Slight losing night on the NHL in yet another great night of hockey, as I went 9-11 to lose 0.55 units. Tonight we have a decent seven game slate, let’s win!
Devils vs. Blue Jackets (7:00)
Such a boring Metro Division matchup to start off the night. The Devils have been horrible this year and even though their defense has been alright, their offense is pathetic. They’re 28-25-2 on the season, with just one win in their last four games, coming off a 4-1 loss in Ottawa on Saturday after a nice 5-1 stretch prior to those last four games. After a horrible start in the first half of the season, the Blue Jackets are playing great after their coaching change a couple weeks ago, coming into tonight on a five game win streak with nine wins in their last ten games to improve to 27-20-7 on the season after a 5-3 win in St. Louis on Saturday. They’re still seven points out of the second Wild Card spot in the East, playing well offensively, but with some struggles on the back end. Jersey’s 2-1 on the season against the Jackets, winning 3-2 on the road in October, losing 5-3 at home in December, and then winning 3-2 in Columbus on New Year’s Eve. I like Columbus to keep that road team trend going here, and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also take Zach Werenski to get over 1.5 points for half a unit. I originally considered just parlaying him to get a point with the moneyline, but that only moves it from -110 to +112, which I don’t think is worth it.
Flyers vs. Capitals (7:00)
Another pretty lousy Metro Division matchup here. The Flyers after their hot start to the year have come tanking down. Coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at home on Saturday to the Kings, they’re on a four game losing streak with just two wins in their last 13 games to fall to 24-20-10 on the season. Philly’s offense has sucked all year, but now the defense and goaltending that was good to start the season has been horrible lately too. After quite the slump for themselves, the Capitals come into tonight on a three game win streak, in the second half of a back to back tonight after a 4-1 win at home against the Islanders last night to improve to 28-22-7 on the season. Statistically, they’ve been pretty good on both ends of the ice. I’d lean Washington wins here on the road, but in the second half of a back to back, I don’t think they’re worth betting on. I’d slightly lean the under at 6.5, but I don’t like that enough to bet it either, so I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Hurricanes vs. Senators (7:00)
Not the best matchup here in the Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes have been very good, leading the Metro Division with a 34-15-6 record. They’re on an eight game point streak with a 10-1-3 record in their last 14 games, coming off a 3-2 overtime win at home against the Kings on Sunday (fantastic triple winner for me in that matinee). They’ve been very good on both ends of the ice. The Senators have struggled this year, but come into tonight on a four game win streak, in the second half of a back to back after a 3-2 win in Pittsburgh last night (big loser for me). Their offense has been pretty good this year, but their defense and goaltending has been a struggle. Carolina won the first game between these teams 4-1 on the road in Ottawa two weeks ago. Especially with the Sens in the second half of a back to back, I love the Canes to win here at home and I’ll take them for a unit. I’d lean the under slightly at 6.5, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Brady Tkachuk, and Tim Stutzle to each get a point for half a unit.
Lightning vs. Sabres (7:30)
This should be a really fun game in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning are playing fantastic hockey and they’re my pick to win the Eastern Conference and go to the Cup Finals this year. They’re 35-14-4, playing great on both ends of the ice, and are on a three game win streak with a 17-1-1 record in their last 19 games. On Sunday, when the NHL took it outdoors in Tampa for the Stadium Series, and got ridiculously lucky with it only being 40 degrees out there for the perfect ice conditions, Tampa fell into a 5-1 deficit early against the Bruins, coming all the way back to win 6-5 in a shootout in what turned out to be an absolutely incredible hockey game from start to finish. The Sabres are in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a huge (aren’t they all at this point with the standings so clumped up) 5-3 win on the road against the Panthers last night in a game they started slow and didn’t play their best in, yet figured out a way to win on the back of a fantastic game in goal for Alex Lyon and a resilient team in front of him scoring on their limited chances. We’re now in the first Wild Card spot in the East, a point ahead of the Bruins and a point behind the Habs for third place in the Atlantic. Buffalo’s played great lately too, improving to 32-18-5 on the season with a 21-4-1 record in our last 26 games. In the second half of a back to back on the road, I don’t love our chances here tonight. I expect the Bolts to win here at home and I’ll hedge a bit on my emotions and take Tampa for a unit (which I’ll be fine with losing, but it’s the better bet). I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I also like some player props here. For half a unit I’ll parlay Tage Thompson, Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, and Darren Raddysh to each get a point for half a unit, and I’ll take Kucherov to get over 1.5 points for a unit.
Islanders vs. Penguins (7:30)
Solid matchup in the Metro Division as these two playoff teams are separate by just two points for second and third place, with both teams in the second half of a back to back. The Islanders are 30-21-5, coming off two losses in a row after a 4-1 loss on the road against the Capitals last night (nice win on the under for me in that one). Their offense hasn’t been great this year, but their defense has been very good. The Penguins have been one of the biggest surprises this year (along with the Sabres and Bruins), being projected going into the year to be at the bottom of the standings, but instead playing great on both ends of the ice. They’re in second place in the division with a 28-15-11 record, having a six game win streak come to an end last night with a 3-2 loss at home against the Senators last night (big loser for me). The first game between these teams in the first week of the season was a pretty good game, with Pittsburgh winning 4-3 at home. I like the Pens to win again here on the road and I’ll take them for a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to each get a point for a unit.
Oilers vs. Maple Leafs (8:30)
Not the best cross conference Canadian matchup. The Oilers have been inconsistent this year, tied with Vegas at the top of the weak Pacific Division with a 28-20-8 record. They had a three game win streak come to an end on Saturday, losing 7-3 at home to the Wild. The Leafs have been pretty terrible, with a 26-21-9 record. After a six game losing streak, they’ve won their last two games in a row, in the second half of a back to back tonight coming off a 4-2 win in Calgary last night (nice double winner for me to cap off the evening). We had plenty of goals the first time these teams played in Toronto in December, with Edmonton scoring five straight goals to win 6-3 on the road in three point nights for both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Especially with Toronto in the second half of a back to back, I like Edmonton to win here at home and I’ll take them for half a unit. Both of these teams have been good offensively, but have struggled defensively. I love the over here, which I’ll take for a unit, even at the -148. I love some player props too. On the Leafs side, I’ll parlay William Nylander, and Auston Matthews to each get a point for a unit. On the Oilers side, I’ll take McDavid to get over 1.5 points for a unit and Draisaitl to get over 1.5 points for half a unit. I’ll also parlay those four player props for half a unit.
Ducks vs. Kraken (10:00)
At first glance, I’d say this is a bit of boring matchup in the Pacific, but it’s actually a pretty solid game with these teams tied in the standings for third place in the division and the second Wild Card in the West. The Ducks are 29-23-3 on the season, coming off a big 4-3 at home against the Golden Knights on Sunday night in a great game, bouncing back from two straight losses after a seven game win streak. Their offense has been very good this season, but they’re struggling on the back end. The Kraken are 26-19-9, on a four game win streak, coming off a 3-2 win in Vegas on Saturday. They’ve played the opposite style of hockey, with a very good defense and solid goaltending, but a struggling offense. Seattle’s 2-1 against the Ducks this season, winning 3-1 at home in the first week of the season, winning 3-1 on the road in December, and then losing 4-2 at home a couple weeks ago. I’d lean Anaheim ties up the season series here tonight at home, but not enough to bet it. With the total at 6.5, I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet that either. I won’t stay off this game entirely though, and I’ll take Cutter Gauthier to get a point for half a unit.
Bets
.5u Blue Jackets ML (-112)
.5u Zach Werenski over 1.5 points (+218)
1u Hurricanes ML (-175)
.5u parlay: Aho/Jarvis/Svechnikov/Stutzle/Tkachuk 1+ point each (+452)
1u Lightning ML (-192)
.5u parlay: Thompson/Kucherov/Guentzel/Hagel/Raddysh 1+ point each (+258)
1u Nikita Kucherov over 1.5 points (-136)
1u Penguins ML (-108)
1u parlay: Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin 1+ point each (+114)
.5u Oilers ML (-185)
1u Oilers/Maple Leafs over 6.5 (-148)
1u parlay: William Nylander/Auston Matthews 1+ point each (-105)
1u Connor McDavid over 1.5 points (-142)
.5u Leon Draisaitl over 1.5 points (-115)
.5u parlay: Nylander/Matthews 1+ point each/McDavid/Draisaitl 2+ points each (+399)
.5u Cutter Gauthier over 0.5 point (-130)
Record: 632-673-1 (-46.03 units)
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