Double NHL winner for me on last night’s Stars blowout to win 2 units. Tonight we have a huge 15 game slate going into the off day for Thanksgiving, let’s crush it!
Penguins vs. Sabres (7:00)
Interesting Eastern Conference matchup to start off the night. I don’t think either of these teams are great. The Penguins started the season hot but have come back down to reality with just one win in their last six games, falling to 10-6-5 on the season, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at home to the Kraken on Saturday. The Sabres are playing much better as of late, coming off an impressive 4-1 win at home against the Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon for their fourth win in their last five games, improving to 9-9-4 on the season. Pittsburgh’s been the much better team defensively this season and I’d lean they win here at home, but not enough to bet it. I’d also slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet that either. I will parlay Sid and Geno to each get a point for half a unit.
Red Wings vs. Predators (7:00)
Pretty bad cross conference matchup here. The Red Wings are having a decent season so far, with a 13-9-1 record. Coming off a 4-3 loss in Jersey on Monday, they have a 4-2-1 record in their last seven games. Statistically they haven’t been great on either end of the ice. The Predators have been horrendous, far worse on both ends of the ice. They’re just 6-12-4 on the season and on a three game losing streak with just one win in their last nine games, coming off getting shit pumped 8-3 by the Panthers at home on Monday. I like the Red Wings to win this one at home and I’ll take Detroit for half a unit. The total’s a complete toss up to me since both teams have both been bad offensively and defensively, so who knows how it plays out.
Lightning vs. Flames (7:00)
Huge cross conference mismatch. After their slow start to the season, the Lightning are playing fantastic hockey to improve to an Atlantic Division leading 13-7-2 on the year. Coming off a 3-0 shutout win against the Flyers at home on Monday, they’re on a four game win streak with just three losses in their last 15 games. The Flames have been brutal this season, but have improved as of late, on a three game win streak, coming off a 5-2 win in Vancouver on Sunday. I like Tampa to win this game pretty easily at home, and I’ll lay the -185 on them for a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Panthers vs. Flyers (7:00)
Decent matchup here in the East. The Panthers are coming off a big 8-3 win in Nashville on Monday and seem to have figured something out despite all of their key injuries, with six wins in their last nine games to improve to 12-9-1. The Flyers have exceeded expectations, with an 11-7-3 record coming off a 3-0 shutout loss in Tampa on Monday. Philly’s offense has been pretty terrible, but their defense has been impressive. These teams split their first two games in the first week of the season, with Florida winning 2-1 at home and the Flyers answering back with a 5-3 win at home four days later. I’d lean the Panthers win this one at home, but the price at -185 is too expensive for me. The total is a complete toss up to me, so I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Devils vs. Blues (7:00)
This cross conference game isn’t great. The Devils have been very good this season with a 14-7-1 record, ending a three game losing streak on Monday with a 4-3 win at home against the Red Wings. The Blues are one of the worst teams in the NHL, struggling mightily on both ends of the ice. They’re a terrible 7-10-6 on the season with just one win in their last six games, coming off a 3-2 loss on the road to the Rangers (who are awful at home). I like Jersey to win here and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Islanders vs. Bruins (7:00)
Going into the season I would’ve thought this would be a brutal, very boring game between two of the worst teams in the league but they’ve both been way better than expected to start the year, making this quite the interesting Eastern Conference matchup. The Islanders have a 13-8-2 record with seven wins in their last nine games, coming off a 1-0 shootout win at home against the Kraken in a double shutout on Sunday. The Bruins are 13-11 and have dropped off a bit lately, with just one win in their last four games, coming off a 3-1 loss in San Jose on Sunday. Boston won both previous games this season between these teams, winning 5-2 at home and 4-3 in a shootout on the road. I’d lean the Islanders win at home here tonight, but don’t like it enough to bet on. I do like the under though, which I’ll take at 6 for half a unit.
Capitals vs. Jets (7:00)
This should be a solid cross conference matchup, with both of these teams having their own issues, but playing well statistically on both ends of the ice. The Capitals seemingly have figured something out lately, with four wins in their last five games, coming off a 5-1 win at home against the Blue Jackets on Monday to improve to 12-9-2 after going on a stretch of winning just two of their previous ten games. The Jets are without the best goalie in the world, Connor Hellebuyck who’s out 4-6 weeks after having a surgery on his knee. They’re coming off two losses in a row, getting shut out 3-0 at home by the Wild on Sunday, and they have just three wins in their last nine games, dropping to 12-9 on the season. I’d lean the Capitals win at home tonight, and I’d slightly lean the over, but neither enough to bet on. I’ll stay off this game completely. Should be fun to watch.
Hurricanes vs. Rangers (7:00)
Interesting Metro Division matchup here, but I don’t think its all that great. The Hurricanes are coming off a surprising 4-1 loss in Buffalo on Sunday afternoon, returning home from a four game road trip tonight, but have been very good this season, leading the division with a 14-6-2 record and playing really well on both ends of the ice. The Rangers on the other hand have struggled quite a bit, with an 11-11-2 record on the year, but they’ve been far better on the road than at home, going 9-4-1 outside of MSG. They ended a four game losing streak with just their second home win of the year on Monday, beating the lowly Blues 3-2. The Rags defense and goaltending has been very good, but their offense is awful. The Canes won the first game between these teams with a 3-0 shutout on the road earlier this month. I like Carolina to win again here at home and I’ll lay the pricey -192 for half a unit, expecting them to bounce back tonight. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
This should be a pretty fun Eastern Conference game. The Blue Jackets haven’t been great on either end of the ice, with an 11-9-3 record, coming off a 5-1 blowout loss in DC on Monday. The Leafs have had a ton of problems this year, especially defensively and goal, playing awful on the back end, but their offense has been pretty solid. That offense will get a nice improvement tonight with Auston Matthews back in the lineup. Toronto’s coming off a 5-2 loss in Montreal on Saturday and have just one win (in overtime at home against the shitty Blues) in their last eight games. Columbus won both previous games between these teams, 6-3 at home last month and 3-2 in overtime last Thursday on the road. I’d lean the Leafs avoid the season sweep with a win at home tonight, and even though the price at pretty much a pick’em is decent, I’m not touching them. Toronto’s let me down on the overs lately, but I’ll jump right back on it tonight for half a unit. I will take a Leafs point parlay here too, with half a unit on Nylander, Matthews, and Tavares to each get a point.
Blackhawks vs. Wild (8:30)
This Central Division matchup should be great tonight. The Blackhawks have struggled a bit as of late, on a three game losing streak after getting shut out 1-0 by the Avalanche at home on Sunday, falling to 10-8-4 on the year after their great start to the season. Statistically they’ve been good on both ends of the ice this year and have impressed me in their start. The Wild were terrible to start the season, but have absolutely turned it around. Coming off two shutout wins on the road, beating the Jets 3-0 on Sunday, they haven’t even trailed in a game since November 7th (they did lose 2-1 in overtime on November 11th to the Sharks), on a five game win streak with a 9-1-1 record in their last eleven games. Their offense hasn’t been the best this year, but they’re clicking now, and the defense and goaltending has been spectacular all season. I like Minnesota to win this one on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Avalanche vs. Sharks (9:00)
Huge mismatch here out West and the -400 price on it for Colorado does make sense, despite the Sharks winning the first game at home between these teams 3-2 in overtime at the beginning of the month. The Avs are the best team in the NHL by far this season, with an impressive 16-1-5 record and an 8-0-2 record at home, playing spectacular hockey on both ends of the ice. The Sharks had a lousy start to the season, but they’ve turned it around and are playing decent hockey right now led by a stellar sophomore season so far for Maclin Celebrini. Coming off a 3-1 win at home against Bruins on Sunday, they’ve won three of their last four games and have gone 9-3-1 in their last 13 games. I’m expecting an easy win for Colorado at home here, and I’ll take the puck line for a unit. I’d lean the under slightly, but didn’t even consider betting it. I looked at a handful of different player prop parlays with a combo of MacKinnon (who’s easily the MVP in my eyes), Celebrini, Necas, and Makar, but none of them are worth betting with the lousy odds we’re getting on all those guys, so I’ll just stick with Avs -1.5 here.
Mammoth vs. Canadiens (9:30)
This should be a pretty fun cross conference game between two up and coming teams. Coming off a 5-1 win at home against the Golden Knights on Monday with Logan Cooley scoring four goals, improving to 12-8-3 with two wins in a row after going on a lousy stretch of just one win in their eight previous games. They’ve played pretty well on both ends of the ice, especially defensively. The Habs were great to start the season, but slumped recently, ending a five game losing streak with a 5-2 win at home against the Leafs on Saturday, improving to 11-7-3 on the season. Montreal’s defense has been struggling, but their offense has been electric all year. I’d lean the Mammoth win this game at home, and the over, but not enough to bet it. I like a few player prop here though. I’ll take Clayton Keller, Cole Caufield, and Nick Schmaltz all to get a point for half a unit each individually. I’ll also add Nick Suzuki and parlay him with those three guys for another half a unit.
Golden Knights vs. Senators (10:00)
Interesting cross conference matchup here. The Golden Knights have been a bit inconsistent in their 10-5-7 star to the season, coming off two road losses in a row, losing 5-1 in Utah on Monday night. They’re getting their captain, Mark Stone back in the lineup tonight to face his former team. The Senators are playing pretty well in their 11-7-4 start, coming off a 2-1 loss in LA on Monday night and they’ll get a nice boost on Friday when Brady Tkachuk returns to the lineup. I like Vegas to bounce back and get a win here at home and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Ducks vs. Canucks (10:00)
Not a great game here in the Pacific. The Ducks are playing great in their 14-7-1 start to the season, led by their young stars. Coming off a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday at home against the Golden Knights (on Mitch Marner’s horrendous turnover in OT), they have three wins in their last four games. The Canucks stink and already sent a memo to every other team in the league that they’re willing to trade any of their stars (Quinn Hughes to Jersey incoming), with a 9-12-2 start to the season. They’re on a three game losing streak with just one win in their last seven games, coming off a 5-2 loss at home to the Flames on Saturday. They’ve especially been horrible defensively. I like Anaheim to win here at home and I’ll take them for a unit. I also like the over, and even juiced up to -145 at 6.5, I’ll take it for a unit. I’ll also take a bit of a risk here and parlay Leo Carlsson, Quinn Hughes, Troy Terry, and Cutter Gauthier for half a unit.
Kraken vs. Stars (10:00)
Kind of a boring game out West to end the night. The Kraken are playing well, with an 11-5-6 record, with a great defense, but a struggling offense. They’re coming off a 1-0 shootout loss in a double shutout on Long Island on Sunday and have four wins in their last six games. The Stars are a very good team, playing very well on both ends of the ice. They are in the second half of a back to back tonight, improving to 14-5-4 on the season after crushing the Oilers 8-3 (such an easy winner as an underdog) last night on the road, scoring four goals in the first period. The first game between these teams earlier this month was a snooze fest, with the Stars winning 2-1 at home. Even in the second half of a back to back, I’d lean Dallas wins tonight on the road, but not enough to bet it. I do like the under though, which I’ll take at 6 for half a unit. I’ll also parlay Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen (who’s returning from his one game suspension tonight) to each get a point for half a unit.
Bets
.5u parlay: Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin 1+ pt each (+104)
.5u Red Wings ML (-155)
1u Lightning ML (-185)
.5u Devils ML (-142)
.5u Islanders/Bruins under 6 (-115)
.5u Hurricanes ML (-192)
.5u Blue Jackets/Maple Leafs over 6.5 (-108)
.5u parlay: William Nylander/Auston Matthews/John Tavares 1+ pt each (-120)
.5u Wild ML (-135)
1u Avalanche -1.5 (-155)
.5u Clayton Keller over 0.5 point (-170)
.5u Cole Caufield over 0.5 point (-165)
.5u Nick Schmaltz over 0.5 point (-170)
.5u parlay: Clayton Keller/Cole Caufield/Nick Schmaltz/Nick Suzuki 1+ pt each (+310)
.5u Golden Knights ML (-180)
1u Ducks ML (-155)
1u Ducks/Canucks over 6.5 (-145)
.5u parlay: Leo Carlsson/Quinn Hughes/Troy Terry/Cutter Gauthier 1+ pt each (+220)
.5u Stars/Kraken under 6 (-132)
.5u parlay: Jason Robertson/Mikko Rantanen 1+ pt each (-125)
Record: 150-140-1 (-17.52 units)
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