Lousy night on the NHL yesterday, ending my nice winning run I had going, as I went a terrible 4-10 to lose 8.47 units, mainly on the Avalanche not finding the back of the net. Let’s bounce back on yet another big eight game slate tonight!
Canadiens vs. Sabres (7:00)
Really fun Atlantic Division matchup to get the night started. These teams just played a week ago for the second time this season, with the Sabres pulling away in the third period of a great game to beat the Habs 5-3 at home, answering back from a 4-2 Montreal win at home back in October. The Canadiens have been very good this season, in third place in the Atlantic Division with a 28-15-7 record. They’re coming off a big 4-3 win at home against the Wild on Tuesday. Their young offense has been very good, but their defense has struggled quite a bit at times through the year. The Sabres bounced back from two losses in a row on Tuesday night in Nashville, getting out to a 4-0 lead early in the second period, with two assists and a goal in the first period from rookie Konsta Helenius in his first NHL game, and letting their foot off the gas as the Preds came to make it 4-3 before Peyton Krebs capped off the game with an empty netter to win 5-3. We’re now in the first Wild Card in the East with a 27-17-5 record, one of the hottest teams in hockey with a 16-3-1 record in our last 20 games. The side on this game is a complete toss up to me. I’d slightly give an edge to Montreal at home, but not enough to bet against my boys. I love the over in this game though, which I’ll take for 1.5 units. I’ll also parlay Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Tage Thompson to each get a point for a unit.
Bruins vs. Golden Knights (7:00)
Fun cross conference matchup with both of these teams playing quite well lately, but having win streaks come to an end in their last games. The Bruins are in the second Wild Card in the East with a 28-20-2 record, surprising a lot of people this year. They’re coming off a 6-2 loss in Dallas on Tuesday that ended a six game win streak. The Golden Knights lead the weak Pacific Division with a 24-12-12 record. They had a seven game win streak end on Monday, losing 2-1 at home to the Flyers. The first game between these teams in the first week of the season was a fun, high scoring matchup, with the B’s comeback effort falling short as the Knights won 6-5 at home. I’d lean Vegas wins here on the road, but not enough to bet them. I like the over here, which I’ll take for half a unit. I’ll also parlay David Pastrnak, Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Mitch Marner to each get a point for half a unit. I considered also taking Eichel, back in his hometown, and Pasta to get 2 points, but don’t like either enough to bet it.
Hurricanes vs. Blackhawks (7:00)
Huge mismatch in this cross conference game. The Hurricanes are playing great, leading the Metro Division with a 31-15-4 record. They’re on a three game win streak coming off a 2-1 win at home against the Sabres on Monday where Brandon Bussi made the save of the year on Tage Thompson and put on a clinic in between the pipes, and they’ve gone 7-1-1 in their last nine games. Carolina’s been very good on both ends of the ice. Meanwhile the Blackhawks have struggled on both ends of the ice with a 20-22-7 record. They ended a three game losing streak on Monday in Jonathan Toews’ return to Chicago, beating the Jets 2-0. This should be an easy win at home for the Canes and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I like the under at 6.5, and I’ll take it for half a unit. I’ll also parlay Connor Bedard, Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis to each get a point for half a unit.
Blue Jackets vs. Stars (7:00)
A few weeks ago this would have been an awful cross conference game, but with how these teams have both played lately, it could be a pretty solid one. The Blue Jackets have struggled on both ends of the ice all year, but after firing Dean Evason last week, they went on a four game win streak, which ended on Tuesday with a 4-1 loss at home to the Senators. They’re now 22-20-7 on the season. The Stars have been very good this year, tied with the Wild for second place in the Central with a 28-13-9 record, behind the Avs. They’re coming off a big 6-2 win at home against the Bruins on Tuesday night, which they needed big time, especially without Mikko Rantanen in the lineup, ending a three game losing streak where their offense couldn’t generate more than a goal in any of those three games and picking up just their third win in their last 13 games. Back in October when these teams played in Dallas, the Jackets actually won that game in a blowout, winning 5-1 on the road. I like the Stars to answer back here in Columbus and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under in this game, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko, Jason Robertson, and Wyatt Johnston to each get a point for half a unit.
Predators vs. Senators (8:00)
This isn’t a great cross conference matchup, but it should be an entertaining game. The Predators have turned their season around with 17 wins in their last 28 games after their miserable start to the year, but they’re still on the outside looking in on a playoff spot with a 23-22-4 record. They’re coming off two losses in a row, falling short of their comeback effort on Tuesday night at home against the Sabres to lose 5-3 at home, almost erasing an early 4-0 deficit. The Senators have been pretty terrible this year, tied with Florida in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 23-19-7 record, but they’re playing better lately too. Coming off a 4-1 win in Columbus, they’ve gone 3-0-2 in their last five games, but still have just five wins in their last 14 games. Nashville won the first game between these teams 4-1 on the road in the first week of the season. I’d lean they win tonight again at home, but not enough to bet them. I’d also lean the over, but not enough to bet it at 6.5, so I’ll stay off that as well. I do like a player prop parlay here though, and I’ll take Ryan O’Reilly, Tim Stutzle, and Brady Tkachuk to each get a point for half a unit.
Jets vs. Panthers (8:00)
Terrible game here when you look at the standings, but these teams have actually been playing pretty well lately, so it makes it a decent matchup. The Jets are still at the bottom of the Central Division with a 20-23-6 record, but coming off a 3-1 win at home against the Blues on Tuesday, they’ve gone 5-1-1 in their last seven games. The Panthers are in deep trouble with danger of missing the playoffs. They’re tied for last in the Atlantic with a 25-20-3 record, and the injuries just keep getting worse for the back to back Cup Champs. Coming off a 4-1 loss at home to the Sharks on Monday night, they have three wins in their last five games, but still only four in their last ten after a hot run before that. I’d lean Florida wins here on the road, but not enough to bet them. I do like the over at 5.5 though, which I’ll take for half a unit. I’ll also parlay Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Mark Scheifele, and Kyle Connor to each get a point for half a unit.
Oilers vs. Penguins (9:00)
Pretty fun cross conference matchup. The Oilers have been so inconsistent this year, in second place in the weak Pacific Division with a 25-18-8 record. They’re coming off a 2-1 loss at home to the Devils on Tuesday, but have a 6-2-2 record in their last ten games. They’re still without their second best player, with Leon Draisaitl still out another few games, but that Edmonton offense is still really solid. They haven’t been great on the back end all season, but are playing much better as of late. The Penguins are playing pretty good, tied for second place in the Metro Division with a 24-14-11 record in a pretty tight playoff race. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, making pretty easy work of the Flames with a 4-1 win on the road last night, with a 9-2-2 record in their last 13 games. Pittsburgh’s been solid on both ends of the ice this year. The first game between these teams last month was fantastic, with the Oilers winning 6-4 on the road. With the Pens in the second half of a back to back, I’d lean the Oilers win again tonight at home, but not enough to lay the -166. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet that either. I love some player props though. I’ll parlay Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin to each get a point for a unit, I’ll take McDavid to get over 1.5 points for a unit, Sidney Crosby to get over 1.5 points for half a unit, and parlay those two guys to get 2 points each for half a unit.
Wild vs. Red Wings (9:30)
Fantastic cross conference matchup to end the night. The Wild have been struggling a bit lately with just three wins in their last one games, but they’re still a very good team, tied with the Stars in second place in the Central Division with a 28-14-9 record, coming off a 4-3 loss in Montreal on Tuesday. The Red Wings have been very good this year, tied with the Lightning at the top of the Atlantic Division with a 31-16-4 record. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, grinding out a 2-1 overtime win in Toronto last night. They’ve played fantastic on both end of the ice, with a 17-5-1 record in their last 23 games. With Detroit in the second half of a back to back, I’d lean the Wild win here at home, but not enough to bet them. The total at 6.5 is a complete toss up to me, but I like several player props here. I’ll parlay Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, and Lucas Raymond to each get a point for half a unit. I don’t understand why the books have been pricing Raymond low to just get a point these last two games, but I’ll jump on that again for a unit, and I’ll take Kirill Kaprizov to get over 1.5 points for half a unit.
Bets
1.5u Canadiens/Sabres over 6.5 (-118)
1u parlay: Nick Suzuki/Cole Caufield/Tage Thompson 1+ point each (+152)
.5u Golden Knights/Bruins over 6.5 (+105)
.5u parlay: David Pastrnak/Jack Eichel/Mark Stone/Mitch Marner 1+ point each (+181)
1u Hurricanes in regulation (-170)
.5u Hurricanes/Blackhawks under 6.5 (-130)
.5u parlay: Bedard/Aho/Jarvis/Svechnikov 1+ point each (+235)
.5u Stars ML (-115)
.5u parlay: Werenski/Marchenko/Robertson/Johnston 1+ point each (+287)
.5u parlay: Tim Stutzle/Brady Tkachuk/Ryan O’Reilly 1+ point each (+236)
.5u Panthers/Jets over 5.5 (-130)
.5u parlay: Tkachuk/Reinhart/Scheifele/Connor 1+ point each (+281)
1u parlay: Connor McDavid/Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin 1+ point each (+138)
1u Connor McDavid over 1.5 points (-140)
.5u Sidney Crosby over 1.5 points (+195)
.5u parlay: Connor McDavid/Sidney Crosby 2+ points each (+360)
.5u parlay: Kaprizov/Hughes/Larkin/DeBrincat/Raymond 1+ point each (+400)
1u Lucas Raymond over 0.5 point (-150)
.5u Kirill Kaprizov over 1.5 points (+150)
Record: 527-545-1 (-34.46 units)
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