Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
Florida Panthers at Pittsburgh Penguins (-200, 6)
Last season the Penguins struggled to play above .500 without defenseman Sergei Gonchar in the lineup. Gonchar got hurt again and will miss the next four to six weeks, but beat reporters are talking Pittsburgh bettors down off the ledge.
The elevated play of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is enough to compensate for the loss of Pittsburgh’s best blueliner. Fleury is 8-0 with a 1.96 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.
“Marc-Andre’s been our best player every night, but we’re all out there frustrating the other team,” Pens defenseman Jay McKee said following a recent win over the Lightning. “There are a lot of things clicking for us right now, especially defensively.”
Fleury will get a day off when the Pens host the Panthers on Friday. Look for Pittsburgh’s offense to continue finding the back of the net and backup Brent Johnson to let in a few soft goals.
Pick: Over 6
Carolina Hurricanes at Colorado Avalanche (-113, 5.5)
The Canes failed to pick up their first road against Islanders Wednesday, but there were several signs pointing to a hot streak for Carolina.
Paul Maurice’s boys fought back from a 3-1 deficit and the coach was particularly glad to see Eric Staal collect his first multi-point game of the season.
“For our offense, getting that big boy going is critical,” Maurice told the Raleigh News & Observer. “He had the fire on the bench.”
The Hurricanes are too good of a team not to pick up steam soon. Look for the club to avenge the embarrassing loss to the Islanders with a big win against the surprising Avalanche.
Pick: Carolina +104
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