and a 6-2 Canucks win a few weeks ago. Winnipeg’s the far better team here and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not quite enough to bet it.
Blackhawks vs. Utah HC (4:00)
Horrible game here in the Central Division. The Blackhawks are one of the worst teams in the NHL. On Friday night they blew a 3-2 lead in the third period to lose 5-3 to the Golden Knights (nice win on the Vegas puck line for me), and they have just one win in their last ten games. Utah’s on a three game losing streak after a bit of a hot run, coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to the Panthers on the road on Friday night. They’re 2-0-1 against Chicago this season, winning 5-2 at home on the opening night of the season, 2-1 at home in February, then losing 4-3 on the road earlier this month. I like Utah to bounce back here on the road with the Blackhawks pretty much being an auto-fade for me, and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Penguins vs. Senators (5:00)
This Eastern Conference matchup isn’t great. The Penguins have struggled all season, and have continued to, tied with the Flyers at the bottom of the Metro Division. They’re on a three game losing streak, coming off a 7-3 loss in Buffalo on Thursday night. The Senators have played solid hockey, holding the first Wild Card spot in the East, six points ahead of the Rangers. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off grinding out a 3-2 win at home against the Blue Jackets last night (win for me) and have nine wins in their last twelve games. Ottawa won both prior games between these teams, 3-2 in overtime at home in December and then a 5-0 shutout on the road in January. I like the Sens to complete the season sweep on the road, even in the second half of a back to back. I’ll take Ottawa for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Hurricanes vs. Islanders (5:00)
Pretty big mismatch in the Metro. The Hurricanes are pretty much locked into second place in the division and I think they make pretty easy work of the Devils in the first round. Coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Habs on Friday, they’ve won ten of their last twelve games. The Islanders have struggled, on a four game losing streak, three points back from the Rangers for the second Wild Card in the East, and are in the second half of a back to back tonight. Yesterday after being down 4-0 in the third period, the Isles comeback attempt fell short as they scored three straight to make it a 4-3 game before the Lightning capped it off with an empty netter for a 5-3 New York loss. Surprisingly the Canes are just 1-1-1 against the Isles this year, losing 4-3 on the road in December, answering later in December with a 4-0 shutout at home, then losing 3-2 on the road in January. I like Carolina to tie up the season series at home tonight, and I’ll lay the -190 on them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but don’t like it enough to take it.
Ducks vs. Maple Leafs (8:00)
On paper this cross conference game is a pretty big mismatch, but I wouldn’t be shocked if it ends up being a closer game than expected. The Ducks haven’t been great this season, but they have three wins in their last four games, coming off a 5-4 overtime win at home against the Rangers on Friday. The Leafs, coming off a 3-1 win in LA last night have a point lead over Florida and Tampa in the tight race between those teams at the top of the Atlantic Division. They have a 5-1-1 record in their last seven games. Toronto won the first game between these teams 3-2 at home in December, and even in the second half of a back to back, I like them to win again. I’ll take the Leafs for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but I don’t think its worth betting at 6.5.
Kings vs. Sharks (10:00)
On a slate with a bunch of mismatches in almost every game, this night cap is by far the biggest of them between these California teams. The Kings are tied with the Oilers for home ice in the first round, and after a stretch of nine wins in ten games, they’ve since lost their last two games. They’re in the second half of a back to back today, coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Leafs yesterday after getting shut out 4-0 in Colorado on Thursday. The Sharks are in the second half of a back to back as well, and one of the worst teams in the NHL. They got pounded losing 6-1 at home to the Rangers yesterday after getting two wins in a row prior to that. Shockingly San Jose won two of the three prior games between these teams, with the Kings winning 3-2 at home in October, then the Sharks winning 4-2 at home a week later, and 7-2 in November. I love LA here, but the moneyline being -360 is obviously way too expensive. I’ll take their puck line for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but I’m not touching it at 5.5.
Game Bets
.5u Panthers in regulation (-175)
1u Capitals in regulation (-180)
1u Capitals/Sabres over 6 (-129)
.5u Alex Ovechkin anytime goal (-108)
.5u Jets in regulation (-140)
.5u Utah in regulation (-125)
.5u Senators ML (-135)
.5u Hurricanes in regulation (-190)
.5u Maple Leafs ML (-175)
.5u Kings -1.5 (-125)
Futures
2u Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup (+1800)
Record: 511-441-13 (-42.82 units)
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