I got crushed on last night’s big NHL slate, going a terrible 4-8, losing 4.34 units. Let’s bounce back on tonight’s four game slate that’s not the greatest.
Lightning vs. Rangers (7:00)
Not the greatest matchup in the East by any means. After their lousy start to the season, the Lightning have turned it around. They’re now 8-5-2 on the season with seven wins in their last eight games, coming off a 3-2 win at home against the Capitals on Saturday. The Rangers finally got their first win in MSG of the season on Monday night with a 6-3 win against the Predators. They still stink though at just 8-7-2, but have been far better on the road where they’re 7-1-1. Tampa’s the better team here and I’ll take the Bolts for half a unit. I’d lean the under with some of the best goaltending in the league for both of these teams, but lousy offense for the Rangers, but I don’t like it enough to bet on at 5.5.
Flyers vs. Oilers (7:30)
This cross conference matchup isn’t great. The Flyers aren’t playing too bad to start the season, although I don’t think they’re a great team. Coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at home to the Sens on Saturday, they’re 8-5-2 on the season. Although their offense is struggling, they’ve been good on the back end. The Oilers have been pretty terrible to start the year, with a 7-6-4 record. They ended a three game losing streak on Monday, bouncing back from Saturday 9-1 blowout loss against the Avs with a 5-4 overtime win at home against the Blue Jackets, tying it up short handed to force OT with 58 seconds left and then winning it 56 seconds into overtime on Jack Roslovic’s game winner. I’d lean Edmonton wins this one on the road, but don’t trust them enough to bet on it with how inconsistent they’ve played and how poor they’ve been defensively. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet that either, so I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Mammoth vs. Sabres (9:00)
I don’t think this cross conference matchup is good. These teams played in a pretty fun, low scoring but high event game in Buffalo last week, and the clearly better team, the Mammoth got the 2-1 win in overtime in what ended up being a big time goaltending battle. Alex Lyon was the only reason the Sabres hung in that game, as Utah outshot us 34-18 and out-chanced us 23-14. Since then both of these teams have struggled quite a bit. Utah is now 9-7 after their awesome start to the season, on a three game losing streak on their East coast road trip up in Canada, struggling on both ends of the ice in all three of those games in Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto. The Sabres have been even worse. Coming off a 6-3 loss where they were completely outworked in Carolina on Saturday in a game that ended up being closer than the score was, with two empty netters for the Canes, they’re on a three game losing streak with just one win in their last seven games, dropping to an Eastern Conference worst 5-6-4. I like the Mammoth to win again here at home and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I know it didn’t have a chance last game, but I do like the over again, which I’ll take at the alternate line of 6 for half a unit.
Blackhawks vs. Devils (9:30)
This should be a fun cross conference game to end the night. The Blackhawks are playing well, exceeding my expectations for them going into the season that they’d be at the bottom of the league standings again this year. Coming into tonight on a dominant three game win streak on the road after a 5-1 win in Detroit on Sunday, they’re 8-5-3 on the year. Chicago’s especially been impressing me on the back end. The Devils have been fantastic, leading the Eastern Conference with an 11-4-1 record. They’re coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at home to the Islanders on Monday, with Simon Nemec forcing OT with just five seconds left in regulation, but losing anyway. Jersey’s the better team here and I like them to win on the road tonight and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under with the line at 6.5, but not enough to bet on it since both offenses have played well.
Bets
.5u Lightning ML (-135)
.5u Mammoth in regulation (-135)
.5u Mammoth/Sabres over 6 (-136)
.5u Devils ML (-155)
Record: 98-88-1 (-17.98 units)
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