Losing night yesterday for me, going 3-4 on the NHL to lose 1.68 units. Not great. Let’s bounce back on tonight’s eight game slate!
Maple Leafs vs. Blues (7:00)
Not a great game to start the night. The Leafs have been brutal lately, on a five game losing streak to drop to 8-9-2 on the year, coming off a 3-2 loss in Chicago on Saturday. Their offense has been fine, but the defense has been horrendous. The Blues have been bad all season. They’re coming off a 4-1 loss at home against the Golden Knights on Saturday and have been one of the worst teams in the NHL with just a 6-9-4 record on the season. They’ve been a dumpster fire on both ends of the ice. I like Toronto to end their losing streak here tonight at home and I’ll take them for half a unit at a decent pick’em price. I also like the over, since neither team can keep the puck out of their own net, and I’ll take it at 6 for half a unit.
Red Wings vs. Kraken (7:00)
This cross conference matchup isn’t great, with both teams not playing all that well lately. The Red Wings are coming off a 2-1 win on the road in a heated game against the Rangers on Sunday to improve to 11-7-1 on the year. Statistically they haven’t been all that impressive on either end of the ice. The Kraken have been inconsistent, with a great defense, but a pretty lousy offense. They’ve won their last two in a row, coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Sharks on Saturday to improve to 9-4-5 on the season. I’d lean Detroit wins here at home tonight, but don’t like it enough to bet on. I’d slightly lean the under, but don’t like that enough to bet on either, so I’ll stay off this game entirely.
Lightning vs. Devils (7:00)
I’d expect this to be a really fun game in the East tonight. The Lightning after their slow start to the season are playing quite well. They’re 9-7-2 on the season with eight wins in their last eleven games, coming off a bit of a surprising 6-2 loss to the Canucks on Sunday in the second half of a back to back. The Devils have been fantastic this year, leading the Eastern Conference with a 13-4-1 record, on a five game point streak with four wins in that span, all coming in overtime after a 3-2 shootout win in DC. Jersey won the first matchup between these teams 5-3 on the road in the first week of the season. I’d slightly lean Tampa answers back with a win here at home, but this is too close of a game for me to bet. The total’s a total coin flip, so I’ll lay off this game completely.
Stars vs. Islanders (8:00)
Not the best cross conference matchup, but with how the Isles are playing lately, I could see it being an entertaining game. The Stars are on fire, looking great on both ends of the ice in their 12-4-3 start to the season. They’re on a five game win streak, coming off a 5-1 win at home against the Flyers on Saturday. I thought going into the year that the Isles would be in the basement of the league again this year, but they’ve exceeded expectations and have played pretty fun hockey despite not being great. They’re 10-7-2, having a four game win streak (with the last three all in overtime on the road), come to an end with a 4-1 loss in Colorado on Sunday. I like the Stars to win this game at home and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Jets vs. Blue Jackets (8:00)
This isn’t the most compelling cross conference. The Jets are a very good team and playing well this season on both ends of the ice with an 11-7 record, but they’re struggling lately. They’re coming off a 4-3 shootout win in Calgary on Saturday, just their second win in their last six games. The Blue Jackets are a mid-tier team and are 10-7-2 on the season. They are in the second half of a back to back tonight, blowing a 3-1 third period lead last night as the Habs forced overtime with 1:19 left in regulation (cashing my over on that game) and are 10-7-2, having picked up wins in their of their last four games and on a five game point streak. Especially with Columbus in the second half of a back to back, I like the Jets to win this game at home tonight and I’ll take Winnipeg for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Blackhawks vs. Flames (8:30)
Lousy matchup in the West. The Blackhawks have far exceeded my expectations to start the season, on a five game point streak with four wins in their last five to improve to 9-5-4 on the season, playing pretty solid hockey on both ends of the ice. The Flames on the other hand, coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Jets on Saturday (which still screwed me since I had Winnipeg in regulation) are the worst team in the league, with a 5-12-3 record, with the worst offense in the NHL. Chicago won the first game between these teams with a 4-0 shutout win on the road earlier this month. They should win again at home tonight, and Calgary’s already an auto-fade for me this season. Along with that, we’re getting a great price with the Blackhawks as a slight dog at home, and I’ll take them for half a unit. The Flames shouldn’t be favorites against any team in this league, especially on the road. I’d slightly lean the under, but I’m not touching it.
Golden Knights vs. Rangers (10:00)
This isn’t a great cross conference matchup and I’m expecting it to kind of be a boring game. The Golden Knights can’t seem to escape their issues lately, with just one win in their last six games. They’re having overtime woes right now, with three of those losses in their last five games all in OT, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in Minnesota on Sunday. Statistically they’ve been good on both ends of the ice, and watching them, they’ve played decent hockey. I think the 10-8-2 Rangers aren’t a good team, with a terrible offense but a great defense and awesome goaltending. They’re coming off a 2-1 loss in Detroit on Sunday night, ending a three game win streak. The Rags are a different team on the road though, where they’re an impressive 9-1-1 this season, especially with how horrendous they are at home in MSG. Vegas is the better team here still, and I like them to win at home, but not enough to bet it since they keep losing games they should be getting the W in. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Sharks vs. Mammoth (10:00)
Pretty fun matchup out West to end the night. The Sharks, coming off two road losses in a row after a 4-1 loss in Seattle on Saturday, have turned it around a bit, now with an 8-8-3 record on the season with their horrible start. The Mammoth started off the season hot, but they’ve dropped off since, with just two wins in their last nine games to fall to 10-7-2 on the season. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off their second 3-2 OT loss in a row. Last night they gave up the game-tying goal with just four seconds left in regulation to lose to the Ducks on the road. Utah won the first game between these teams 6-3 at home a month ago. I’d slightly lean the Mammoth win again since they’re the better team, but didn’t even consider betting it, even with them in the second half of a back to back. I’d slightly lean the under, but with both these teams playing low scoring games lately, I’ll lay off that too. I looked at some props for Celebrini, but don’t think any of them are worth it, so I’ll lay off this game entirely and end my night early.
Bets
.5u Maple Leafs ML (-110)
.5u Maple Leafs/Blues over 6 (-117)
.5u Stars ML (-175)
.5u Jets ML (-175)
.5u Blackhawks ML (+105)
Record: 122-113-1 (-20.1 units)
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