Sportswagers
Pittsburgh @ CHICAGO
CHICAGO -½ +111 over Pittsburgh
Regulation only. The Penguins have won four of five but three of those victories occurred against Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary in a game the Flames were very flat in. When they defeated the Red Wings back at the Igloo on Wednesday, it was because Peter Mrazek allowed three very early goals that put Detroit in a hole they could not get out of. We give the Penguins credit for that win over Detroit but there are a lot of troubling signs surrounding the Pens. Pittsburgh is 9-11 against top-10 teams this season but they are on a current run of 1-6 against top-10 teams. The Pens last three losses since the All-Star break came against Vancouver, Nashville and Washington. That trio outscored the Pens 13-0. Prior to the break, Pittsburgh had dropped five of six, including a pair to the Rangers and Islanders in which they were outscored 11-5. Against Ottawa on Thursday, Pittsburgh blew a three-goal lead and needed OT to win in a game they were outshot in 32-29. The Pens have a great record but it’s due to a great start and not because of how they’ve performed over the past six weeks.
Chicago is coming off a 3-1 victory over New Jersey, which is rather insignificant but they did fire away 35 shots on net and scored three times in the third. The Blackhawks have picked up points in five straight. They have created more scoring chances since the All-Star break than any team in the league and they’ve also fired away more shots towards the net than any team since the break too. Chicago has recorded 35, 41 and 38 shots on net in their past three and anything close to that here and they’re likely to win handily. Over its past five games, Chicago has not taken more than two minors the entire game in any of them. This is an early afternoon game that’ll be featured on NBC. The United Center will be extra crazy and loud here and we’re happy to take back a small tag on the ‘Hawks to win in regulation against what is a very beatable team right now.
Our Pick
CHICAGO -½ +111 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.22)
Tampa Bay @ SAN JOSE
Tampa Bay +101 over SAN JOSE
OT included. The Sharks are coming off a 4-2 win in Arizona. They trailed 2-0 in that game and they were also outshot 36-26. In Arizona, the Sharks were clearly the second best team on the ice. Prior to that, San Jose lost three straight at home to Carolina, Calgary and Washington while allowing four goals or more in each game. The Sharks are now a game under .500 at home. They are not in good form and neither is goaltender Antti Niemi, who has had one good game over his last four and seven shaky games over his last 10. San Jose went into Tampa on November 14 and won 2-1. We’re not sure how or why that happened but there is very little chance of the Sharks containing the Bolts offense in this one, as Tampa is the highest scoring team in the league facing a goaltender that is seeing quarters and not pucks.
Tampa is a true power. Its group of forwards is perhaps the deepest in the league. The opposition has to contain four lines and 10 high point producers in order to succeed and that’s a big problem for the Sharks very average defense and goaltending. Tampa’s stock is lower right now due to four losses in its last six. Those four loses were to St. Louis twice (once in OT), Nashville and Los Angeles. Those are four Cup contenders and Ben Bishop was tanked in two of those games. The Bolts are clearly the superior team here in every key advanced stat and surface stat. The Bolts also embark on a five-game trip that begins here and teams very often play its best game in the first game of said trip in an attempt to set the tone. Tampa has a higher win expectation than the Sharks and even though the tag is a small one, it doesn’t take away from the value on this extremely live pup.
Our Pick
Tampa Bay +101 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.02)
