My winning streak came to a lousy end on last night’s small NHL slate, getting reverse swept for an 0-3, -2.2 unit night. It’s 11/11, let’s make a wish and crush this big nine game slate to bounce back!
Bruins vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
Fun game here in the Atlantic Division with how these two teams are playing right now. These teams just played on Saturday with Boston pulling off a 5-3 win on the road in Toronto. I thought the Bruins were going to be in the basement of the league. I still don’t think they’re a good team, but they come into tonight on a six game win streak to improve to 10-7 on the season. The Leafs are struggling defensively, playing well offensively, and are just 8-7-1 on the season coming off back to back losses, losing 5-4 at home on Sunday to the Canes, blowing a 4-2 lead in the third period (winner for me on Carolina) as they were outshot 47-20 after they lost to the Bruins. I like the Leafs to answer back with a win here on the road, and I’ll take them for half a unit on the road. I love the over too, which I’ll take at 6 for a unit.
Canadiens vs. Kings (7:00)
This should be a fun cross conference game tonight. The Habs are electric to watch this season with their young talent. They’re an impressive 10-3-2 with a 5-1-1 record at home, on a six game point streak bouncing back from two OT losses with a huge 6-2 win at home against the Mammoth on Saturday. The Kings have been struggling this year, just 7-5-4 on the season with only two wins in their last five games, coming off a 3-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday. I like Montreal to win this one at home and I’ll take them as a dog for half a unit. I’d lean the over, especially at 5.5, but with LA struggling to score, so I’ll lay off the total.
Senators vs. Stars (7:00)
Solid matchup in what should be a pretty fun game tonight. The Senators struggled a bit out of the gate with the Brady Tkachuk injury, but they’ve turned it around with just one regulation loss in their last ten games. They’ve won their last two games, winning back to back on the weekend with a 3-2 win in Philly on Saturday and a 4-2 against Utah on Sunday. Their defense hasn’t been good, but their offense has thrived. Dallas hasn’t been all that great statistically on both ends of the ice, but I still think they’re a solid team. They have three wins in their last four games, coming off a 2-1 win at home against Seattle on Sunday. I think the Stars are the better team here, and I’ll take them as an under for half a unit. I like the over as well at 5.5, which I’ll take for half a unit too.
Hurricanes vs. Capitals (7:00)
Interesting matchup in the Metro Division. The Hurricanes have been spectacular. They’re on a four game win streak, coming off a nice 5-4 comeback victory against the Leafs of Sunday to improve to 11-4 on the year. The Capitals on the other hand have been really struggling this year. After starting the year 6-2, they’re now just 7-7-1 on the season with only one win in their last seven games, with that only win against the shitty Blues, off a 3-2 loss in Tampa on Saturday. I like the Canes to win at home tonight and I’ll take them for a unit. I really considered the over, but since both of these teams have played well defensively, and the Caps can’t score, I’ll lay off it.
Blues vs. Flames (8:00)
Horrendous matchup out West between two of the worst teams in the league to start the year, both at the bottom of their divisions. Coming off a 4-3 overtime loss at home to the Kraken on Saturday, the Blues are 5-8-3. The Flames have gotten shut out in their last two games, on the road in Minnesota, losing 2-0 on Sunday, after losing 4-0 at home against the Blackhawks on Friday (easy win for me), dropping to an NHL-worst 4-11-2. St. Louis is better offensively, but significantly worse defensively. The Blues won the first game between these teams 4-2 on the road in the first week of the season. I’d slightly lean they win again at home tonight, but I’m not touching it. I’d also lean the under, but the right play on this game is nothing at all. Who cares.
Wild vs. Sharks (8:00)
Another pretty lousy matchup, but these teams are turning it around after their bad starts to their seasons. The Wild are now 7-7-3 with four wins in their last five games, coming off a 2-0 shutout win at home against the Flames on Sunday. The Sharks are on a three game win streak, coming off a 3-1 win at home against the Panthers on Saturday, now on a six game point streak to improve to 7-6-3 on the season. The first game between these teams was electric, with the Sharks winning 6-5 in overtime at home a few weeks ago. I’d lean the Wild win this one at home to answer back, but not enough to bet it, especially at -205. Way too pricey. I’d lean the over as well, but at 6.5 it isn’t worth betting. I do like a player prop parlay for half a unit on this one though, and will take both Kaprizov and Celebrini to each get a point.
Avalanche vs. Ducks (9:30)
Fantastic matchup out West between two teams off to incredible starts to their seasons. The Avalanche are the best team in the league with a 10-1-5 record, with five wins in their last six games. After blowing out Edmonton 9-1 on the road on Saturday, they followed that up with a fun 5-4 overtime win in Vancouver. They’ve been spectacular on both ends of the ice. The young Ducks team has been electric to watch too. Coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Jets on Sunday, they’re on a seven game win streak to head into tonight with an 11-3-1 record, leading the Pacific. Their defense hasn’t been the best, but their offense looks incredible. I think the Avs are still a step ahead of Anaheim and I’d expect them to win at home, but the -250 is too expensive for me with how well the Ducks are playing. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for a unit. I’ll take a few shots on player props in this game too, with half a unit each on Leo Carlson and Cutter Gauthier to each get a point, and half a unit on the Nate Dogg to score.
Canucks vs. Jets (10:00)
I wouldn’t say this is all that great of a game tonight in the West. The Canucks have been inconsistent, with an 8-8-1 record coming off a 5-4 overtime loss at home to the Avalanche on Sunday with both teams i the second half of a back to back. They’ve struggled a bit on both ends of the ice. I still think the Jets are a very solid team, statistically playing well on both ends of the ice, but they’re on a three game losing streak on their California road trip, losing 4-1 on Sunday in Anaheim to drop to 9-6 on the year. I like Winnipeg to bounce back here and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over slightly, but not enough to bet on it.
Kraken vs. Blue Jackets (10:00)
Kind of a boring cross conference matchup to end the night. The Kraken are 7-4-4, coming off a 2-1 loss in Dallas on Sunday night. They’ve been good defensively, but have struggled to put the puck in the back of the net. The Blue Jackets are struggling right now, on a four game losing streak to drop to 7-7-1 on the season, in the second half of a back to back, coming off a 5-4 overtime loss on McDavid magic in Edmonton last night. I think Columbus is the better team here, but with them in the second half of a back to back on a long road trip out West, I’d slightly lean the Seattle wins this one at home, but not enough to bet it. The total’s a complete toss up to me, so I’ll stay off this game completely.
Bets
.5u Maple Leafs ML (-135)
1u Maple Leafs/Bruins over 6 (-132)
.5u Canadiens ML (-102)
.5u Stars ML (+102)
.5u Senators/Stars over 5.5 (-125)
1u Hurricanes ML (-162)
.5u parlay: Kirill Kaprizov/Maclin Celebrini 1+ point each (-115)
1u Avalanche/Ducks over 6.5 (-150)
.5u Leo Carlson over 0.5 points (-160)
.5u Cutter Gauthier over 0.5 points (-155)
.5u Nathan MacKinnon over 0.5 goals (-110)
.5u Jets ML (-125)
Record: 94-80-1 (-13.64 units)
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