Nice bounce back win for me last night in the NHL, going 3-1 to win 0.82 units. Tonight we have a big ten game slate with some solid matchups, let’s win again!
Maple Leafs vs. Kings (7:00)
This should be a pretty fun cross conference matchup to get the night started. The Leafs haven’t been great, with an 8-8-1 record coming into tonight on a three game losing streak off a 5-3 loss in Boston on Tuesday. Their offense has been good as expected, but Toronto’s been brutal on the back end. The Kings are playing better than their slow start to the season, with three wins in their last four games, coming off a big 5-1 win in Montreal on Tuesday. LA’s played the opposite style of hockey, with a struggling offense but a good defense. I’d slightly lean the Kings win this one on road, but don’t like it enough to bet on. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Canadiens vs. Stars (7:00)
Another really fun cross conference matchup that should be a good game to watch tonight. Coming off a 5-1 loss at home to the Kings on Tuesday, the Habs struggled a bit lately, with just one win in their last four games, but Montreal’s been electric this year with an Atlantic Division leading 10-4-2 record, playing especially well offensively. The Stars have been good, with a 10-4-3 record, on a three game win streak coming off a 3-2 overtime win in Ottawa on Tuesday. I think Dallas is the slightly better team here but I’d give a slight edge to the Canadiens at home tonight, but definitely not enough to bet on it since this is pretty much a toss up. I do like the over with it just at 5.5, and I’ll take that for half a unit.
Bruins vs. Senators (7:00)
I don’t think this Atlantic Division matchup is all that great, but with the way these teams have played lately I could see it being a pretty good game. This will be the third meeting already between these teams this season, with them splitting the first two games with a 7-3 Senators win at home and the Bruins answering back with a 3-2 overtime win at home last week. The Sens are 8-5-4, on a six game win streak, picking up at least a point in all but one of their last eleven games after their slow start to the season. The Bruins have far exceeded my expectations of being in the basement of the league going into the season, and I’m still not convinced that they’re a good team. They’re 11-7, on a seven game win streak after their slow start to the year, coming off 5-3 wins in both legs of their home and home against the Leafs. I’d lean the Senators win this one at home and think they’re the better team, but don’t like it enough to lay the -165. I love the over though at just 5.5, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Red Wings vs. Ducks (7:00)
I don’t think this cross conference matchup is all that great. The Red Wings have been a mid tier team to start the year at 9-7, but they’ve struggled recently, coming into tonight on a three game losing streak after a 5-1 blowout loss at home to the Blackhawks on Sunday. The Ducks on the other hand have been incredible, leading the Pacific with an 11-4-1 record. They had a seven game win streak come to an end on Tuesday, losing 4-1 in Colorado. In the first game between these teams, Anaheim won 5-2 at home on Halloween. I like the Ducks to win again here and bounce back on the road, and I’ll take them as a nice +124 underdog for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but at 6.5, I don’t think it’s worth betting.
Panthers vs. Capitals (7:00)
This isn’t a great game in the Eastern Conference with both of these teams struggling this year, both with 8-7-1 records heading into tonight’s matchup. The Panthers have been winning every other game lately, coming off a 3-2 win on Monday night in Vegas. The Capitals are coming off a big 4-1 win in Carolina on Tuesday, just their second win in their last eight games. I’d slightly lean Florida wins here at home, but this game’s pretty much a coin flip so I’ll stay off it. Both teams have been good defensively, but have struggled to light the lamp, which makes me like the under. I’ll take it for half a unit at the alternate line of 6, laying the -148. I also like Brad Marchand to get a point, which I’ll take for half a unit as well.
Blue Jackets vs. Oilers (7:30)
Kind of a lousy cross conference game here. The Blue Jackets are 8-7-1 on the season, playing inconsistently. They ended a four game losing streak with a 2-1 shootout win in Seattle on Tuesday night. The Oilers have won their last two games, both in overtime to improve to a still pretty bad 8-6-4, in the second half of a back to back tonight coming off a 2-1 win in Philly on Jack Roslovic’s second OT game winner in a row. These teams just played on Tuesday in Edmonton with the Oilers winning 5-4 on Roslovic’s other game winner against his former team. I’d slightly lean Columbus answers back here with a win at home with Edmonton in their third game in four nights, but not enough to bet it. I love the over though, which I’ll take for a unit.
Avalanche vs. Sabres (9:00)
This cross conference game is the biggest mismatch we’ve had all season. Last night I expected the Avs to be around -340, and they’re even more pricey than that at -375 which completely makes sense to me. The Avalanche should be the favorites to win the Cup this year. They’re 11-1-5, on a four game win streak coming off a big 4-1 win on Tuesday against a very good Ducks team, playing elite hockey on both ends of the ice. The Sabres on the other hand are horrendous, at just 5-7-4, in last place in the Atlantic Division. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, on a four game losing streak after crumbing a 2-0 lead halfway through the game in Utah last night, giving up five unanswered to lose 5-2 in a horrendous third period. We have just one win in our last eight games. These teams already played this season in Buffalo in a matinee in the first week of the season, with the Avs winning 3-1. This is going to be a blowout win for the Avalanche tonight, but the price on it makes it tougher to bet on. That said, I’m still loading up on Colorado. I’ll take the Avs -1.5 for 1.5 units, their team total over 3.5, and laying the -190 for a unit. I’ll also take a half unit shot on MacKinnon to score. I like the over as well, which I’ll take for a half unit too. Loading up.
Flames vs. Sharks (9:00)
This is a pretty bad matchup out in the Pacific. The Flames are on a three game losing streak coming off a 3-2 loss in St. Louis on Tuesday, and are the worst team in the NHL with a 4-12-2 record, struggling on both ends of the ice, especially offensively. The Sharks have been pretty solid lately with Maclin Celebrini leading the way. They’re 8-6-3 now, on a four game win streak and seven game point streak with just one loss that span, coming off a 2-1 overtime win in Minnesota on Tuesday. I like San Jose to win this one on the road and I love the price at +135, which I’ll take for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not quite enough to bet it. I’ll also take a half unit shot on Celebrini scoring for half a unit.
Golden Knights vs. Islanders (10:00)
I don’t think this cross conference matchup’s great. The Golden Knights are kind of struggling, even though I think they’re a great team, and they’re playing well on both ends of the ice. They are on a three game losing streak with just two wins in their last eight games, losing 3-2 at home to the Panthers on Monday. The Islanders are exceeding my expectations this year, with an 8-6-2 record, but they’re still not all that good of a team. They come into tonight off two wins in a row, beating the Devils 3-2 in overtime on Monday night on the road. Vegas is the better team here and I like them to end this losing streak at home. I’ll lay the -185 for half a unit. I’d lean the under very slightly, but definitely not enough to bet it.
Kraken vs. Jets (10:00)
Kind of a boring Western Conference matchup to end the night. The Kraken have been slightly better than I expected, with a 7-4-5 record coming into tonight, with a good defense but a horrible offense. Coming off a 2-1 shootout loss at home to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, they’ve won just two of their last seven games. The Jets are very good on both ends of the ice, ending a three game losing streak with a 5-3 win in Calgary on Tuesday. Seattle surprisingly won the first game between these teams with a 3-0 shutout on the road a few weeks ago. I like Winnipeg to answer back with a win on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I also like the under, which I’ll take at 6 for half a unit.
Bets
.5u Kings/Maple Leafs over 5.5 (-135)
.5u Canadiens/Stars over 5.5 (-122)
.5u Senators/Bruins over 5.5 (-135)
.5u Ducks ML (+124)
.5u Panthers/Capitals under 6 (-148)
.5u Brad Marchand over 0.5 point (-182)
1u Blue Jackets/Oilers over 6.5 (-115)
1.5u Avalanche -1.5 (-148)
1u Avalanche TT over 3.5 (-190)
.5u Nathan MacKinnon over 0.5 goal (-115)
.5u Avalanche/Sabres over 6.5 (-110)
.5u Sharks ML (+135)
.5u Maclin Celebrini over 0.5 goal (+155)
.5u Golden Knights ML (-185)
.5u Jets ML (-145)
.5u Jets/Kraken under 6 (-124)
Record: 101-89-1 (-17.16 units)
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