First slight losing night for me on the NHL yesterday since before the Christmas break, going 5-5 to lose 0.45 units. Let’s bounce back on today’s huge 13 game slate with a ton of day games!
Red Wings vs. Penguins (12:00)
These teams meet for the second time in the last three days for the second half of a home and home to get the day started. On Thursday, they went to overtime in a solid game, with the Penguins winning 4-3 at home. Pretty good matchup here, with both teams playing well lately. The Red Wings lead the Atlantic Division, a point ahead of Tampa with a 24-14-4 record, and they have a 10-3-1 record in their last 14 games. The Penguins, after going on an eight game losing streak, have now won their last three in a row, and four of their last five games. I like Detroit to answer back here, and I’m going with all my same bets that I had on Thursday’s game. I’ll take the Red Wings for half a unit, the over for half a unit, and I’ll parlay Lucas Raymond and Sidney Crosby to each get a point for half a unit.
Blue Jackets vs. Sabres (3:00)
I can’t wait for this game, with my Sabres having the ability to break their franchise record for their longest win streak. The Blue Jackets aren’t great, in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 17-16-6 record. They’re coming off a 3-2 loss at home to the Devils on New Year’s Eve that ended a three game win streak, and they’ve struggled on both ends of the ice. My Sabres are on fire, the hottest team in hockey, tying their franchise record longest win streak with ten in a row, coming off an impressive 4-1 win in Dallas on New Year’s Eve where they gave up the goal 15 seconds into the game and then were perfect the rest of the way. This team’s a wagon. The first game these teams played in Buffalo back in October went to overtime with Columbus getting the 4-3 win on the road. I like the Sabres to answer back here with a win, extending the win streak to a new franchise record eleven in a row, and I’ll take them for a unit. I like the under as well, which I’ll take for half a unit. Additionally, I’ll parlay Tage Thompson, Zach Werenski, and Kirill Marchenko to each get a point for half a unit.
Devils vs. Mammoth (3:00)
Boring matinee for this cross conference game. The Devils have been struggling, especially offensively, ending a four game losing streak on Wednesday with a 3-2 win in Columbus, just their fifth win in their last 16 games as they’ve fallen to 21-17-2 after their hot start to the year. The Mammoth came crashing down from their hot start too, now 19-19-3 after starting the year 8-2, coming off a big 7-2 win on Long Island on Thursday. These teams played in Utah just a few weeks ago, with the Devils winning 2-1 on the road. I’d slightly lean Jersey wins again here at home, but I’m not touching the side on this game. I do like the under though, not expecting either team to generate much, and I’ll take it for half a unit.
Oilers vs. Flyers (3:30)
I wouldn’t think this is all that great of a cross conference matchup, but both of these teams are playing well right now and it could be fun. The Oilers are coming off a surprising 6-2 blowout loss at home to the Bruins on New Year’s Eve, but have turned their season around after their awful start. They’re now leading the weak Pacific Division with a 20-15-6 record, a point ahead of Vegas and Anaheim. They’ve gone 9-4-1 in their last 14 games, with their defense improving and their offense still firing on all cylinders. The Flyers have been quite the surprise this year, with their defense playing great and leading them to wins despite their offense not being great. They’ve been a mixed bag lately though, coming off a 5-1 loss in Calgary on Thursday. The first time these teams played in Philly in November, the Oilers got the 2-1 win on the road in overtime. I like them to win again here at home and I’ll lay the -180 on them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I also will take Connor McDavid to have over 1.5 points for half a unit.
Blues vs. Canadiens (4:00)
Lousy cross conference matchup here. The Blues have been horrible with a 16-18-8 record, in the second half of a back to back today, coming off a 4-3 win at home against the Golden Knights yesterday on a late goal from Brayden Schenn with just 1:33 left in regulation. They’ve struggled on both ends of the ice. The Habs have been pretty good, in the third playoff spot in the Atlantic with a 22-12-6 record. They’re very good offensively, but have struggled on the back end. Montreal comes into today on a seven game point streak with two wins in a row, impressively beating the Hurricanes 7-5 on New Year’s Day. St. Louis won the first game these teams played in December 4-3 on the road, and especially with the Blues in the second half of a back to back, I like the Canadiens to win here on the road. I’ll take them for a unit. I also like the over, which I’ll take for half a unit at + money, and I’ll parlay Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield to stay hot and each get a point for a unit.
Sharks vs. Lightning (4:00)
Huge mismatch for this cross conference game, but it could be pretty fun to watch. The Sharks have definitely improved this year, in the Wild Card mix in the West on the back of Macklin Celebrini’s season that should make him a Hart candidate this year alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid. Their defense still stinks, but they’ve been winning games, on a three game win streak coming off a surprising 4-3 shootout win at home against the Wild on New Year’s Eve to improve to 20-17-3. The Lightning have been fantastic, on a six game win streak, a point behind Detroit at the top of the Atlantic Division with a 24-13-3 record, coming off a 5-3 win in LA on Thursday. They’re elite on both ends of the ice. I like Tampa to win here on the road, but the price at -218 is too expensive, so I’ll just take them in regulation for half a unit. I like the over on this game too, which I’ll also take for half a unit. I also like some player props here. I’m going to structure these a bit different than usual. I’ll parlay Nikita Kucherov and Macklin Celebrini to each get a point for a unit, then for half a unit each I’ll parlay them to each get two points, and individually take them to each get over 1.5 points. Let’s have some fun with it.
Senators vs. Jets (7:00)
Terrible cross conference game here with both of these teams having very disappointing seasons, sitting at the bottom of their respective divisions. The Senators ended a three game losing streak with a 4-3 win at home against the Capitals on New Year’s Eve to improve to 19-15-5 on the season. The Jets meanwhile have been brutal, dropping all the way to 15-20-4. This team is broken, on an eight game losing streak with just three wins in their last 20 games, struggling big time on both ends of the ice. The first game between these teams three weeks ago in Winnipeg went to overtime, with the Sens winning 3-2 on the road. I like Ottawa to win again here at home, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Brady Tkachuk, and Tim Stutzle to each get a point for half a unit.
Islanders vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
This is quite the interesting game here in the Eastern Conference with both of these teams playing better, but playing completely different styles of hockey. The Islanders have been solid this season, with a 22-15-4 record, with a great defense but a terrible offense. They have three wins in their last five games, coming off a 7-2 blowout loss on Thursday afternoon at home to the Mammoth. The Leafs started the season terrible, but have improved lately, on a five game point streak with a 4-0-1 record in that span to improve to 19-15-6 on the season, coming off a 6-5 win at home against the Jets on Thursday. They’ve played the opposite style of hockey, with a good run and gun offense but bad play on the back end. I’d slightly lean Toronto wins here on the road, and the over, but not enough to bet either. I don’t like any player props in this game either, so I’ll lay off it completely.
Capitals vs. Blackhawks (7:00)
Huge cross conference mismatch here. The Capitals have been pretty good on the season, with a 21-15-5 record, but they’re not playing great lately, with just three wins in their last eleven games, coming off a 4-3 loss in Ottawa on New Year’s Day. This team’s been streaky, but statistically they’ve been good on both ends of the ice. The Blackhawks shocked me on Thursday, beating the Stars 4-3 at home, but they’ve been awful without Bedard and have really struggled lately, with just five wins in their last 21 games. This team’s bad on both ends of the ice. This is a good bounce back spot for the Caps at home, but I can’t justify the price at almost -300 to bet them. I considered just taking them in regulation, but that’s still a bit too pricey at -170, so I’ll bring it down to -115 and parlay them to win in regulation with Tom Wilson to get a point for half a unit. I like the over too at 5.5, which I’ll also take for half a unit.
Hurricanes vs. Avalanche (7:00)
This should be a great cross conference game between the top team in the East and the best team in the league. The Hurricanes lead the Eastern Conference with a 24-13-3 record, but they’ve struggled a bit lately with just two wins in their last seven games, coming off a 7-5 loss at home to the Habs on Thursday. The Avalanche are in a league of their own, far and away the best team in the league, and maybe even in NHL history. They’re on a nine game win streak and twelve game point streak, blowing out the Blues 6-1 at home on New Year’s Eve, scoring four goals in that game before St. Louis even generated a shot on goal. This team’s elite, leading the NHL by a significant margin on both ends of the ice. One of their few losses this year came the first time these teams played, with the Canes winning 5-4 on the road in a shootout back in October. I like the Avs to answer back here at home and I’ll take them for 1.5 units. I like the over as well, which I’ll take for half a unit. I’m back on my usual player props here too and for a unit each I’ll take Nathan MacKinnon to have over 1.5 points and parlay MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas, and Sebastian Aho to each get a point.
Flames vs. Predators (7:00)
A month ago this would have been a brutal Western Conference matchup between two of the worst teams in the NHL, but they’ve both played much better as of late to both improve to 18-18-4 on the season, making it a pretty fun game. The Flames are on a three game win streak, coming off a 5-1 win at home against the Flyers on New Year’s Eve, their ninth win in their last twelve games. The Predators are coming off a 4-1 loss in Seattle in the second half of a back to back on New Year’s Day, but they’ve won twelve of their last 16 games. Nashville won both previous games between these teams at home, 4-2 in November, and 5-1 in December. I’d lean Calgary avoids the season sweep here at home, but didn’t even consider betting it. I’d slightly lean the under, with two bad offenses and a decent defense for the Flames, but not enough to bet it. I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Kings vs. Wild (9:00)
This Western Conference matchup isn’t great. The Kings have a very good defense, but their offense is putrid. They’re struggling right now, falling to 16-14-9 on the season with just two wins in their last ten games, coming off a 5-3 loss at home to the Lightning on Thursday. The Wild are a fantastic team with a 25-10-7 record, top three in the NHL alongside the Stars, only behind the Avalanche, who are in a league of their own at the top of the league. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 5-2 win in Anaheim last night on a four assist night from Quinn Hughes. Minnesota won the first game between these teams 4-3 at home in a shootout in the first week of the season. Even in the second half of a back to back on the road, I like them to win again here, and you can’t pass up on this team as an underdog. I’ll take them for a unit. I’d lean the over, but with two really good defenses, and a bad offense for LA, I don’t think it’s worth betting on. I’ll also parlay Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Quinn Hughes to each get a point for half a unit.
Canucks vs. Bruins (10:00)
Boring, lousy cross conference matchup to end the night. Both of these teams are struggling quite a bit right now. The Canucks are in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Kraken (nice win for me at + money) and have just one win in their last five games, falling to 16-20-4 on the season. Vancouver’s the worst team in the league, playing terrible on both ends of the ice. The Bruins started the year way better than expected, but have come crashing down to 21-18-2, ending a six game losing streak with a 6-2 win in Edmonton on New Year’s Eve. The first game between these teams two weeks ago went to a shootout with the Canucks winning 5-4 on the road. I’d lean Boston answers back here, but with how they’ve played lately, I don’t think they’re worth betting. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for half a unit at +115. I considered parlaying David Pastrnak with Morgan Geekie to each get a point, but Geekie’s cooled down quite a bit lately and Pasta’s too expensive to bet individual, so I’ll stay off the player props in this one.
Bets
.5u Red Wings ML (-142)
.5u Red Wings/Penguins over 6.5 (+104)
.5u parlay: Sidney Crosby/Lucas Raymond 1+ point each (+101)
1u Sabres ML (+100)
.5u Sabres/Blue Jackets under 6.5 (-112)
.5u parlay: Tage Thompson/Zach Werenski/Kirill Marchenko 1+ point each (+204)
.5u Devils/Mammoth under 5.5 (-105)
.5u Oilers ML (-180)
.5u Connor McDavid over 1.5 points (-118)
1u Canadiens ML (-142)
.5u Canadiens/Blues over 6.5 (+110)
1u parlay: Cole Caufield/Nick Suzuki 1+ point each (-152)
.5u Lightning in regulation (-135)
.5u Lightning/Sharks over 6.5 (+110)
1u parlay: Nikita Kucherov/Macklin Celebrini 1+ point each (-164)
.5u parlay: Nikita Kucherov/Macklin Celebrini 2+ points each (+366)
.5u Nikita Kucherov over 1.5 points (+100)
.5u Macklin Celebrini over 1.5 points (+172)
.5u Senators ML (-130)
.5u parlay: Kyle Connor/Mark Scheifele/Brady Tkachuk/Tim Stutzle 1+ pt each (+245)
.5u parlay: Capitals in regulation/Tom Wilson over 0.5 point (-115)
.5u Capitals/Blackhawks over 5.5 (-130)
1.5u Avalanche ML (-135)
.5u Avalanche/Hurricanes over 6.5 (+100)
1u Nathan MacKinnon over 1.5 points (-106)
1u parlay: MacKinnon/Makar/Necas/Aho 1+ point each (+257)
1u Wild ML (+110)
.5u parlay: Kirill Kaprizov/Matt Boldy/Quinn Hughes 1+ point each (+141)
.5u Bruins/Canucks over 6.5 (+115)
Record: 362-385-1 (-41.74 units)
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