I crushed last night’s NHL slate, going 10-5 to win 6.14 units. Great night! Let’s win again on today’s big eleven game slate!
Bruins vs. Capitals (12:30)
This is a decent matinee in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race to start off the day with the Bruins in the second Wild Card spot and the Caps four points behind them chasing that spot. Boston’s coming off a 6-3 loss in Nashville on Thursday and have been a bit inconsistent as of late, with a 34-22-5 record, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they drop out of the playoffs. The Capitals after going on a 6-1 run to get back into that race have now lost their last two in a row, coming off a 3-2 loss at home to the Mammoth on Tuesday. I’m sure that locker room is shaken up big time after they traded their best defenseman of all time at the deadline, sending John Carlson to the Ducks in what Ovi said was the saddest day of his career. The Bruins won the first game between these teams on the opening night of their season 3-1 on the road. Boston comes into today with eleven straight wins at home and I expect them to extend that streak with a win today with how rattled the Caps likely are. I’ll take the B’s for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not quite enough to bet it.
Devils vs. Rangers (3:00)
Terrible battle of the Hudson between the two worst teams in the Metro this year. The Devils have rattled off three wins in a row, coming off a 4-3 shootout win at home against the Leafs on Wednesday and I was kind of shocked they didn’t sell off anyone at the deadline yesterday. They’re 31-29-2 on the season, way outside of the playoffs. The Rangers are coming off a win against the Leafs too, beating them 6-2 on Thursday, but they’ve been horrendous, in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 24-29-8 record, a complete tire fire of an organization. I’d slightly lean the Devils win here at home, but didn’t even consider betting a side on this one. Both of these teams have struggled big time offensively, and I like the under, which I’ll take for half a unit. I’ll also parlay Mika Zibanejad and Jack Hughes to each get a point for half a unit.
Sabres vs. Predators (5:30)
This isn’t a great cross conference game. My Sabres have been phenomenal, the hottest team in the NHL since December, tied at the top of the Atlantic Division with the Lightning with a 37-19-6 record. I fucking love it. We’re on a five game win streak, coming off a 5-1 win on a great second period in Pittsburgh on Thursday night, and have a 26-5-2 record in our last 33 games. We’ve played great on both ends of the ice and got better with several acquisitions at the deadline. The Predators have struggled this season, with a 28-26-8 record, but they’re still not out of it, just three points back from the Kraken for the second Wild Card spot in the West. Buffalo won the first game between these teams with a 5-3 win in Smashville in January and I like us to win again. I’ll lay the -190 on my boys for a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Tage Thompson and Filip Forsberg to each get a point for half a unit.
Penguins vs. Flyers (5:30)
I wouldn’t say the Battle of Pennsylvania is all that great this year. The Penguins have been far exceeding my expectations this year, tied with the Islanders for second and third in the Metro with a 31-17-13. They have just one win in their last four games though, coming off a 5-1 loss at home to my Sabres on Thursday, and because of a dirty slash where the wires crossed for Evgeni Malkin, they won’t have their second best player either for the next five games with Geno suspended, joining an injured Crosby in the press box. The Flyers are 28-22-11 on the year, coming off a 3-0 shutout loss at home to the Mammoth on Thursday, ending a three game win streak. The Pens are 2-0-1 this season against Philly, losing 3-2 in a shootout on the road in October, then winning 5-1 on the road in December, and 6-3 at home in January. Even with Sid and Geno out, I like the Penguins to win at home today and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it at 5.5.
Maple Leafs vs. Lightning (7:00)
Pretty big mismatch in the Atlantic Division, although this could be kind of an interesting game with both of these teams coming into tonight on losing streaks to start the 7:00 slate. The Leafs offense has been fine this season but they’re struggling right now to go along with their horrible defense and goaltending. They’re at the bottom of the Atlantic like the Titanic, with a 27-25-11 and are on a six game losing streak with just three wins in their last 15 games. I love it. Blow Leafs Blow. The Lightning are tied at the top of the division with the Sabres with a 38-18-4 record and they’re my pick to win the East, but are struggling right now, on a four game losing streak after a shocking 4-1 loss in Winnipeg on Thursday. These teams split their first two games, with the Leafs winning 2-0 at home in December and the Bolts answering with a 4-2 win at home in February. I like Tampa to get right here on the road and I’ll take them for a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews to each get a point for half a unit.
Blue Jackets vs. Mammoth (7:00)
This should be a pretty fun cross conference game. The Blue Jackets turned their season around and are just a point back from the Bruins for the second Wild Card spot in the East, improving to 32-21-8 on the season with a 14-2-1 record in their last 17 games, on a three game win streak coming off a 4-2 win at home against the Panthers on Thursday. The Mammoth have been good too, in the first Wild Card spot in the West with a 33-25-4 record, with three wins in their last four games coming off a 3-0 shutout win in Philly on Thursday. The first game between these teams in Utah went to overtime with the Jackets winning 3-2 on the road. I’d lean the Mammoth answer back here on the road with the better defense, but not enough to bet them. I’d also slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet that either. I won’t stay off this game entirely though, and for half a unit I’ll parlay Clayton Keller, Kirill Marchenko, and Zach Werenski, who’s making his return to the lineup today for Columbus after missing their last three games with a stomach bug.
Jets vs. Canucks (7:00)
Horrible matchup in the West. The Jets have been a huge disappointment this year, falling from winning the President’s Trophy last year to now being just 25-26-10 and likely missing the playoffs, seven points back from the Kraken for the second Wild Card in the Western Conference. They have played better since the break though, with a 3-0-2 record in their last five games, coming off a pretty shocking 4-1 win at home against the Lightning on Thursday. The Canucks are far and away the worst team in the NHL with a 19-36-7 record, pathetic on both ends of the ice. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, beating the Blackhawks 6-3 last night to end a seven game losing streak for just their third win in their last 22 games. Winnipeg won both previous games between these teams on the road, winning 5-3 in November and 3-2 in overtime in the first game out of the break. Especially with Vancouver in the second half of a back to back, I fully expect the Jets to complete the season sweep here. The price is insane at -278, but I’ll parlay the moneyline with Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele to each get a point for half a unit. The total’s a complete toss up to me.
Kings vs. Canadiens (7:00)
Not the best cross conference matchup here. The Kings have been one of the borings teams in the NHL to watch this year, with a solid defense and goaltending but a pathetic offense. They’re not dead yet though, three points back from the Kraken for the second Wild Card in the West, with a 25-22-14 record, coming off a 5-3 win at home against the Islanders on Thursday. They bolstered their lineup yesterday, getting Scott Laughton from the Leafs after they got Panarin a couple weeks ago. The Habs have been pretty solid this year with a 33-18-10 record, in the first Wild Card in the East, a point back from the Red Wings, with a fantastic offense but some issues on the back end. They’re struggling a bit lately with just one win in their last four games, in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 6-5 shootout loss in Anaheim last night (easy double winner for me). In Montreal back in November, the Kings won the first game between these teams with a 5-1 win on the road. Even in the second half of a back to back, I’d lean the Habs win here, but not enough to bet them. I like the over at 5.5, and I’ll take it for half a unit. I’ll also parlay Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Adrian Kempe, and Artemi Panarin to each get a point for half a unit.
Flames vs. Hurricanes (10:00)
Big mismatch in this cross conference game. The Flames have been awful, with a good defense but horrible offense this year. They’re 24-30-7 and got worse yesterday, trading their best player Nazim Kadri back to the Avs in the biggest move of the deadline. Calgary’s on a four game losing streak, coming off a 4-1 loss at home to the Sens on Thursday. The Hurricanes have been spectacular, the best team in the Eastern Conference with a 40-16-6 record and playing incredible on both ends of the ice. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 6-3 win in Edmonton last night (nice triple winner for me) and have a 16-2-3 record in their last 21 games. The first game between these teams back in November was a double shutout going into overtime, with Carolina winning 1-0 at home. Even in the second half of a back to back on the road, I like the Canes to win again. I’ll parlay their moneyline with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis to each get a point for a unit. I’d slightly lean the under, but not enough to bet it.
Sharks vs. Islanders (10:00)
Not the best cross conference matchup, but this should be a fun game. The Sharks are in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at home to the Blues yesterday that ended a three game win streak. Their defense and goaltending has been a struggle, but their offense has been good on the back of a spectacular sophomore season for Macklin Celebrini, and with a 30-25-2 record, they’re just two points behind the Kraken for the second Wild Card in the West. The Islanders have played the opposite style of hockey, very good on the back end, but struggling offensively. They’re coming off two losses in a row after a five game win streak, losing 5-3 in LA on Thursday night. They’re tied with the Penguins for second and third in the Metro, with a handful of teams hot on their tail chasing those playoff spots. The Isles won the first game between these teams 4-3 at home in October. With the Sharks in the second half of a back to back, I like the Islanders to win here on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it at 6.5. I will take a shot on the San Jose side on Celebrini over 1.5 points for half a unit.
Kraken vs. Senators (10:00)
Decent cross conference matchup to end the night. The Kraken are hanging onto the second Wild Card in the West with a 29-23-9 record, a point behind the Oilers for third place in the Pacific, with a bunch of teams right on their tail. They’re coming off a 3-2 loss at home to the Blues on Wednesday. Seattle’s been very good defensively this year, but their offense has been lacking. The Senators seem to have turned their lousy year around, now just four points back from the Bruins for the second Wild Card spot in the East, with a 30-22-9 record. Coming off a 4-1 win in Calgary on Thursday, they’ve gone 7-1-2 in their last ten games, playing well offensively, but struggling on the back end. In the first week of the season, Ottawa won the first game between these teams 4-3 in overtime at home. I’d lean the Sens win here again on the road, but not enough to lay the -162 on them. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it. I won’t stay off this game entirely though and I’ll parlay Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle to each get a point for half a unit.
Bets
.5u Bruins ML (-130)
.5u Devils/Rangers under 5.5 (-110)
.5u parlay: Mika Zibanejad/Jack Hughes 1+ point each (-110)
1u Sabres ML (-190)
.5u parlay: Tage Thompson/Filip Forsberg 1+ point each (+108)
.5u Penguins ML (-145)
1u Lightning ML (-175)
.5u parlay: Kucherov/Guentzel/Nylander/Matthews 1+ point each (+138)
.5u parlay: Clayton Keller/Kirill Marchenko/Zach Werenski 1+ point each (+184)
.5u parlay: Jets ML/Mark Scheifele/Kyle Connor 1+ point each (-140)
.5u Kings/Canadiens over 5.5 (-130)
.5u parlay: Nick Suzuki/Cole Caufield/Adrian Kempe/Artemi Panarin point each (+174)
1u parlay: Hurricanes ML/Seth Jarvis/Sebastian Aho 1+ point each (+120)
.5u Islanders ML (-135)
.5u Macklin Celebrini over 1.5 points (+135)
.5u parlay: Brady Tkachuk/Tim Stutzle 1+ point each (+106)
Record: 726-765-2 (-36.41 units)
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