Last night’s NHL slate didn’t go great for me, as I went 6-11 to lose 2.64 units. Gotta get out of this slump. Tonight we have a six game slate, gotta bounce back!
Rangers vs. Devils (7:00)
Kind of a lousy game for the second Battle of the Hudson this month, but despite both of these teams being at the bottom of the Metro Division, they’re both playing pretty well right now. The Rangers are the worst team in the Eastern Conference with a 28-31-8 record, and have been 9-16-6 at home in MSG. They’re coming off a 4-1 loss at home to the Kings on Monday that ended a four game win streak, and they’ve gone 6-2-2 since the Olympics break. The Devils are coming off two wins in a row, beating the Bruins 4-3 in overtime on Monday at home for their sixth win in their last eight games. A couple weeks ago the Devils won the first game between these teams 6-3 at home. I’d lean they win again here on the road across the river, but I’m not touching it. I’d also lean the over, but not enough to bet that either with two lousy offenses in this one. I will take a half unit parlay on Jack Hughes and Mika Zibanejad to each get a point for half a unit.
Hurricanes vs. Penguins (7:00)
Fun game here between the top two teams in the Metro Division. The Hurricanes are tied with the Sabres for the Eastern Conference lead, with a 42-19-6 record. They’ve been a bit inconsistent lately though, and are in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a 5-1 blowout loss in Columbus last night. The Penguins after getting Evgeni Malkin back from his suspension on Monday put on an absolute show in Colorado, winning 7-2 on the road against the best team in the league on a two goal, one assist night from Geno. They’re tied with the Islanders for second and third in the Metro with a 34-18-15 record, two points ahead of the chasing Blue Jackets. They get their best player back in the lineup tonight with Sidney Crosby back after missing eleven games from his injury at the Olympics. These teams split their first two games, with the Pens winning 5-1 at home in December and the Canes answering with a 5-4 shootout win last Wednesday. I like Carolina to bounce back here from last night at home and I’ll take them for half a unit. I like the over too, which I’ll take for a unit, expecting both teams to score. I’ll also parlay Sid, Geno, Seth Jarvis, and Sebastian Aho to each get a point for half a unit.
Capitals vs. Senators (7:30)
I wouldn’t say this is the best matchup in the East. The Capitals haven’t been great, with a 33-27-8 record, coming off a 3-2 shootout loss at home to the Bruins on Saturday. The Senators have been hot, with an 11-2-2 record in their last 15 games, coming off a 7-4 win at home against the Sharks on Sunday, but they’re still five points back from the Red Wings and Bruins for the two Wild Card spots in the East. Ottawa has been very good offensively, but not great on the back end. The Sens won both previous games between these teams with a 7-1 win on the road in October and then 4-3 at home on New Year’s Day. I like them to complete the season sweep here and I’ll take them for half a unit. The total’s a complete toss up to me. I’ll also parlay Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk to each get a point for half a unit.
Avalanche vs. Stars (9:30)
Great game here between the top two teams in the NHL, in first and second place in the Central Division. The Avalanche are coming off two losses in a row, getting crushed 7-2 at home by Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins on Monday and have just one win in their last four games after a 7-1 stretch. They still lead the league on both ends of the ice, three points ahead of the Stars with a 44-13-9 record, and they’ve gone an impressive 23-6-4 at home. Dallas is coming off a surprising loss on Monday as well, losing 6-3 at home to the Mammoth to end a four game win streak, with a 14-1-1 record in their last 16 games to improve to 42-15-10 on the season. Both previous games between these teams went to a shootout with the road team winning 5-4, a Stars win in October and an Avs win earlier this month. I like the bounce back spot at home for the Avs and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I love my usual player props here. For half a unit, I’ll parlay Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Cale Makar, Jason Robertson, and Wyatt Johnston to each get a point, and I’ll take Nate to get over 1.5 points for half a unit.
Flames vs. Blues (9:30)
Pretty terrible matchup here in the West. The Flames are pathetic, with a 26-34-7 record. Coming off a 5-2 loss in Detroit on Monday, they’ve won just two of their last ten games. The Blues aren’t great either with a 27-30-10 record. They’re coming off a 3-2 loss in Winnipeg on Sunday, but they’ve been hot coming out of the break, with a 7-2-1 record in their last ten games since the Olympics. St. Louis won both previous games between these teams, winning 4-2 on the road in October and 3-2 at home in November. For the first time all season, I actually like the Blues here, and I’ll take them for half a unit to complete the season sweep on the road. I’d lean the under slightly since these two offenses are two of the worst in the league, but I’m not touching it at 5.5.
Ducks vs. Flyers (10:00)
This should be a fun cross conference game to end the night, but it’s not great. The Ducks are tied with the Oilers at the top of the weak Pacific Division with a 37-27-3 record, a point ahead of the Golden Knights. They’re coming off a 4-3 win on the road in Montreal on Sunday and have a 16-6 record in their last 22 games. Anaheim’s young offense has been very good, but their defense and goaltending is terrible. The Flyers are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss at home on Saturday, but have been decent lately with a 6-2-1 record in their last nine games. Philly won the first game between these teams 5-2 at home in January. I like the Ducks to answer back at home and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also take Cutter Gauthier to get a point for half a unit.
Bets
.5u parlay: Jack Hughes/Mika Zibanejad 1+ point each (-115)
.5u Hurricanes ML (-135)
1u Hurricanes/Penguins over 6.5 (-110)
.5u parlay: Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin/Seth Jarvis/Sebastian Aho point each (+296)
.5u Senators ML (-135)
.5u parlay: Tim Stutzle/Brady Tkachuk 1+ point each (+112)
.5u Avalanche ML (-145)
.5u parlay: MacKinnon/Necas/Makar/Robertson/Johnston 1+ point each (+236)
.5u Nathan MacKinnon over 1.5 points (-125)
.5u Blues ML (-130)
.5u Ducks ML (-155)
.5u Cutter Gauthier over 0.5 point (-148)
Record: 788-856-2 (-66.13 units)
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