Losing night yesterday on the NHL for me, going 12-13 on the big slate to lose 2.48 units on some surprising results. Tonight we have a pretty lousy three game slate, let’s bounce back.
Islanders vs. Rangers (7:00)
The Battle of New York sucks this year. The Islanders have been having a surprisingly good season, in third place in the Metro Division with a 28-19-5 record. Their offense hasn’t been great, but their defense has been actually very good. They’ve been a bit inconsistent, with three wins in their last seven games, coming off a 4-0 shutout win in Philly on Monday night. The Rangers have been awful this year and are in complete disarray as an organization, in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 22-25-2 record. They’re coming off a 4-3 overtime win at home against the Bruins on Monday night, ending a three game losing streak with just their third win in their last 14 games. The Rags offense has struggled all season, but now without Shesterkin and Fox on the back end, they’ve been awful keeping the puck out of their own net too. The Isles won both previous games between these NYC rivals in shutouts, winning 5-0 won the road in November and 2-0 at home in December. I expect another Islanders win here and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it, even at 6.5 with the Rangers struggling defensively. With Artemi Panarin now not playing through the Olympic break with the Rangers planning to trade him before the deadline, I will take a shot on a player prop on the Rags side and take Mika Zibanejad to get half a point, the only bright spots remaining on that lineup, since I don’t see them getting shut out by the same team three times already.
Blue Jackets vs. Flyers (7:30)
Kind of a boring Metro Division matchup between two teams that aren’t all that great, but this should actually be a pretty fun game. The Blue Jackets have turned it around quite a bit after firing Dean Evason, coming into tonight with six wins in their last seven games since, somehow beating the Lightning 8-5 on Saturday at home to improve to a still lousy 24-20-7 on the season. Statistically they’ve struggled on both ends of the ice all season and they’re still six points back from the Islanders for the last remaining playoff spot in the division. The Flyers are four points back from the Isles with a 24-18-9 record, but they’re struggling right now. Coming off getting shut out 4-0 in a key game on Monday night at home against those Isles that they’re chasing, they have just two wins in their last ten games. I’d slightly lean the Blue Jackets win here at home, but not enough to bet them. The total’s a complete crapshoot, but I’ll parlay Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko to each get a point for half a unit.
Senators vs. Avalanche (7:30)
Huge mismatch for this cross conference game. The Senators are the worst team in the Atlantic Division with a 24-21-7 record and although they’re coming off a 7-1 blowout win at home against the Golden Knights on Sunday, they’re struggling as that was just their fourth win in their last twelve games. Their offense has been pretty good, but their defense and goaltending is terrible. The Avalanche have been the best team in the NHL all season, but they’re struggling a bit right now. Coming off a nice 4-1 win in Toronto in a matinee in Sunday to bounce back from two losses in a row, somehow they’ve only won four of their last ten games. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense since for most of those games, they’ve been the better team throughout. Colorado leads the league statistically on both ends of the ice this year, playing elite hockey. The first game between these teams three weeks ago was a complete shit kicking, with the Avs winning 8-2 at home. I expect another big win for them here and because of this slump they’re in and that they’re on the road, the price is way lower than it should be. I’ll take Colorado for 1.5 units, along with another half unit on the puck line. I like the over as well, and I’ll take that for a unit. I’m right back on my usual player props here. I’ll parlay Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas to each get a point for a unit. I’ll add Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle to that for another half a unit. Then I’ll take MacKinnon to get over 1.5 points and a goal for half a unit each.
Bets
.5u Islanders ML (-150)
.5u Mika Zibanejad over 0.5 point (-165)
.5u parlay: Zach Werenski/Kirill Marchenko 1+ point each (-120)
1.5u Avalanche ML (-155)
.5u Avalanche -1.5 (+160)
1u Avalanche/Senators over 6.5 (-130)
1u parlay: Nathan MacKinnon/Cale Makar/Martin Necas 1+ point each (-131)
.5u parlay: MacKinnon/Makar/Necas/Tkachuk/Stutzle 1+ point each (+297)
.5u Nathan MacKinnon over 1.5 points (-130)
.5u Nathan MacKinnon anytime goal (-110)
Record: 581-606-1 (-42.4 units)
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