Everything went the way it was supposed to on the NHL yesterday, as I crushed it going 6-1 to win 3.52 units. Big night. Let’s close out March with another nice winning night on tonight’s big ten game slate!
Sabres vs. Islanders (7:00)
Big game here for both of these teams in the playoff race in the East. The Sabres are now tied with the Lightning and the Hurricanes at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 45-21-8 record. After three straight losses, Buffalo erased a 2-0 deficit late in the second period to come back and beat the Kraken 3-2 at home in a shootout. Big win. The Islanders are in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off getting blown out 8-3 at home by the Penguins to fall to third in the Metro with a 42-28-5 record. They’re now a point behind Pittsburgh for home ice in the first round and a point ahead of the Blue Jackets in the second Wild Card spot with a bunch of teams hot on their tail. The Sabres won both previous games between these teams, 3-2 in a shootout at home in December and then with a 5-0 shutout on the road on Long Island in January. I like my boys to complete the season sweep here at home and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d lean the under slightly, but not enough to bet it. The only player prop I like here is Tage Thompson to get a point, but his price is too expensive and I don’t like anyone else to parlay him with in this one.
Bruins vs. Stars (7:00)
This should be a pretty fun cross conference matchup between two playoff teams. The Bruins are playing great right now. Coming off a 4-3 shootout win in Columbus on Sunday, they’re on a three game win streak with five wins in their last six games. They’re in the first Wild Card spot in the East with a 42-24-8 record, two points back from the Habs for third in the Atlantic. The Stars are pretty comfortably in second place in the Central, six points ahead of the Wild for home ice in the first round with a second best in the NHL 44-18-12 record, but they’re struggling right now with just one win in their last six games, coming off a 2-1 overtime loss in Philly on Sunday. They have been very good on the season though on both ends of the ice. Dallas won the first game between these teams 6-2 at home in January. I like them to win again here on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I also like the over, which I’ll take for half a unit. I’ll also parlay Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, and David Pastrnak to each get a point for half a unit. I thought about taking Pasta to get over 1.5 points as well, but don’t think it’s worth the +130 against a solid Dallas defense.
Lightning vs. Canadiens (7:00)
This should be a really fun game that could be a first round preview in the Atlantic Division with both of these teams playing quite well heading into the playoffs. The Lightning are coming off two wins in a row at home over the weekend, beating the Preds 3-2 after a 4-2 matinee win against the Sens on Saturday. They’re now tied at the top of the East with the Sabres and Hurricanes with a 46-21-6 record, going 6-0-2 in their last eight games after quite the slump before that. Nikita Kucherov will be a game time decision for them tonight, coming back from an illness. The Habs are in third place in the Atlantic with a 42-21-10 record, two points ahead of the Bruins in the first Wild Card spot. They’re on a five game win streak, coming off an impressive 3-1 win on Sunday in Carolina. The Bolts won both previous high scoring games between these teams in December, winning 6-1 on the road and then 5-4 in a shootout at home. I like them to win again here and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’ll also take the over for a unit. I’ll also parlay Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Jake Guentzel, and Brandon Hagel to each get a point for half a unit. Additionally, I’ll take Juraj Slafkovsky to get a point for half a unit individually, and I’ll take Kucherov to get over 1.5 points for half a unit (which will cancel out if he doesn’t play).
Panthers vs. Senators (7:00)
Besides the fun of the two Tkachuk brothers playing each other, this isn’t a great game in the Atlantic. The Panthers with all their injuries this year are in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 35-35-3 record, struggling big time right now with just two wins in their last eight games, on a three game losing streak coming off a 3-1 loss on the road to the Rangers. The Senators on the other hand are playing great, two points back from the Blue Jackets for the second Wild Card in the East. They’re coming off two losses in a row after a 4-2 loss in Tampa on Saturday, but have gone 15-4-3 in their last 22 games to improve to 38-25-10 on the season. Florida won both previous games between these teams, with a 6-2 win at home in the first week of the season and then a 3-2 win on the road in January. These teams are playing completely different hockey now though, and I like the Sens to win here on the road. I’ll take Ottawa for a unit. The total’s a complete toss up to me. For half a unit, I’ll parlay both Tkachuk brothers and Tim Stutzle to each get a point.
Rangers vs. Devils (7:00)
This Battle of the Hudson sucks with these teams last in the Metro Division. The Rangers are the worst team in the East with a 30-35-9 record, eliminated from , but are coming off two wins in a row after beating the Panthers 3-1 at home on Sunday. The Devils are playing much better since the Olympics break, going 10-4 in their last 14 games to improve to 38-33-2 on the year, scoring a ton in that span. The Devils won both previous games between these teams 6-3 earlier this month, first at home then on the road across the river at MSG. I like Jersey to win again here and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it at 6.5. I’ll also parlay Jack Hughes and Mika Zibanejad to each get a point for half a unit, along with Jack to get over 1.5 points for half a unit.
Penguins vs. Red Wings (7:00)
Solid game here in the East with both of these teams not playing all that great lately, but both right in the playoff race. The Penguins are in the second half of a back to back tonight, coming off a big 8-3 win on the road on Long Island last night and they have a point lead over the Isles for second place in the Metro Division with plenty of teams hot on their tail. Yesterday they got Crosby back in the lineup, and tonight Evgeni Malkin will return as well. The Red Wings have been struggling big time for the past few months, falling out of a playoff spot, two points back from the Blue Jackets for the second Wild Card in the East. They’re 39-26-8 with just seven wins in their last 20 games. Pittsburgh won both previous games between these teams, 4-3 in overtime at home on New Year’s Day and then 4-1 on the road two days later in the second half of a home and home. I’d lean the Penguins win again here at home, but not enough to bet them in the second half of a back to back. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for a unit. I’ll also parlay Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond, and Sidney Crosby to each get a point for half a unit. I thought about taking Geno as well in his return, but don’t think it’s worth the -150 in his first game back.
Capitals vs. Flyers (7:00)
Pretty lousy matchup in the Metro Division, but this could end up being a fun game. The Capitals are coming off two wins in a row, beating the Golden Knights 5-4 in a shootout on the road on Saturday that led to Vegas firing their coach, but haven’t been great this year, with a 37-28-9 record, five points back from a playoff spot. The Flyers have played pretty solid hockey lately though, just two points back from the Blue Jackets for the second Wild Card spot in the East. They’re on a three game win streak after a 2-1 overtime win at home against Dallas on Sunday (big loser for me), with a 12-3-1 record in their last 16 games. Philly’s 2-1 this year against the Caps, with the home team winning all three games; a 4-2 Flyers win in February, a 3-1 Washington win later in February, and a 4-1 win for Philly earlier this month. I’d lean the Flyers win here on the road to buck that trend, but not enough to bet it. I’d slightly lean the under here too, but not enough to touch that either, so I’ll lay off this game entirely.
Blue Jackets vs. Hurricanes (7:30)
This should be a fun game in the Metro for what potentially could be a first round matchup. The Blue Jackets soared up the standings and now sit in the second Wild Card in the East with a 38-24-12 record after a horrible start to the season. They’re struggling a bit as of late though, on a three game losing streak, coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Bruins on Sunday, but they’ve gone 20-5-5 in their last 30 games. The Hurricanes lead the Eastern Conference, tied with the Sabres and Lightning with a 46-21-6 record, coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Habs on Sunday. These teams split their first two games, with the Canes winning 4-1 at home in December and the Jackets answering back a couple weeks ago with a 5-1 win at home. I like Carolina to answer back here on the road and I’ll take them for a unit. I’d very slightly lean the over, but definitely not enough to bet it. I’ll also parlay Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, Zach Werenski, and Kirill Marchenko to each get a point for half a unit.
Blackhawks vs. Jets (8:30)
Pretty horrible matchup here in the Central. The Blackhawks have been awful, in last place in the division with a 27-34-13 record. Coming off a 5-3 loss in Jersey on Sunday, they’re on a three game losing streak with just six wins in their last 29 games. The Jets were brutal to start the year, but they’re now just three points back from the Preds for the second Wild Card spot in the West with a 31-30-12 record. They’re coming off a shocker of a win in Colorado on Saturday, beating the Avs 4-2 for a big loss for me, winning three of their last four games. Winnipeg’s 2-1 this year against Chicago, winning 6-3 at home in October, getting shut out 2-0 on the road in January, then winning 3-2 in OT earlier this month at home. I like the Jets to win again here on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over at 5.5, but don’t like it enough to bet on. I wanted to parlay Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele to each get a point, but can’t bet that at -225, and even if you throw in the moneyline that isn’t worth it. I also considered throwing Tage Thompson in with those two guys, but even that’s +100. I’ll just skip those guys.
Oilers vs. Kraken (9:00)
Boring Pacific Division matchup to end the night. The Oilers are a point ahead of Vegas for home ice in the first round, with a 37-28-9 record, three points back from the Ducks for first place in this “pillow fight” of a division as McDavid said, on a three game win streak after beating the Ducks 4-2 at home on Saturday. Although Edmonton’s offense has been good, their defense and goaltending stinks. The Kraken are two points back from the Preds for the second Wild Card spot in the West. Coming off blowing a 2-0 lead late in the second period in Buffalo on Saturday to go on to lose 3-2 in a shootout, they have just one win in their last six games and only three in their last twelve. The Oilers are 2-1 this season against Seattle, losing 3-2 on the road in October, winning 4-0 on the road in November, and putting on a show, winning 9-4 at home in December. I like Edmonton to win again here at home, but the price is a bit expensive at -185, so I’ll bring that down to -155, parlaying the moneyline with Connor McDavid to get a point for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I’ll also take McDavid to get over 1.5 points for half a unit.
Bets
1u Sabres in regulation (-120)
.5u Stars ML (-125)
.5u Stars/Bruins over 6.5 (+105)
.5u parlay: Mikko Rantanen/Jason Robertson/David Pastrnak 1+ point each (+128)
.5u Lightning ML (-170)
1u Lightning/Canadiens over 6.5 (-110)
.5u parlay: Nick Suzuki/Cole Caufield/Jake Guentzel/Brandon Hagel point each (+184)
.5u Juraj Slafkovsky over 0.5 point (-155)
.5u Nikita Kucherov over 1.5 points (+100)
1u Senators ML (-180)
.5u parlay: Matthew Tkachuk/Brady Tkachuk/Tim Stutzle 1+ point each (+184)
.5u Devils ML (-125)
.5u parlay: Jack Hughes/Mika Zibanejad 1+ point each (-115)
.5u Jack Hughes over 1.5 points (+135)
1u Penguins/Red Wings over 6.5 (-110)
.5u parlay: Alex DeBrincat/Lucas Raymond/Sidney Crosby 1+ point each (+210)
1u Hurricanes ML (-135)
.5u parlay: Aho/Jarvis/Werenski/Marchenko 1+ point each (+216)
.5u Jets ML (-150)
.5u parlay: Oilers ML/Connor McDavid over 0.5 point (-155)
.5u Connor McDavid over 1.5 points (-135)
Record: 861-942-2 (-82.64 units)
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