My picks on the NHL ended up being pretty terrible on yesterday’s big slate, going 11-26 to lose 7.7 units. Brutal day. Today we have just a three game slate. Gotta bounce back!
Hurricanes vs. Kings (3:00)
Not the best cross conference matchup for a matinee to get the day started with both of these teams in the second half of back to backs after games that went to overtime yesterday. The Hurricanes have been very good, leading the Metro Division with a 33-15-6 record. They’re coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in DC last night, blowing an early 3-0 lead as the Caps came back to win it in OT. Carolina’s been very good on both ends of the ice and have gone 9-1-3 in their last 13 games. The Kings haven’t had a great season, but they’re playing pretty well lately with four wins in their last five games, blowing a 2-0 first period lead in Philly in a matinee yesterday, but still got the win in OT on Quinton Byfield’s game winner. They’re now 23-17-13, in the second Wild Card spot in the West. Although LA’s defense has been good this year, their offense stinks. The first game between these teams in LA back in October went to overtime, with the Canes winning 4-3 on the road. I like them to win again here at home and I’ll lay the -180 for a unit. I also like the under here, which I’ll take for half a unit, boosted to +150. I’ll also parlay Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, and Adrian Kempe to each get a point for half a unit.
Lightning vs. Bruins (6:30)
The NHL takes it outdoors (completely outside this time) again in the state of Florida tonight for the Stadium Series with the Lightning hosting the Bruins in this fantastic Atlantic Division matchup at Raymond James Stadium, the hot of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Bucs. I didn’t think that was a great idea, but it kind of worked out for the league, with the weather in Tampa being lower than usual, 45 degrees and sunny, so the ice should be fine. The matchup for this game’s fantastic. The Lightning lead the Atlantic Division with a 34-14-4 record. Coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Jets on Thursday (easy winner for me), they have 16-1-1 record in their last 18 games and I think they’ll end up being the winner of the Eastern Conference. Tampa’s been fantastic on both ends of the ice this year. The Bruins have far exceeded plenty of expectations this year, tied with the Sabres for the two Wild Cards in the East, with a 32-20-3 record, two points back from the Habs for third place in the Atlantic. They’ve played great lately too, with a 12-2-1 record in their last 15 games, also playing well on both ends of the ice. In the first week of the season in the first game between these teams in Boston, the Lightning won 4-3 on the road. I like the Bolts to win again here “at home”, and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. The total’s a complete toss up to me. I’d slightly lean the over at 5.5, but not enough to bet it with how well the Lightning have played defensively lately, so I’ll stay off the total. I like several player props here. For half a unit, I’ll parlay Nikita Kucherov, David Pastrnak, Jake Guentzel, and Brandon Hagel to each get a point. I’ll also take Kucherov to get over 1.5 points for a unit, and Pasta to get over 1.5 points for half a unit, and I’ll parlay those two guys to each get 2+ points for half a unit.
Ducks vs. Golden Knights (9:30)
Pretty solid Pacific Division matchup, but both of these teams have been a bit inconsistent this year. The Ducks are tied with the Kings (but don’t have the tiebreaker), for the second wild card in the West, with a 28-23-3 record. After a solid seven game win streak, they’ve lost their last two games in a row, getting shut out for a 2-0 loss in Vancouver in an incredibly boring game on Thursday night. On the season, Anaheim’s young offense has been pretty solid, but their defense and goaltending’s been terrible. The Golden Knights have been pretty good statistically, but they’re struggling right now now, on a four game losing streak, in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 3-2 loss at home to the Kraken last night. They’re still tied for the Pacific Division lead with the Oilers, with a 25-15-14 record, but have just one win in their last seven games. Both previous games in November between these teams went to overtime, with the Ducks winning both 4-3, one on the road and the other at home. I like the Knights to avoid the season sweep here on the road, even in the second half of a back to back, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I like the over as well, which I’ll also take for half a unit. Additionally, I’ll parlay Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Mitch Marner, and Cutter Gauthier to each get a point for half a unit.
Bets
1u Hurricanes ML (-180)
.5u Hurricanes/Kings under 5.5 (+150)
.5u parlay: Aho/Jarvis/Svechnikov/Kempe 1+ point each (+307)
1u Lightning in regulation (-125)
.5u parlay: Kucherov/Pastrnak/Guentzel/Hagel 1+ point each (+155)
1u Nikita Kucherov over 1.5 points (-102)
.5u David Pastrnak over 1.5 points (+162)
.5u parlay: Nikita Kucherov/David Pastrnak 2+ points each (+329)
.5u Golden Knights ML (-102)
.5u Ducks/Golden Knights over 6.5 (-120)
.5u parlay: Jack Eichel/Mark Stone/Mitch Marner/Cutter Gauthier 1+ point each (+258)
Record: 616-658-1 (-49.58 units)
Please follow me:
Instagram: @atownszone
Twitter: @atownszone
If you like the site and my work, share it with your friends!
… and tell Dave Portnoy to hire me at Barstool…
A Town's Zone 