Sportswagers
New Jersey @ BOSTON
New Jersey +160 over BOSTON
OT included. The Bruins had a very nice win in Pittsburgh last night but that’s a team that always brings out the best in them. One would expect the Bruins to have a much better second half than first half but regardless of whether that happens or not, they’re still far too risky in the price range right now to trust. Last night’s OT win in Pittsburgh was the B’s first victory in four games. They have scored just nine times over that span. There are 30 teams in the NHL and Boston ranks smack dab in the middle in just about every key advanced stat category. In other words, the Bruins excel at nothing nor do they suck at anything, which explains their .500 record. It’s also worth noting that the Bruins will play on back-to-back nights here for the eighth time this season. In the previous seven times playing on no rest, Boston is 1-6.
According to Sagerin ratings, Boston has played the 25th toughest schedule in the league while the Devils have played the second toughest. That still doesn’t explain the Devils 15-27 record because this team is better than that. However, winning a couple of games and scoring some goals works wonders for a teams’ psyche even if those wins were against bad teams. The Devils are coming off consecutive victories over Philly and Buffalo while outscoring that pair 9-2. Over their past 10 games, the Devils have allowed 21 shots on net or less in four of them and 28 or less in nine of them. That’s significant because when you allow that few shots on net, you usually have a great chance to win. If Cory Schneider plays a half decent game here, New Jersey most certainly has a chance in this favorable spot. Again, the B’s are 1-6 in the tail end of back-to-backs and that fact alone makes the Devils worthy of a play taking back a tag like the one being offered here.
Our Pick
New Jersey +160 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 3.20)
San Jose @ ST. LOUIS
ST. LOUIS -½ +103 over San Jose
Regulation only. San Jose concludes its modest three-game road trip here before returning home to face the Rangers on Saturday. The Sharkies won the first two games of said trip in Winnipeg and Minnesota but let us point out that they had 7 power-play opportunities in Winnipeg, outshot the Jets 37-19 and won 3-2. Against Minnesota, they won 4-3 against a team that gets one good goaltending performance every 10 games. Over their past 12 games, the Sharks have been held to two goals or less seven times. They rank 19th in the NHL in offensive time of possession and on the road that ranking slips to 24th. The Sharks are just an average hockey team with weak goaltending.
The Blues are anything but average and anytime we can play them at home to win in regulation against average teams without laying anything, you can pencil us in almost every time. The Blue Notes are the healthiest team in the NHL. They may also be the best team and if they are not, they are damn close to being so. St. Louis doesn’t just win games, they dominate games. They’ve outscored their last two opponents by a count of 13-2. The Blue Notes have outshot four of their past five opponents by counts of 39-23, 33-20, 42-33 and 25-16 and only one of those games was at the Scottrade Center. Incredibly enough, the Blue Notes were swept by the Sharks in four games last season so this year is payback. St. Louis defeated the Sharks last week 7-2 in San Jose and there is nothing suggesting anything different here.
Our Pick
ST. LOUIS -½ +103 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.06)
Dallas @ NASHVILLE
Dallas +140 over NASHVILLE
OT included. The Predators have been a tough out for years and this year is no exception. In fact, one could argue that this is the best team that they have ever iced and they have the record to prove it. However, Nashville’s play has dropped off recently with a 4-3 record over their last 7 games. They were tooth and nails to defeat Carolina in its last game and they also have a recent loss to the Bruins. Another concern is the recent play of Pekka Rinne. Early in the year, Rinne was stopping everything but that is no longer the case, as he’s been extremely shaky over his past few games. In three of his last seven starts, Rinne has allowed five goals or more. Only the Jackets and Hurricanes have scored two or less goals on him over his last seven games. The Predators have beaten up badly on the lower-tied teams in this league but they are just 8-10 against the top-16 teams. The Stars can score quickly and they keep charging hard even when they’re down, which is a valuable combination in a big underdog.
We’re going to continue to ride the Stars until we see a drop off in their play. Right now Dallas is playing as good as or better than anyone. Earlier, Dallas was playing a bit scared. They were not aggressive and the defense always seemed to be on its heels. Since the arrival (call-up) of John Klingberg, things have really changed to the good for Dallas. In 25 games, Klingberg has a +/- rating of +12. He’s getting 23 minutes of ice time every night and provides Dallas with the stability they were lacking behind the blueline. This kid has instilled confidence back into the entire team and he possesses great offensive skills too. Dallas has won eight of its past 11 games with only losses over that span occurring against Toronto, Chicago and Columbus. In Chicago on Sunday, Dallas led, 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 before Chicago scored in the final 80 seconds with the net empty and won it in OT. Against the Leafs, Dallas outshot Toronto 43-26. Against the Jackets, the Stars gave Kari Lehtonen a day off and used the worst goaltender in the league in Anders Lindback. This team could easily be on an 11 or 12 game win streak there is simply too much value on them at these prices to ignore. The Stars can score quickly and they’re in excellent form which is a valuable combination when backing a big underdog. Overlay.
Our Pick
Dallas +140 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.80)
Chicago @ MINNESOTA
Chicago -½ +111 over MINNESOTA
Regulation only. The Blackhawks need no introductions. They remain one of the league’s top two or three teams and it would be hard to argue that they’re not the best man for man team in the league. Chicago outshot Colorado in its last game 54-24 and lost 2-0. That’s the goaltending performance of the year by Semyon Varlamov, which is not a problem that the Blackhawks are going to run into here. Chicago routinely scores four or five goals on good goaltenders. Frustrated over its last game, Chicago may easily bury six goals in this one. The Blackhawks are quite aware of Minnesota’s goaltending woes so they figure to just keep shooting here.
We’ve said it all year and we’ll say it again that you cannot compete at this level without solid goaltending and that’s been Minnesota’s Achilles Heel all year. What we know for sure is that Darcy Kuemper has been put on IR and that leaves either Niklas Backstrom or call-up John Curry tending goal in this one. Both are poor options. Backstrom is way past his prime and the fact that he’s been Kuemper’s backup all year tells us all we need to know about him. Being Kuemper’s backup is equivalent to being Cardinals QB Ryan Lindlay’s backup. Curry is a 30-year old minor leaguer. He made 19 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to Winnipeg on Dec. 27 in his only appearance with Minnesota this season. In 13 games with Iowa he is 5-6-0 with a 2.84 GAA and a .917 SV%, including 4-1-0 with a 1.95 GAA and a .944 SV% in his last five starts. In seven career NHL games with Pittsburgh and Minnesota, Curry has a 3.60 GAA and a .883 save %. Whoever starts tonight probably won’t finish. Minnesota is virtually on tilt. They have dropped two in a row and eight of its past 10. The Wild have not won consecutive games since early November and that’s because their goaltenders can’t keep them in games, which negatively affects the entire team. Minnesota is constantly playing from behind. If they do happen to tie it up or even take the lead, it’s usually short-lived due to their weak goaltending. After a while it becomes demoralizing and it becomes near impossible to shake off. When a team is going through what Minnesota is going through right now, the last team you want to see is the Blackhawks. Invest.
Our Pick
Chicago -½ +111 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.22)
NHL Season Thus Far
| Range | W | L | P | +/- (Units) |
|---|
| Yesterday | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | +4.28 |
| Last 30 Days | 24 | 26 | 0.00 | +7.42 |
| Season to Date | 82 | 98 | 0.00 | +8.93 |
