On a really fun night of hockey on Wednesday, I went 10-10, with a slight 0.58 unit loss. After the nice day off yesterday for Thanksgiving, today we have another gigantic 15 game NHL slate with a ton of day games. Let’s win!
Red Wings vs. Lightning (12:00)
Not the best Atlantic Division matchup to start off the day. The Red Wings are coming off crumbling relatively late to lose 6-3 at home to the Predators on Wednesday night, their third loss in their last four games, dropping to 13-10-1, struggling a bit this year on both ends of the ice. The Lightning are playing great, leading the division with a 14-7-2 record after their slow start. They just shit pumped the Flames on Wednesday with a 5-1 win at home for their fifth straight win, and they’ve won 13 of their last 16 games. The first game between these teams last month went to OT with the Red Wings winning 2-1 at home. I like Tampa to answer back here and I’ll take them for a unit to get this loaded day of hockey going, with a better price than I would’ve expected. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Bruins vs. Rangers (1:00)
Not a great matinee here in the East. The Bruins are coming off a 3-1 win on Long Island (easy under), and they’ve exceeded expectations this season with a 14-11 record after I expected them to sit at the bottom of the league. The Rangers are coming off two wins in a row, beating Carolina 4-2 on the road on Wednesday. This team’s been so inconsistent. They’re 12-11-2, playing awful offensively but solid defensively. The Rags are far better on the road than they are at home though, with a 10-4-1 record outside of MSG. I’d slightly lean the Rangers win here on the road and the under, but I’m not touching this game.
Wild vs. Avalanche (3:30)
Great game here in the Central between two fantastic teams. The Wild are the hottest team in the NHL in November. On Wednesday they went down 3-0 in Chicago, the first time they’ve trailed since November 6th, but came all the way back to win 4-3 on the road in overtime for their sixth straight win. After a slow start to the season, Minnesota’s now 13-7-4, with a 10-1-1 record in their last twelve games. Despite their offense struggling a bit this season, their defense and goaltending has been elite. The Avalanche have been spectacular and their easily the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year. They’ve had three shutout wins in a row, embarrassing the Sharks with a 6-0 win at home on Wednesday, their tenth straight win to improve to 17-1-5 on the season. So impressive. The Avs are an auto-bet for me every night and even though I think this will be a tougher test for them, I still like them to win, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I like the under here as well, which I’ll also take for half a unit with the line at 6.5. I’ll also parlay MacKinnon, Makar, Necas, and Kaprizov to each get a point for half a unit.
Sabres vs. Devils (4:00)
I wouldn’t say this is a great game. My Sabres are coming off a boring 4-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Wednesday that was a 1-0 game through two periods, and have gone 4-2 in their last six games to improve to a still pretty lousy 9-10-4 on the season. The Devils are a solid team, at the top of the Metro Division with a 15-7-1 record coming off two wins in a row, beating the Blues 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday. Even without Jack Hughes in the lineup, Jersey’s the better team here and I expect them to get a win here on the road. I’ll take the Devils for half a unit at a pretty good price. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Panthers vs. Flames (4:00)
Big mismatch here. The Panthers have struggled with a ton of injuries and are 12-10-1 on the year, coming off a 4-2 loss at home to the Flyers on Wednesday night and have five wins in their last eight games. The Flames are one of the worst teams in the NHL at just 8-14-3. They’ve been awful offensively, ending a three game win streak with a 5-1 loss in Tampa on Wednesday. I like Florida to win here and I’ll lay the heavy -192 on them for half a unit. I’d lean the over at 5.5, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Brad Marchand and Sam Reinhart to each get a point.
Islanders vs. Flyers (4:00)
Kind of a boring matchup in the Metro, but this should be a decent game between two up and coming teams. The Islanders are 13-9-2, coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Bruins on Wednesday night, but they have seven wins in their last ten games. The Flyers are 12-7-3, with three wins in their last four games, beating the Panthers 4-2 on the road on Wednesday. The first game between these teams in Philly last month went to a shootout with the Flyers winning 4-3 at home. I’d lean the Isles answer back with a win at home, but this game’s pretty much a toss up to me. I do like the under though, with two teams playing solid hockey defensively but not great offensively. I’ll take it at 6 for half a unit.
Blues vs. Senators (4:00)
Terrible cross conference matchup. The Blues, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in Jersey on Wednesday, are one of the worst teams in the NHL this season, playing awful hockey on both ends of the ice. They’re just 7-10-7, with only one win in their last seven games. The Senators are playing pretty well, with three wins in their last four games to improve to 12-7-4 on the season, coming off a 4-3 shootout win in Vegas on Wednesday night (that with the way that game played out I thought they should’ve lost). They’ll get a huge boost to their lineup today as their captain, Brady Tkachuk returns to the lineup. I like Ottawa to win here on the road and I’ll take them for a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it. I also like Brady to get a point in his return and I’ll take that for a unit.
Golden Knights vs. Canadiens (4:00)
Solid matchup here for this cross conference game. The Golden Knights can’t figure out how to win in overtime, on a three game losing streak coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Senators on Wednesday to drop to 10-5-8 on the season. Vegas has played well though on both ends of the ice. The Habs have been so much fun to watch, but inconsistent as well. Coming off two wins in a row after a 4-3 win in Utah on Wednesday in a game that was an absolute blast to watch, they’re 12-7-3. Their defense has been pretty bad, but their offense has been awesome. I’d expect Vegas to win here at home as the far more complete team, but I don’t think it’s worth the -175. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll will take Eichel, Caufield, and Suzuki to each get a point parlayed for half a unit. I thought about adding Marner and/or Stone to add to it, but I’ll keep it simple.
Ducks vs. Kings (4:00)
Great California game here between two of the teams at the top of the Pacific Division. The Ducks have been electric this season, with a 14-8-1 record, coming off a 5-4 loss at home to the Canucks on Wednesday. Their offense has been incredible with their young stars shining, but their defense hasn’t been great. The Kings ended a three game losing streak with a 2-1 win at home against the Senators on Monday (they were one of the two teams that weren’t in action on Wednesday), improving to 11-6-6. LA’s played a completely different style of hockey, with a very underperforming offense, but a really solid defense this season. This game’s a complete toss up to me, with the winner being the team that dictates the pace of play. If this is low scoring and a grind of a game, I’d expect LA to win, but if its a run and gun fast game, the Ducks should win at home. I’ll stay off the side. I’d slightly lean the under at 6.5, but not enough to bet that either. I’ll parlay the three young stars for the Ducks to each get a point though, Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Troy Terry for half a unit.
Sharks vs. Canucks (4:00)
This matchup isn’t great, but it should be a fun game. The Sharks are coming off getting crushed in a 6-0 shutout loss in Colorado on Wednesday, but they’ve played better than a lot of people expected, with an 11-10-3 record coming into today. The Canucks haven’t been great, ending a three game losing streak on Wednesday with a 5-4 win on the road against the Ducks. This game’s a toss up to me. I don’t even really have a lean on the side. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll parlay Maclin Celebrini and Quinn Hughes to each get a point for half a unit.
Capitals vs. Maple Leafs (5:00)
This should be a pretty solid Eastern Conference matchup. The Capitals have had their ups and downs this year, but they’re playing well right now. Coming off a 4-3 win at home against the Jets on Wednesday night, they’ve won five of their last six games to improve to 13-9-2 on the season. The Leafs are having a bad start to the year at just 10-10-3. They’re coming off a 2-1 overtime win in Columbus on Wednesday, just their second win in their last nine games. I like the Caps to win this one at home and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it since my initial lean was the over.
Hurricanes vs. Jets (5:00)
The luster’s off this game a bit with Connor Hellebuyck out, but this should still be a pretty solid cross conference matchup. The Hurricanes are a very good team, with a 14-7-2 record, coming off two losses in a row, losing 4-2 at home to the Rangers on Wednesday. The Jets are struggling a bit as of late, falling to 12-10 on the season off a 4-3 loss in DC on Wednesday. Carolina won the first game between these teams 4-3 on the road a week ago, and I like them to win again tonight at home. The moneyline is more expensive than I think it should be, but I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it at 6.5. I will also take a half unit parlay on Aho, Connor, Scheifele, and Jarvis to each get a point.
Blue Jackets vs. Penguins (7:00)
This Metro Division matchup isn’t great, with both teams struggling a bit as of late. The Blue Jackets are 11-9-4 on the year, on a three game losing streak coming off a 2-1 loss in overtime to the Leafs. They’ve struggled on both ends of the ice. The Penguins started the season hot, but they’re in a slump now, dropping to 11-6-5 on the season with just two wins in their last six games, coming off a 4-2 win at home against the Sabres in a boring game that was 1-0 through two periods on Wednesday. Statistically they’ve played well on both ends of the ice. The Blue Jackets won the first game between these teams with a 5-4 shootout win on the road last month. I’d slightly lean Pittsburgh answers back here on the road but not enough to bet that. I’d also lean the under, but not enough to bet that either. I will take a half unit parlay on Crosby and Werenski to each get a point at even money for half a unit. I’ll also take Malkin to get a point on his own for half a unit.
Blackhawks vs. Predators (8:00)
Pretty lousy game here in the Metro Division. The Blackhawks started the season way better than a lot of people expected, but they’re now on a four game losing streak, dropping to 10-8-5 on the season, blowing a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 in overtime at home to the Wild on Wednesday night. Statistically though, they’ve played far better than expected on both ends of the ice. The Predators on the other hand are one of the worst teams in the league, ending a three game losing streak with a couple late goals to beat the Red Wings 6-3 on the road on Wednesday to improve to 7-12-4 on the year. They’re playing awful on both ends of the ice. I like Chicago to bounce back here and end this losing streak, and I’ll take them for half a unit. The total’s a complete toss up to me. I looked at a few Bedard props, but don’t think they’re worth betting at the prices out there.
Stars vs. Mammoth (8:00)
Fun Central Division matchup between two good teams to end the night with no 10:00 games on the slate. The Stars have been very good, coming off back to back wins after a 3-2 win in Seattle on Wednesday to improve to 15-5-4 on the season, with an 8-1-1 record in their last ten games. The Mammoth have been so much fun to watch this year. After two wins in a row, they’re coming off a 4-3 loss in an electric game against Montreal on Wednesday, falling to 12-9-3 on the season. Dallas is the better all around team in this game and I’ll take them for half a unit. At 5.5, I’d slightly lean the over, but it’s too close to a toss up to bet. I like a few player props here too. I’ll parlay Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen to each get a point for half a unit. On the Utah side, I’ll take Nick Schmaltz (after he was the only leg that didn’t hit for me on a four leg parlay on Wednesday) and Clayton Keller, each individually to get a point for half a unit each.
Bets
1u Lightning ML (-120)
.5u Avalanche ML (-170)
.5u Avalanche/Wild under 6.5 (-135)
.5u parlay: MacKinnon/Makar/Necas/Kaprizov 1+ pt each (+146)
.5u Devils ML (-115)
.5u Panthers ML (-192)
.5u parlay: Brad Marchand/Sam Reinhart 1+ pt each (-110)
.5u Islanders/Flyers under 6 (-124)
1u Senators ML (-110)
1u Brady Tkachuk over 0.5 point (-150)
.5u parlay: Jack Eichel/Cole Caufield/Nick Suzuki 1+ pt each (+140)
.5u parlay: Leo Carlsson/Cutter Gauthier/Troy Terry 1+ pt each (+140)
.5u parlay: Maclin Celebrini/Quinn Hughes 1+ pt each (-150)
.5u Capitals ML (-155)
.5u Hurricanes in regulation (-145)
.5u parlay: Sebastian Aho/Mark Scheifele/Kyle Connor/Seth Jarvis 1+ pt each (+162)
.5u parlay: Zach Werenski/Sidney Crosby 1+ pt each (+100)
.5u Evgeni Malkin over 0.5 point (-145)
.5u Blackhawks ML (-115)
.5u Stars ML (-135)
.5u parlay: Jason Robertson/Mikko Rantanen 1+ pt each (-155)
.5u Clayton Keller over 0.5 point (-145)
.5u Nick Schmaltz over 0.5 point (-125)
Record: 160-150-1 (-18.1 units)
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