Lousy night yesterday on the NHL, going 4-6 to lose 4.76 units. Today we have a huge 13 game slate going up against the NFL Divisional Round. Let’s bounce right back and crush it!
Sabres vs. Wild (12:30)
Great game to start off the day with a fun cross conference matchup that I’ll be in attendance for, and thats why I’m up typing this blog at 7:45am on a Saturday. My Sabres are the hottest team in hockey, with 14 wins in our last 16 games to improve to 26-16-4 on the season and in the first Wild Card in the East. We’re a fucking wagon, coming off a big 5-3 win at home against the Habs on Thursday on 05-06 reunion night. The Wild have been fantastic on both ends of the ice all year, but they’re in a big slump right now, on a three game losing streak with just one win in their last six games, coming off a bad 6-2 loss at home to the Jets on Thursday. They’re still in the third playoff spot in the Central with a 26-13-9 record. The first game between these teams before the Sabres started this hot run late in November went to a shootout, with Buffalo winning 3-2 on the road. I like us to win again here and I’ll take the Sabres for half a unit. I like the over as well, which I’ll take for a unit. I’ll also parlay Tage Thompson and Kirill Kaprizov to each get a point for a unit.
Flyers vs. Rangers (1:00)
Pretty terrible matinee in the Metro Division. The Flyers have been pretty good all year, but they’re in a slump right now, falling out of a playoff spot as they come into today’s game on a five game losing streak to drop to 22-16-8 on the season, coming off a 6-3 loss in Pittsburgh on Thursday. The Rangers have been awful all year, with a 20-22-6 record on the year, on a five game losing streak as well, with just one win in their last nine games coming off an 8-4 blowout loss at home to the Senators on Wednesday. The first game between these teams in MSG in December went to a shootout with the Rags winning 5-4 at home. I like the Flyers to answer back here at home and I’ll take Philly to get out of this losing streak for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it at 6.5. I’ll also parlay the only bright spot on the Rangers, Artemi Panarin, who they’re not resigning, with Mika Zibanejad to each get a point for half a unit.
Flames vs. Islanders (3:00)
This is kind of a boring cross conference matchup. The Flames haven’t been great, at the bottom of the Pacific Division with a 20-23-4 record. Coming off a 3-1 win in Chicago on Thursday, they have just two wins in their last seven games. The Islanders have been shockingly pretty good this year, in second place in the Metro Division with a 26-16-5 record. They’re coming off a grind in Edmonton, winning with a 1-0 shutout on the road, and they’ve gone 7-3-1 in their last eleven games. I like the Isles to win here on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I also like the under, with both of these teams being pretty good defensively, but lousy offensively, and I’ll take it for half a unit.
Mammoth vs. Kraken (5:00)
This Western Conference matchup isn’t great. The Mammoth are playing well, improving to 24-20-4, going 5-0-1 in their last six games to get into the first Wild Card spot in the West, coming off a 2-1 win at home against the Stars on Thursday. The Kraken are struggling again after an 8-0-1 heater, but coming off a 4-2 loss in Boston on Thursday, they have just one win in their last five games. Utah won the first game between these teams 5-3 at home in December. I’d lean they win again here at home, but the price is just too expensive at -192. I do like the under in this game though, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Senators vs. Canadiens (7:00)
Kind of a fun Atlantic Division matchup to get the evening slate started. The Senators are last in the division, struggling quite a bit this year with a 22-19-5 record. They’re coming off two wins in a row though, dominating the Rangers with an 8-4 win on the road on Wednesday. The Habs have been good this year, with an electric offense, but not a great defense. They’re in third place in the division with a 26-15-7 record, coming off two losses in a row after a 5-3 loss in a tight game through two periods in Buffalo on Thursday night. These teams split their first two games in Montreal, with the Canadiens winning 4-3 at home in overtime in November, then the Sens answering back with a 5-2 win on the road in December. The line on this game makes no sense to me, and I think the Habs should be favored here. I’ll take them at a nice price as a dog for a unit. I really like the over in this game as well, with both of these teams being good offensively, but bad defensively, and I’ll take that for a unit too. I like two player prop parlays here too. For a unit I’ll parlay Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki to each get a point and I’ll add Brady Tkachuk, and Tim Stutzle to that for another half unit parlay.
Devils vs. Hurricanes (7:00)
Pretty big mismatch here in the Metro Division. The Devils have been struggling big time lately, but after a terrible run on just two wins in ten games, they’ve since won their last two games in a row, coming off a 3-2 overtime win at home against the Kraken on Wednesday to improve to 24-21-2 on the season. The Hurricanes are very good, leading the Metro with a 29-15-4 record. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, crushing the Panthers 9-1 last night. Carolina won both of the two previous games between these teams 6-3 at home in the first week of the season and then 3-1 on the road a couple weeks ago. I like the Canes to win again here on the road, even in the second half of a back to back, and I’ll take them for a unit. The total’s a complete toss up to me, so I’ll stay off it. I’ll also parlay Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis to each get a point for half a unit.
Penguins vs. Blue Jackets (7:00)
Interesting game here in the Metro. The Penguins have been pretty solid this year, tied with the Caps for third place in the division, which is a key spot since they’re both on the outside of a Wild Card spot. They ended a three game losing streak on Thursday with a 6-3 win at home against the Flyers to improve to 22-14-10 on the year. The Blue Jackets have been bad all year with a 21-19-7 record, but after firing Dean Evason and hiring Rick Bowness as their new head coach, they’re on a three game win streak, coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Canucks on Thursday. In his post game interview after that win, goalie Elvis Merzlikins credited those wins to their new coach, so that’s a big deal to me, usually guys aren’t saying that right away. The Pens are 2-0-1 this season against Columbus, losing 5-4 at home in a shootout in October, winning 4-3 on the road in November, then winning 5-4 on the road in overtime a few weeks ago. I like Pittsburgh 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 Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Zach Werenski, and Kirill Marchenko to each get a point for half a unit. Additionally, I’ll take Sid and Werenski to each get 2 points for half a unit each individually and parlayed together.
Capitals vs. Panthers (7:00)
Pretty good game here in the East. The Capitals are tied with the Penguins for the key third place spot in the Metro with a 24-18-6 record, which is actually out of the Wild Card, so it’s a very important place in the standings. They’ve been struggling a bit with just six wins in their last 18 games, coming off a 3-2 loss at home to the Sharks on Thursday, in a game they probably should’ve won, but couldn’t get tied up. The Panthers are struggling with so many injuries, still trying to stay in the tight Wild Card race. They’re 24-19-3, in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off getting completely blown out with a 9-1 loss in Columbus last night. I’d lean the Caps win here, but I don’t love it enough to bet them. I’d also lean the under slightly, but not enough to bet that either. The only player prop I like in this game is Sam Reinhart to get a point, but since I don’t like anyone else enough to parlay that with, and it’s too expensive to bet straight up, I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Jets vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
Fun cross conference game here with the way these teams are coming into tonight. The Jets have been awful all year after winning the President’s Trophy last year. They’re still in last place in the Central with a 19-22-5 record, but they’ve seemingly figured something out lately, on a four game win streak after a dominant 6-2 win in Minnesota on Thursday night. The Leafs have played great lately too, but come into tonight off two losses in a row. They’re on the outside of the Wild Card in the East, two points behind the Sabres and Bruins in that tight playoff race. On Thursday night, in an absolutely incredible game in Vegas with Mitch Marner facing his old team for the first time, Toronto blew 3-1, 4-2, and 5-3 leads, losing 6-5 in overtime on the road in one of the best games of the year. The first game between these teams on New Year’s Day was electric as well, with the Leafs erasing a 4-1 deficit to get a 6-5 win at home. I like Toronto to win again here on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I love the over especially at 5.5, which I’ll take for 1.5 units, and I’ll parlay Auston Matthews, Kyle Connor, and Mark Scheifele to each get a point for a unit.
Blackhawks vs. Bruins (8:00)
Boring cross conference matchup here. The Blackhawks have been lousy this year, coming off two losses in a row after a 3-1 loss at home to the Flames on Thursday to drop to 19-21-7 on the season. The Bruins have far exceeded expectations this year, tied with the Sabres for the Wild Card spots in the East with a 27-19-2 record. They’re on fire lately, on a five game win streak, coming off a 4-2 win at home against the Kraken on Thursday, and they’ve won seven of their last eight games. The first game between these two teams in the first week of the season went to OT, with Boston winning 4-3 at home. I like the B’s to win again here on the road and I’ll take them for a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it at 5.5. I’ll also take two player props here. I’ll parlay David Pastrnak and Connor Bedard to each get a point for half a unit, and I’ll take Pasta to get over 1.5 points for half a unit.
Canucks vs. Oilers (10:00)
Huge mismatch in the Pacific Division here. The Canucks are the worst team in the league, with just a 16-26-5 record. They’re on a nine game losing streak, coming off a 4-1 loss in Columbus on Thursday. The Oilers aren’t all that great either at 23-17-8, but with how weak the Pacific Division is, they’re in second place. They’re coming off two losses in a row, getting shut out 1-0 at home against the Islanders on Thursday. These teams split their first two games back in October, with the Oilers winning 3-1 at home and Vancouver answering with a 4-3 overtime win at home a couple weeks later. I love the bounce back spot here for the Oilers and I’ll parlay their moneyline with Connor McDavid to get a point for a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay McDavid to get two points with Leon Draisaitl to get a point for a unit.
Golden Knights vs. Predators (10:00)
Really fun matchup here in the West with both of these teams on fire lately. The Golden Knights lead the Pacific Division with a 23-11-12 record and they’re on a heater right now, on a six game win streak. They just played one of the best games of the year on Thursday night in Mitch Marner’s first game against his former team, with the Knights erasing 3-1, 4-2, and 5-3 deficits in that game, with Tomas Hertl forcing overtime with seven seconds left, then Jack Eichel getting the game winner in overtime to beat the Leafs 6-5. Fantastic game with a 4 point night for Eichel and two point nights for Marner, Stone, Dorofeyev, and Hertl. After their bad start to the year, the Predators are back to life in the Wild Card mix in the West, improving to 23-20-4, on a three game win streak with 17 wins in their last 25 games. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a shocker, giving the Avalanche their first home loss in regulation of the season, getting a 7-3 win in Colorado last night for their third win in a row. On New Year’s Eve, the Preds beat Vegas 4-2 on the road in the first game between these teams. Especially with Smashville in the second half of a back to back on the road, I like the Knights to win here tonight, but the price at -238 with how well the Preds are playing is too expensive for me. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet that either. I do like a handful of player props here though. I’ll parlay Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Mitch Marner to each get a point for a unit. Individually I’ll take Ryan O’Reilly to get a point and Jack Eichel to get over 1.5 points for half a unit each.
Ducks vs. Kings (10:00)
Kind of a lousy California matchup in the second half of a back to back, home and home between these Pacific Division rivals. Last night in LA, they went to a shootout with the Ducks winning 3-2 on the road. These teams split their first two games, with the Ducks winning 5-4 in a shootout at home in November, and the Kings answering with a 6-1 win any home in December. The Ducks are 23-21-3 this season, crashing down after their hot start to the year and although they’ve now won two in a row, last night was just their fourth win in their last 17 games. The injured, young Anaheim offense has been pretty good, but their defense is horrible. The Kings play the opposite style of hockey, with a very good defense, but an awful offense. They’re just 19-16-12 on the season, with only one win in their last five games. I’d slightly lean the Kings answer back from last night’s game at home, and I’d slightly lean the over, but just like last night, I’m not touching this game.
Bets
.5u Sabres ML (-125)
1u Sabres/Wild over 6.5 (+105)
1u parlay: Tage Thompson/Kirill Kaprizov 1+ point each (-115)
.5u Flyers ML (-140)
.5u parlay: Artemi Panarin/Mika Zibanejad 1+ point each (-105)
.5u Islanders ML (-112)
.5u Islanders/Flames under 5.5 (+105)
.5u Mammoth/Kraken under 5.5 (+114)
1u Canadiens ML (+110)
1u Senators/Canadiens over 6.5 (-105)
1u parlay: Nick Suzuki/Cole Caufield 1+ point each (-115)
.5u parlay: Nick Suzuki/Cole Caufield/Brady Tkachuk/Tim Stutzle 1+ point each (+290)
1u Hurricanes ML (-115)
.5u parlay: Sebastian Aho/Seth Jarvis 1+ point each (+119)
.5u Penguins ML (-125)
.5u parlay: Crosby/Malkin/Marchenko/Werenski 1+ point each (+247)
.5u Sidney Crosby over 1.5 points (+170)
.5u Zach Werenski over 1.5 points (+220)
.5u parlay: Sidney Crosby/Zach Werenski 2+ points each (+581)
.5u Maple Leafs ML (+110)
1.5u Jets/Maple Leafs over 5.5 (-125)
1u parlay: Auston Matthews/Kyle Connor/Mark Scheifele 1+ point each (+125)
1u Bruins ML (-122)
.5u parlay: David Pastrnak/Connor Bedard 1+ point each (-125)
.5u David Pastrnak over 1.5 points (+176)
1u parlay: Oilers ML/Connor McDavid over 0.5 point (-150)
1u parlay: Connor McDavid over 1.5 points/Leon Draisaitl over 0.5 point (+102)
1u parlay: Jack Eichel/Mark Stone/Mitch Marner 1+ point each (-120)
.5u Jack Eichel over 1.5 points (+120)
.5u Ryan O’Reilly over 0.5 point (-140)
Record: 481-499-1 (-40.82 units)
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