Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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05-24-21 | Wild v. Golden Knights -177 | Top | 4-2 | Loss | -177 | 15 h 51 m | Show |
This is a 7* on VEGAS Vegas can end this series tonight and set up a second round showdown with Colorado. They’re back home - where they’ve lost only eight times all season. One of those was Game 1 to Minnesota, but the Golden Knights have stormed back by taking three straight, the last two on the road, and they’ve increased the margin of victory in every game. They won 3-1 in Game 2, 5-2 in Game 3 and 4-0 in Game 4. Now we don’t think they’re going to win by five goals tonight. Vegas was a little lucky to win the last game 4-0 seeing as how they only had 18 shots on goal. Improving on that kind of shooting percentage will be difficult, but you can also look for them to get more shots on goal here. They are still averaging more shots per game in the series than the Wild. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury seems to be in top form with a .966 save percentage and 0.99 goals against average. Minnesota has scored just four goals in the four games. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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05-22-21 | Canadiens v. Maple Leafs -181 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 9 h 58 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TORONTO Maple Leafs fans have not seen their team win a playoff series since 2004. There have been five first round exits since then. So there’s a lot of uneasiness right now after a rather shocking 2-1 loss to Montreal in Game 1. Toronto won the North and was very much the best team in the division. But things can change quickly in the playoffs and John Tavares is out “indefinitely” after being taken off on a stretcher Thursday. Nevertheless, we expect the Leafs will bounce back and win Game 2. One one time this season have the Leafs lost more than three in a row. Having also dropped their final two regular season games, that’s the position they find themselves in tonight. They are 17-4 playing with revenge and 10-1 if at home and playing with revenge. Play on TORONTO AAA |
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05-21-21 | Jets v. Oilers -165 | Top | 1-0 | Loss | -165 | 12 h 49 m | Show |
This is an 8* on EDMONTON Edmonton can obviously not afford to fall into an 0-2 hole in the series and we don’t expect them to. The Oilers were actually beaten fairly soundly in Game 1, losing 4-1 to a Jets team they’d beaten in seven of nine regular season matchups. Winnipeg had only 22 shots on goal the entire game, so the fact they got four goals should be considered very fortunate. Winnipeg’s regular season ended with nine losses in the last 12 games and two of the three wins came against Calgary and Vancouver, the North Division’s non-playoff teams. Edmonton dropped its regular season finale, a meaningless affair with Vancouver, so they are now coming off consecutive losses for the first time in quite a while. March was the last time the Oilers lost two straight. Being off two straight losses is a situation that’s treated the Oilers pretty well in 2020-21. They are 4-1 when that’s the case. The team’s only three game losing streak this year came at the start of March when they dropped three straight games to the first place Maple Leafs. Connor McDavid won’t let his team lose a second straight home game. Play on EDMONTON AAA |
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05-19-21 | Jets v. Oilers -155 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -155 | 13 h 56 m | Show |
This is an 8* on EDMONTON The Winnipeg-Edmonton series FINALLY gets underway on Wednesday and we really like the Oilers to take Game 1 at home. They finished second in the North Division this year with 72 points and Conor McDavid leading the way. McDavid led the NHL in individual points with 105, which is 21 more than teammate Leon Draisaitl, who finished second. Making McDavid’s individual performance all the more impressive is that he played in only 56 regular season games. The Oilers won seven of the nine regular season meetings from the Jets, whose regular season didn’t end until last Friday. Edmonton won six of its final eight regular season games, which is a lot better than Winnipeg, who dropped 9 of 12. Two of those three Jets victories were against Calgary and Vancouver, the two teams from the North that didn’t make the playoffs. The other was the totally meaningless regular season finale with Toronto. A big problem for the Jets continues to be the number of shots they allow. No goaltender has faced more shots over the past three seasons than Connor Hellebuyck. McDavid is the difference here for an Oilers team that’s won 26 of 35 when favored. Play on EDMONTON AAA |
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05-18-21 | Wild v. Golden Knights -160 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 50 m | Show |
This is an 8* on VEGAS Vegas suffered a 1-0 loss (in overtime) in Game 1, but seems to be a safe bet to bounce back in Game 2 due to its strong home ice advantage and overall prowess. While the Golden Knights may rue not finishing first in the division, they did have the second most points in the entire league and they did have the top goal differential. They also outshot Minnesota 42-30 in Game 1. The Wild are 6-1-2 this season vs. Vegas, but the Golden Knights are 21-5-3 at home. It is obviously critical that Vegas doesn’t fall into an 0-2 hole heading back to Minnesota as they have never won a game in regulation in the Twin Cities. The Knights have won six straight times after being held to two goals or fewer in the previous game. This is a team that scored five or more goals 20 times in the regular season. They are 3-0 all-time in Game 2’s if they dropped Game 1. We expect them to “break out” offensively in this one. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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05-17-21 | Predators v. Hurricanes -179 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 8 m | Show |
This is a 7* on CAROLINA The NHL Playoffs have not been short on drama thus far with the first five games all being decided by one goal and four of them going into overtime. The Nashville-Carolina first round series gets underway on Monday and the favorites (Carolina) are hoping for a better result than the four home teams had Sunday (0-4). We think the Hurricanes WILL protect their home ice advantage tonight as they look to have a decided edge in this series with the Preds. The ‘Canes won the Central Division this year thanks to 80 points and their +43 goal differential was third best in the entire league. Nashville is somewhat of a “fringe” playoff team as they were one of the last to get in the tournament and only outscored opponents this season by two goals. Carolina won the season series, 6-2. Those two losses came in the final two games of the regular season - when the ‘Canes had nothing left to play for - and the Preds were trying to lock down the Central’s final playoff berth. Both games were also played in Music City. Nashville scored only five goals in the four games here in Raleigh. Carolina has NEVER lost four in a row this season. Play on CAROLINA AAA |
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05-16-21 | Wild v. Golden Knights -151 | Top | 1-0 | Loss | -151 | 5 h 29 m | Show |
This is an 8* on VEGAS While Vegas missed out on the Presidents Trophy and home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, we don’t anticipate them having much difficulty defeating Minnesota in Game 1 of this best of seven series. They still have the home ice edge in this series, which is huge as they are 21-5-2 in Sin City this season. Having given up the second fewest number of goals while scoring the third most, the Golden Knights finished the regular season with the top goal differential in the NHL. Minnesota did give them some trouble this year as eight meetings resulted in 24 goals per side. But now that it’s playoff time we expect Vegas’ superiority to take hold. Riding goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury seems like a good idea as his regular season save percentage was .928. The Wild didn’t finish the regular season well as they gave up 11 goals in a pair of losses at St. Louis. Vegas won their last game 6-0 over San Jose and is 15-3 their last 18 overall. Almost a no brainer to take them on home ice. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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05-14-21 | Maple Leafs -150 v. Jets | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -150 | 13 h 35 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TORONTO Before each team embarks on their 1st round playoff series, they must complete the 56-game regular season. Toronto won the North Division with a 35-13-7 record and 77 points. They will face 4th place Montreal in the first round, a series that won’t begin until next Thursday. Winnipeg was third in the North (29-23-3, 61 points) and they have a far tougher 1st round draw against Edmonton, a series that will begin on Wednesday. This regular season finale is all about pride, but we like the Maple Leafs as they are 6-0 in their previous six visits to Manitoba. In this particular Canadian rivalry, the road team always seems to find success. Whether the game is in Toronto or Winnipeg, the road team has won seven of nine this year including six straight. It’s been a crash landing for the Jets at the end of the regular season as they’ve won just twice in their last 10 games. One of those was Tuesday against a Vancouver team that didn’t look the least bit interested. It’s been a month since the Jets last won back to back games. Toronto is simply the better team and will be looking to bounce back from a 4-3 overtime loss to Ottawa. The Maple Leafs have gone nine games without a loss in regulation (7-0-2). Before the 5-0 win against Vancouver, the Jets had scored only 17 goals in 10 games. They face goalie Jack Campbell, who has a 17-2-2 record this season. Play on TORONTO AAA |
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05-13-21 | Canucks v. Flames -149 | Top | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 10 h 11 m | Show |
This is a 7* on CALGARY Though neither team is going to playoffs, Vancouver and Calgary still have four games against one another. The reason for all the remaining games is the Canucks’ COVID-19 outbreak back in March. Vancouver looked lifeless in a 5-0 loss at Winnipeg Tuesday and we see no reason why they’ll look any better here. Flames coach Darryl Sutter is saying all the right things, talking about “player evaluation” these final four games. Calgary is off a 6-1 win over Ottawa and has had three days off to prepare for tonight’s game. Vancouver has just two wins in its last 10 games and is 1-10 SU this season when coming off three or more straight games on the road. This is a team with only nine road wins, which is tied for second fewest in the league. Play on CALGARY AAA |
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05-12-21 | Wild -114 v. Blues | Top | 0-4 | Loss | -114 | 22 h 45 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MINNESOTA In the final days of the NHL regular season, all the drama seems to rest with who is going to win the West Division (and the President’s Trophy). That race is a two-team one, between Vegas and Colorado. But Minnesota still lurks in the shadows and can steal home ice advantage away from the Avs for the first round of the playoffs. That’s if the Wild can win the final two games and the Avs fail to pick up a point from their final two. An unlikely scenario, but expect Minnesota to play well tonight when their hopes for home ice advantage are still alive. St. Louis, on the other hand, has nothing to play for in these last two regular season games. They are locked into fourth place in the West and will face whoever wins the division - Vegas or Colorado. The Wild’s last seven games have all been decided by one goal, with four going to overtime, but they are 4-0-1 the last five. St. Louis has dropped three of four, it's only win coming Monday in OT against the non-contending Kings. Minnesota is 4-0 its last four times as a road favorite. Play on MINNESOTA AAA |
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05-11-21 | Canucks +159 v. Jets | Top | 0-5 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 11 m | Show |
This is a 9* on VANCOUVER The entire 16-team playoff field is set, but there are still a few more regular season games left, many of which will impact the seeding for the postseason. Here in the all-Canadian North Division, Winnipeg is in the playoffs and trying to be the three seed. That would mean a first round date with Edmonton, as opposed to Toronto if they were to finish fourth. Vancouver has been eliminated from playoff contention, so they’re relegated to the role of spoiler at this point. While a play on the Jets might sound logical today, they are not playing well at all as of late. Losers of nine of their last 10 overall and seven straight at home, this is not a team you want to be backing. They were just beaten by the Canucks 3-1 last night here on home ice. The road team has won all but one of the eight head to head matchups this year. Over the past 10 games, the Jets have scored just 17 goals and the power play is 2 for its last 27. Play on VANCOUVER AAA |
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05-10-21 | Islanders v. Bruins -159 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 29 m | Show |
This is an 8* on BOSTON Of the NHL’s four divisions, the East was the first to have all four playoff spots gobbled up. We now know that Pittsburgh will be the 1-seed and Washington will be the 2-seed. Boston and the Islanders are battling out for the 3-seed. Whoever finishes third will play Washington and whoever finishes fourth will play Pittsburgh, neither having home ice advantage. No matter what happens tonight, the Islanders have already won the season series from Boston as they are 5-2 head to head. But the Bruins have won the last two and are currently one point ahead in the standings. They can clinch third place with a win tonight. We think they will. Boston is off a 5-4 loss to the Rangers while the Islanders are off a 5-1 win over New Jersey. Both those games were played on Saturday. Though off a loss, the Bruins are 9-5 this season after scoring four or more goals and 7-1 L8 home games. The Islanders are 2-7 their last nine road games. Before beating the Devils on Saturday, the Isles lost twice in Buffalo and at home to New Jersey. Those are the bottom two in the division. Play on BOSTON AAA |
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05-09-21 | Stars -149 v. Blackhawks | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -149 | 10 h 27 m | Show |
This is a 10* on DALLAS With Nashville’s win yesterday, Dallas was officially eliminated from playoff contention. COVID-19 really derailed the Stars season from the start and it’s a shame they won’t be competing for Lord Stanley’s Cup as we feel they are a better team than the Predators. They’ll have to take their frustrations out on the Blackhawks Sunday and we see this one going well for the road team. The Stars ended a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 win at Tampa Bay Friday. Chicago ended a six-game losing streak Thursday with a 2-1 win at Carolina. So you’ve got both teams off wins, but not exactly playing well. A reason to still speak highly of the Stars is their goal differential, which is +5 on the year. If they can maintain that, they’ll be one of only two teams with a positive goal differential not in the postseason. A worthless consolation prize, but it still speaks to the fact the Stars are a lot better than the Blackhawks. Chicago is 9-31 SU the last 40 times it has taken on a team that scored five or more goals its previous game. Play on DALLAS AAA |
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05-07-21 | Blues v. Golden Knights -163 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 11 h 16 m | Show |
This is an 8* on VEGAS Only three playoff spots are still up for grabs in the NHL with fourth place still to be decided in the Central, North and West Divisions. Here in the West, St. Louis could lock down the fourth spot with a win and a Kings loss (LA is playing Colorado), but the first part of that equation isn’t too likely to happen in our estimation. That’s because they go to Sin City to take on the Knights, who have lost at home only six times this year. Vegas seems likely to win the division, so a first round playoff matchup with the Blues is a possibility. The Knights, who have dropped only two games since April 7th, are off a 3-2 overtime win at Minnesota. They have the best goal differential in the league. St. Louis, even if they do get into the playoffs (and it’s likely they will) have a negative goal differential and would make for an easy first round opponent. Might as well take Vegas now before the price gets inflated come playoff time. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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05-05-21 | Jets +109 v. Flames | Top | 4-0 | Win | 109 | 14 h 44 m | Show |
This is a 10* on WINNIPEG While Winnipeg will likely make the playoffs and Calgary likely will not, it’s the Jets that have more questions than answers heading into this Wednesday night matchup in the North Division. They’ve lost seven in a row and scored only 10 goals during the losing streak. Six of those goals came in two games, meaning they’ve scored just four in the last five. The most embarrassing of the seven straight losses occurred Monday when they fell 2-1 to the last place Senators. Calgary, who has had three days off, not only needs to win all of their remaining games but also has to have either Winnipeg or Montreal lose out. That won’t happen. Desperate for a win, look for the Jets to get the two points tonight and clinch a playoff spot. They outshot Ottawa 29-18 only to give up the game winner with 1:13 left in regulation. The last four times the Jets have been priced as a road underdog, they are 4-0. Play on WINNIPEG |
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05-03-21 | Predators -179 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 10 h 45 m | Show |
This is a 7* on NASHVILLE Nashville is 4-1-1 its last six games, but no win was bigger than Saturday’s 1-0 triumph over Dallas. That overtime win gave the Predators a three-point lead over the Stars in the battle for the Central Division’s final playoff spot. Look for the Preds to continue riding the hot goaltending of Juuse Saros as they play Columbus Monday night. The Blue Jackets have won only one of their last 11 games with seven of the losses coming in regulation. They’ve lost five of the previous six meetings with Nashville this season. Columbus was eliminated from playoff contention long ago, so they’ve got absolutely nothing to play for here. In last place in the Central, the Jackets’ 16 wins this season are the second fewest in the league (Buffalo has 13). Their only win in the last 11 games was 1-0 against Detroit and that required OT. In fact, the Jackets’ last three games all went to OT, so they may very well have little left in the tank for tonight. Their struggles against Nashville are not confined to this season. The Predators have won 65 of the last 93 meetings. Play on NASHVILLE AAA |
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05-01-21 | Rangers v. Islanders -130 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 1 m | Show |
This is a 10* on the ISLANDERS Unlike all the other divisions, there’s going to be a “good” team left out of the playoffs in the East Division. Five teams in the East have goal differentials that are +23 or better. No other division has more than three. The team that looks to be the “odd one out” is the fifth place Rangers, who are looking at a six point deficit with only five games left. A 4-0 loss to the Islanders on Thursday definitely didn’t help. That was their third time getting blanked by the Isles at Madison Square Garden this season, a new record. The Islanders have won five of the season’s seven prior matchups. A win here gets the Islanders into the playoffs for a third straight year, something that has not happened since 2002-04. Remember they were a Conference Finalist last year. The Islanders are 19-3-3 on home ice. That’s tied for the fewest number of regulation losses in the whole league. Goalie Semyon Varlamov clearly has the Rangers’ number, not to mention a lot of other teams as the Islanders have given up the fewest number of goals in the division and second fewest in the league. Play on NY ISLANDERS AAA |
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04-30-21 | Jets +102 v. Canadiens | Top | 3-5 | Loss | -100 | 8 h 46 m | Show |
This is a 10* on WINNIPEG Winnipeg has lost five straight times, all to Toronto and Edmonton, who are the top two teams in the North. All five losses were at home and four of them saw the Jets score 1 or 0 goals. They are still in third place in the division mind you, only three back of second place Edmonton, but a win would obviously be nice. Tonight the Jets will head out on the road to face Montreal, the fourth place team in the division, who is just trying to make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Canadiens have a four-point lead over Calgary. Winnipeg has won six of the previous eight meetings with Montreal this season, including 5-0 the last time they paid a visit here. The Habs are just 1-6 their last 7 when facing an opponent that scored two goals or less in their last game. Play on WINNIPEG AAA |
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04-28-21 | Coyotes v. Sharks -105 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 26 h 45 m | Show |
This is a 10* on SAN JOSE While the top three spots in the Pacific Division have all been clinched, the fourth and final playoff entrant is very much in doubt. Virtually everyone, save for last place Anaheim, is still alive. San Jose enters Wednesday just five points back of fourth place St. Louis. They are also four points behind tonight’s opponent, Arizona. This is a game the Sharks must win and we think that they will. While the Coyotes have taken three of the season’s first five meetings, only one of those was here in San Jose and that was a 6-4 Sharks win. That game was Monday and saw San Jose race out to a four-goal lead. The win snapped the Sharks’ eight-game losing streak. But you can play with confidence here, knowing that the ‘Yotes have now lost six of their previous seven road games. This is a really solid value on San Jose. Arizona averages only 26.8 shots on goal in road games this season. Play on San Jose AAA |
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04-27-21 | Red Wings v. Blue Jackets -136 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 11 h 35 m | Show |
This is a 10* on COLUMBUS Two teams in the Central Division have been eliminated from playoff contention and they meet Tuesday as Columbus hosts Detroit. The Blue Jackets have lost nine straight to fall below the Red Wings in the standings, a position they would have deemed unfathomable just a couple of months ago. One more loss and the Jackets would set a new single season record for most consecutive losses. They were close to ending the streak on Sunday, but twice blew a one-goal lead and lost in overtime to Tampa Bay. Detroit is also coming off an OT loss, although they were outshot 52-17 by Dallas, so they should be ecstatic to have escaped with a point. We think this is the spot for Columbus to end its losing streak as they are finally back home after playing their last six games all on the road. Their record in the first home game back following a road trip of seven or more days is 5-1. Detroit has won just 9 of its last 56 road games, which is beyond comprehension. Play on COLUMBUS AAA |
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04-26-21 | Canucks -117 v. Senators | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -117 | 8 h 56 m | Show |
This is an 8* on VANCOUVER Gonna go with the Canucks again tonight as they play their third straight game against the Senators, only this one is in Ottawa. We played Vancouver each of the last two games, which were at home. They went 1-1, losing the first try 3-0 and winning the second 4-2. The second game snapped a very rare three-game winning streak for the Senators, just their second this entire season. Because of injuries, the Sens’ goaltending situation looks quite dire right now and the Canucks should be able to take advantage of that. Vancouver is 6-1 vs. Ottawa so far this season and if they want to make the playoffs, it’s a must win tonight. Play on VANCOUVER AAA |
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04-24-21 | Senators v. Canucks -133 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 14 h 47 m | Show |
This is a 10* on VANCOUVER The Canucks get a second crack at the Senators after losing to them 3-0 on Thursday. That result gave Ottawa just its second three-game win streak of the season. All three have been on the road (Montreal, Calgary and here), which is a season first. The Sens have struggled all year, even more so than Vancouver has. Before Thursday, the Canucks were 5-0 against the Senators this year and 8-1 the last nine head to head meetings. They had their season paused recently and came back with a couple wins over first place Toronto. The idea that they would lose two in a row at home to Ottawa seems highly unlikely. The Senators have never won four in a row in 2021. Thursday was just their second shutout of the season. They are 2-6 coming off a win by two or more goals. The last time the team from the capital city won four in a row was March of 2017. The last time they won four straight on the road was 2016. Play on VANCOUVER AAA |
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04-23-21 | Wild -158 v. Kings | Top | 4-2 | Win | 100 | 13 h 59 m | Show |
This is a 9* on MINNESOTA The top two teams in the West Division (Vegas, Colorado) have already clinched. Not far behind them is Minnesota, who has 61 points and is in third place. There’s a huge gap between the Wild and fourth place, so they are going to be a playoff team this year. This gap is something previously discussed when we correctly selected the Wild on Wednesday. They beat Arizona 4-1 for their fifth straight win overall. This five-game win streak has seen them score 22 goals and give up only nine. Now it’s a quick one-game stop in LA to face a Kings team that is second to last in the division. The Kings traded away one of their top goal scorers (Jeff Carter) at the deadline and the only reason they are still in playoff contention is because the West is so weak beyond the top three. Minnesota is 5-2 vs. Los Angeles this season. The Kings have just three wins all month. They did win the last one, but that came against last place Anaheim. The last time the Kings won two straight was back in February. Play on MINNESOTA AAA |
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04-22-21 | Flyers v. Rangers -165 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -165 | 9 h 9 m | Show |
This is a 10* on NY RANGERS Two teams have already been eliminated from the playoff race in the East Division (Sabres and Devils), leaving six to battle for the four available playoff spots. The fifth place Rangers have to feel like they deserve one of them as they’ve got the best goal differential in the division (+28) and are 6-2-2 the L10 games. But not only are they still six points back of Boston, the Bruins also have two games in hand. That all makes tonight a must-win. Thankfully, they are facing Philadelphia, the one team still in this division race that we think DOESN’T have a shot at making the playoffs. The Flyers have a -34 goal differential, which is closer to the two eliminated teams than the five they are competing with for a postseason spot. That awful goal differential is largely due to how the Rangers have treated them. Who could forget the infamous 9-0 beating NY gave them back on St. Patrick’s Day? The Rangers also won 8-3 in Philly eight days after that. The season series is actually 3-3, but the Rangers really are so much better and we expect them to assert themselves tonight after suffering their worst loss of the season (6-1 to the Islanders) on Tuesday. The Flyers may again be without goalie Carter Hart. Play on NY RANGERS AAA |
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04-21-21 | Wild -141 v. Coyotes | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 23 h 8 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MINNESOTA Minnesota is in a pretty comfortable spot right as they are third in the West Division with a 14-point cushion between them and fourth place Arizona. Four teams from every division make the playoffs this year and while the Coyotes are currently fourth, their spot is a lot more precarious as St. Louis is just one point back and two other teams are within five. In fact, the gap between the ‘Yotes and last place is narrower than the gap between them and the third place Wild. So the Wild are significantly better, which is why they are favored on the road here. Add in that Arizona has lost six of seven games, the last one 5-2 to the Wild, and that Minnesota has won its last four games. The Wild are 6-1 vs. the Coyotes this season. Play on MINNESOTA AAA |
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04-19-21 | Blackhawks v. Predators -134 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 52 m | Show |
This is a 10* on NASHVILLE Nashville is in fourth place in the Central, which is where you need to be if you want to make the playoffs. But two teams are within three points of them and on Monday they’ll host one of them. Chicago is the invader here and coming off a 4-0 win in Detroit. But the Red Wings are bad (last place) and so are the Blue Jackets, whom the Blackhawks swept a couple games from the previous series. Chicago’s last six games have all been against the three teams below them in the division, so a 4-2 record isn’t all that surprising. The Predators are coming off two losses at Carolina, which isn’t good. But they’ve won six of eight at home with one of those being a 3-0 blanking of Chicago on April 3rd. The Preds last home game was a 7-2 win against Tampa Bay and that’s very impressive. Even more impressive is their 19-4 record this year against teams with losing records. The Blackhawks are 21-19-5, a losing record, and 0-3 this season when they’re off a shutout win. They are also 2-8 after a win by two or more goals. So it’s a bad spot for them against a team they are already 0-5 against in 2021. Play on NASHVILLE AAA |
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04-17-21 | Blue Jackets v. Stars -180 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 10 h 21 m | Show |
This is a 7* on DALLAS Dallas needs to start moving up the standings now. They are five points behind fourth place Nashville in the Central Division. The key is the Stars have three games in hand compared to the Predators and two in hand compared to the fifth place Blackhawks. So making up the necessary ground seems quite doable. Based on goal differential, you’d think the Stars are capable as well. They have a +9 goal differential whereas Nashville is -7 and Chicago is -16. So really, Dallas has been a better team than those two this year. They fell behind due to early season problems with COVID. Now is the time to start moving up and we like their shot at getting two points tonight as they host one of the two teams below them in the division, Columbus. The Stars just beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 on Thursday. C-bus has lost four in a row, seven of eight and 11 of the last 13. Play on DALLAS AAA |
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04-15-21 | Blackhawks -158 v. Red Wings | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -158 | 12 h 30 m | Show |
This is a 10* on CHICAGO The top four teams in every division make the playoffs this season. Chicago is currently fifth in the Central Division, four points back of Nashville. They will play the Predators three times next week. But first they’ve got two games against last place Detroit and winning these are equally important. The Red Wings are very bad and way off the playoff pace. That they just took two in Carolina makes us think they are quite vulnerable to defeat tonight. This is only the fourth time all season the Red Wings have won two straight games. They have yet to win three in a row. Coming off the three previous instances of winning back to back games, the Red Wings have been outscored 14-3 and lost by at least three goals every time. Chicago has won five of the six head to head meetings this season and one of those was when Detroit was off two straight wins. That was a 7-2 win. Coming off a pair of 4-3 wins in Columbus, the Blackhawks cannot afford to slip up here. They won’t. Play on CHICAGO AAA |
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04-14-21 | Jets -172 v. Senators | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 39 m | Show |
This is a 7* on WINNIPEG Winnipeg is looking for a measure of revenge here after losing 4-2 in the Canadian capital on Monday. Losing to the Senators is not acceptable if you’re the Jets (or really anyone else for that matter) as the hosts are the last place team in the all-Canadian North Division and probably the worst team in the league outside of Buffalo. The good news is that Ottawa has posted back to back wins just one time since the end of February and only three times all season. So this one sets up well for the visitors, who are locked into a tight battle with Edmonton for second place in the North. The Jets had won three in a row before Monday’s loss, one of those coming against Ottawa. They’d scored four or more goals in all three of those wins while the Sens had surrendered a total of 17 goals during a four-game losing streak that ended with Monday’s win. The Jets are 5-2 vs. the Senators this season and did have a 2-0 lead just nine minutes into the last game. It was certainly surprising to see them blow that kind of advantage. Play on WINNIPEG AAA |
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04-13-21 | Lightning -170 v. Predators | Top | 2-7 | Loss | -170 | 13 h 39 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TAMPA BAY This is the second time in four days that the Lightning and Predators will face off. We took Tampa Bay on Saturday and that ended up being a rather easy 3-0 win. The Lightning have been off ever since. That’s not the case for Nashville, who won a game against Dallas 3-2 on Sunday. Even though it was a win, the Preds having a game in between two matchups with Tampa Bay puts them at a disadvantage. Especially since Sunday’s game went to a shootout. Tonight is already a less than ideal matchup for them. They are 1-6 this season against the ‘Ning. We mentioned the following in Saturday’s writeup, but it bears repeating. Since getting “hot” in late March, Nashville has zero wins against the top three teams in the division. They are 2-11 L13 vs. teams with a win percentage of greater than .600 and 1-10 L11 as home underdogs. Tampa Bay’s +40 goal differential is second best in the entire league. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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04-12-21 | Jets -190 v. Senators | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -190 | 8 h 28 m | Show |
This is a 7* on WINNIPEG Big mismatch here. Winnipeg has won three in a row. The last two wins were in Montreal, 4-2 and 5-0. The first was 4-3 against the team they’ll play again tonight, Ottawa. The last place Senators are on a four-game losing streak. Since losing at Winnipeg on April 5th, they’ve lost twice to Edmonton (at home) and then 6-5 at Toronto on Saturday. There is a big dividing line between the top four and bottom three in the all-Canadian North Division. Really, the playoff field is already set. It’s just a matter of determining the order of finish for the top four. The Jets are in second place, six points back of the Leafs. They are 5-1 against Ottawa this season and have scored four or more goals in all five wins. The Senators have the single worst goal differential in the league. Yes, even worse than Buffalo, even though they have four more points than the Senators. Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has allowed only 13 goals in his last nine starts. Ottawa did score five goals last time out, but they are 1-8 this season after scoring four or more in the last game. Play on WINNIPEG AAA |
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04-11-21 | Penguins -178 v. Devils | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 10 h 10 m | Show |
This is a 7* on PITTSBURGH The Penguins not only look to put some more space between them and fourth place in the East Division, but also possibly move into a first place tie with the Islanders and Capitals. To do so, all they need is a win tonight in New Jersey, which should be just as easy as it sounds.Two night ago, the Pens won here by a score of 6-4. That was the fifth straight game they scored four or more goals. In their last nine games, Pittsburgh has won a total of seven times and there have been six times they scored four or more goals. That seems like too much firepower for the Devils to handle. It was 5-2 midway through the third period on Friday. New Jersey’s 34 points are fourth fewest in the NHL with only three last place teams below them. That’s 20 points less than what Pittsburgh has coming into tonight. The Penguins have scored the second most goals in the league. Play on PITTSBURGH AAA |
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04-10-21 | Lightning -175 v. Predators | Top | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 11 h 4 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TAMPA BAY Tampa Bay is in Nashville tonight knowing there’s a chance that two points would allow them to overtake Florida for the top spot in the Central Division (that’s if Florida were to lose tonight in Dallas). The reigning Stanley Cup Champions look good to us as they beat Columbus 6-4 on Thursday. While they’ve won just three times in the last eight games, which would qualify as a “swoon” by their standards, they are 5-1 this season vs. the Predators. While Steven Stamkos is questionable and the Preds have been hot (9-1 L10), the Lightning are still favorites for a reason. They are simply the better side. It should be pointed out that four of Nashville’s recent wins came against last place Detroit. None of the nine wins have been against any of the top three in the Central Division. The Preds are 2-10 L12 vs. teams with a win percentage of .600 or greater and 1-9 L10 as home underdogs. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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04-07-21 | Canadiens v. Maple Leafs -140 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 12 h 25 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TORONTO There’s still roughly 30 percent of the NHL regular season left to be played, but it’s a fair statement to say we pretty much know who the four playoff teams will be from the all-Canadian North Division. An eight-point gap exists between 4th and 5th place and looking at the goal differentials of the top four vs. the bottom three, that gap is likely to get even wider. Toronto leads the division with 55 points, six more than any other team. Montreal is 4th with 43 points, but they actually have four games in hand compared to the top three teas. The Habs are in Toronto tonight, looking to close the distance, but we don’t see that happening. Brendan Gallagher, one of their top goal scorers is out with a fractured thumb, and also injured is goalie Carey Price. Those are significant absences for a key game such as this. Given Gallagher left in the first period and Price was clearly hobbled, it was somewhat of a miracle that the Canadiens were able to rally back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Edmonton in overtime Monday. But they won’t be as lucky here as Toronto is 7-0-1 its last eight games and coming off a 4-0 road trip. The Leafs are 3-1 against Montreal this season. Play on TORONTO AAA |
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04-06-21 | Lightning -197 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -197 | 10 h 21 m | Show |
This is a 6* on TAMPA BAY Despite being a huge -395 favorite on the money line, Tampa Bay lost 5-1 to Detroit on Sunday. It was the Lightning’s fourth loss in the last six games and the second as a big favorite. This slide coincides with a surge from Florida (who is on a 6-game win streak) and the Lightning now find themselves in second place in the division (two points back). We mentioned earlier that Sunday was the second loss as a big favorite for the ‘Ning in recent times. The other was March 30th, at home vs. Columbus. They immediately bounced back from that defeat by beating the Blue Jackets 3-2 the next game. Tonight they are in Columbus where the Jackets are reeling. That upset win on March 30th marks the only time C-bus has gotten the two points in their last eight games. Six of the last seven losses have been in regulation with three of those coming by three goals. They were blanked 3-0 by Florida on Sunday, which was their third loss in a row in the Sunshine State. That was the 4th time they’ve been shut out in the past 20 games. The Jackets are now just as close to last place as they are 4th place. They don’t have the necessary firepower to beat Tampa again. The Lightning are one of the top three scoring teams in the league. They’re 52-11 SU after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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04-04-21 | Capitals -162 v. Devils | Top | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 5 h 53 m | Show |
This is an 8* on WASHINGTON Currently in a three-way battle for first place in the East Division, the Capitals go for a two-game sweep in New Jersey on Sunday. They won 2-1 in overtime here on Friday, ending a two-game losing streak. The Islanders also won yesterday (and we had them!) so the Caps & Isles are tied with 52 points. Pittsburgh is right behind with 50. So this is a game Washington really can’t afford to lose. Good thing then that they haven’t lost to the Devils this season. Friday’s win gives them a perfect 7-0 record against their division rival and today is the final meeting of the season. They allowed only 23 shots in the last game, which is a positive sign after they allowed eight goals to the Islanders in the previous game. That was the most goals allowed by the Caps in any game in over two years. New Jersey has scored 1 or 0 goals in three of the last four games. So they’re not much of a threat offensively. In the seven losses to Washington this season, NJ has allowed four or more goals five times. It’s not just this season that has seen the Capitals dominate the Devils. They have won 25 of the previous 30 meetings. Against all opponents, they are on a 14-2 run when favored. Play on WASHINGTON AAA |
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04-03-21 | Flyers v. Islanders -171 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 35 m | Show |
This is a 7* on the ISLANDERS Not sure what’s more embarrassing for the Flyers. That 9-0 loss to the Rangers on St. Patrick’s Day or the fact they just became the first team to lose to the Sabres since Feb 23. The 6-1 loss in Buffalo on Wednesday was truly humiliating as the Sabres had lost 18 straight games before that, the NHL’s longest losing streak in 17 years. Even though the Flyers are technically still in playoff contention (three points out of fourth place), it’s probably time to sell on them “for good.” March was an unmitigated disaster as they gave up 75 goals, the most for any month in franchise history. There were four games that they lost by at least five goals. Now they face the Islanders, who are coming off an 8-goal game of their own. Could things possibly get WORSE for the Flyers? Probably as the Isles are involved in a three-team race for first in the East and aren’t about to let a golden opportunity for two points slip through the cracks. New York is among the league leaders in fewest goals allowed, so they have a huge edge. They are 11-2 L13 games vs. teams that have a losing record and beat the Flyers the last two times they’ve faced them - 6-1 and 2-1. Play on NY ISLANDERS AAA |
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04-01-21 | Hurricanes -158 v. Blackhawks | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 12 h 16 m | Show |
This is a 9* on CAROLINA There is a significant gap after the top three in the NHL’s Central Division. Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina have a major cushion over the rest of the field and we don’t see that shrinking any time soon. Of course, someone will have to be the 4th playoff team. That could be Chicago, who is currently tied for fourth with 39 points, 10 fewer than the Hurricanes. But they won’t be cutting into that deficit here. The ‘Canes weren’t happy with Tuesday’s 2-1 loss in the Windy City and are now out for revenge. They are 9-4 in all revenge situations in the 2020-21 season. The Blackhawks won back to back games only one time in March. Even though they won Tuesday, they were outshot 2:1 (32-16) and also outnumber 41-23 on faceoffs. Carolina is 8-1 the last nine times they’ve been off a game where they allowed two or fewer goals. Should be an easy bounce back game. Play on CAROLINA AAA |
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03-31-21 | Wild -154 v. Sharks | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -154 | 14 h 19 m | Show |
This is a 10* on MINNESOTA Minnesota lost in a shootout, 4-3, here in San Jose on Monday. After tonight, they head to Vegas for two games, which will be a challenge. So they better be focused on gaining some revenge tonight. To be clear, all is not lost in the Twin Cities. The Wild currently sit in third place in the West and there’s a fairly comfortable gap between them and fourth place St. Louis. Do we think they are as good as the top two teams in the division, Vegas and Colorado? No. But they are better than the Sharks. The Wild did win two of this season’s first three meetings with San Jose. One was by a score of 6-2 here in San Jose. Before losing Monday, the Wild had won three straight times. San Jose had lost six of eight and was coming off a shutout loss in Arizona. Yes, we took the Sharks Monday. But as noted in that writeup, the Wild hadn’t played in four days and were also off a very fortunate win. They’ll be determined to show their superiority tonight and we are confident they get the two points. San Jose is just 3-11 off a win. Minnesota is 16-5 the last 21 games as a favorite. Play on MINNESOTA AAA |
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03-29-21 | Wild v. Sharks +140 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 140 | 15 h 53 m | Show |
This is an 8* on SAN JOSE San Jose is coming off back to back road losses in Arizona, the second of which saw them shut out 4-0. They’ll return home to face a Minnesota team that beat them 6-2 on February 22nd and has won three in a row overall. The Wild were shutout winners on Thursday thanks to 37 saves from goalie Cam Talbot. They scored twice despite only 11 shots on goal, which is a minor miracle. When a team is winning, they don’t want time off, so look for the three days of rest to work against the Wild in this one. They lost 4-0 the only other time this season they played with this much rest. It was a very fortunate win on Thursday. San Jose is now back home for their next nine games and should be really motivated for this one. They won their last two home games, both against the Kings last week. Minnesota has not won a road game in 24 days. Play on SAN JOSE AAA |
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03-29-21 | Oilers v. Maple Leafs -152 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -152 | 11 h 23 m | Show |
This is a 10* on TORONTO Two of the top teams in the all-Canadian North Division face off Monday as first place Toronto hosts Edmonton. The Maple Leafs have won their last three games, the last of which was against these same Oilers. That 4-3 victory was not easy as they overcame a 3-1 deficit in the final eight minutes of regulation. The game winner was scored 54 seconds into overtime. That kind of loss can really break a team’s spirit and thus we’re not buying into the revenge angle for Edmonton today. Rather, look for them to come out flat. The Toronto power play is 0 for its last 18. Don’t expect that to continue as they are sixth for the year at converting when having the man advantage. The Oilers have lost the four times they’ve played Toronto and while they were on the verge of winning Saturday, the previous three games saw them get outscored 13-1. When you go back further, you’ll find the Oilers are 6-21 their L27 vs. the Leafs and 2-9 their L11 in Toronto. Play on TORONTO AAA |
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03-26-21 | Sharks +104 v. Coyotes | Top | 2-5 | Loss | -100 | 13 h 50 m | Show |
This is a 10* on SAN JOSE Earlier in the week, we saw the Coyotes do something that no one else has been able to do recently and that’s beat the Avalanche. The 5-4 win did require a shootout, but beating the Avs in any fashion right now is pretty darn impressive. The ‘Yotes get to stay at home this weekend as San Jose comes to town. The Sharks just took two from the Kings and they are sitting in second to last place in the division right now. They are three points behind Arizona, but have a slightly better goal differential (-17 vs. -18). Arizona deserves credit for beating Colorado, but they’d lost six of seven before that win and the other win was against Anaheim. One regulation win in eight games is pretty bad and with depth concern between the pipes, we see this team being in trouble. San Jose goalie Martin Jones is coming off two straight 40+ save efforts. The Sharks have won five of their last six against teams that have losing records. Play on SAN JOSE AAA |
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03-25-21 | Rangers v. Flyers +107 | Top | 8-3 | Loss | -100 | 10 h 43 m | Show |
This is a 10* on PHILLY Everyone remembers what happened to the Flyers the last time they played the Rangers. They were humiliated 9-0 in one of the worst defeats in franchise history. Few probably remember that Philly went out and won their next game (4-3 over the Islanders) as since then, it’s been three more losses. So now the Flyers are sitting fifth in the East Division, but they are actually two points ahead of the Rangers. Take away that one 9-0 game last week and the respective goal differentials look a lot similar. Just two points back of Boston for the fourth playoff spot, there is no reason for the Flyers to hang their heads now. We think they are going to come out with quite the inspired effort Thursday. While the Rangers did score five goals in their last game, that win came against the terrible Sabres and they are 1-6 after the previous seven times they scored five or more times in a game. Play on PHILADELPHIA AAA |
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03-24-21 | Flames -170 v. Senators | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -170 | 9 h 6 m | Show |
This is a 10* on CALGARY Monday’s 2-1 loss here in Ottawa should be considered unforgivable from the Flames’ perspective. The Senators were without their top three goaltenders, yet held Calgary to just one goal. Ottawa is by far the worst defensive side in the league as they’ve allowed 131 goals on the season, which is 20 more than the next worst team. Equally unforgivable as the loss Monday is the fact the Flames have now lost four of the six meetings with the Senators this season. For Ottawa, those four wins account for more than one-third of their total wins this season. It’s just not acceptable to have a losing head to head record against the team with the worst goal differential in the sport. But the silver lining from Monday is that the Flames did have 36 shots on goal plus 33 more that were either blocked or wide of the net. Given Ottawa’s dire goaltending situation at the moment, a second crack HAS to yield in more goal scoring for Calgary tonight. They’d scored 14 times in four games before getting held to just one goal in the last two. The Senators have just two win streaks all season, one was two games and the other three. It’s been nearly a month since they won back to back games as they’re 0-3 off a win since. An easy call on the Flames tonight. Play on CALGARY AAA |
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03-23-21 | Lightning -161 v. Stars | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 11 h 24 m | Show |
This is an 8* on TAMPA BAY It seems like Tampa Bay is once again the team to beat in the NHL. The defending Stanley Cup Champions have the most points (48) and best goal differential (+42) in the league right now as they have won four in a row. They’ve scored four or more goals in all four wins. They’ve scored at least four goals in eight of the last nine games as well. The current four-game run began right here in Dallas with a 4-3 victory over the Stars. While it’s a little misleading that Dallas is in second to last place in the Central Division (they’ve played the fewest games of anyone in the league), they have lost six of their last nine games. The latest loss was in a shootout against Nashville on Sunday. They are getting thin at the forward position due to mounting injuries. They are just not in the same class as Tampa Bay, a point further driven home by the fact they are 0-3 head to head with the Lightning in 2020-21, two of those losses coming in shutout fashion. Dallas is 0-4 their last four games as a home underdog. Play on TAMPA BAY AAA |
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03-23-21 | Panthers -148 v. Blackhawks | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -148 | 11 h 17 m | Show |
This is a 10* on FLORIDA Looking at the Central Division, you clearly have three good teams. One is obviously Tampa Bay. The other two are Carolina and Florida. Chicago is in 4th place, but when you look at the goal differential column there is a massive discrepancy between those top three teams and the Blackhawks. Chicago has been outscored by 11 goals this season. Florida is +17 in GD. The Panthers are also hotter right now (7-3 L10) than the Blackhawks (3-6-1 L10). Florida is off a 5-3, but that was to Tampa Bay. Chicago is off four straight losses, not just two to Tampa Bay but also two to the Panthers! Those games, both of which were played in Miami, saw the Panthers win by scores of 4-2 and 6-3. After the losses to the Lightning, the Blackhawks have surrendered a total of 18 goals during the four-game losing skid. Over the past seven games, they’ve allowed at least four goals six different times. That’s really bad. Florida averages 3.9 goals/game when on the road, where they are 10-3-1 this season. They are averaging 38.6 shot attempts per game the last five while giving up just 26.6. They even outshot the Lightning 32-24. Play on FLORIDA AAA |
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03-22-21 | Flames -164 v. Senators | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -164 | 8 h 59 m | Show |
This is an 8* on CALGARY Ottawa is a clear cut contender to be considered the worst team in the league. If not for Buffalo and it’s current 13-game losing streak, the Senators would probably be the unanimous call as the worst. They’ve allowed 130 goals, which is 20 more than the next worst team. Right now, the goaltending situation is very bleak. Their top three goalies are all hurt, which leaves them with the option of Filip Gustavsson or Anton Forsberg. Gustavsson has just one period of NHL experience while Forsberg was a recent waiver pick up. No matter who starts between the pipes here for the Sens, look for it to be a long night. Calgary had scored 14 goals in four games before getting blanked by Toronto 2-0 on Saturday. Ottawa has just one win in its last six games. We’re not going to pretend the Flames are great, but this should be an easy two points. Play on CALGARY AAA |
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03-21-21 | Golden Knights -170 v. Kings | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -170 | 10 h 38 m | Show |
This is a 7* on VEGAS Vegas, despite winning five straight, can feel Colorado breathing down its neck as the Avalanche are on a six-game win streak and just three points back in the West Division. The Golden Knights could really use the two points here and we think they grab them as Los Angeles simply isn’t in their class. Vegas won the first game here at Staples Center, 4-2 on Friday. The Kings have just three victories in their last 11 games. They’ve played the Golden Knights three times so far and all three times they have gone down in defeat. The Golden Knights are 8-1 their last 9 as road favorites. This would be their eighth sweep of a back to back already, if they were to win tonight. During the five game win streak, they have scored a total of 21 goals. LA has just 12 goals in its last five contests. Play on VEGAS AAA |
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03-20-21 | Jets v. Oilers -128 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 13 h 40 m | Show |
This is a 10* on EDMONTON Edmonton is now tied with Toronto atop the all-Canadian North Division. The Oilers have 40 points and won two in a row, beating Calgary 7-3 and Winnipeg 2-1. We took them in that blowout rival of Alberta rival Calgary. Now they face Winnipeg again. Connor McDavid scored both goals in the last game. He has 58 points (20 goals, 38 assists) to lead the league. While Winnipeg is 8-0-1 following a regulation loss this season, we wonder how they’re going to perform on this long road trip, which just got started and won’t end until 3/29 in Calgary. The Jets have just two fewer points than the Oilers right now, but we believe the true gap in talent between these clubs is far greater. The Oilers have won five straight home games and the favorite has been victorious 7 of the last 10 times these teams have played. Play on EDMONTON AAA |
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03-18-21 | Wild v. Avalanche -143 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 24 m | Show |
This is an 8* on MINNESOTA Three teams look to be the class of the West Division. Two of them face off Thursday night as Colorado hosts Minnesota (Vegas is the other, for the record). Both teams here are on win streaks and have looked dominant. For Minnesota, it’s five straight wins which includes three shutouts. Colorado has won four in a row and scored eight goals in the last game. Something will have to give Thursday in Denver. We see the Avs getting the two points in what will be the first of two matchups this weekend between the clubs. (They also play Saturday). Something that is very impressive with the Avs team is that they have gone 17 consecutive games without allowing 30 shots on goal. Four times they haven’t allowed 20 shots. That’s how you win games. The Wild aren’t going to have defenseman Carson Soucy or forward Marcus Folingo on the ice tonight and those are two key absences. The entirety of their five-game win streak has been at home. Play on COLORADO AAA |
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03-17-21 | Oilers +106 v. Flames | Top | 7-3 | Win | 106 | 14 h 3 m | Show |
This is a 9* on EDMONTON The league’s two Alberta rivals renew pleasantries tonight with the Flames hosting the Oilers. In our view, the NHL’s all-Canadian team North Division has a pretty stark “dividing line” between the top four and bottom three. The top four all have goal differentials of +11 or higher while the bottom three teams have all been outscored this season. Edmonton is the top four, despite losing here in Calgary (4-3) Monday night. They’d previously beaten the Flames three straight times. Calgary is in the bottom three in the North, even though Monday was their third straight win overall. Their penalty kill is perfect since the coaching change, but that won’t last forever. With 1st place Toronto struggling, now is the time Edmonton must make its move toward the top of the division. They are 15-7 L22 overall and 9-2 L11 vs. losing teams. Play on EDMONTON AAA |
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03-17-21 | Flyers -126 v. Rangers | Top | 0-9 | Loss | -126 | 12 h 34 m | Show |
This is a 10* on PHILADELPHIA Second meeting in three days between these teams. The Flyers won the first, by a score of 5-4, back on Monday. That win stretched their advantage over the Rangers to five points in the East Division. Philly needed the win after losing two games to Washington. The Rangers have just one win in their last five after a three-game win streak at the start of March. Those three wins were all against the bottom two in the division, however. Monday’s game did go to overtime, but only after the Flyers squandered an early two-goal advantage. Outside of a seven minute stretch where they found the back of the net three times, NY didn’t play very well. They were without defenseman Adam Fox and right winger Pavel Buchnevich and both remain on the COVID list. That’s a problem considering Fox leads the team in ice time while Buchnevich is tied for the team-high in points with 22. Philly is on a 40-15 run in games where they are favored. Play on PHILADELPHIA AAA |
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03-16-21 | Sabres v. Devils -157 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 11 h 13 m | Show |
This is a 9* on NEW JERSEY These are the bottom two teams in the East Division and going back to February 27th, they have just one win between them. That one win belongs to the Devils and it was on March 7th against Boston by a score of 1-0. They are 1-7-2 their L10 games and just dropped all three games vs. the Islanders, the last one going to a shootout. That’s actually better than Buffalo, who last won a game on February 23rd against … the Devils. Actually, their last two wins have both been against the Devils as they also beat them on Feb 20th. But an overtime loss to them (NJ) on Feb 25th began what is now an 11-game losing skid coming into tonight. Nine of those 11 Sabres’ losses have come in regulation as they’ve been outscored 47-17. They have been shutout each of the last two games, 3-0 by Pittsburgh on Sunday and 6-0 by Washington last night. You can’t do anything but fade Buffalo at this point, even if New Jersey doesn’t seem all that appealing in its own right. The Devils have lost 11 in a row on home ice, a franchise record, so you have to figure they’ll be super motivated to end that slide here against favorable opposition. Play on NEW JERSEY AAA |
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03-15-21 | Canucks -171 v. Senators | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 24 m | Show |
This is a 7* on VANCOUVER Ottawa is one of the worst teams in the league. In last place in the all-Canadian North Division, they have the NHL’s worst goal differential at -41. A few teams have less points on the season, but nobody has given up more goals and quite frankly it is not even close. The 124 allowed are 24 more than the next worst team! The fact they held on to defeat Toronto 4-3 last night with a goalie making his first career start is a minor miracle. We don’t expect them to win again tonight though. First off, they are 0-6 when playing on back-to-back days. Secondly, they are 1-6 after scoring four or more goals in their previous game. Thirdly, at no point this season have they won two straight games in regulation. With the exception of a 5-2 stretch in February where they won two in a row and then three in a row, the Sens have no win streaks all year. Vancouver, who has won four of its last five games, had Sunday off. They should easily take this game as they have beaten Ottawa in six of the last seven head to head matchups. Play on VANCOUVER AAA |
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03-15-21 | Bruins -107 v. Penguins | Top | 1-4 | Loss | -107 | 11 h 24 m | Show |
This is a 10* on BOSTON The Bruins are down in 4th place in the East Division right now as the top three have all gotten hot. The Islanders, Capitals and Penguins have won nine, four and five in a row respectively. Tonight the Bruins are in Pittsburgh to face the Pens and desperately need to win to keep pace with all the surging teams in their division. Last night’s 4-0 loss to the Rangers didn’t help as they got outshot 33-18. We will point out that the B’s shut the Rangers out by the same 4-0 score two nights prior. Pittsburgh’s last four wins have come at the expense of either the Rangers or Sabres. It was a 3-0 win in Buffalo Saturday night. But they lost twice in Beantown back in the third week of the season and the Bruins are a better team than what they’ve shown recently. We expect Boston to bounce back in this one. Play on BOSTON AAA |
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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 |