Won my only bet last night on the NHL pretty easily with a unit on yesterday’s over. Tonight we have another big eleven game slate, let’s make it three winning nights in a row!
Bruins vs. Sabres (7:00)
I don’t think this is a great matchup in the Atlantic. The Bruins started the year hot but cooled back off to expectations of being a terrible team. Coming off a 5-2 win at home against the Islanders on Tuesday, they’re now 5-7 on the season. My Sabres have been playing pretty decent hockey lately. We’re coming off two 4-3 overtime losses on Tuesday at home against Columbus and Saturday against the Leafs, dropping to 4-4-2, both games I thought we played pretty well in. Boston won the first game between these teams 3-1 in the first week of the season. I’m going to be a bit of a homer here, but I like my Sabres to win on the road…and for the first time this season I’ll take my Buffalo Sabres for half a unit. I like the over even better though, which I’ll take at 6 to get the push insurance for a unit.
Senators vs. Flames (7:00)
Pretty lousy cross conference matchup here. I thought the Senators would be pretty good this year, but after the Brady Tkachuk injury they really struggled. They’re coming off a 7-3 loss in Chicago in the second half a back to back on Tuesday that ended a three game winning streak for them and are now 5-5-1 on the year, playing better hockey. The Flames, coming off a 4-3 loss on a late goal in Toronto on Tuesday (great game), are brutal. I think they’re one of the worst teams in the league. I like the Sens to win here at home and bounce back, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but don’t trust Calgary to score, so I’ll stay off it.
Lightning vs. Stars (7:00)
Pretty solid cross conference matchup with the Lightning finally playing well now after their horrendous start to the season. Tampa’s on a three game win streak coming into tonight off a 5-2 win in Nashville on Tuesday to improve to 4-4-2. The Stars have played pretty well all season, with a 6-3-1 record and are on a three game win streak now following a 1-0 shutout against the Caps at home on Thursday. I’d lean Dallas wins this one on the road, and I’d slightly lean the under, but the right move on this game is staying off it completely.
Flyers vs. Predators (7:00)
Not a good cross conference game in the slightest. The Flyers haven’t been too bad, playing great defense much struggling a bit offensively. They have four wins in their last five games, coming off two shootout wins, beating the Penguins 3-2 on Tuesday. The Predators have looked just as shitty this year as last season, looking like it’s gonna be another disappointing year for them. They come into tonight off a 5-2 loss at home to the Lightning on Tuesday, dropping to 4-5-2 on the season. I’d lean Philly wins at home, but not enough to bet them at -155. The total’s pretty much a toss up to me so I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Hurricanes vs. Islanders (7:30)
This is a pretty big mismatch in the Metro. The Hurricanes have just one win in their last four games, coming off a 6-3 loss at home to the Golden Knights on Thursday. I still think they’re an elite team though. The Islanders are 4-4-1, playing slightly better than I thought they would, but they’re still not a great team. I like the Canes to bounce back here at home, and I’ll take Carolina in regulation for half a unit. I like the over too, which I’ll take at 6 for half a unit as well.
Blues vs. Canucks (8:00)
This game isn’t great out West, with both teams struggling quite a bit right now. The Blues are coming off a 5-2 loss at home to the Red Wings on Tuesday for their fifth straight loss, dropping to 3-6-1 on the season, and struggling on both ends of the ice, especially defensively. The Canucks aren’t much better. They just got shut out 2-0 at home by the Rangers for their fourth loss in their last five games, dropping to 5-6 on the year. St. Louis won the first game between these teams 5-2 in Vancouver in the first week of the season. I still think the Blues are the slightly better team here but not a chance in hell I’m betting that. I do like the over though at 5.5, and think that’s worth a shot for half a unit.
Wild vs. Penguins (8:00)
Not the most exciting cross conference matchup in this one. The Wild are struggling big time, which is disappointing since I thought they’d be a pretty decent team this year. They’re on a four game losing streak, dropping to 3-5-3 on the season, coming off two overtime losses at home, to the Jets on Tuesday and to the Sharks on Sunday. The Penguins have far exceeded my expectations, playing great hockey to start the year 7-2-2. Coming off a 3-2 shootout loss in Philly on Thursday to start the Frozen Frenzy, they’re on a seven game point streak. I like the Pens to bounce back here and I’ll take Pittsburgh for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet on.
Jets vs. Blackhawks (8:00)
Going into the season I would have though this was a horrendous game, but the Blackhawks have surprised me quite a bit and have been playing quite well. Coming off a 7-3 win at home against Ottawa on Tuesday, they have three wins in their last four games improving to 5-3-2 on the year. The Jets have been pretty solid at 7-3. They needed overtime but beat the Wild 4-3 on the road on Tuesday. Winnipeg’s the better team here and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the under very slightly but I’m not touching it.
Oilers vs. Rangers (9:00)
This isn’t a good cross conference game by any means. The Oilers aren’t playing great with just a 5-4-2 start to the year, coming off a solid 6-3 win at home against Utah on Tuesday. The Rangers have been horrible, coming off a 2-0 shutout win in Vancouver to end a three game losing streak. They’re just 4-5-2 on the season, but have played better on the road where they’re 4-1-1. I don’t really trust either of these teams, with bad offense for the Rangers and bad defense for the Oilers. The Oilers shut out the Rangers 2-0 in MSG the first time they played. I think Edmonton wins this one at home, and considered taking them at -165, but I can’t trust these teams to bet it. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet on it. I’ll lay off this one.
Sharks vs. Devils (10:00)
By far the biggest mismatch on the slate here. The Sharks have two wins in their last four games, coming off a 4-3 loss at home to the Kings on Tuesday. They’re one of the worst teams in the league with a 2-6-2 record. The Devils have been fantastic, with an 8-2 record on the year. They had an eight game win streak come to an end on Tuesday, losing 8-4 in Colorado in the second half of a home and home. When they were down 5-0 in the second period, the Devils scored four goals in four minutes to make it a game before the Avs took back over. I love Jersey to bounce back here and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I also love the over on this one, which I’ll take for a unit as well.
Kings vs. Red Wings (10:30)
Fun cross conference game to end the night with both of these teams playing pretty inconsistent hockey, but playing well recently. The Kings started the season pretty terrible, but have turned it around, improving to 5-3-3 on the year, on a six game point streak with four wins in their last five games, coming off a 4-3 win in San Jose on Tuesday. The Red Wings have been good to start the year as well, improving to 7-3 after home and home wins against the Blues. They haven’t been great defensively but their offense is electric. The side on it’s a toss up for me, but I like the over at 5.5, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Bets
.5u Sabres ML (-118)
1u Sabres/Bruins over 6 (-136)
.5u Senators ML (-175)
.5u Hurricanes in regulation (-150)
.5u Hurricanes/Islanders over 6 (-132)
.5u Blues/Canucks over 5.5 (-130)
.5u Penguins ML (+145)
.5u Jets in regulation (-150)
1u Devils in regulation (-145)
1u Devils/Sharks over 6.5 (-110)
.5u Kings/Red Wings over 5.5 (-125)
Record: 58-50 (-9.66 units)
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A Town's Zone 