My four night win streak on the NHL ended last night, going 1-1 to lose 0.56 units. Not a huge loss. Today we have a huge 13 game slate, let’s bounce right back!
Bruins vs. Hurricanes (1:00)
Big mismatch to start the day. The Bruins have three wins in their last four games, beating my Sabres 4-3 in overtime at home, in a game that I thought Boston was clearly the worse team, but they capitalized on mistakes from Buffalo and got the win. That improves the Bruins to 6-7 on the year, exceeding my expectations for them to be in the basement of the standings all year. The Hurricanes bounced back on Thursday from two losses in a row with a dominant 6-2 win at home against the Islanders, improving to 7-3 on the year. The Canes should win this game easily on the road and I’m going to lay the -195 on them here for a unit. I also like the over, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Jets vs. Penguins (3:00)
Pretty solid cross conference matchup for this matinee. The Jets are playing great, improving to 8-3 on the year, coming off a 6-3 win at home against the Blackhawks on Thursday. The Pens have far exceeded my expectations to start the year, coming off a 4-1 win in Minnesota to extend their point streak to eight games in a row, with an 8-2-2 record on the season to lead the Metro. I’d lean Winnipeg wins this one at home, but not enough to bet it at -175. The total’s a toss up for me, so I’ll lay off this game completely.
Predators vs. Flames (3:30)
This Western Conference matchup is horrible. The Predators are on a three game losing streak coming off a 4-1 loss in Philly on Thursday, and are just 4-6-2 on the year, not playing great on either end of the ice. Calgary’s the worst team in the league, with a 2-8-2 record and playing awful on both ends of the ice. They’re coming off a 4-3 shootout loss in Ottawa on Thursday and have just one win in their last eleven games. Nashville should win this game, but I don’t trust them enough to bet it. The total’s a toss up with two bad offenses and two bad defenses, so who knows how this game plays out. I’m not touching it.
Sharks vs. Avalanche (4:00)
Huge mismatch in the Western Conference. The Sharks shocked me on Thursday, blowing out the Devils 5-2 at home for their third win in their last five games to improve to 3-6-2 on the year. Their young offense has been a ton of fun to watch, but they have the worst defense in the NHL. The Avalanche are in the second half of a back to back, coming off a 4-2 win in Vegas yesterday afternoon for their second win in a row after a three game losing streak. This team’s absolutely a Cup contender coming into today with a 7-1-4 record and playing great on both ends of the ice. This should be an easy win for the Avs and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit, even in the second half of a back to back. Over’s have been easy money in Sharks games this year, and I’ll go right back to that for a unit as well.
Panthers vs. Stars (6:00)
This is a pretty interesting cross conference matchup. The Panthers are still struggling with injuries and the back to back Cup champs are just 5-5-1 on the year, coming off a 3-2 shootout loss at home to the Ducks on Tuesday night. The Stars have been a bit inconsistent, starting the season 6-3-2, having a three game win streak come to an end on Thursday with a 2-1 overtime loss in Tampa, but are on a five game point streak. I like Dallas to win this one on the road today and I’ll take them as a dog for half a unit. I like the under as well, which I’ll take at the alternate line of 6 for half a unit too.
Sabres vs. Capitals (7:00)
Kind of a fun game in the East here. I’m still not convinced my Sabres are a good team, but they’re definitely showing fight and playing better than I expected us to. Despite me still not thinking we’re a playoff team, they’re playing fun hockey. We’re on a three game losing streak of 4-3 overtime losses, playing good but not finding ways to win, coming off being the better team but making sloppy mistakes to lose in Boston on Thursday. The Capitals are on the second half of a back to back, ending my four day win streak with a 3-1 loss at home to the Islanders last night, for their third straight loss, dropping to 6-5 on the year. Washington’s been good defensively, but they’re struggling offensively. I like the Caps to bounce back here and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to touch the total.
Canadiens vs. Senators (7:00)
This should be a fun game in the Atlantic Division with both of these teams playing well lately. The Habs are coming off a 4-3 overtime win in Seattle on Thursday and have been electric to watch this season, leading the division with an 8-3 record. The Senators struggled after the Brady Tkachuk injury, but have played much better lately, especially offensively despite their defensive struggles, with four wins in their last five games to improve to 6-5-1, coming off a 4-3 shootout win at home against the Flames on Thursday. I like Montreal to win here at home, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I also like the over, which I’ll take at 6 for half a unit.
Flyers vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
I don’t think this Eastern Conference matchup is all that great. The Flyers haven’t been good offensively but have been very good on the back end, with five wins in their last six games, now on a three game win streak coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Predators on Thursday. The Leafs have been the opposite, playing great offensively, but horrible defensively. Typical for Toronto. They’re 5-5-1 on the season, still looking for their first road win, coming off a 6-3 loss in Columbus on Wednesday. I like the Leafs to win here as just the way more talented team, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to touch it.
Blue Jackets vs. Blues (7:00)
This should be a fun cross conference game despite it not being a great matchup. The Blue Jackets play fun hockey with a 6-4 record, coming into tonight on a three game win streak after a 6-3 win at home against the Leafs on Wednesday. The Blues have been awful with one of the worst defenses in the league, on a six game losing streak off a 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Canucks on Thursday. I like Columbus to win here at home and I’ll take them for half a unit along with half a unit on the over.
Wild vs. Canucks (7:00)
Lousy matchup in the West. The Wild have been very disappointing this year in their 3-6-3 start. Coming off a 4-1 loss at home to the Penguins on Thursday, they’re on a five game losing streak with just one win in their last nine games. The Canucks have been inconsistent, and I don’t think they’re great. Coming off a 4-3 shootout win in St. Louis on Thursday, they have just two wins in their last six games with a 6-6 record on the season. I’d slightly lean Vancouver wins here on the road, but I don’t think Minnesota is quite as bad as their record shows, so the best play on this game is nothing at all. The total’s a toss up to me, so I’m staying off this game completely.
Kings vs. Devils (9:00)
Should be a pretty fun game here for this cross conference matchup. The Kings are on a six game point streak with four wins in their last six games, improving to 5-3-4 on the season after their terrible start. They’re coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Red Wings in a crazy game on Thursday, getting screwed twice on goal reviews getting taken off the board, including in overtime after Corey Perry scored twice in the last 2:13 of regulation to force OT. The Devils have been a lot of fun, and solid to watch in their 8-3 start to the season, but come into tonight off two losses in a row, shockingly losing 5-2 in San Jose on Thursday after an 8-4 loss in Colorado on Tuesday. I’d lean Jersey wins here on the road, but don’t like it enough to bet on. I’d also lean the over with it just at 5.5, but not quite enough to bet it. I’ll lay off this game, but it’ll be interesting to see play out.
Oilers vs. Blackhawks (10:00)
This game isn’t all that great and should be a big mismatch but we’ll see how it plays out with the way these teams have played to start the season. The Oilers blew a 3-1 third period lead to lose 4-3 at home to the Rangers on Thursday, and have just one win in their last four games to drop to 5-4-3 on the year. The Blackhawks have exceeded my expectations on both ends of the ice in their 5-4-2 start to the season, coming off a 6-3 loss in Winnipeg on Thursday night. Edmonton should win this game at home, but they’re playing way worse than they should be for the -290 price, making me see a ton of value in the Blackhawks here. I’ll take Chicago for half a unit each on the puck line at +1.5 and the money line. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Kraken vs. Rangers (10:00)
Boring cross conference matchup to end the night. The Kraken are 5-2-3 on the year and have been a mixed bag, coming off a 4-3 overtime loss at home to the Kraken. The Rangers are coming off a two wins in a row, erasing a 3-1 third period deficit to beat the Oilers 4-3 in OT on JT Miller’s game winner on Thursday night, improving to 5-5-2 on the year after their horrendous start. I don’t think either of these teams are good, making the side pretty much a toss up since I think the Rangers are the slightly better team but Seattle’s at home, where they’re 3-0-1. I’d lean the under, with two bad offenses but two solid defenses, but I’m not touching this game.
Bets
1u Hurricanes ML (-195)
.5u Hurricanes/Bruins over 6.5 (-110)
1u Avalanche in regulation (-150)
1u Avalanche/Sharks over 6.5 (-110)
.5u Stars ML (+110)
.5u Panthers/Stars under 6 (-125)
.5u Capitals ML (+100)
.5u Canadiens ML (-120)
.5u Canadiens/Senators over 6 (-129)
.5u Maple Leafs ML (-125)
.5u Blue Jackets ML (-148)
.5u Blue Jackets/Blues over 6.5 (-105)
.5u Blackhawks +1.5 (-105)
.5u Blackhawks ML (+235)
Record: 68-53 (-6.54 units)
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