I didn’t do great on yesterday’s huge NHL slate, going 10-13 to lose 2.93 units. Too many player props. Today we have another giant slate, eleven games with a majority of teams in the second half of back to backs. Let’s bounce back!
Rangers vs. Lightning (2:00)
Not the best matchup in the East, but both of these teams are playing well right now. The Rangers are on a three game win streak, coming off a 6-2 win on the road in Boston yesterday to improve to 13-11-2. They’re brutal offensively, but have been very good on the back end. The Rags have been awful at home though, where they’re just 2-7-1. The Lightning are the hottest team in the East, extending their win streak to six in a row yesterday afternoon to a 6-3 win in Detroit to improve to 15-7-2 on the season. They have just three losses in their last 17 games, playing great on both ends of the ice. I like Tampa to stay hot here on the road and I’ll take the Bolts for a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Avalanche vs. Canadiens (3:00)
This should be a pretty fun cross conference game here, but it’s still a pretty big mismatch. The Avalanche had their ten game win streak come to an end yesterday in Minnesota, losing 3-2 in a shootout. They’re still easily the best team in the league though with a 17-1-6 record and they’re the easy favorites to win the Cup this year, playing fantastic hockey on both ends of the ice. The Habs have seemingly figured something out, on a three game win streak after a bit of a slump, coming off a 4-1 win in Vegas yesterday. They’re 13-7-3 on the season, playing really well offensively but struggling on the back end. I like Colorado to bounce back here at home, and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Nathan MacKinnon, Marty Necas, Cale Makar, and Nick Suzuki to each get a point for half a unit, and I’ll take Cole Caufield to get a point on his own for half a unit.
Kraken vs. Oilers (4:00)
Kind of a boring matchup out West between the two teams that didn’t play yesterday. The Kraken are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Stars on Wednesday, their second loss in a row to drop to a still pretty good 11-6-6 on the season. Seattle’s been very good defensively, but they’ve struggled to score. The Oilers have struggled in the opposite way, with a good offense, but some of the worst defensive play and goaltending this season, and with that they’re a terrible 10-10-5 considering the talent on that team. Edmonton’s also coming off a loss to Dallas on Tuesday, getting blown out 8-3 at home, and they’ve only won one of their last five games. Seattle won the first game between these teams 3-2 at home last month. I’d lean the Kraken win again as home dogs here, but note enough to bet it. I’d also lean the over, but not enough to bet that either. I looked at a few player props on McDavid and Draisaitl, but the prices aren’t worth betting on them.
Bruins vs. Red Wings (7:00)
This is a pretty lousy Atlantic Division matchup, and neither of these teams have been great. The Bruins are coming off a 6-2 loss at home to the Rangers yesterday and have fallen to 14-12 on the season, still exceeding my expectations a bit this year. I thought that team would be in the bottom of the standings all year. The Red Wings are on a three game losing streak, dropping to 13-11-1 on the season, coming off a 6-3 loss at home yesterday afternoon to the Lightning. I think Detroit’s the better team here, but I’d slightly lean Boston as a home dog, but not enough to bet it. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Devils vs. Flyers (7:00)
This should actually be a pretty fun matchup to get this evening’s games going in the Metro Division. The Devils are on a three game win streak, leading the division with a 16-7-1 record, coming off a 5-0 shutout win in Buffalo yesterday. They’ve played very well on both ends of the ice. The Flyers have exceeded expectations, playing really well defensively, but not all that great defensively. They’re coming off a 4-3 shootout win yesterday against the Islanders, improving to 13-7-3, with four wins in their last five games. Philly won the first game between these teams last week, winning 6-3 at home. I like the Devils to answer back here at home, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Penguins vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
Interesting matchup here in the East. I don’t think the Penguins are all that great of a team, but coming off a 4-2 overtime win in Columbus yesterday, they’re 10-11-3 on the season. The Leafs have really struggled, at just 10-11-3 on the year, coming off a 4-2 loss in DC last night, with only two wins in their last ten games. Toronto won the first game between these teams 4-3 earlier this month. I’d slightly lean the Pens answer back here at home tonight, but didn’t even consider betting it. I’d also slightly lean the under at 6.5, but not enough to bet that either. I do like a few player prop plays on this game though. I’ll parlay Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Sidney Crosby to each get a point for half a unit, and I’ll take Evgeni Malkin to get a point on his own for half a unit.
Predators vs. Jets (7:00)
Pretty lousy Central Division matchup. The Predators are one of the worst teams in the NHL, but they’ve won their last two games in a row, beating the Blackhawks 4-3 on the road last night to improve to 8-12-4 on the season. Nashville’s been awful on both ends of the ice. The Jets are a solid team on both ends of the ice, but they’re struggling without Connor Hellebuyck, falling to 12-11 on the season, on a four game losing streak coming off a 5-1 loss in Carolina last night. Winnipeg won the first game between these teams this season 4-1 last month and I think this is a nice get right spot for the Jets. I’ll take them for half a unit on the road. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it.
Wild vs. Sabres (8:00)
Huge mismatch in this cross conference game. The Wild are the hottest team in hockey right now, pulling off a huge 3-2 shootout win at home yesterday afternoon against the Avalanche to extend their win streak to seven in a row and improve to 14-7-4 on the season. They’ve gone 11-1-1 in their last 13 games, with a fantastic defense and stellar goaltending, despite their offensive struggles at times. My Sabres still stink, just 9-11-4 on the year, the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Yesterday I actually didn’t think they played too bad, but still got shut out 5-0 by the Devils with Jake Allen saving all 42 shots he saw. I’m expecting this to be an easy win for Minnesota at home, and I’ll take the Wild for a unit. I’d lean the under but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy to each get a point for half a unit.
Note: I won’t be doing my usual recap blog of this game like I do for the majority of Sabres games, going to watch the only winning team in Buffalo, the Bandits, put up the banner for their third straight NLL Championship title. Let’s Go Bandits!
Blues vs. Mammoth (8:00)
Pretty lousy Central Division matchup here. The Blues are one of the worst teams in the NHL this season, improving to 8-10-7 on the year after a 4-3 win at home against the Senators yesterday, just their second win in their last eight games. St. Louis has struggled mightily on both ends of the ice. The Mammoth are coming off two close losses in a row, losing 4-3 in Dallas last night to fall to 12-10-3 on the season, but they are playing decent, entertaining hockey. Utah won the first game between these teams with a 7-4 blowout on the road last month. I like them to win again here on the road and I’ll take them for a unit. I’ll also go right back to the same player props in this game and take half unit shots on Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz to get a point.
Golden Knights vs. Sharks (10:00)
Big mismatch here in the Pacific Division to get into the late games. The Golden Knights are struggling right now, falling to 10-6-8 after a 4-1 loss at home to the Habs last night, their fourth straight loss. I still think they’re a good team though, playing pretty well on both ends of the ice. The Sharks aren’t great, but they’re exceeding a lot of expectations, with a 12-10-3 record, coming off a 3-2 win at home against the Canucks last night. Vegas needed overtime and got a rare OT win on the road in the first game between these teams, winning 4-3 in the first week of the season. I like the Knights to win again tonight at home, but the price at -320 is way too expensive. I’ll stay off it, with even the regulation line at -205. The total’s pretty much a toss up to me. I do like a point parlay though, and I’ll take Eichel, Marner, Stone, and Celebrini to each get a point for half a unit.
Kings vs. Canucks (10:00)
Pretty lousy Pacific Division matchup to end the night. The Kings are struggling a bit as of late, coming off a 5-4 shootout loss last night in Anaheim, with only one win in their last five games to drop to 11-6-7 on the season. They’ve been very good defensively on the year, but have struggled to score. The Canucks have struggled all season, especially defensively, with just one win in their last five games, coming off a 3-2 loss in San Jose last night. I like LA to win here at home, and I’ll lay the -192 on them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but didn’t even consider betting it.
Bets
1u Lightning ML (-105)
.5u Avalanche in regulation (-170)
.5u parlay: Nathan MacKinnon/Martin Necas/Cale Makar/Nick Suzuki 1+ pt each (+152)
.5u Cole Caufield over 0.5 point (-140)
.5u Red Wings/Bruins over 5.5 (-118)
.5u Devils ML (-155)
.5u parlay: Auston Matthews/John Tavares/Sidney Crosby 1+ pt each (+182)
.5u Evgeni Malkin over 0.5 point (-155)
.5u Jets ML (-125)
1u Wild ML (-142)
.5u parlay: Kirill Kaprivoz/Matt Boldy 1+ pt each (-130)
1u Mammoth ML (-112)
.5u Clayton Keller over 0.5 point (-165)
.5u Nick Schmaltz over 0.5 point (-135)
.5u parlay: Jack Eichel/Mitch Marner/Mark Stone/Maclin Celebrini 1+ pt each (+184)
.5u Kings ML (-192)
Record: 170-163-1 (-21.03 units)
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