Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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03-13-21 | Islanders -165 v. Devils | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 41 m | Show |
This is an 8* on the ISLANDERS This seems like a pretty big mismatch, right? The Islanders lead the East Division with 38 points. They have won their last seven games, scoring five times in four of the last five. The most recent five-goal effort was Thursday against the Devils, who they’ll face again on Saturday. New Jersey is second to last in the division with only 19 points, half the Isles’ current total. The Devils have just one win in the last eight games and it came by a score of 1-0. They’ve allowed 22 goals in the past four losses, surrendering five or more in all of them. They have not scored in the first two periods in three of the six games they’ve played this month. We know NY is without its captain (Anders Lee), but they should still easily defeat the Devils. Play on NY ISLANDERS AAA |
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03-12-21 | Coyotes v. Wild -180 | Top | 0-4 | Win | 100 | 11 h 31 m | Show |
This is an 8* on MINNESOTA Even with a win tonight, Minnesota can not move into a first place tie in the West Division. That’s because the two teams ahead of them - Vegas and St. Louis - meet and the winner of that one is assured being on top. But we still expect the Wild to pick up two points here as they host Arizona. The teams just split a pair of games in Phoenix last week, but here in the Twin Cities the Wild have the clear edge. That’s because the ‘Yotes are 8-20 their L28 road games, all of which found them as the underdog on the money line. Minnesota has won five straight home games. The Wild just took two here opposite Vegas, which really helped their cause. Goaltender Kahkonen has been as hot as anybody between the pipes lately. He’s won eight consecutive starts, the longest streak by any goaltender this season, and posted a .922 save percentage and 2.19 goals against average. Play on MINNESOTA AAA |
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03-10-21 | Kings -125 v. Ducks | Top | 5-1 | Win | 100 | 14 h 52 m | Show |
This is a 10* on LOS ANGELES The league’s three California teams are at the bottom of the Pacific right now, however we believe the Kings to pretty clearly be the best of the trio. They’ve got a positive goal differential this season, which is an encouraging sign even though they come into tonight having dropped five of the last six games. The last loss came here vs. Anaheim on Monday. That was the Ducks second straight victory (they also won at Colorado on Saturday). Note that both wins came in OT, however. Before those two wins, the Ducks had lost nine straight games. While seven of those losses were by one goal, three of them coming after regulation, Anaheim can’t hide from the fact they are tied for the third fewest number of wins in the entire league right now. Their -20 goal differential is also near the bottom of the league. Scoring six goals on only 25 shots, like the Ducks did Monday, isn’t likely to happen again. The Kings should have #1 goalie Jonathan Quick back between the pipes tonight (did not play Monday) and they’ll take this game quite seriously considering they are 0-2 vs. Anaheim this season. Over the past month, they’ve been beaten in regulation only two times. Play on LOS ANGELES AAA |
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03-09-21 | Jets v. Maple Leafs -174 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -174 | 10 h 35 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TORONTO The Leafs have lost two in a row for just the second time all season, but they still lead the all-Canadian North Division with 38 points. They can also still claim to have the best goal differential (+27) in the league outside of Tampa Bay. So we think they’ll bounce back tonight in a major way against Winnipeg. The Jets are third in the North, but were just dealt a humiliating 7-1 defeat at the hands of Montreal. Having only faced Montreal and Vancouver over the last eight games, it’s going to be a big jump up in class when the Jets see tonight’s opponent. Toronto won the first meeting, 3-1, and is facing a team that has given up more goals than it has scored on the road this year. A key trend for tonight is that the Jets are 0-9 their last nine after allowing five or more goals the previous game. Play on TORONTO AAA |
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03-08-21 | Blues -160 v. Sharks | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -160 | 13 h 35 m | Show |
full analysis to follow |
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03-07-21 | Rangers v. Penguins -134 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 6 m | Show |
This is a 10* on the PENGUINS This will be the second night of a back to back for the Penguins, who just got done playing three in a row against the Flyers. Saturday’s 4-3 victory made it a winning “three-game set” and now Pittsburgh sits fourth in the division with 27 points, level with Philadelphia. Three points behind are the Rangers, who have won three in a row after a terrible start to the season. New York also played yesterday, in New Jersey, where they won 6-1. It was the second straight win there (in NJ) and both games saw the Rangers score six goals. That sounds impressive, but the Devils are bad. The Penguins scored 12 goals in their three games against the Flyers. They get to play on home ice in this battle of unrested teams, which is an advantage. They’ve gone 9-2 SU in the Igloo so far. The one game they lost here to the Flyers saw them blow a 3-0 lead, so really the Pens should have a 10-1 home record and be on a three-game win streak themselves. They’re 8-4 their last 12 as it is. Play on PITTSBURGH AAA |
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03-06-21 | Flames v. Oilers -126 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 43 m | Show |
This is a 10* on EDMONTON The Battle for Alberta is renewed Saturday night in Edmonton as the Oilers host their rivals from Calgary. The teams have already met three times in 2021 with Edmonton winning two. After splitting the first two in Calgary, it was 7-1 Edmonton the last time they faced off and that was here on home ice. The Oilers are having the better season, although they have lost three in a row. But all three losses were to Toronto, who leads the all-Canadian North Division. With all three of those losses coming at home and by a combined score of 13-1, you’ve got to think the Oilers are going to come out skating fast this evening. Before running into Toronto, the Oilers had won five in a row. They are third in the division. Calgary is 5th after beating Ottawa Thursday. But the fact they could only split four games against the last place Senators was a disappointment. Having played 9 of their last 12 on the road, the Flames may be road weary. Play on EDMONTON AAA |
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03-06-21 | Maple Leafs -194 v. Canucks | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -194 | 11 h 43 m | Show |
This is a 7* on TORONTO The Maple Leafs may very well be the best team in the NHL this season. They have the most points (38). Only Tampa Bay has a better goal differential. But the Leafs are off a 3-1 loss to Vancouver, the team they’ll face again tonight. Now the last time the Canucks won a game was the 1st of the month, 4-0 against Winnipeg. We immediately faded them their next time on the ice and that ended up being a 5-2 win … for us! Same thing here against an even better opponent. While they’ve won twice in the last three games, Vancouver still only has five wins since the start of February. Only division mate Ottawa, who might be the worst team in the league, has given up more goals this season than have the Canucks. Toronto just so happens to have scored the most. The chances that they would lose two in a row to a team like Vancouver seem remote at best. The Leafs had won four in a row and seven of eight before Thursday’s defeat. They’ve lost back to back games only one time all season and it was not to the same opponent. They are 9-1 SU L10 revenge spots and 3-0 this season off a loss by two or more goals. Play on TORONTO AAA |
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03-03-21 | Capitals v. Bruins -136 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -136 | 11 h 4 m | Show |
This is a 9* on BOSTON The Bruins are only two points back of the Capitals in the East, thus a win tonight would pull them into a first place tie. We like their chances here on home ice. After a couple terrible games, Boston looked good in a 4-1 win over the Rangers on Sunday where they allowed only 21 shots on goal. Now they get to return home where they are 5-1 this season. The last time the Bruins skated in Beantown, they wound up scoring seven goals against the Flyers. While the Caps are on a three-game win streak, the last two wins were both against the Devils, who are not good. Having played two fewer games than Washington this season, the Bruins’ point percentage is actually higher and thus there should be no concern over the fact they are currently in third place. We still consider them the best team in this division and they are 58-26 when off a game where they allowed two or fewer goals. Washington is just 1-4 its last five as a road underdog. Play on BOSTON AAA |
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03-02-21 | Canucks v. Jets -117 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 4 m | Show |
This is a 10* on WINNIPEG Yesterday’s 4-0 result here in Manitoba was not reflective of the recent form shown by either club. Vancouver had lost four in a row before winning here yesterday and that included two home games vs. the Jets. Winnipeg had won four in a row going into Monday, also having swept Montreal here on home ice. While the Canucks will certainly want to “return the favor” for what was done to them, we don’t see them pulling off a two-game sweep on the road. The Jets have only suffered two straight losses one time this season and they were against the same opponent. Other than Toronto, the Jets have been the most consistent team in the all-Canadian North Division. Vancouver has given up more goals than all but one other team. Yesterday was their first shutout of the season. This is a team with just three wins since the start of February. Winnipeg is 4-0 this year when seeking revenge for a home loss. Play on WINNIPEG AAA |
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02-26-21 | Avalanche -170 v. Coyotes | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 12 h 46 m | Show |
This is an 8* on COLORADO We think it’s time for Colorado to get back into the win column. For the first time this season, they are coming off consecutive losses. The Avs were one of the Stanley Cup favorites coming into the year, so it’s quite surprising to see them all the way down in sixth in the division right now. Now to be clear, they are only four points out of first place. They lost 6-2 to Minnesota in their last game. The one positive about that is they are 3-0 this season if they allowed four or more goals their previous time out. Arizona was very fortunate to win each of its last two games as both times they trailed Anaheim 3-0. They won in a shootout Wednesday. The Coyotes still have a -3 goal difference for the year. Colorado is +8. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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02-25-21 | Canadiens -122 v. Jets | Top | 3-6 | Loss | -122 | 12 h 15 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MONTREAL Montreal just made a coaching change and tonight will be Dominique Ducharme’s debut on the bench. It was a little surprising to see Claude Julien get fired as he’d guided the Candiens to an 8-2-2 start. But recently the team has floundered a bit, losing five of its last six games including two to last place Ottawa, who is arguably the worst team in the entire league right now. That losing skid has the Habs now in fourth place in the North Division, well behind first place Toronto, but also only one point back of third place Winnipeg. The Jets are who they’ll face tonight. The game is in Manitoba, but Montreal is still favored, which should tell you right away how the oddsmakers feel about these two clubs. We concur that the Canadiens are better. Both of those losses to Ottawa went past regulation and the Habs now have the most OT + shootout losses in the division. Winnipeg just won its third OT game, so they’ve been a little lucky. They last played on Sunday. When playing with three or more days rest this season, the Jets’ record is 0-3. Montreal leads the league in hits per minute and we expect that to continue under Ducharme. Coaching changes often lead to a short-term “boost.” Play on MONTREAL AAA |
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02-23-21 | Predators -155 v. Red Wings | Top | 2-0 | Win | 100 | 10 h 38 m | Show |
This is a 10* on NASHVILLE The Preds visit Detroit Tuesday night in search of a second straight win. While they hadn’t been performing all that well prior to defeating Columbus 4-2 on Saturday, this should be an easy two points. The Red Wings are not a good team and the fact they’re off a win actually makes this play even stronger. That’s because of the simple fact Detroit has yet to win two in a row this season. They’ve won just five games total and a -25 goal differential is the worst in the conference. Nashville will remember that they could only manage a split of two home games vs. the Red Wings earlier this month and come out firing. With this being the first of two straight in Detroit, the Predators know that they could really use all four points. Though only one point currently separates these teams in the standings, we know the Preds are much better and so do the oddsmakers. It’s worth laying the price on this one. Play on NASHVILLE AAA |
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02-22-21 | Kings v. Blues -157 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -157 | 9 h 19 m | Show |
This is an 8* on ST. LOUIS Even after a loss Saturday, the Blues still lead the West Division with 22 points. Tonight is the first of two straight home games with the Kings. Los Angeles is 4th in the division with 17 points as it has won its last four games, during which they’ve outscored opposing teams 17-6. But before that, the Kings had lost five in a row, so don’t be surprised when they start reverting back to their losing ways this evening. These teams split a couple of games here in St. Louis last month. Looks like we’re getting a pretty substantial discount on the Blues this time as they closed north of -200 on the moneyline in each of the first two encounters. The Kings are 16-39 as a road underdog their last 55 tries. Play on ST. LOUIS AAA |
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02-20-21 | Kings v. Coyotes -146 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -146 | 10 h 18 m | Show |
This is a 10* on ARIZONA The ‘Yotes are actually tied for third in the West with Colorado, which is something we would not have anticipated. Tonight they can move even closer to the top as they host a Kings team that has been even more surprising in that they have won three in a row. In case you haven’t been following the NHL, the Kings have been bad the last couple seasons. They won here 3-2 on Thursday, but we can’t see them doing it again. That game on Thursday went to a shootout and saw Arizona dig themselves into an early 0-2 hole. Arizona is capable of a lot more offensively than what they’ve shown the last few games. While they’ve been held to two or less goals in three of the last four games, they’ve also scored 3 or 4 in six of the last nine. In a five game losing streak that preceded this current three-game winning run, Los Angeles had allowed a combined 21 goals. Play on ARIZONA AAA |
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02-17-21 | Panthers v. Hurricanes -152 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -152 | 9 h 23 m | Show |
This is an 8* on CAROLINA These teams are tied for second place in the Central Division, but Carolina has more wins and far superior goal differential. The Hurricanes are also at home tonight where they have gone a perfect 4-0 this season. Add it all up and this should be an easy two points for them. The Canes have scored 50 goals in 13 games so far. The only team with a higher goals for average is Tampa Bay. They’ve only given up 36 and the last three games have seen them defeat Dallas twice and Columbus. In those three games alone, the Canes have scored 16 times. Florida is coming off a three-game set with Tampa Bay where they managed to win twice, including 6-4 on Monday. But the Panthers are still only 4-13 SU their L17 against teams that have winning records, plus they are 1-5 their last six vs. Carolina. The home team is on a 54-26-2 run in this rivalry. Play on CAROLINA AAA |
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02-11-21 | Lightning -162 v. Panthers | Top | 2-5 | Loss | -162 | 11 h 22 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TB The Lightning look to keep rolling in this matchup. It’s six straight wins for them, four against Nashville and two against Detroit. They’ve scored 27 goals in the six games and allowed just nine. While Tampa Bay may not have the most points in the league (Toronto does), that’s because they’ve only played 11 games. And yet they do have the best goal differential at +23. Tonight they face second place Florida, but the gap is wide between the NHL’s two Floridian franchises. The Panthers have lost seven of the eight head to head matchups in the last two seasons. They could only manage a split with the Red Wings. The Panthers are 0-7 their last seven Thursday games and 0-4 their last four against teams with a win percentage of .600 or higher. Six of Florida’s seven wins this year have been by one goal. So their record could be worse. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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02-10-21 | Bruins -156 v. Rangers | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 9 h 9 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BOSTON The Bruins are tied for 1st in the East Division with 18 points and will be looking for a fourth consecutive victory Wednesday night. They’ve won 8 of 9 overall and have lost in regulation only one time so far, 1-0 to the Islanders back on January 18th. They just swept a set of games from the team they are tied with (Philadelphia) and both wins came on the road. Looking at goal differential, there is no doubt that this is the best team in the East. They’ll try to reaffirm that status tonight here in New York, facing a Rangers team that is at the bottom of the division with only 10 points. The Blueshirts were blanked 2-0 by the Islanders in their last game and will find it difficult to score tonight against a team that is allowing only 23.5 shots per game. The Rangers are 0-4 their last four games as an underdog and have also lost four straight times to the Bruins. Pretty easy, right? Play on BOSTON AAA |
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02-09-21 | Blackhawks v. Stars -159 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -159 | 12 h 17 m | Show |
This is an 8* on DALLAS The Blackhawks have been a bit of a “thorn in our side” recently as they’ve recorded upset wins over Carolina and Dallas in recent days. Both times we were on the other side. But we get a second chance here with the Stars, who had not lost on home ice before facing Chicago on Sunday. They’d gone 4-0, sweeping Nashville and Detroit, and against each opponent they had a 7-goal game. Chicago had not won on the road before Sunday, losing all six times by an average of 2.2 goals/game. The game on Sunday went to overtime with the Blackhawks’ lone regulation goal coming on a power play. Just can’t see Dallas losing twice at home to such a lowly opponent. Play on DALLAS AAA |
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02-07-21 | Blackhawks v. Stars -160 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -160 | 7 h 28 m | Show |
This is a 7* on DALLAS The Stars’ season got off to a late start because of COVID. But when they finally hit the ice, they opened 4-0 with all those wins coming at home. The next four were on the road and those didn’t go as well as they finished with a 1-2-1 record against Carolina and Columbus. But now they get to return to Dallas for the first time in more than a week and it looks to be a favorable matchup vs. the Blackhawks. Chicago did win its last game, a 6-4 surprise against Carolina where they came in at +150 on the money line. But that was just their fourth win of the season, two of which were against lowly Detroit. Dallas has also beaten Detroit a couple times. It’s hard to look past the fact the Stars scored seven times in two of their four home games. They ended up with a +13 goal differential in the four victories. Chicago has lost all six road games and done so by an average of 2.2 goals per game. That’s horrendous. The home team has won each of the last four times these clubs have met. It’ll be a rookie goaltender starting today for the Stars, but we don’t see that as a downgrade considering Anton Khudobin has allowed 11 goals the last three games. Play on DALLAS AAA |
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02-06-21 | Coyotes v. Blues -161 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -161 | 7 h 18 m | Show |
This is a 10* on ST. LOUIS The Blues had a four-game win streak end two nights ago. But the Stanley Cup Champs of two years ago will get a rubber match today with the ‘Yotes and it should prove to be a successful endeavor. The first two games here in St. Louis have both been decided by one goal, each by the same 4-3 score. The Blues won first (Tuesday) but then fell into an early 3-0 hole on Thursday that was too deep to climb out of. They ended up outshooting Arizona though 43-30. You’ve got to believe the Blues will get off to a better start tonight. Nor are they likely to be 0 for 4 on the power play again. Thursday also happened to be the Coyotes’ very first road win this season. They’ve won just five of their last 26 road games going back to the previous season. They are 7-21 off a win. All signs point to the home team taking Saturday’s game. Play on ST. LOUIS AAA |
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02-04-21 | Hurricanes -168 v. Blackhawks | Top | 4-6 | Loss | -168 | 12 h 49 m | Show |
This is a 7* on CAROLINA Look for Carolina to take no mercy on Chicago tonight in this Central Division matchup. The ‘Canes are looking really good this season. They are 6-1 and have won five straight, including a 4-3 win here in the Windy City two nights ago. That was their second straight win in a shootout. It’s worth mentioning Carolina did have a 41-33 edge in shots. Petr Mrazek having surgery is a blow, but Carolina is lucky to still have James Reimer between the pipes. He turned away 30 of 33 shots Tuesday including all three he faced in the shootout. Reimer is now 4-0 as the starter this season and has a 2.19 GAA as well as a .915 save percentage. The Blackhawks have won only three games so far and two of those came against Detroit, who is the worst team in the league. They are 0-5 vs. the Hurricanes the last three seasons including 0-3 in Chicago. Play on CAROLINA AAA |
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02-03-21 | Bruins -127 v. Flyers | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 12 h 11 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BOSTON The Bruins have lost only one time in their last six games. That singular defeat occurred on Saturday, in overtime, against the Capitals. It was immediately avenged as they bounced back to beat the Caps 5-3 on Monday. The B’s have only lost once in regulation this season and that was 1-0 to the Islanders on January 18th, their third game. Now they travel to Philadelphia to play a Flyers team that’s on a four-game win streak. Winning here shouldn’t prove difficult for Boston. After all, they’ve already beaten the Flyers twice this year, 5-4 and 6-1. While those games took place in Beantown, the fact they scored 11 goals is definitely an encouraging sign. Though they are off to their best start in years, the Flyers (7-2-1) have been outshot in 9 of 10 games. So excuse us for being a bit skeptical. Play on BOSTON AAA |
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02-02-21 | Coyotes v. Blues -168 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 13 h 37 m | Show |
This is an 8* on ST. LOUIS We see no reason why we shouldn’t continue riding St. Louis Tuesday. After successive wins in Anaheim, they’ve won three straight. We had them Saturday when they won 6-1 against the Ducks and that was then followed with a 4-1 victory on Sunday. They’ve scored 15 goals in just the last three games and have scored four or more times in six of their nine games so far. Arizona, who the Blues are facing tonight, is not much of a threat to score. They were shut out in back to back games last week before picking up their own win (3-2) against Anaheim. The Coyotes haven’t played since Thursday, which is actually by design, not anything to do with COVID. They’re going to find it hard to score goals tonight as Blues goalie Jordan Binnington is 3-0-1 in his last four starts with a .939 save percentage. All sorts of trends say the ‘Yotes are likely to lose here. They are 1-5 their L6 as an underdog, 0-4 L4 Tuesday games and 20-41 when playing on three or more days’ rest. St. Louis is 61-22 L83 when facing an opponent that has a win % below .400. Play on ST. LOUIS AAA |
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02-01-21 | Predators v. Lightning -170 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 11 h 7 m | Show |
This is a 7* on TB Tampa Bay looks to make it a 2-0 sweep against Nashville Monday night. They just beat the Predators on Saturday, 4-3, a game which they led 4-1 after two periods. We probably won’t see quite as much scoring - from either side - tonight as there were a total of four power play goals scored on Saturday, two from each side. But if there’s a team you can count on scoring, it’s the Lightning, who year in and year out are always near the top of the league in goals scored. They were actually shut out in Carolina last week, but Saturday marked the third time this season that they have scored at least four goals in one game. The Preds have not played well thus far, losing four of their last six and one of those losses was 7-0. The fact they are last in the league in penalty killing doesn’t bode well for them here either. They’ve yet to win on the road this season. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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01-30-21 | Blues -166 v. Ducks | Top | 6-1 | Win | 100 | 13 h 56 m | Show |
This is an 8* on ST. LOUIS The Blues have alternated wins and losses through their first seven games. Following a three-day break, they aim to win back to back times in Anaheim tonight. It was a 5-4 win at Vegas Tuesday, an impressive win for the Stanley Cup Champs of two years ago. Playing short-handed, literally, has been an issue for the Blues so far this season. They’ve been down a man on the ice 36 times so far and given up 11 power play goals. Their penalty kill ranks 28th. But tonight is an excellent opportunity to sort that all out. Anaheim is last in the league in goals per game (1.75) and opened the year by going 0 for 17 on the power play. The last three games have seen the Ducks get outshot 98-55. That they’ve won two of them is pretty shocking. There’s been only one game so far that Anaheim scored more than two goals. It was when they scored three vs. Colorado on Sunday. They lost 3-2 to Arizona on Thursday despite notching their first PP goal of the season. The Blues have won their last three trips to the Pond. Play on ST LOUIS AAA |
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01-28-21 | Flyers -152 v. Devils | Top | 3-1 | Win | 100 | 12 h 57 m | Show |
This is an 8* on PHILADELPHIA The Flyers will look to make it two in a row over the Devils tonight. They won here on Tuesday, 5-3, breaking things open with three straight goals in the third period. Since starting the season with two straight wins over Pittsburgh, Philly has been unable to string together consecutive victories. We look for that to change Thursday. New Jersey’s top goalie MacKenzie Blackwood remains on the COVID list and backup Scott Wedgewood has generally struggled. So has the Devils’ penalty killing unit, which allowed two goals Tuesday, the fourth game they’ve done that this season. New Jersey has yet to drop back to back games this year, but they’ve been fortunate to win a couple low-scoring games off previous losses. The Flyers have scored 25 times this season, tied for most in the division. They outshot the Devils 31-26 on Tuesday. The five goals they scored were the most NJ has allowed in a game this season. Philadelphia is 6-0 its last six times as a road favorite. Play on PHILADELPHIA AAA |
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01-27-21 | Senators v. Canucks -145 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 25 h 59 m | Show |
This is an 8* on VANCOUVER Vancouver just crushed Ottawa 7-1 on Monday. We see no reason not to come back with the Canucks in tonight’s rematch. After opening their season with a 5-3 win against Toronto, the Senators have lost five in a row and given up 21 goals in the last four games. Lineup changes are almost certain to be made in Ottawa and while that may be good for the long-term, it’ll take some time for the new line combinations to gel. If not for Detroit, the Sens would probably be considered the worst team in the league. They are 9-21 SU after being held to one or zero goals their previous game. They’ve allowed six and seven goals the last two, notable because both were on the road like this one is. This is a matchup Vancouver must take advantage of and they should seeing as they’ve won the last three home games over Ottawa, who is also 1-10 after allowing 5+ goals in their last game. Play on VANCOUVER AAA |
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01-26-21 | Kings v. Wild -156 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -156 | 11 h 9 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MINNESOTA Out in the NHL’s West Division, Minnesota has claimed eight points from its six games so far, winning four and losing two. Their season began in Los Angeles where they won twice, both times in OT by the same score of 4-3. The Kings have managed to go 2-2 since then, splitting at home with Colorado and on the road against St. Louis. They are off their best performance of the season, a six-goal effort where six different players scored. But we don’t expect much from this Kings team - tonight or this season. The Wild have developed a penchant for falling behind in games as they trailed LA 3-1 in the third period in both prior matchups. But look for that to become a thing of the past. We like the Wild’s penalty killing unit, which has been among the best in the league (90%) and it’s just a matter of time before the power play (just 2 of 27!) improves. The Kings have won just twice in their last eight trips to the Twin Cities. Play on MINNESOTA AAA |
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01-24-21 | Oilers -125 v. Jets | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 13 h 10 m | Show |
This is a 10* on EDMONTON Edmonton has just four points after six games as they are 2-4. While they were able to salvage splits against Vancouver and Toronto, they were swept by Montreal. Now it's onto Winnipeg where they’ll take on a Jets team that is 4-1 and second in the North Division (all Canadian teams). But the key to the Jets start is the fact they just played Ottawa three straight games and won them all. They were just in the Nation’s capital Saturday, so there’s no rest between games. Yesterday was a late game as is this one. Two of Winnipeg’s wins have been in overtime and yesterday they trailed 3-2 in the third period. They just made a big trade, dealing Patrik Laine to Columbus for Pierre-Luc Dubois. Because of quarantine rules, Dubois isn’t going to be available immediately. Edmonton has promised to shake up the blue line and they are the play here as the Jets record is a little phony. Winnipeg is 3-14 the last 17 times its played a third game in four nights, which is the situation here. Play on EDMONTON AAA |
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01-23-21 | Canadiens -145 v. Canucks | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 1 m | Show |
This is an 8* on MONTREAL Montreal and Vancouver play their third consecutive game on Saturday and you have to wonder if this will be as high scoring as the previous two. The Canucks drew “first blood” on Wednesday, winning 6-5, only for the Canadiens to bounce back with a 7-3 victory on Thursday. Following an off-day, the two Canadian teams are back at it and our money is with the Habs as Vancouver has given up at least three goals in all six of its games and five or more four times. Montreal is 3-0 if they scored 4 or more goals in their last game, which they just did. They’ve secured a point in every game so far, meaning they’ve yet to be beaten in regulation. Tyler Toffoli is dominating his former team with five goals in the two games including a hat trick on Wednesday. The Canucks are 14-30 when facing a team that scored at least five goals in its last game. Play on MONTREAL AAA |
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01-21-21 | Devils v. Islanders -145 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 8 h 54 m | Show |
This is an 8* on the ISLANDERS Every Islanders game this season has been a shutout and good for them that they’ve come out on the winning end in two of the three. The two games vs. the Rangers couldn’t possibly have gone any more different as they won the first one 4-0, then lost the second 5-0. It was a surprise 1-0 win over Boston on Monday and now they host the Devils, who split with Boston to start the year and then beat the Rangers 4-3 on Tuesday. With the two teams producing identical 2-1 records against common opponents, you may not see much of an edge here, but we do as the Isles are 5-1 head to head with the Devils the previous two seasons. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov has opened the season with two shutouts and he is expected to be back between the pipes tonight. New Jersey easily could have lost both games to Boston and is giving up a ton of shots so far, including an alarming 50 to the Rangers Tuesday night. Play on NY ISLANDERS AAA |
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01-20-21 | Sharks v. Blues -179 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -179 | 11 h 16 m | Show |
This is a 10* on ST. LOUIS The Blues are off to a 2-1 start after beating the Sharks 5-4 in the first of these two meetings. They rallied back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 to take a 4-3 lead in the third period and got the game winner late in the third period. That the Blues have been successful thus far in spite of poor special teams play should be taken as a positive. Their 0 for 9 start on the power play is not likely to continue and a leaky penalty kill (just 6 of 14) is likely to be shored up. They are getting offensive contributions from a wide array of players, 16 of which have at least one point. The 8-0 loss to Colorado sticks out like a sore thumb, but it was just one game and will be forgotten in a matter of days. San Jose has allowed at least three goals in every game so far, losing twice, and this is their fourth straight road game to open the season. Neither goaltender has played well so far and this club is just 17-36 its previous 53 games as an underdog, including 1-7 L8 on the road. Play on ST. LOUIS AAA |
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01-19-21 | Devils v. Rangers -138 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -138 | 10 h 52 m | Show |
This is a 10* on NY RANGERS After experiencing two very different results against the Islanders, the Rangers will now host New Jersey in another tri-state battle. The Devils will take the split they had with the Bruins to start the year as they scored two goals in each game, both of which were decided by one goal and went into extra time. That’s very different from how the Rangers games went against the Islanders. After a dreadful 4-0 loss to open the year, the Blueshirts rallied back for a 5-0 win in the second game. The Devils easily could have lost both games to the Bruins as they got a late goal in regulation in the first one and then in the rematch, the game-winner came with just seconds left in OT. They were outshot in the two games, which were at home. The Devils are 4-22 SU their L26 Tuesday games while the Rangers are a perfect 9-0 following a game in which they allowed eight or more power play chances. Play on NY RANGERS AAA |
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01-17-21 | Blackhawks v. Panthers -148 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 11 h 33 m | Show |
This is a 10* on FLORIDA Welcome to the 2021 NHL Season, Florida! The Panthers were supposed to open up with two games vs. Dallas, but those got postponed. So now they open up with two home games vs. Chicago, the second of which will be Tuesday. These are new division rivals based on the NHL’s COVID-induced realignment. The Blackhawks are not liking this new division setup as they have started 0-2 with both losses coming at Tampa Bay. They allowed 10 goals in the two games. Florida will look much different than they did last year as they made sweeping changes to the roster as they said goodbye to several veteran players. Being fresher than Chicago is an advantage for tonight. Chicago is not 100 percent as Jonathan Toews is out as are three other regulars: Brent Seabrook, Alexander Nylander and Kirby Dach. They are also a young team, just like Florida. This realignment somewhat benefits the Panthers as they will get plenty of games against the Blackhawks and Red Wings, two of the worst teams in the league. Chicago has lost its last six games as a road underdog. Play on FLORIDA AAA |
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01-14-21 | Canucks v. Oilers -120 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 15 m | Show |
This is a 10* on EDMONTON The NHL’s seven Canadian teams have all been grouped into one division for the 2020-21 season. This is a rematch from last night when Vancouver shocked Edmonton 5-3 as a +130 underdog. Blame for the loss can squarely be placed on the Oilers’ defensive breakdowns, something not lost on coach Dave Tippett. "Poor puck play and poor reads led to grade-A chances against. Give enough of them and they're going to capitalize," a seething Tippett said. "If we want to be a better team, a harder team to play against, those have to come out of our game." Look for those issues to be “shored up” tonight as Edmonton looks to bounce back and avoid what would be an embarrassing start to the season. They did come back to tie the game twice last night despite getting only one point from McDavid and Draisaitl - combined. The Canucks played without JT Miller, who led them in goals and points last season. Edmonton is 5-1 L6 after allowing 5+ goals the previous game. Vancouver is 1-5 the L6 times they’ve been in the second game of a back to back. Play on EDMONTON AAA |
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01-14-21 | Bruins -170 v. Devils | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 10 h 14 m | Show |
This is a 7* on BOSTON New division rivals face off here with Boston taking on New Jersey. It certainly appears as if the oddsmakers opened this line way too low as we’ve already seen the Bruins “shoot up” to a much higher price. They’re still worth the investment even at the current price. This is a team that’s made the playoffs 11 of the last 13 seasons and is a perennial Cup contender. New Jersey has missed the playoffs seven of the last eight years and while there’s some promise here, the Devils simply aren’t on the Bruins level … yet. Boston allowed the fewest goals in the league last season. There were some losses along the blue line that may impact the number of goals allowed, but you should still expect the B’s to rank among the league leaders in that department as long as goalie Tuukka Rask is still around. The Devils started last season very poorly, losing 22 of their first 31 games, so they can’t be trusted. Boston has won 26 of the previous 33 meetings. Play on BOSTON AAA |
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01-13-21 | Blues v. Avalanche -134 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -134 | 14 h 13 m | Show |
This is an 8* on COLORADO This is going to be a very unique NHL season. The league has been realigned into four new divisions with an emphasis on geography and every game will be within the division. The season has been shortened from 82 to 56 games. St. Louis and Colorado remain division foes and each has its eye on the Stanley Cup, something the Blues won two years ago. But the Avalanche are the better team now and very well could have made it to the Finals last year had it not been for injuries between the pipes. They figure to be one of the better teams in the league this season. Nathan MacKinnon is as good as it gets and anchors arguably the top line in the sport. Brandon Saad came over from Chicago. Cale Makar patrols the blue line and most importantly both goalies are now healthy. Look for two points on Opening Night. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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09-21-20 | Stars v. Lightning -144 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 22 h 49 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TAMPA BAY They had a 36-20 edge in shots on goal, but the Lightning still lost 4-1 in Game 1. We believe their chances of bouncing back in Game 2 are quite high. For starters, Tampa Bay has not lost two straight games since the restart. When off a loss, they have scored at least three times in every try but one. That one instance was the close out game against the Islanders. Consider that Dallas has won 4 of its last 5 games despite averaging only 22.8 shots per game during that time. Having that high of a shooting percentage can’t continue. Similarly, goalie Anton Khudobin is probably due to start letting some goals in. He made 35 saves in Game 1. He’s now stopped 139 of the last 145 shots he’s faced, a save percentage of .959! That can’t continue either. Khudobin wasn’t even the Stars starter between the pipes when the playoffs began! The key will be for the Lightning to strike (score) first. TB is 0-3 against Dallas this season, but 46-17 their L63 games following a loss by 3+ goals. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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09-19-20 | Stars v. Lightning -147 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -147 | 20 h 15 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TB One of these teams being here is not a surprise. That would be Tampa Bay, who set numerous regular season records last season before infamously flaming out vs. Columbus in the first round of the playoffs. This season, the Lightning weren’t nearly as dominant (didn’t even finish first in the division), but have enjoyed a far more successful playoff run and that’s really all that matters. So far TB has lost only four games in the postseason, none of them consecutively, and they enter this Stanley Cup Finals as decided favorites over the Dallas Stars. The Stars being here is a surprise. They went through the top two teams in the Western Conference - Colorado and Vegas - and have been underdogs on the money line in each of their L12 games! They’ve definitely been “living dangerously” though with the last five wins all coming by a goal apiece. Several of those have required improbable comebacks, something we also saw in the 1st round series with Calgary as well as the round robin. While Dallas did win the two regular season meetings (Both in OT), the Lightning are pretty clearly the better team here. TB is 44-7 the L51 times it’s been off a game in which it scored 2 goals or less. They won 2-1 on Thursday in the close-out game vs. the Islanders. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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09-14-20 | Stars v. Golden Knights -168 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -168 | 12 h 45 m | Show |
This is an 8* on VEGAS Vegas has really put itself behind the 8-ball, now needing to win three straight in order to make the Stanley Cup Finals. They have generally outplayed the Stars in this Western Conference Finals. However, they can’t seem to score when necessary. They’ve outshot Dallas for the series, including 73-43 the L2 games! But Stars goalie Anton Khudobin has picked the right time to play the best hockey of his career, posting a .944 save percentage for the series. Dallas is clearly playing “above its head” this postseason. It’s not just Khudobin either. The team has more 5+ goal games in the bubble than they did the entire regular season! The Golden Knights have done a solid job when it comes to limiting goals; they’ve given up just six in the four games. Now it’s time for Khudobin to regress, assuming Vegas can continue to pepper him with shots. They average 36.2 shots/game in the playoffs while allowing only 24.2. Dallas has been outshot and outscored in the postseason! This is just the 2nd time Vegas has lost two in a row since the restart. The 1st saw them bounce back to post a shutout in Game 7 vs. Vancouver when the season was on the line. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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09-12-20 | Golden Knights -160 v. Stars | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -160 | 13 h 4 m | Show |
This is an 8* on VEGAS Those pesky Stars keep getting it done as they now lead the Western Conference Finals 2-1. After they and Vegas exchanged shutouts in the first two games, Game 3 went to overtime with Dallas winning 3-2. That made us happy as we had the Stars +1.5. So we didn’t even need to sweat out OT! But we can’t sugarcoat the fact that the Golden Knights outshot them 40-23. Outshooting the opposition is something Vegas has consistently done in the postseason. They are averaging 36.3 shots/game of their own while only allowing 24.6 per game. Those kinds of numbers virtually guarantee you’ll be successful on a consistent basis. The Knights have not lost more than two straight here in the bubble. The only other time they lost back to back games was the last series vs. Vancouver and they responded with a 3-0 shutout. The Golden Knights, who are 11-2 L13 after scoring 2 goals or less, are a strong play for us here. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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09-11-20 | Lightning -151 v. Islanders | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -151 | 12 h 13 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TAMPA BAY The Lightning are up 2-0 on the Islanders and can take a commanding 3-0 series lead with a win tonight. The Game 1 win was as easy as it gets as the Lightning scored eight goals. Keep in mind the strength of this Islanders team is its defense as they’d allowed a league low 1.94 goals/game in the playoffs before this series started. Game 2 was tighter, as well as a lot lower-scoring, but the Lightning still won 2-1. That seems like bad news for the Islanders as the low-scoring games are the ones they probably need to “steal” to have any shot in this series. It’s unlikely that they’ll contain the TB offensive onslaught again. Quietly, the Lightning are very hot. They have lost just three times in the bubble. They’ve won six in a row and 9 of 10. You have to remember that the Islanders were originally seeded 7th in the East for this Tournament. They had a negative scoring differential when play was paused back in March. While they looked great against the Capitals and Flyers, this mountain may simply be too tall to climb. Tampa Bay is 44-8 its last 52 tries after scoring two goals or less the previous game. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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09-09-20 | Islanders v. Lightning -164 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 24 h 1 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TAMPA BAY The Lightning exploded for 8 goals in Game 1, burying the Islanders in the process. Scoring 8 goals in one game is always going to be impressive, but when you do it against a team that was allowing just 1.94 goals/game since the restart, well, that’s downright remarkable. Don’t look for the Lightning to score 8 times again, but they will win Game 2 against an Islanders team that has to be absolutely shell-shocked. A huge advantage the Lightning had coming into the series is that they had a full week off while New York had just been taken seven games by the Flyers and had only one day off between series. Tampa Bay has now won five straight as well as eight of its last nine. They’ve allowed just six goals in the previous four wins. This is a team on a mission following last year’s humiliating playoff exit. The Islanders have won just 4 of the last 17 times they’ve been an underdog and just 1 of the last 6 times they’ve played on one days rest. Tampa Bay is 41-12 the L53 after allowing 2 or less goals the previous game. Play on TAMPA BAY. AAA |
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09-08-20 | Stars v. Golden Knights -158 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 13 h 55 m | Show |
This is a 10* on VEGAS Vegas got shutout in Game 1, the third time in their last four games where they were held to one goal or less. Despite that disturbing trend, we are going to predict the Golden Knights bounce back in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals as they are favored for a reason. Dallas even making it thus far is a bit of a surprise. They were heavy underdogs in every game vs. Colorado, yet won a 7-game series. Back in the first round, they were just 12 seconds away from being down 3 games to 1 against Calgary. Vegas is 3-1 off a loss in the bubble, the lone failure being Game 6 against Vancouver. Whereas Dallas is relatively even in shots and goals (compared to their opponents) in the postseason, Vegas has big advantages in both. Even after watching Game 1, we still prefer the Golden Knights’ goaltending situation to that of the Stars. Ryan Reaves will be back for Game 2 (suspended for Game 1) and we look for the Golden Knights power play (1 for its last 14) to “wake up” if called upon. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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09-06-20 | Stars v. Golden Knights -163 | Top | 1-0 | Loss | -163 | 12 h 50 m | Show |
This is an 8* on VEGAS Vegas earned the #1 seed in the Western Conference by sweeping its round robin games. The Golden Knights then needed only five games to dispatch Chicago in Round 1. Round 2 took a little longer than expected as the Canucks forced a Game 7. But Vegas still took the clincher in one-sided fashion, 3-0. Dallas was similarly taken to a Game 7 last round after having a 3-1 series lead over the Avalanche. They needed OT to advance as it was 5-4 victory. The Stars have been quite the high scoring side this postseason, ever since a 5-4 win over Calgary in Round 1. Since that win, they’ve scored 42 goals in 10 games. But Vegas had three shutout wins against Vancouver. Another problem for the Stars is how many goals they’ve been allowing. The Avalanche scored 24 times over the previous five games. In the playoffs, Vegas has done an outstanding job at controlling the puck and dominating shots on goal. They’ve got a much better goaltending situation than either of Dallas’ prior two opponents and beat the Stars 5-3 in the very first game here in the bubble. Take the better team. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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09-04-20 | Stars v. Avalanche -127 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -127 | 9 h 35 m | Show |
This is a 10* on COLORADO Colorado has been our call each of the last five games and while that hasn’t gone as well as we’d hoped (just 3-2), here we are in a Game 7 Friday night. Though they were down 3-1 in the series, the Avalanche are the better side. Game 5 was the turning point when they delivered a record-breaking five goals in the 1st period. In the last eight games, the Avs have scored six or more goals four different and four or more goals six times. After Dallas went on its own incredible scoring run (26 goals in five games), they have been held to just four the past two games. Game 6, a 4-1 loss, was their lowest scoring of this series. Relative to how they were priced at the beginning of the series, we’re getting a bit of a “bargain” on the Avs in Game 7. They’ve got all the momentum and were always the better side to begin with. They are 15-5 the last 20 games where they allowed two or fewer goals the previous game. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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09-02-20 | Avalanche -123 v. Stars | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 26 h 9 m | Show |
This is a 10* on COLORADO We’ve been pretty steadfast that Colorado is a better team than Dallas. In fact, we’ve taken them in each of the last four games of this series! While that hasn’t been profitable so far (gone 2-2 and down juice), Game 5 certainly seemed to be a turning point. The Avalanche scored five times in a record-breaking 1st period and won in a rout, 6-3. There’s been a ton of focus (rightly so) on how many goals Dallas has been scoring, but the fact is that the Avs have scored six or more times in four of the last seven games. That includes twice in the last three games. The Avs have outshot the Stars in the series, averaging 36.2 attempts per game. They had 41 in Game 5. Goaltending is now a huge storyline. Of course, Colorado lost Philipp Grubauer to injury in Game 1. Pavel Francouz was ineffective, but the Avs may have found their man in Michael Hutchinson, who made 31 saves in an unexpected start Monday. For Dallas, despite being deemed “unfit to play,” Ben Bishop got the Game 5 nod and it turns out he was indeed “unfit to play” as he gave up four goals before being replaced by Anton Khudobin. Khudobin is no safe bet either as he’d never made a playoff start before this year. As detailed in our writeup for the last game, Dallas’ scoring surge was extremely shocking and unlikely to continue. We’ve taken Colorado each of the last four games. Make it five in a row. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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08-31-20 | Stars v. Avalanche -133 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 12 h 2 m | Show |
This is an 8* on COLORADO Back on August 16th, the Stars trailed Calgary 4-3 and were 12 seconds away from falling behind in that series 3-1. But then they tied the game, won it, and what has ensued has been a stunning run of goal scoring by a team not known for having a prolific offense. Dallas has won 6 of its last 7 games, scoring 33 goals in the process, and now can eliminate Colorado with yet another win tonight. The absurdity of this scoring outburst by the Stars has to be read to be believed. In what turned out to be the close out game vs. Calgary, they fell behind 3-0 before even getting a shot on goal. They then scored seven straight goals of their own, marking the first time in NHL Playoff history a team won by 3+ goals in a game in which it trailed by 3+ goals. This series has seen them score 4+ goals in every game, but despite having a 3-1 series lead, they have been outshot by a fairly wide margin. The last five games have seen the Stars score on 17.7% of their shot attempts, which is just crazy. While many will point the finger at Avs goalie Pavel Francouz (starting in place of the injured Philipp Grubauer), the fact is they’ve led by two goals in two of the four games. Dallas goalie Khudobin had never made a playoff start before this year and should still be considered unproven. Colorado has scored 4 or more goals 4 times in the last 6 games, so it should be better than 3-3 in that stretch. Look for them to win this do or die game. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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08-30-20 | Avalanche -130 v. Stars | Top | 4-5 | Loss | -130 | 10 h 58 m | Show |
This is a 10* on COLORADO Down 0-2 to the Stars in this best of seven, the Avalanche desperately needed to win Game 3. We took the Avs on the money line and they did win, 6-4. We'll take them again in Game 4. Colorado entered this series as a decided favorite, but has lost its starting goalie Philipp Grubauer and all of a sudden Dallas has become some sort of offensive juggernaut, scoring 14 goals in the series. That’s a far cry from when these teams faced off in the round robin and the Avs won 4-0. Interestingly enough, that was with backup Francouz between the pipes. While you could argue that win was an anomaly (it’s had been the only time the Avs had beaten the Stars in seven tries this season, prior to Game 3), we still believe Colorado to be the better team. You can’t forget how they closed out the Arizona series with two straight 7-1 victories. Look for Dallas’ offensive surge to eventually slow down as they’ve been outshot in the series and the Avs have scored six or more goals in three of the last five games themselves. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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08-26-20 | Avalanche -138 v. Stars | Top | 6-4 | Win | 100 | 15 h 59 m | Show |
This is a 10* on COLORADO Down 0-2 to the Stars in this best of seven, the Avalanche desperately need to win Game 3 and we think they’ll come through. Colorado entered this series as a decided favorite, but has lost its starting goalie Philipp Grubauer and all of a sudden Dallas has become some sort of offensive juggernaut, scoring five times in both wins. That’s a far cry from when these teams faced off in the round robin and the Avs won 4-0. For the record, that was with backup Francouz between the pipes. Maybe that was an anomaly as it’s the only time the Avs have beaten the Stars in seven meetings this season. But we’re willing to look past that head to head record as we still believe Colorado to be the better team. You can’t forget they closed out the Arizona series with two straight 7-1 victories. Look for Dallas’ sudden offensive surge to slow down as they’ve been outshot in both games (40-27 in Game 2) and the Avs are 6-0 the last six times they’ve been off a loss by 3 goals or more. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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08-24-20 | Stars v. Avalanche -150 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -150 | 19 h 9 m | Show |
This is a 10* on COLORADO Colorado didn’t see Dallas coming in Game 1. They were blitzed early, as they allowed three goals in the first period, and could never catch up (lost 5-3). Now the favored Avalanche find themselves in a bit of a must win against a team they’ve only beaten once in six tries this season. That one time was 4-0 in the round robin round though and it’s fair to say the Avs are the better team here, despite the recent surge in scoring by the Stars. Colorado has lost goalie Grubauer to a groin injury, but it’s interesting to note that it was his backup (Francouz) that was between the pipes for the aforementioned 4-0 shutout earlier this month. The Avs are 15-6 after allowing 4 or more goals in the previous game and 21-12 in revenge spots this year. They have yet to lose two straight in the bubble where they have outshot opponents by a considerable margin. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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08-23-20 | Canucks v. Golden Knights -172 | Top | 0-5 | Win | 100 | 29 h 18 m | Show |
This is an 8* on VEGAS Vegas earned the top spot in the Western Conference by sweeping through their three round robin games. Then they got here to the conference semifinals by easily dispatching the 12th seeded Chicago Blackhawks in five games. The opponent is the Vancouver Canucks, who eliminated Minnesota in four games in the qualification round then defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis in six games in the last round. Both Pacific Division teams are hot entering this series. Vegas is 7-1 SU in the bubble while Vancouver has won 7 of its last 9. But we’ve got to side with the Golden Knights in Game 1 as they’ve played tremendous hockey since the restart. They are dominating possession while averaging 3.7 goals/game. The Canucks are averaging 3.4 goals/game, but on far less shot attempts and it’s going to be difficult to maintain that shot percentage. Vancouver’s possession numbers aren’t as good as they’re being outshot by about 7.0 per game. The Canucks are just 2-8 SU in their 10 games vs. Vegas, both wins coming after regulation.. They are a young team that hasn’t been in the conference semis since 2011. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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08-20-20 | Islanders v. Capitals -110 | Top | 4-0 | Loss | -110 | 22 h 49 m | Show |
This is a 10* on WASHINGTON Back on Tuesday, we projected that the Capitals would stay alive and they did, beating the Islanders 3-2 in Game 4 of this best of seven series. They won despite falling behind 2-0 early. Obviously, down 3-1 in the series, there’s a lot more work to be done. But we again believe this talented team will live to fight another day. This series has seen Washington get outshot by a fairly decent margin. While that’s not something you want to see, they did just score three goals for the first time since the restart and Alex Ovechkin had two of them.That’s enough to convince us that the Caps aren’t going to simply roll over here. Ovechkin and TJ Oshie are the only Caps to have scored in this series, but Backstrom seems ready to return. Washington was the favorite in this series for a reason. The Islanders are just 3-11 their last 14 games as an underdog. Play on WASHINGTON AAA |
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08-19-20 | Hurricanes v. Bruins -149 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 18 h 59 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BOSTON Boston stormed back to take Game 4 by a count of 4-3 on Monday and now leads Carolina 3-1 in this best of seven series. They go for the “kill” on Wednesday and given how the last game played out, the series is ripe for the taking. The Hurricanes led 2-0 with just under 12 minutes to go. The Bruins then scored four times in the next seven minutes to completely change the direction of the series. Boston finished the game with a 33-19 edge in shots, so they deserved to win. They have just crushed Carolina when it comes to shots in the series, holding a +44 edge. They have outshot them by at least 9 in all four games. In addition, the Bruins have taken 13 of the past 15 matchups head to head. With Tuukka Rask gone, there was concern over whether or not there’d be a drop off in the crease for Boston. There hasn’t been as Jaroslav Halak’s numbers have been every bit as good as Rask’s. It can’t be stressed enough that Boston had the most points in the league when the season was stopped in March. They are 40-16 L56 off a win. Play on BOSTON AAA |
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08-19-20 | Blue Jackets v. Lightning -170 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 14 h 48 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TAMPA BAY We’ve taken Tampa Bay in each of the last two games and they’ve delivered. Now they have a shot to eliminate Columbus for good and finally erase the painful memory of what happened in the first round of last year’s playoffs. That history-making sweep is the furthest thing from the Blue Jackets’ minds right now as they are just thinking one win at a time. Problem is, they are gassed. This was discussed in our Game 4 analysis. To rehash, Columbus had to play a tough five-game series against Toronto in the qualification round and a 5OT loss in Game 1 of this series was exactly what they DIDN’T need. Now had the Lightning lost that game, this would be a much different series. Columbus did outshoot Tampa Bay for the first time in the series in Game 4 (29-22) but were pretty much doomed once they fell into a two-goal hole. The Blue Jackets have been outshot in all but three games in the bubble and you have to think Tampa feels pretty good about itself being that they’re 5-2 and have yet to score more than three goals in any game here in Toronto. Of course, neither has Columbus. The problem for the Blue Jackets is that the Lightning are 47-9 their L56 after scoring two goals or less the last game. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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08-18-20 | Capitals +100 v. Islanders | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 23 h 32 m | Show |
This is a 10* on WASHINGTON This is it for the Caps, who are down 0-3 in this best of seven series. We did not see them being in this position. Few did. Washington was leading the Metropolitan Division back in March. Upon restarting, they lost two of three games in the round robin. But they still were the 3-seed and facing an Islanders team that had not really been tested in its qualification series vs. Florida. However, it’s the Isles that have looked the part of the better team here. They’ve outshot Washington 75-53 in 5v5 play, allowing just two goals. Still, it would be quite foolish to write off the Capitals at this point. We already saw one (Chicago) facing elimination and a 3-0 series deficit stay alive by winning Game 4. After six straight games of two goals or less, you have to think the Capitals are due for a break out game offensively. This is a team whose season long average is still 3.3 goals/game, one of the best in the league. They’ve gone from a -135 money line favorite in Game 1 to a slight underdog here in Game 4. We’ll grab the value. Play on WASHINGTON AAA |
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08-17-20 | Lightning -153 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 6 h 45 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TAMPA BAY Tampa Bay got a much needed win in Game 3. They had our endorsement and never trailed en route to their second 3-2 victory of the series. They outshot the Blue Jackets 2:1 (34-17) and concerning for Columbus is whether or not the team may have “run out of gas.” Coach John Tortorella seemed to think so based on his post-game comments. Remember that the Blue Jackets have already gone through a five-game qualification series as well as the 5OT marathon in Game 1. Up 2-1 in the series, the Lightning have confidence against the team that pulled off that shocking sweep in last year’s playoffs. They have outshot Columbus in every game so far. To that point, the Blue Jackets have been outshot in six of their eight games since the restart. They had only eight shots on goal over the last 50 minutes of Game 3. While they had Sunday off, that’s probably not enough to recharge. Undervalued because of what happened in last year’s playoffs, the Lightning win again and take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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08-15-20 | Lightning -170 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 20 h 36 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TAMPA BAY Tampa Bay thought it finally had gained the upper hand against arch-nemesis Columbus after a FIVE overtime victory in Game 1. Technically, the had. The win put the Lightning up 1-0 in the series. But then they lost Game 2 by a score of 3-1. The Blue Jackets really neutralized the Lightning’s offense in that one, giving up just the one goal in the first period. Obviously, in the back of Tampa Bay’s head is what happened last year - a shocking first round sweep at the hands of Columbus. Because they won Game 1, it can’t be a repeat, but the goal here is not to get eliminated by the same team two years in a row. The Lightning shouldn’t hang their heads too much though; they outshot the Blue Jackets in Game 2, 37-22. Game 1 it was an 88-63 edge in that regard (remember, 5 OT’s). Since the restart, the pattern for Columbus has been win one, lose one (they have yet to win or lose consecutive games. Tampa Bay also hasn’t lost two in a row. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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08-14-20 | Canucks v. Blues -138 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -138 | 20 h 60 m | Show |
This is an 8* on ST. LOUIS St. Louis, who won the Stanley Cup last June and had the most points in the Western Conference at the time of the stoppage, has not won a game since March. They are 0-3-1 since the restart and this series with Vancouver got off to an auspicious start Wednesday. They were beaten 5-2. It was the Canucks 4th straight win and they’ve scored 17 goals. Certainly, it feels as if the Canucks have the momentum right now. But it would obviously be foolish to write off the Blues. The third period has been the problem thus far. The Cup Champs have been outscored 9-0 in the final 20 minutes of the previous four games. They have a +2 goal differential in the first two periods. In the round robin, they lost in the final second of regulation and another game in a shootout. The other saw them jump out to an early 2-0. In Game 1 vs. Vancouver, they had a 31-22 edge in shots on goal. Look for the Blues to reverse their late game woes in Game 2 and tie this series up. Play on ST LOUIS AAA |
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08-12-20 | Coyotes v. Avalanche -170 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 31 h 45 m | Show |
This is a 10* on COLORADO They didn’t earn the West’s top seed. But Colorado is a team to watch. Not just in this series, which they figure to dominate. But throughout the entire playoffs as they are very capable of making a deep run. The Avalanche had the West’s #1 goal differential before the stoppage. Here in the Round of 16, they draw an Arizona team that’s off its first playoff series win in eight years. That came on the heels of their GM quitting right before entering the bubble. While the Coyotes may not have had much trouble dispatching Nashville in four games, the Avs are a whole different class of opponent. They had the possession advantage in all three round robin games, averaging 37.7 shots on goal while allowing only 28.3. Arizona’s Darcy Keumper was as good as expected against the Preds, but he faced 163 shots in the qualification round, which was more than any other goaltender. Once again, he figures to be under siege in this series. The only difference being that Colorado has more talented skaters than Nashville. Interesting that the ‘Yotes are just 9-20 the last 29 times playing on three or more days rest. Look for the Avs to roll in Game 1. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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08-12-20 | Hurricanes v. Bruins -127 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 3 h 12 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BOSTON Boston had the most points in the league (100) when the season stopped in March. Three consecutive losses since the restart have them as the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference. It can be argued that’s unfair, but don’t expect any sympathy from the Carolina Hurricanes, who are thinking about revenge after being swept by the Bruins in last year’s Eastern Conference Final. A lot of momentum is with the ‘Canes right now after they won three straight games over the Rangers, the only sweep of the qualification round. But it would be foolish to discount the defending Eastern Conference Champs. Just go ahead and reread the first sentence of this analysis. There is also the question of “rust” for Carolina as they have not played a game in a full week. The Hurricanes have lost to the Bruins six straight times and have beaten them just once in 10 tries. This is a great “buy low” opportunity on the Bruins. Play on BOSTON AAA |
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08-09-20 | Blue Jackets v. Maple Leafs -146 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -146 | 23 h 41 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TORONTO It’s come down to one game for all the marbles between Columbus and Toronto. The winner moves on to the Round of 16 while the loser’s season is done. After the Blue Jackets stunned the Maple Leafs in Game 3, rallying back from a three-goal deficit to win 4-3 in overtime, the Leafs did the exact same thing in Game 4. Albeit their rally was much more dramatic with three goals being scored in the last four minutes of regulation. They tied it up with only 23 seconds left. That is a very tough loss to get over if you’re Columbus. They also gave up 53 shots on goal. Though there are no fans, playing on home ice should provide a theoretical boost to Toronto. Momentum is on their side. Play on TORONTO AAA |
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08-08-20 | Flyers v. Lightning -131 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -131 | 22 h 57 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TAMPA BAY This game will determine who gets the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. We’re still waiting on an official start time for the game, but that doesn’t impact the play at all. We’re backing the Lightning here as they look to be the 1-seed for the third year in a row. Going back to before the shutdown, Philadelphia was among the hottest teams in the league. They’d won 9 of 10 and came out and beat Boston and Washington by scores of 4-1 and 3-1. Tampa Bay has wins over those same two teams, both by 3-2 margins. A nice little edge here for the Lightning is that they last played on Wednesday while the Flyers last played Thursday. Another edge for the Lightning is that they have owned the Flyers the last couple seasons, taking seven in a row. TB has scored five or more goals in all but one of those seven wins. Still concerning to us is the fact the Flyers gave up more goals than they allowed this year when playing on the road. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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08-07-20 | Penguins -155 v. Canadiens | Top | 0-2 | Loss | -155 | 18 h 10 m | Show |
This is a 10* on PITTSBURGH We’ve backed Montreal in both games that they won in this qualification series. But with their backs against the wall (facing elimination) today, we’ll go with the (still) favored Penguins. Pittsburgh was the 5-seed coming into the NHL’s restart, but has seen its power play really struggle in the series. After going 1 for 12 with the man advantage in the first two games, they did break through with a pair of power play goals Tuesday night. But shockingly, they could not hold a 3-1 lead, instead conceding three unanswered goals to lose 4-3. It is a little shocking to see the Canadiens in this position knowing that they were outscored in the regular season. Both teams have scored eight times in the series. Montreal not only had to fight back from a 2-goal deficit to take Game 3, they also needed OT to win Game 1. So Pittsburgh could have honestly swept the series. Despite how we’ve played the series so far, we know that the Penguins are the better team and they should improve to 9-3 the last 12 meetings with Montreal after tonight. This series is going to a deciding 5th game. Play on PITTSBURGH AAA |
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08-04-20 | Wild v. Canucks +102 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 102 | 13 h 19 m | Show |
This is a 10* on VANCOUVER Must-win here for the Canucks, who are down 0-1 in the series. They were shut out in Game 1, 3-0, and saw little in the way of scoring chances against the Wild. However, we like their chances of bouncing back and taking Game 2. If you look at these other “qualification series,” the team that lost Game 1 has come back to go 3-1 SU in Game 2. Vancouver is the higher seed here, yet not really priced accordingly. Yes it’s a 7-10 matchup. However, the Canucks not only had more regular season points than the Wild, but also a better goal differential. The prospect of falling down 0-2 in a best of five series should have them plenty motivated tonight and it’s definitely worth noting that Minnesota is just 1-5 this season when coming off a shutout victory. Play on VANCOUVER AAA |
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08-03-20 | Stars v. Golden Knights -125 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 20 h 30 m | Show |
This is a 10* on VEGAS Dallas and Vegas will be the last teams from the Western Conference to restart the season. They are part of the round robin qualifying as they finished in the top four prior to lockdown. Vegas was leading the Pacific with 86 points while Dallas was third in the Pacific with 81 points. The Stars were also ice cold before the season got shut down as they were on a six-game losing streak. So they’re a bit lucky to have made this round robin format. Winner here will tie Colorado, who defeated St. Louis yesterday. While Dallas gave up the fewest number of goals among teams out West, they also had difficulty scoring. During that six-game skid, they were shut out twice and never scored more than three goals in any of the games. Vegas averages 3.15 goals/game. While they’ll miss playing at T-Mobile Arena, the Golden Knights are in good shape in the bubble at Edmonton as Robin Lehner will be in goal. Before shut down, Vegas had won 11 of 13 games overall and eight straight against foes with winning records. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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08-02-20 | Blue Jackets v. Maple Leafs -148 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -148 | 129 h 7 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TORONTO It wasn’t a sure thing that Toronto would have made the playoffs under “normal circumstances.” But the Leafs were third in the Atlantic when play stopped and were three points clear of fourth place Florida. We imagine they would have gotten in. Columbus also had 81 points (same as Toronto) but was a more precarious fifth in the tougher Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets occupied what would have been the last Wild Card spot in the usual playoff format, though the Islanders were just one point back and had two games in hand. For this first game of the qualification round, the Leafs are favored (as they should be), which makes sense since the Eastern Conference “bubble” happens to be Toronto. But it’s more than just the venue. The Leafs scored 52 more goals than the Blue Jackets did. Both played 70 games. The flip side is Columbus gave up a lot fewer. But while the road team won both regular season meetings, the favorite remains on a 5-1 run in this head to head series. Toronto was actually a -153 favorite at Columbus early in the season. 10* on TORONTO AAA |
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08-02-20 | Flyers v. Bruins -125 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -125 | 124 h 7 m | Show |
This is an 8* on BOSTON So the top four teams in each conference will be engaging in round robin style play, similar to a “Group Stage” in the World Cup, to determine the order of seeding (1-4) in the Round of 16. The Bruins had the most points in the league (100) when play stopped in March and what’s crazy is that they were 0-7 in shootouts, so they probably should have even more. We like them in this first game against Philadelphia. The Flyers were a hot team when lockdown hit. From January 8th on, they were tied with the Bruins for the best record in the league. But goalie Carter Hart is new to the playoffs. Boston’s Tuukka Rask had the best goals against average in the league at 2.12. The Flyers are unproven and we’re skeptical if they can regain the form of the two months that preceded lockdown. It was a shorter time frame of dominance compared to Boston’s season-long dominance. Remember that it was the Bruins that ended the Flyers’ win streak on March 10th with a 2-0 victory. 8* on BOSTON AAA |
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03-11-20 | Senators v. Kings -160 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 15 h 18 m | Show |
This is an 8* on LA The Kings can’t be stopped right now! They’ve won a season-best six games in a row and that streak figures to continue this evening when they host one of the worst teams in the league. Now LA has spent a good chunk of this season in last place. But they are now close to escaping the Pacific Division’s basement. Now you’d be correct in pointing out that as hot as the Kings have been, they still only have the same number of points as the Senators. But this situation is very bad for Ottawa. It’s the end of a three-game trip through Southern California and they lost 5-2 last night in Anaheim. The fact the Kings have allowed just seven goals in their six-game win streak is difficult to ignore. Play on LOS ANGELES AAA |
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03-11-20 | Rangers v. Avalanche -155 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 15 h 48 m | Show |
This is an 8* on COLORADO Colorado just got dealt its third loss in the last four games. Prior to that, the Avalanche had won eight in a row. But after playing the last three games on the road, they go back home tonight to face a Rangers team that was just in action last night. That’s kind of a sensitive subject for us as we had their opponents. But credit New York for winning on the road 4-2. But NY had won only one time in the five games before that and has had an issue with giving up goals lately. They also are missing Chris Krieder, whose absence from ice seemed to begin the current downturn. Colorado hopes the same thing doesn’t happen with Nathan MacKinnon’s injury, though that is a more short-term deal. There are others in the Avs locker room nursing injuries, but this is a much better team than the Rangers and being back home is just what they need right now. The Avalanche have won two-thirds of their non-conference games this year. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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03-10-20 | Rangers v. Stars -164 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -164 | 12 h 8 m | Show |
This is a 10* on DALLAS Despite a five-game losing streak, Dallas is still in third place in the Central Division. But that lead is shrinking (down to 4 points) and their recent play obviously leaves a lot to be desired. They were just shut out twice in a row by Nashville, a division foe. Scoring shouldn’t be that difficult tonight however as the Stars get to face a Rangers team that has allowed 11 goals in its last two games. The Rangers also seem to have hit a “wall” with losses in four of their past five games. They’ve allowed 5 or more goals in all of those losses. The Stars have averaged more than 35 shots per game during this losing streak. So they are very likely to start converting more of those opportunities into goals. At the same time, they give up only 2.2 goals per game here at home. That’s the best average in the league in home games. Play on DALLAS AAA |
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03-09-20 | Capitals -161 v. Sabres | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -161 | 11 h 11 m | Show |
This is an 8* on WASHINGTON The Capitals got a big win Saturday, beating the Penguins 5-2. But they are still tied with the Flyers for first place in the Metropolitan Division. A favorable matchup on Monday should allow them to break that tie. They face Buffalo, a team that has lost its last six games. The Sabres have only scored 12 goals in the last seven games (while going 0 for 17 on the power play) and that just won’t get it done here as Washington is one of the top scoring teams in the league. Buffalo is 3-10 this year after scoring one goal or less in their last game. Despite playing hard for two periods, the Sabres still lost 3-1 at Philadelphia Saturday night. The Capitals have scored 10 goals in just the last two games and are 14-2-1 vs. the Atlantic Division this season. Easy win for the road team. Play on WASHINGTON AAA |
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03-08-20 | Hurricanes v. Penguins -155 | Top | 6-2 | Loss | -155 | 5 h 9 m | Show |
This is an 8* on PITTSBURGH Carolina and Pittsburgh both played on Saturday but had different results. The Hurricanes were finally able to snap their losing streak (at four games) with an overtime win at the Islanders. The Penguins, who recently ended their own six-game slide, were not successful against Washington. However, the Pens did score 11 goals in their two games (both wins) prior to yesterday’s loss where special teams played a significant role. Not only was Pittsburgh 1 for 5 on the power play, including a failure to convert a 5 on 3 opportunity. They also gave up a short-handed goal. Look for them to get back in the win column today. The Penguins’ home record is 23-7-4 and they have a large edge in scoring over their opponents in those games. Carolina is 0 for 4 off their last four wins while Pittsburgh is 7-2 off their last nine losses that were by 3 or more goals. Play on PITTSBURGH AAA |
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03-07-20 | Wild -137 v. Kings | Top | 3-7 | Loss | -137 | 7 h 41 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MINNESOTA Despite not scoring a goal in regulation (or overtime), the Kings extended their win streak to four games Thursday night as they outlasted Toronto in a shootout. During this win streak, which is a season best for the Kings, they’ve allowed just three goals. Don’t expect these winning ways to continue though. This afternoon Minnesota invades LA. The Wild have won 7 of their last 9 games and scored at least three goals eight times. They’ve scored at least four goals in five of those games. While the Kings season is all but over, Minnesota is fighting for a playoff opportunity. They are one point back of the two Wild Card teams. A win here obviously puts them ahead of both. Incredibly, Thursday was the first shutout win for Los Angeles all season. They are just 6-12 after scoring 1 goal or less the previous game. The Wild have won 8 of their last 10 tries against teams that have losing records. Play on MINNESOTA AAA |
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03-06-20 | Maple Leafs -163 v. Ducks | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -163 | 14 h 8 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TORONTO Toronto let us down big time last night. Getting shut out by the Kings was obviously not in mind. But it’s worth pointing out the Leafs didn’t allow any goals either … at least until a shootout, which they lost. Anaheim, though they pulled off a huge upset in its last game (beat Colorado 4-3 as a +315 dog), isn’t a threat to score many goals tonight. The Ducks are just 6-12 this year if they scored four or more times in their last game. Toronto has beaten Anaheim five straight times including 5-4 at home last month. They had more shots on goal than the Kings last night. Play on TORONTO AAA |
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03-06-20 | Golden Knights -133 v. Jets | Top | 0-4 | Loss | -133 | 12 h 7 m | Show |
This is a 10* on VEGAS Vegas is 9-1 its last 10 games. They’ve been big favorites each of the last four. Tonight they head to Winnipeg. The Jets have lost 4 of 6 but did beat Buffalo Wednesday. Whereas the Jets are in a 4-way tie for the last Wild Card spot, the Golden Knights are in a more comfortable position in first place in the Pacific. But don’t think that means a let up tonight. The Knights’ lead is only two points over Edmonton in the Pacific Division. Three of their last eight wins, the last one included, have been of the shutout variety. We liked them even at -1.5 Tuesday vs. New Jersey. They won 3-0. The Jets have won just 2 of the past 10 times they have been a home dog. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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03-05-20 | Maple Leafs -175 v. Kings | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -175 | 13 h 52 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TORONTO Toronto is starting to feel a bit safer as it pertains to finishing in the top three in the Atlantic. The closest team to them is Florida, who is five points behind and lost three in a row. Just to be clear, a team needs to finish in the top three in its own division to be guaranteed a playoff spot. There are also two Wild Cards per conference. The Maple Leafs have been in third most of the year in the Atlantic Division and have almost no chance of catching second place Tampa Bay. But that has to feel like the Presidents Trophy compared to the Kings, who have spent the year in the basement of the Pacific. The Kings still have the least amount of points (56) in the Western Conference despite winning three straight games. That streak ends here, however. The only other time this season that LA won three in a row, they lost the next game… in shutout fashion. That was all the way back in November. Toronto has won 11 straight against California teams. Play on TORONTO AAA |
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03-04-20 | Blue Jackets v. Flames -165 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 24 h 2 m | Show |
This is an 8* on CALGARY Columbus and Calgary are in similar positions, just different conferences, when it comes to current playoff position. Columbus - despite recently enduring a pretty brutal stretch - is one of the two Wild Cards in the Eastern Conference. Calgary actually moved up to third in its division, meaning it’s safer in the West, but they’ve spent most of the last several weeks as a precarious Wild Card holder themselves. The Flames did just win 3-0 at Florida on Sunday, giving them a boost in the standing. Columbus also won its last game, beating Vancouver. But the Blue Jackets have not won a road game in a LONG time (over a month) and the Flames have won seven straight times when facing an opponent that scored five or more goals in its last game. Columbus beat Vancouver by a score of 5-3. Play on CALGARY AAA |
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02-29-20 | Hurricanes v. Canadiens -123 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 11 h 19 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MONTREAL Unless they are able to go on some sort of extended run, it’s looking increasingly less likely that Montreal is going to make the playoffs. Seven losses in the past nine games, the last two both at home, have them nine points back of where they need to be right now. But don’t expect the Canadiens to roll over Saturday for the Carolina Hurricanes, who are also coming off two straight home defeats and on the outside of the playoff picture. Having played last night puts the ‘Canes at a clear disadvantage coming into tonight. They fought back from a 2-0 deficit against the Avalanche only to then allow the game-winning goal with 2:37 left in regulation. That’s an incredibly demoralizing way to lose right before having to set out on the road. Injuries at the goalie position continue to haunt this team. It should be pointed out that Montreal has held 2-0 leads in each of its last two games. So it’s not as if they played poorly. Look for them to get up early again and then finish the deal tonight. Play on MONTREAL AAA |
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02-27-20 | Stars v. Bruins -170 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 12 h 18 m | Show |
This is an 8* on BOSTON Boston desperately needs a win after being humiliated in consecutive losses to Vancouver and Calgary. The loss to Vancouver took place on the road last Saturday, but will take awhile to forget as the Bruins were beaten 9-2, their worst loss of the season. Then on Tuesday Calgary came to town and won 5-2, handing the B’s just their third regulation loss at home all year. This team is too good to lose three in a row, which is something they have done since right after the New Year. The Bruins have the most points in the league and would have even more were it not for an incredibly unfortunate 0-7 record in shootouts. They have won six of the last eight meetings with the Stars including 2-1 in Dallas all the way back in October. Play on BOSTON AAA |
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02-26-20 | Penguins -175 v. Kings | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -175 | 27 h 12 m | Show |
This is an 8* on PITTSBURGH Pittsburgh briefly passed Washington to move into first place in the Metropolitan Division, but three straight losses have them back in the “bridesmaid’s position.” Still they are only two wins away from tying the Capitals and they have two games in hand. We see an easy two points on the table tonight for the Penguins as they visit LA to place the last place Kings. Only one team in the league has fewer points than Los Angeles. That would be Detroit. Pittsburgh has only had one three-game losing streak this season. It was back in October and the next time out they won 3-0 against Tampa Bay. The Pens are 19-9 against teams with losing records. Everything about this spot says Pittsburgh will bounce back, especially the money line. The Kings were sellers at the trade deadline and are weaker than they’ve been all year. Play on PITTSBURGH AAA |
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02-25-20 | Panthers v. Coyotes -121 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -121 | 14 h 41 m | Show |
This is a 10* on ARIZONA Arizona is getting Florida at the end of a five-game West Coast trip and they have to be liking their chances tonight. On Saturday, the Coyotes put forth one of the most impressive efforts we’ve seen by any team recently as they crushed the Lightning 7-3. Considering how well Tampa Bay had been playing going into that game, it really says something for the ‘Yotes. Meanwhile, the Panthers are reeling a bit. Ten goals allowed in just two games is not how they want to come into tonight, but that’s the reality as they gave up five goals apiece in losses to Los Angeles (Thursday) and Vegas (Saturday). With eight losses over the previous 11 games, Florida has slowed down measurably since the All Star Break. Arizona has won its last three home games and two of them were against Washington and Tampa Bay. Last month saw them go to Miami and beat the Panthers easily, 5-2. Playing with 2 days rest, the Coyotes have gone an impressive 10-1 this season. Everything here points to an easy win by the home team. Play on ARIZONA AAA |
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02-25-20 | Blue Jackets v. Wild -172 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 13 h 42 m | Show |
This is an 8* on MINNESOTA Columbus FINALLY got back into the win column Monday, picking up two points at the expense of a pretty bad Ottawa team. We went with the Over in last night’s game and didn’t need to sweat it out as it was 3-3 midway through the third period. But for the Blue Jackets, things did get dicey as they needed overtime to prevail 4-3 and they lost goalie Merzlikins to injury. As one of just two teams in the league that played last night, the Blue Jackets seem to be at a severe disadvantage tonight in Minnesota. They had to play an extra five minutes last night and now have issues between the pipes. While they’ve yet to win at home since firing Bruce Boudreau, the Wild remain a solid home team and are motivated post coaching change. You may not be able to tell that by the way they lost to St. Louis on Sunday but the Wild shouldn’t have any issues here in a spot that clearly favors them. Columbus is giving up an average of 4.0 goals per game its last five contests. Play on MINNESOTA AAA |
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02-23-20 | Oilers -137 v. Kings | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 13 h 37 m | Show |
This is an 8* on EDMONTON Edmonton is coming off two straight home losses. The last one was to Minnesota as they gave up five goals. The other was to Boston, the team with the most points in the league. Now in third place in their division, the Oilers are set to embark on a three-game road trip of the West Coast starting in LA tonight. The Kings have the least amount of points in the Conference. They lost 2-1 to Colorado last night, a game that went to a shootout, so they’re at a disadvantage here. This isn’t a team that can overcome any additional disadvantages. Edmonton is 13-5 when off a loss by two or more goals. Play on EDMONTON AAA |
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02-22-20 | Hurricanes v. Maple Leafs -137 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -137 | 12 h 16 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TORONTO It is an incredibly jam-packed race for the two Wild Card spots in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. Remember that the top three in each division automatically qualify for the playoffs. Right now Toronto occupies third in the Atlantic, but they are just two points up on Florida. Carolina has the same number of points as Toronto (72) but is actually sixth in the Metropolitan, meaning they would not be in the playoffs if they started today. What the Hurricanes are in is the second night of a back to back. They lost at home to the Rangers last night, 5-2, as they continue to struggle to find consistency post-All Star Break. Toronto is off a shutout win over Pittsburgh, 4-0, right here at home on Thursday. These teams played one of the wildest games of the year back in December with the Maple Leafs prevailing 8-6. That was also here in Toronto. The Leafs are better situated to grab the two points tonight seeing as they are rested and 15-8 straight up when off a win by two goals or more. Play on TORONTO AAA |
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02-21-20 | Wild v. Oilers -109 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -109 | 14 h 39 m | Show |
This is a 10* on EDMONTON Minnesota made a surprise change behind the bench last week, firing coach Bruce Boudreau. After losing their first game under interim Dean Evason (2-0 to San Jose), the Wild were able to outlast Vancouver in a shootout Wednesday night. But the road has generally been less than kind to this team as it still gives up 3.6 goals/contest when not in the XCel Center. So look for Edmonton, who is coming off a home loss, to rebound tonight. Despite being short handed, the Oilers were able to take the Bruins to overtime Wednesday. Boston is arguably the best team in the league and there’s no shame in losing to them. The last time Edmonton lost two straight home games was early December. They have a chance to move into first place in the Pacific Division with a win tonight and come in with a case of double revenge for a pair of losses in the Twin Cities early on in the season. Play on EDMONTON. AAA |
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02-20-20 | Flyers v. Blue Jackets -120 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -120 | 11 h 21 m | Show |
This is a 10* on COLUMBUS This is a very important game within the Metropolitan Division. Third place guarantees you a playoff spot and right now the race for third is four teams separated by a single point. The Flyers are in “pole position” right now with 73 points. Three teams, Columbus among them, have 72 points. The Blue Jackets are absolutely desperate right now as they have lost six in a row, the most recent game coming in Philadelphia Tuesday where they went down by a score of 5-1. But the Nationwide Arena in Columbus has been a house of horrors for the Flyers as they’ve won just three of the past 19 visits. One such win did occur back in November. The Blue Jackets are 0-3 against the Flyers this year. So calling this their most important game of the season (so far) would not be hyperbole. Look for a very inspired effort by the home team tonight. Something worth noting is three of the losses in the six-game losing streak for the Blue Jackets have come past regulation. Also, they lost and gave up five goals Tuesday despite allowing just 15 shots. Play on COLUMBUS AAA |
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02-19-20 | Wild v. Canucks -123 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -123 | 15 h 56 m | Show |
This is a 10* on VANCOUVER Despite taking a 5-1 loss Sunday, the Canucks are still outscoring visiting teams by an average of 0.9 gpg, which is very solid. They average 3.6 gpg in Vancouver and had won their two previous games here by scores of 6-2 and 3-0. Minnesota is not a good road team. They are giving up 3.7 gpg away from home, which is the third worst average in the league (only Detroit & Ottawa are worse). They also just made what was a bit of a head-scratching decision, firing coach Bruce Boudreau. Clearly, the front office saw something wrong with this team that the rest of us were not seeing. That the Wild were shut out at home - 2-0 by a bad San Jose team - in the first game after Boudreau’s firing was not a good sign. Speaking of changes, Vancouver just brought in forward Tyler Toffoli in a trade with the Kings. This is a key acquisition. The Canucks are simply better than the Wild, especially at home. Play on VANCOUVER AAA |
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02-17-20 | Capitals v. Golden Knights -127 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 36 m | Show |
This is a 10* on VEGAS The Golden Knights have kicked off this homestand with a couple of wins. Both were by one goal, yet also very different. They beat St. Louis 6-5 and the Islanders 1-0. No matter the manner the wins are coming, Vegas will take them as they continue to fight for playoff positioning. They currently are third in the Pacific Division, but just two points out of first. So a win tonight could land them atop the division. That will be easier said than done facing Washington, but at least the Knights are getting the Capitals at the end of a three-game road trip. The Caps just got beat Saturday in Arizona, 3-1, as their lead over in the Metropolitan Division gets even smaller. It’s now down to a single point over Pittsburgh. Note Vegas is 4-0 the last four times they’ve been off a game in which it scored two or less goals. The home team has taken five of six all-time meetings. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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02-16-20 | Ducks v. Canucks -154 | Top | 5-1 | Loss | -154 | 10 h 47 m | Show |
This is a 10* on VANCOUVER Vancouver has been the best team in the Pacific all year and that’s starting to “bear fruit” as the Canucks lead the division with 67 points. But the lead is precarious to say the least with the next four teams all within three points and two teams within a single point. So they can’t afford any kind of “letdown” game. Thankfully, the Canucks are at home tonight where they’ll battle an Anaheim team that simply isn’t very good. Oddsmakers have curiously priced this game as if it might be competitive but we’ve got a different view as the Canucks are 19-6-3 at home and won their last two games by scores of 3-0 and 6-2. Both were on home ice where they are outscoring the opposition by more than a full goal per game this season. Anaheim was shutout 6-0 in its last game and while that was three days ago, the Ducks certainly haven’t gotten any better since that home loss to Calgary. To “sweeten the pot” here for Vancouver, this is a revenge game. Play on VANCOUVER AAA |
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02-16-20 | Oilers v. Hurricanes -205 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -205 | 9 h 48 m | Show |
This is a 6* on CAROLINA If you look at how Carolina is being priced on a game-by-game basis, you’d expect that that they’d be in a lot better position than sixth place in their own division and just fighting to get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yet that’s where they are right now. The Hurricanes handled their business on Friday by beating the New Jersey Devils 5-2 here in Raleigh. They were -285 money line favorites for that game. Now it’s obvious that today’s pricing is heavily influenced by the fact Edmonton is without Connor McDavid. But the price isn’t high enough in our opinion as we expect the home team to roll in this one. McDavid had 30 goals and 81 points in 55 games, so that’s a massive piece of the Oilers production missing. Carolina won 6-3 in Edmonton back in December and that was with McDavid on the ice. Furthermore, the Oilers played last night in Florida and while they won 4-1, they are just 35-77 playing without rest. Carolina is 40-18 its last 58 home games. Play on CAROLINA AAA |
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02-15-20 | Islanders v. Golden Knights -173 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 23 h 14 m | Show |
This is an 8* on VEGAS These are two third place teams that have each produced wildly inconsistent results of late. Both allowed five goals the last time we saw them. But the major difference is Vegas scored six of its own while the Islanders were held scoreless. Those very different results set up a play on the Golden Knights tonight. It was St. Louis that they beat 6-5 on Thursday, a major triumph that should be celebrated. They had 52 shots on goal. The Islanders were blanked in Nashville. It was 3-0 after one period and 5-0 after two. The final result matched their worst loss of the season in terms of deficit. After going a combined 53-22-7 their first two years at home, Vegas is only 15-10-4 at T-Mobile Arena this season. But we expect some of the old Vegas magic to be present here tonight. The Islanders are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league on the road. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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02-12-20 | Blackhawks v. Canucks -139 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 28 m | Show |
This is a 9* on VANCOUVER Vancouver treated us nicely Monday when they were our Game of the Week and delivered an impressive 6-2 beatdown of Nashville. We were pretty firm in our belief that there was no real justification for the Canucks to be ML dogs in that game (which was at home). The Pacific Division leaders had lost four in a row prior to that, but three of the losses were on the road. They’re back home this evening to face Chicago, a team that has lost four in a row. Even worse for the Blackhawks is how this will be the third road game in four nights for them. The previous two have seen them give up five goals each time. Last night’s 5-3 loss to the Oilers (who did not have McDavid) leaves them in last place in the Central Division. Vancouver is honoring several key players from the past tonight so expect a fired up home crowd for this one. The Canucks are 14-6 coming off a multi-goal victory. Play on VANCOUVER AAA |
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02-10-20 | Predators v. Canucks +103 | Top | 2-6 | Win | 103 | 30 h 34 m | Show |
This is a 10* on VANCOUVER Vancouver is fighting to hold onto the top spot in the Pacific Division, which they lead by one point over Edmonton and Vegas. Two other teams are within four points. Nashville is just trying to get into playoff position as they are four points back of the Wild Card. While it’s not a huge gap between the teams when it comes to points, there’s no reason Nashville should be favored in this one. The Canucks are a very solid 17-6-3 at home and they’ve already beaten Nashville twice this year. Now the Canucks are on a four-game losing streak and just got blasted by Calgary (6-2!) Saturday night. But the other three losses all came on the road. This is the spot where they rise up. The Predators find themselves playing a fourth straight road game in Western Canada, in a seven-day span. The Canucks score 3.6 goals/game at home while giving up only 2.7. They’d won nine straight home games prior to Saturday’s loss and this four-game losing streak of theirs matches a season-worst. Just can’t see them losing again and this is a great price to back them at. Play on VANCOUVER AAA |
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02-08-20 | Stars v. Blues -155 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -155 | 22 h 40 m | Show |
This is an 8* on ST. LOUIS The last 13 months have been nothing short of incredible for the St. Louis Blues. It was around this time last year that they caught fire and went on to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. That “momentum” has clearly carried over into 2019-20 as they lead the Western Conference with 72 points. But they have stumbled a bit recently. Over the last eight games, they are 2-5-1 with just one of those two victories coming in a non-shootout situation. Tonight is a big game against the third place team in the division, Dallas, who has given up the fewest goals of any team in the West. But the Stars have lost two in a row and given up seven goals in doing so. They’ve allowed 30 goals over the last eight games. The Blues have won both times they’ve faced Dallas this season and are 10-1-1 L12 home games. They are allowing just 2.4 goals/game at home this year. Dallas has been outscored on the road. Play on ST LOUIS AAA |
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02-06-20 | Golden Knights v. Panthers +125 | Top | 7-2 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 8 m | Show |
This is a 10* on FLORIDA Though they lost in overtime at Columbus on Tuesday (1-0), the Panthers have been one of the league’s hotter teams over the last month or so. They went into the All Star Break on a six-game win streak. Might the time off have stunted their momentum? They’ve lost two of three since and were shut out in both defeats. But all three games since the All Star Break were on the road. Tonight the Panthers finally return home where they have not played a game since January 16th. While they were shut out in the two losses since the Break, Florida has scored four or more goals in each of its last seven wins. We expect a big offensive night here against a Vegas team that is probably feeling a bit homesick right now. The Panthers average 4.0 goals/game when playing on home ice. The Golden Knights have been on the road since January 14th and couldn’t get the job done Tuesday in Tampa Bay where they lost 4-2. Florida’s record vs. teams that have losing records is 15-7 this year. Play on FLORIDA AAA |
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02-05-20 | Bruins -156 v. Blackhawks | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 11 h 28 m | Show |
This is an 8* on BOSTON If you follow our NHL plays, this pick should not surprise you - at all. Last night’s 2-0 sweep involved us taking Boston (4-0 win) and fading Chicago (3-2 win). With these teams now matched up Wednesday, we’re sticking to the same script. Sure, Boston is now on the road (played at home last night) and Chicago is at home (played at Minnesota last night). But home ice advantage alone cannot save the Blackhawks here. They’re facing the team with the second most points in the league. The Bruins have now won four in a row and have outscored those four opponents 15-4. That includes a couple of road wins over Chicago’s division rivals (Winnipeg, Minnesota). Of course, the Blackhawks just lost in Minnesota last night. While the Bruins rolled to a relatively easy 4-0 win last night (vs. Vancouver), the Blackhawks had to go to overtime. Boston is 4-1 off its previous five shutout victories. They also have revenge for a loss at home last month. Play on BOSTON AAA |
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02-04-20 | Blackhawks v. Wild -125 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 20 h 46 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MINNESOTA Minnesota is in last place in the Central Division with only 52 points. So every game now has an added importance as they try and make up ground in the playoff chase. Taking on Chicago tonight at home feels like a “must-win,” especially on the heels of being embarrassed by Boston on Saturday. That 6-1 defeat was highly unusual for a team that - more often than not - performs quite well in home games. The Wild’s record at home is 14-7-4, which is much better than their 9-15-2 SU road record. It is worth mentioning that the game vs. Boston was the Wild’s first since the All-Star Break, so maybe it can be chalked up to rust. Before the break, they’d won three of four games - all at home - one of them against Tampa Bay and one 7-0 win over Dallas. The Blackhawks remain the portrait of mediocrity, even though they have won six of their last seven games. We don’t think their recent play is an accurate snapshot of where the team is really at. Play on MINNESOTA AAA |
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02-04-20 | Canucks v. Bruins -180 | Top | 0-4 | Win | 100 | 19 h 46 m | Show |
This is a 6* on BOSTON Boston has lost 11 home games so far this season, but only two of those 11 losses have occurred in regulation. With 74 points, second most in the league right now, the Bruins should be feeling pretty good about themselves. If anything, it’s an 0-7 record in shootouts that’s held them back. We fully expect the B’s to have a strong second half of the season, especially at home. Since the All Star Break, they have won games by scores of 2-1 and 6-1 and those were both played on the road. Up next is a visit from Vancouver, who will be playing for a third time in four nights and all three times have come on the road. The Canucks’ five-game win streak came to a halt Sunday as they fell in a shootout at Carolina. Vancouver also happens to be a 1st place team, but has nine fewer points than Boston and plays in a much weaker division. They are a below .500 team on the road where they give up 3.4 goals/game. Play on BOSTON AAA |