I pretty much broke even on the NHL last night, going 3-4 to lose just 0.1 unit. Tonight we have a big eight game slate, let’s crush it!
Penguins vs. Sabres (7:00)
This should be a great game here in the East to get the night started. The Penguins are coming off a 2-1 loss in Boston on Tuesday night, but have played very well, tied in second place in the Metro Division with a 31-16-13 record. They’re dealing with some significant injuries right now though, including their best player, Sidney Crosby. The Sabres are a complete wagon. We come into tonight on a four game win streak after a 3-2 win at home against the Golden Knights on Tuesday in our first home game back from the break, where we didn’t play great, but didn’t give up the tying goal in the third to hang on for the win. We’re the hottest team in hockey with a 25-5-2 record in our last 32 games to improve to 36-19-6 on the year, just two points back from Tampa for first place in the Atlantic, a point ahead of the Red Wings. Pittsburgh beat us both previous games between these teams, winning 4-2 in Pittsburgh in November and then 5-2 in Buffalo to head into the Olympics break. I like the Sabres to avoid the season sweep here on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Tage Thompson and Evgeni Malkin to each get a point for half a unit.
Rangers vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)
Lousy game in the East. The Rangers are by far the worst team in the Eastern Conference, a complete mess at 23-29-8 with a 7-15-6 record at home, and they’re probably trading some more guys before tomorrow. They’re on a three game point streak, coming off a 5-4 overtime loss at home to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, but have just one win in their last seven games and just four in their last 21 games. The Leafs are a joke too, missing the playoffs with a 27-24-11 record. Their offense has been fine, but their defense and goaltending is awful. Coming off a 4-3 shootout loss in Jersey on Tuesday, they’re on. five game losing streak out of the break and have just three wins in their last 14 games. The first game between these teams in the first week of the season went to overtime, with the Leafs winning 2-1 at home. I’d lean they get out of this losing streak on the road here with a win tonight, but I’m not touching them. The total’s a toss up, so I’ll lay off that as well. I will take a player prop parlay though for half a unit on William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and Mika Zibanejad to each get a point.
Flyers vs. Mammoth (7:00)
Both of these teams are playing pretty well lately, but this isn’t a great game by any means. The Flyers are on a three game win streak after a 3-2 shootout win in Toronto on Monday night to improve to 28-21-11 on the season after quite the slump going into the break, but have struggled on both ends of the ice. The Mammoth are playing well, in the first Wild Card spot in the West with a 32-25-4 record, coming off a 3-2 win on the road against the Caps on Tuesday. The first game between these teams went to overtime with the Mammoth winning 5-4 at home. I like them to win again tonight on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also take Clayton Keller to get a point for half a unit.
Blue Jackets vs. Panthers (7:00)
Not the best matchup here in the East, but I could see it being a pretty solid game. The Blue Jackets are playing pretty well since their coaching change, but are still five points out of a playoff spot with a 31-21-8 record. Coming off a 3-2 win in Nashville on Tuesday, they’ve gone 13-2-1 in their last 16 games. The Panthers have struggled with so many injuries this year and their Cup run is over, in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 30-28-3 record. They’re on a three game losing streak with just two wins in their last ten games. The first game between these teams was electric, with the Panthers winning 7-6 in overtime at home back in December. I’d lean Columbus answers back here at home, but not enough to bet it. I’d also lean the over, but don’t like it enough to bet on. I’ll parlay Matthew Tkachuk and Kirill Marchenko to each get a point here for half a unit.
Predators vs. Bruins (8:00)
This cross conference game isn’t great. The Predators are still just five points out of a Wild Card spot in the West with a 27-26-8 record, but they’re struggling on both ends of the ice. Coming off a 3-2 loss in Columbus on Tuesday, they’re on a three game losing streak with just four wins in their last 14 games. The Bruins are coming off a 2-1 win at home against the Penguins on Tuesday and are in the second Wild Card in the East with a 34-21-5 record. The first game between these teams in Boston went to overtime with the B’s winning 3-2 at home in January. I like them to win again here on the road in Smashville and I’ll take them for half a unit. The total’s a complete toss up to me.
Jets vs. Lightning (8:00)
Big mismatch in this cross conference game. The Jets are on a four game point streak, coming off a 3-2 overtime win at home against the Blackhawks on Tuesday, but they’ve been awful all year, a huge fall off from winning the President’s Trophy last year. Winnipeg’s offense especially has been brutal, and even with the best goalie in the world backing them up in Connor Hellebuyck, they’re not scoring enough to be even close to winning games. The Lightning come into tonight on a surprising three game losing streak off a 5-1 loss in Minnesota on Tuesday, but they’re the best team in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of my Sabres with a 38-17-4 record. They’re playing spectacular hockey on both ends of the ice. Tampa won the first game between these teams pretty easily, winning 4-1 at home in January. This should be a great get-right spot for the Bolts and I’ll take them in regulation for 1.5 units. I’d lean the over slightly at 5.5, but not enough to bet it. I like some player props too. I’ll parlay Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Mark Scheifele, and Kyle Connor to each get a point for half a unit, and I’ll take Kucherov to get over 1.5 points for a unit.
Flames vs. Senators (9:00)
This cross conference game isn’t great. The Flames are on a three game losing streak, coming off a 6-1 blowout at home against the Stars on Tuesday to fall to 24-29-7 on the season. They’ve been decent on the back end, but awful offensively. The Senators have played the opposite style, playing pretty well offensively, but bad on the back end. They’re out of the playoffs too with a 29-22-9 record, on a four game point streak coming off a 5-4 overtime loss in Edmonton on Tuesday. The first game between these teams in Ottawa back in October went to a shootout with the Sens winning 4-3 at home. I’d lean they win again here, but not enough to bet them at -180. The total’s a toss up to me so I’ll stay off that. I won’t completely stay off Ottawa though, and I’ll parlay Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle to each get a point for half a unit.
Kings vs. Islanders (9:30)
Pretty boring cross conference matchup to end the night. After firing head coach Jim Hiller on Sunday, the Kings are coming off a 4-2 loss at home to the Avalanche on Monday night. They’ve been awful, with just one win in their last seven games. The Islanders aren’t great offensively, but with stellar goaltending and a good defense, they’re tied with the Penguins for second and third in the Metro Division with a 35-22-5 record. They’re in the second half of a back to back here, coming off a 5-1 loss in Anaheim last night that ended a five game win streak for them. I’d definitely lean the Isles win again here as underdogs on the road, but don’t think they’re worth betting in the second half of a back to back. Both of these teams have been trending over lately, but with two bad offenses and two good defenses, I do like the under, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Bets
.5u Sabres ML (-115)
.5u parlay: Tage Thompson/Evgeni Malkin 1+ point each (+102)
.5u parlay: William Nylander/Auston Matthews/Mika Zibanejad 1+ point each (+112)
.5u Mammoth ML (-125)
.5u Clayton Keller over 0.5 point (-180)
.5u parlay: Kirill Marchenko/Matthew Tkachuk 1+ point each (+120)
.5u Bruins ML (-110)
1.5u Lightning in regulation (-120)
.5u parlay: Kucherov/Guentzel/Scheifele/Connor 1+ point each (+158)
1u Nikita Kucherov over 1.5 points (-115)
.5u parlay: Brady Tkachuk/Tim Stutzle 1+ point each (-110)
.5u Kings/Islanders under 5.5 (-110)
Record: 711-753-2 (-39.59 units)
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