Yet another awful night for me in the pucks last night, going 6-13 to lose 4.29 units. Let’s figure out SOME way to bounce back here on tonight’s five game NHL slate.
Maple Leafs vs. Hurricanes (7:00)
Not a great game to start off the slate tonight. The Leafs have been awful this year, in last place in the Atlantic with a 29-28-12 record, coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Islanders on Tuesday. Their offense has been decent, but they’re so awful on the back end and they’re without Auston Matthews for the rest of the season. The Hurricanes are coming off a 6-5 overtime win at home against the Penguins on Wednesday and are tied with the Sabres at the top of the Eastern Conference, comfortably in first in the Metro with a 43-19-6 record. These teams split their first two games this year, with Carolina winning 5-4 on the road in November and the Leafs answering with a 5-1 win on the road in December. I love the Canes here and I’ll take them in regulation. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay William Nylander, Sebastian Aho, and Seth Jarvis to each get a point for half a unit.
Capitals vs. Devils (7:00)
Pretty lousy matchup here in the Metro. The Capitals have been pretty inconsistent despite being pretty good statistically on both end of the ice. They’re 34-27-8 on the year, with a 3-1-1 record in their last five games, coming off a 4-1 win at home against the Sens on Wednesday. The Devils are on a three game win streak, coming off a 6-3 win in MSG against their rival Rangers on Wednesday to improve to a pathetic 35-31-2 record. The first two games between these teams went to overtime, with the Devils winning 3-2 in a shootout on the road in November, and the Caps answering with a 4-3 overtime win in Jersey in December. I’d slightly lean the Capitals win at home and the under, but not enough to bet either. I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Blackhawks vs. Avalanche (8:30)
Horrendous mismatch in the Central Division between the best and worst team in the division. The Blackhawks have been awful on both ends of the ice with a 26-30-12 record, but have been playing better as of late. Coming off a shocking 2-1 win in Minnesota last night, they’re in the second half of a back to back, and have gone 4-3-2 in their last nine games. The Avalanche are the best team in the NHL, two points ahead of the Stars with a 44-13-10 record. They’re struggling lately though, on a three game losing streak, coming off a 2-1 shootout loss at home to those Stars on Wednesday. The Avs won both previous games between these teams, with a 1-0 shutout on the road in November, and a 3-1 win at home in February. I completely expect the season sweep in this bounce back spot on the road for Colorado, but shocker, so do the books, with them coming in at -325. I was surprised the regulation line was less than -200 though, so I’ll take that for 1.5 units. I’d slightly lean the under, but didn’t even consider betting it. I’ll also parlay Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Martin Necas to each get a point for a unit, and I’ll take Nate to get over 1.5 points for half a unit.
Flames vs. Panthers (9:00)
Lousy cross conference game here with both of these teams being pretty awful this year. The Flames have just three wins in their last eleven games, beating the Blues 2-1 in a shootout on Wednesday night in the first time I’ve bet St. Louis all year (of course), and are just 27-34-7 on the season. The Panthers run as champs the last two years is over, with so many injuries that they’re at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, only better than the Leafs with a 34-31-3 record. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, beating the Oilers with a 4-0 shutout on the road last night. Calgary won the first game between these teams 5-3 on the road in November. I’d slightly lean Florida answers back here on the road, but not enough to even consider betting them in the second half of a back to back. I’d lean the over slightly, but didn’t consider betting that either, so I’ll just stay off this game completely.
Mammoth vs. Ducks (10:00)
Fun game here in the West to close out the night. The Mammoth have been pretty solid, in the first Wild Card in the West with a 36-27-6 record, in the second half of a back to back tonight after shutting out the Golden Knights 4-0 on the road yesterday. The Ducks are 37-27-4, leading the weak Pacific Division by a point over the Oilers. They have just one win in their last four games though, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at home to the Flyers on Wednesday. These teams split their first two games in Anaheim in completely different fashion, with the Ducks winning 3-2 in overtime at home in November and Utah answering back with a 7-0 shutout on the road in December. I’d very slightly lean the Mammoth win here tonight at home, but with them in the second half of a back to back, I don’t think they’re worth betting. I’d lean the under slightly, but don’t like that enough to bet on either. I will take a player prop parlay here though with Cutter Gauthier and Clayton Keller to each get a point for half a unit.
Bets
1u Hurricanes in regulation (-140)
.5u parlay: William Nylander/Sebastian Aho/Seth Jarvis 1+ point each (+136)
1.5u Avalanche in regulation (-190)
1u parlay: Nathan MacKinnon/Cale Makar/Martin Necas 1+ point each (-165)
.5u Nathan MacKinnon over 1.5 points (-142)
.5u parlay: Clayton Keller/Cutter Gauthier 1+ point each (+126)
Record: 799-876-2 (-70.89 units)
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