Won a dollar yesterday going 1-1, breaking even on the small slate. Today we have a huge 13 game slate, let’s crush this loaded day of NHL games!
Devils vs. Penguins (12:30)
Fun game at the top of the Metro Division to start off the day. The Devils are 10-4 on the season, coming off a 4-3 overtime win at home against the Habs on Thursday night. The Penguins have far exceeded my expectations going into the year, and they’re 9-4-2, coming off a 5-3 win on Thursday at home against the Capitals. I think the Devils are still the better team, and I’d lean they win, but they shouldn’t be as pricey as -195, which makes me see value on Pittsburgh, but I’ll lay off the side here. I’d lean the over as well, but not enough to bet that either at 6.5, so I’ll stay off this game completely.
Flyers vs. Senators (1:00)
Kind of an interesting, yet kind of lousy game in the East for this matinee. The Flyers are playing much better defensively this year that I thought they would and with that are 8-5-1 on the year, coming off two wins in a row, beating the Preds 3-1 on the road on Thursday after a 5-4 shootout win in Montreal on Tuesday. The Senators have been inconsistent as they struggle with injuries. They’re 6-5-3, on a three game point streak coming off overtime losses against the Bruins and Habs. These teams play opposite styles of hockey with great defense and horrible offense for Philly and a great offense but horrible defense for the Sens. I’d slightly lean Ottawa should win on the road here as they won 2-1 at home in the first game between these teams a few weeks ago, but I’m not touching this game. I’d slightly lean the over, but that’s too much of a toss up to break.
Predators vs. Stars (3:30)
Pretty big mismatch in the Central here, but both of these teams haven’t played great lately, making this game a bit interesting for a matinee. The Predators are on a three game losing streak to drop to 5-7-4 on the season, coming off a 3-1 loss at home against Philly on Thursday. The Stars are coming off a 7-5 loss at home to the Ducks on Thursday, their first regulation loss in their last eight games and have just one win in their last four games, but I still think they’re a good team at 7-4-3 on the season. Dallas won the first game between these teams 3-2 on the road a couple weeks ago, and I like them to win again on the road today. I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Hurricanes vs. Sabres (7:00)
Huge mismatching the East. The Hurricanes are fantastic on both ends of the ice, with a 9-4 record going into tonight, with three wins in their last four games coming off a 4-3 win at home against the Wild on Thursday. My Sabres have been horrible, sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They had a seven game point streak come to an end on Thursday in a pathetic 3-0 loss at home to the Blues. This team isn’t good. I don’t care that they keep going to overtime, they’re still not winning. Carolina should smoke us tonight and I’ll take the Canes in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the under at 6.5, but I’m not touching the total.
Maple Leafs vs. Bruins (7:00)
I think this is way bigger of a mismatch than the records of these teams show. The Leafs are 8-5-1 after their lousy start to the season, on a three game win streak coming off a 5-3 win at home against Utah on Wednesday with five wins in their last six games. The Bruins are far exceeding my exceptions of them to be sitting at the bottom of the standings along my Sabres, on a five game win streak, coming off a 3-2 overtime win against the Sens at home on Thursday to improve to 9-7. Toronto should win this game at home and I’ll lay the -192 on the Maple Leafs for half a unit. I also like the over, which I’ll take it at 6 for half a unit.
Canadiens vs. Mammoth (7:00)
This should be such a fun game tonight between two young up and coming, solid teams for this cross conference matchup. The Habs have been electric, on a five game point streak coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Jersey on Thursday night to drop to 9-3-2 on the year. The Mammoth have been so fun too, but have just one win in their last four games, coming off a 5-3 loss in Toronto in the second half of a back to back on Wednesday to fall to 9-5 on the season. I’d slightly lean Montreal wins at home here, but its way too close of a game to bet. I do like the over though and I’ll take it at 6 for half a unit.
Lightning vs. Capitals (7:00)
Solid matchup in the East, which should be a pretty fun game tonight. The Lightning started their season pretty bad but have been playing great lately with six wins in their last seven games to improve to 7-5-2. The Caps have been struggling at 7-6-1 with just one win in their last six games, coming off a 5-3 loss in Pittsburgh on the second half of a back to back after Ovi scored his 900th career goal on Wednesday in a 6-1 win against the Blues. The first game between these teams went to overtime early in the season with the Caps winning 3-2 at home. I like the Bolts to answer back with a win at home today and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it at 5.5.
Rangers vs. Islanders (7:00)
The Battle of New York should be a fun matchup, but this is still a pretty terrible game. The Rangers are 7-6-2 on the season with four wins in their last five games. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight with four wins in their last five games, bouncing back from Tuesday’s 3-0 shutout loss at home to the Hurricanes with a 4-1 win in Detroit last night. They’re still looking for their first home win of the season though, with a 0-5-1 record in MSG. They’ve been awful at home, with just six total goals in their six games at MSG, and five of those coming in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Sharks, getting shut out four times at home already. The Islanders aren’t great either at 6-6-2, coming off a 5-3 loss at home to the Wild last night. I’d slightly lean the Isles here with the better offense since the Rags are so awful at home, but I’m not touching this game with both teams in this rivalry in the second half of back to backs. I’d lean the under slightly, but at 5.5 there’s no value in betting it.
Blues vs. Kraken (7:00)
Such a boring Western Conference matchup here. The Blues are coming off a 3-0 shutout win in Buffalo for Joel Hofer in a terrible game on Thursday night but have been one of the worst teams in the league with just a 5-8-2 record. The Kraken aren’t great either, with a 6-3-4 record and just one win in their last four games, getting blown out 6-1 at home by the Sharks on Thursday night. I’d slightly lean Seattle wins here as a road dog, but don’t like it enough to bet on. I’d also slightly lean the under since neither of these teams can score but there’s no value on it at 5.5, so I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Oilers vs. Avalanche (10:00)
A lot of people likely thought this matchup could be a preview of the Western Conference Finals this year, but it isn’t looking like that’s happening with how poorly the Oilers are playing. Edmonton’s just 6-5-4 on the year, blowing a 2-0 and 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 to the Stars in a shootout on Tuesday and they have just two wins in their last seven games. The Avalanche have been very good, coming into tonight on a five game point streak, improving to 8-1-5 on the year off a 3-2 win at home against the Lightning on Tuesday. I like Colorado to win this one on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Canucks vs. Blue Jackets (10:00)
Pretty boring cross conference matchup here between two mid tier teams that aren’t all that good. The Canucks are coming off a 5-2 loss at home to the Blackhawks on Wednesday to drop to 7-8 on the season, playing terrible offensively. The Blue Jackets come into tonight off two losses in a row to drop too 7-6, getting shockingly blown out 5-1 in Calgary on Wednesday. I’d slightly lean Columbus wins this on the road, but not enough to bet it. I’d also lean the over, but the right play on this game is just staying off it entirely.
Golden Knights vs. Ducks (10:00)
Great game here at the top of the Pacific Division that should be way more fun than the -200 line here shows. The Golden Knights are still my pick to win the Cup this year, but they’ve been inconsistent with just two wins in their last six games, coming off a 6-3 loss at home against Tampa on Thursday. The Ducks have been thrilling to watch early in the year, with their young team led by Cutter Gauthier, who can’t stop scoring, sitting at the top of the division with an impressive 9-3-1 record to start the season. Coming off a 7-5 win in Dallas on Thursday, they’re on a five game win streak with just one loss in their last eight games. I still think Vegas is the better team here but don’t think they’re worth betting at -200, way too high of a price with how well the Ducks are playing. Might be some value on Anaheim on the road, but I’m not touching it. I do like the over though, expecting both teams to light the lamp, and I’ll take it for half a unit. I’ll also go with a player prop parlay here with half a unit on Marner, Eichel, and Gauthier to each get a point. All three of those guys have been on fire.
Sharks vs. Panthers (10:00)
This should be a fun game, which is a bit surprising for anyone when you consider where these teams were last season. The Sharks started the year looking horrible as expected, but they’ve turned it up lately. In the second half of a back to back tonight coming off a surprising 2-1 grind of a win at home against Winnipeg last night (loser for me), they’re on a five game point streak with four wins in their last five games to improve to 6-6-3. Macklin Celebrini now leads the league with 23 points and the first overall pick from last year has been a stud in his sophomore season. The Panthers haven’t been great to start the year with all their injuries, and come into tonight with a 7-6-1 record, off a 5-2 win in LA on Thursday. With the Sharks in the second half of a back to back, I’d lean Florida wins tonight on the road, but wouldn’t even consider betting it at -250. Way too expensive. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet that either. I will parlay Macklin Celebrini and Brad Marchand to each get a point for half a unit.
Bets
.5u Stars ML (-155)
1u Hurricanes in regulation (-170)
.5u Maple Leafs ML (-192)
.5u Maple Leafs/Bruins over 6 (-122)
.5u Canadiens/Mammoth over 6 (-121)
.5u Lightning ML (-148)
.5u Avalanche ML (-130)
.5u Golden Knights/Ducks over 6.5 (-112)
.5u parlay: Mitch Marner/Jack Eichel/Cutter Gauthier 1+ point each (+122)
.5u parlay: Macklin Celebrini/Brad Marchand 1+ point each (+108)
Record: 82-75 (-16.52 units)
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