Second winning night in a row for me on the NHL, sweeping the board last night, going 4-0 to win 3 units. Big 14 game slate tonight before a day off tomorrow, let’s keep rolling!
Islanders vs. Maple Leafs (6:45)
Pretty lousy Eastern Conference matchup to start a bit early tonight. The Islanders come into tonight on a four game losing streak after a 4-3 loss in Carolina on Saturday, falling to 42-31-5 on the season, three points back from the Flyers for third place in the Metro and Ottawa for the second Wild Card spot in the East. The Leafs are horrible, eliminated from playoff contention with a 32-32-14 record. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, getting shut out 4-0 at home by the Caps last night (easy winner for me) for their third straight loss and they have just five wins in their last 21 games. The Isles won both previous games between these teams, winning 4-3 in overtime at home in January and then 3-1 on the road last month. I like the Isles to win again here at home on Long Island and I’ll take them in regulation for half a unit. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. The only player prop I considered was William Nylander to get a point, but I’m not touching it.
Sabres vs. Blue Jackets (7:00)
This should be a solid game in the East tonight, which I’ll be in attendance for. My Sabres didn’t play great last night, but came back in the third period to beat the Rangers 5-3 on the road for their second straight win and take a two point lead for first place in the Atlantic over the Lightning and Habs (who play each other tonight) with a 48-23-8 record. The Blue Jackets are two points back from a playoff spot, behind the Flyers for third place in the Metro and the Sens for the second Wild Card spot in the East. They ended a six game losing streak on Tuesday, beating the Red Wings 4-3 in a shootout on the road to improve to 39-27-12. Columbus won both previous games between these teams, winning 4-3 in Buffalo in OT back in October and then blowing us out 5-1 at home in January to end Buffalo’s ten game win streak at the time. Even in the second half of a back to back, I like my boys to avoid the season sweep, and I’ll take the Sabres for half a unit. I like the over as well, which I’ll also take for half a unit. I considered a parlay on Tage Thompson, Zach Werenski, and Kirill Marchenko to each get a point, but I’ll lay off it at +198. I also considered taking Marchenko on his own at -155, but I’ll stay off the player props.
Canadiens vs. Lightning (7:00)
Huge game in the Atlantic Division with both of these teams coming into tonight tied, two points back with a game in hand from the Sabres for first place in the division. The Habs are 46-22-10, playing great right now. Coming off a 4-3 shootout win at home against the Panthers on Tuesday in a bounce back, they’ve won nine of their last ten games. The Lightning are coming off back to back losses after a 6-2 loss in Ottawa on Tuesday and a 4-2 loss in Buffalo on Monday. The Bolts are 2-1 this year against Montreal, winning 6-1 on the road in December, then again 5-4 in a shootout later that month at home, before the Canadiens answered back with a 4-1 win on the road a week and a half ago. I’d slightly lean the Habs win again here at home, but this is pretty much a coin flip to me so I’ll stay off the side. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I will go with a player prop parlay here though and take Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky to each get a point for half a unit. I thought about taking Kucherov to get over 1.5 points, but don’t think it’s worth it at around even money.
Senators vs. Panthers (7:00)
I don’t expect this to be all that great of a game in the Atlantic Division. The Senators are currently in the second Wild Card spot in the East with a handful of teams chasing that spot. They’re coming off two big wins, beating the Lightning 6-2 at home on Tuesday after a 6-3 win at home against the Canes on Sunday. The Panthers are the worst team in the East, out of the playoffs after their two straight Cups, dealing with way too many injures to get through this year. Coming off a 4-3 shootout loss in Montreal on Tuesday, they’re on a three game losing streak, falling to 37-37-4 on the season. Somehow, Florida’s won all three previous games between these teams, winning 6-2 at home in October, 3-2 on the road in January, and then 6-3 at home a week and a half ago. I like the Sens to avoid the season sweep here and I’ll parlay their moneyline with Tim Stutzle to get a point for a unit. I like the over as well, which I’ll take for half a unit.
Red Wings vs. Flyers (7:00)
Interesting game in the playoff race, but not the best matchup. The Red Wings are three points behind the Sens for the second Wild Card in the East, and they’re struggling, on a three game losing streak coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at home on Tuesday night and they have just eight wins in their last 25 games to fall to 40-29-9 on the year. The Flyers have been hot, in the third sot in the Central, two points ahead of the Blue Jackets with a 40-26-12 record. They’re on a three game win streak, blowing out the Devils 4-1 on the road on Saturday and they’ve won 15 of their last 21 games. These teams split their first two games, each winning on the road, with the Flyers winning 5-3 in Detroit a couple weeks ago and the Red Wings answering with a 4-2 win in Philly last Thursday. I’d lean Philly wins here on the road again and I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet either. I considered a handful of Red Wings player props but don’t think anything’s worth betting on this game, so I’ll stay selective and stay off this game entirely.
Devils vs. Penguins (7:00)
This isn’t a great game in the Metro. The Devils just fired their GM Tom Fitzgerald and are eliminated from playoff contention with a 40-35-3 record. They’re coming off a 5-1 loss at home to the Flyers on Tuesday, but they’re playing pretty well right now with twelve wins in their last 19 games. The Penguins are coming off a 5-2 win at home against the Panthers on Sunday in the second half of a back to back against them, and have won four of their last five games to improve to 40-22-16 on the season, with a four point lead over the Flyers in second place in the Metro Division. Pittsburgh’s 2-0-1 this season against the Devils, losing 2-1 in a shootout on the road in November, winning 4-1 at home in January and then 4-1 again at home in February. I like the Pens to win again here on the road and I’ll take them for half a unit. I like the over better, which I’ll take for a unit. I considered parlaying Sidney Crosby and Jack Hughes to each get a point, but at -145, I’ll stay off it. I also separately considered betting Evgeni Malkin to each get a point, but we’re staying selective here, so I’ll lay off any player props here.
Blues vs. Jets (8:00)
Huge game here in the West and if the Jets win, that eliminates the Blues from playoff contention. The Blues are 33-32-12, six points back from the Preds for the second Wild Card spot in the West. They’ve played great lately to get back in the mix, going 13-4-3 in their last 20 games since the Olympics break, coming off a 3-1 loss at home to the Avalanche on Tuesday. The Jets are playing great since the Olympics break as well, with six wins in their last eight games, coming off a 6-2 win on Monday against the Kraken, and after their horrendous start to the year, they’re just four points back from Nashville with a 34-31-12 record. The Jets are 2-1 this year against the Blues, getting shut out for a 1-0 loss in St. Louis in December, winning 3-1 at home in January, then 3-2 at home in March. I’d lean Winnipeg wins here, but definitely not enough to bet them. I’d lean the under, but not enough to bet it at 5.5. The only player props I like here are Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele to each get a point, but that’s -200, which is way too expensive to bet on in what I think’s gonna be a low scoring game, so I’m not touching it.
Blackhawks vs. Hurricanes (8:30)
Huge cross conference mismatch in this game. The Blackhawks are horrendous. Coming off a 3-2 loss in San Jose on Monday, they’ve won just one of their last seven games to fall to 28-36-14 and I feel like they’re going to win the lottery for Gavin McKenna, in last place in the Central Division. This team’s brutal. The Hurricanes have been fantastic, leading the Eastern Conference with a 50-22-6 record, two points ahead of the Sabres with first place in the Metro Division locked up. They’ve won four of their last five games, coming off a 6-5 overtime win at home against the Bruins on Tuesday and have played fantastic hockey on both ends of the ice. Shockingly in the first game between these teams, the Blackhawks won 4-3 in a shootout on the road back in January. I fully expect an answer for Carolina on the road here and I’ll take them in regulation for 1.5 units. I’d lean the over, but not enough to bet it. I considered parlaying Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho to each get a point but I’ll stay off it.
Stars vs. Wild (9:00)
Big game here in the Central for home ice although both of these teams have clinched their playoff spots, with the Stars in second place in the division, two points ahead of Minnesota. The Stars are coming off a 4-3 overtime win (when I had them in regulation) at home against the Flames on Tuesday, but they’ve struggled lately with just three wins in their last ten games to fall to 47-20-12. The Wild have been hot lately, on a four game win streak after an easy 5-2 win at home against the Kraken on Tuesday to improve to 45-21-12. Minnesota’s 2-1 against Dallas this season, losing 5-2 on the road in the first week of the season, then answering with a 5-2 win at home in December, before winning 2-1 in overtime a few weeks ago at home. I’d lean the Wild win again here on the road, but didn’t even consider betting it. I’d also lean the over, but not enough to bet that either. There’s a bunch of player props I like in this game, but the smart move is just staying off all of them so I will.
Avalanche vs. Flames (9:00)
Big mismatch here out West. The Avalanche can clinch the President’s Trophy with a point tonight, leading the NHL with a 51-16-10 record, and they’ve already clinched first place in the Western Conference. They’ve been a bit inconsistent lately with seven wins in their last ten games, coming off a 3-1 win in St. Louis on Tuesday. The Flames are terrible, with just one win in their last four games, coming off a 4-3 overtime loss in Dallas on Tuesday to fall to 32-36-9 on the year. Colorado dominated the first game between these teams a couple weeks ago, winning 9-2 at home. I expect them to win again and I’ll take them in regulation for a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to bet it. The only player prop I like her is MacKinnon to get a point but -1100 doesn’t even give value to parlay him with anything and it doesn’t even reduce the moneyline or regulation line, and I don’t want to bet him to get two points.
Mammoth vs. Predators (9:00)
This is looking to be a decent matchup between the two Wild Card teams in the Western Conference. The Mammoth are four points ahead of the Preds in the first Wild Card spot, playing very well right now, improving to 41-30-6 on the season, on a four game win streak, erasing a 3-1 first period deficit to beat the Oilers 6-4 in overtime on Tuesday night. The Preds are in the second Wild Card spot with a point lead over the Kings and coming off a 5-0 shutout win in Anaheim on Tuesday, to improve to 37-31-10 on the season, going 8-3-1 in their last twelve games. Utah’s 2-1 this year against Smashville, winning 3-2 in overtime on the road in the first game of the season, then losing 4-3 at home in December, and answering with a 5-2 win on the road in January. I’d lean the Mammoth win again here, but don’t like it enough to bet on, so I’ll stay off the side. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for half a unit. I’ll also break my stance on player props and parlay Clayton Keller and Filip Forsberg to each get a point for half a unit with both guys on fire lately.
Ducks vs. Sharks (10:00)
This should be a pretty solid matchup in the Pacific Division. The Ducks are struggling right now, calling a point behind Vegas in third place in the division, now on a six game losing streak after getting shut out 5-0 at home by the Preds on Tuesday to drop to 41-32-5 on the season. The Sharks are playing well, three points back from the Preds for the second Wild Card spot in the West with a 37-33-7 record. They’re in the second half of a back to back tonight, losing 5-2 at home to the Oilers last night, but they’ve won five of their last seven games to get back in the mix. San Jose is 2-1 this year against the Ducks, losing 7-6 in overtime at home in the first week of the season, then winning 5-4 on the road in December and 4-3 at home on April Fool’s Day. Even in the second half of a back to back, I’d slightly lean the Sharks win at home to keep the playoff hopes alive. I do like the over though, which I’ll take for a unit. The only player prop I like in this game is Macklin Celebrini to get a point again, but don’t think it’s worth betting.
Kraken vs. Golden Knights (10:00)
This Pacific Division matchup is pretty bad. The Kraken have been horrible lately, a loss away from being eliminated from the playoffs. Coming off a 5-2 loss in Minnesota on Tuesday, they’re on a six game losing streak with just one win in their last eleven games and just three win their last 17 to fall to 32-34-11 on the season. The Golden Knights are a perfect 4-0 since hiring John Tortorella as their new head coach, improving to 36-26-16 on the year, two points behind the Oilers for first place in the Pacific and a point ahead of the Ducks for home ice in the first round, with a late goal by Cole Smith to get the 2-1 win in Vancouver on Tuesday night (to hit my regulation bet and give me a profitable night). Seattle won both previous game between these teams, winning 2-1 in overtime in the first week of the season at home and then 3-2 late in January on the road. I like Vegas to answer back here on the road and I’ll lay the -195 on them for a unit. I’d lean the over slightly, but not enough to bet it. I considered player props on Eichel, Stone, and Marner but don’t think any are worth betting.
Kings vs. Canucks (10:30)
This isn’t a great Pacific Division matchup to end the night, but it is pretty important for the Kings, a point back from Preds for the second Wild Card spot in the West. Coming off a big 3-2 shootout win against Nashville on Tuesday and they’ve gone 3-0-1 in their last four games to improve to 32-26-19 on the year. Although LA’s been good on the back end this year, their offense has struggled. The Canucks have locked up last place in the NHL this year with a 22-47-8 record, with the highest odds of winning the lottery for Gavin McKenna. Coming off a 2-1 loss at home to Golden Knights on Tuesday, and they’ve have just six wins in their last 36 games. The Kings won both previous games between these teams, winning 2-1 at home in overtime back in November, then 4-0 with a shutout on the road last month. I expect the Kings to win again here at home. LA’s way too expensive at -275, but I like them to win here at home to stay in their playoff spot. I’ll get cute and parlay the moneyline with Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin to each get a point for half a unit. I’d slightly lean the over, but not enough to touch it.
Bets
.5u Islanders in regulation (-155)
.5u Sabres ML (-125)
.5u Sabres/Blue Jackets over 6.5 (+105)
.5u parlay: Kucherov/Guentzel/Suzuki/Caufield/Slafkovsky 1+ point each (+281)
1u parlay: Senators ML/Tim Stutzle over 0.5 point (-170)
.5u Senators/Panthers over 6.5 (-102)
.5u Penguins ML (-112)
1u Penguins/Devils over 6.5 (-122)
1.5u Hurricanes in regulation (-130)
1u Avalanche in regulation (-185)
.5u Mammoth/Predators over 6.5 (-110)
.5u parlay: Clayton Keller/Filip Forsberg 1+ point each (-115)
1u Ducks/Sharks over 6.5 (-110)
1u Golden Knights ML (-195)
.5u parlay: Kings ML/Adrian Kempe/Artemi Panarin 1+ point each (-135)
Record: 910-1007-2 (-94.44 units)
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