Sportswagers
Chicago @ NEW JERSEY
Chicago -½ -110 over NEW JERSEY
Regulation only. The Devils have three wins in their past 11 games. One win came last night in Carolina, where New Jersey was outshot 40-16. Another victory occurred against Edmonton and they were outplayed in that one too. Combined, that pair is 15-39. Against top-10 teams this season, the Devils are 1-9 and that lone win came way back on October 14th in the Devils third game of the season against Tampa Bay with Evgeni Nabokov in net for the Bolts. The Devils scored twice and won, 2-1. Since then, they are 0-9 against top-10 teams. The Devils will now play their third game in four days and tail-end of back-to-backs. Considering they were outshot 40-16 by the ‘Canes last night, they might get outshot 60-10 tonight. This is an old team with significant injuries that cannot compete with the Blackhawks.
Chicago has been off since a 3-1 victory in Nashville on Saturday night. They’ve been waiting in New Jersey since yesterday. The Blackhawks have won six straight and nine of 10. During their current six-game winning streak, the Blackhawks have outscored the opposition 21-9 and have allowed just one goal against in four of those six games. During that stretch, Chicago has defeated Los Angeles, Anaheim, St. Louis and Nashville. Against teams that are ranked below the top 16 in the league, Chicago is 10-1 with only loss occurring against Washington in a game they outshot the Caps, 40-24. If we lose this game so be it but asking a well-rested Chicago team that has dominated weaker opposition and everyone else lately too, to win this one in regulation seems more than reasonable when you consider that Chicago’s goal differential is +32 (the league’s best by far) while the Devils goal differential is -14. Invest.
Our Pick
Chicago -½ -110 (Risking 2.2 units - To Win: 2.00)
Vancouver @ MONTREAL
Vancouver +107 over MONTREAL
OT included. Back-to-back losses to Toronto and Ottawa have the Canucks wrongly billed as the dog in this one. Had they defeated those two teams the Canucks would be favored here. Both losses were undeserving. In Toronto, Vancouver dominated throughout and lost 5-2 because Ryan Miller was awful and Jonathan Bernier was great. Against Ottawa, the Canucks blew a 3-0 lead and you might not see them blow another three-goal lead this entire season again. On one day rest, which applies here, the Canucks are 11-3 this season with all 11 wins occurring in regulation time. The Canucks are very likely in a foul mood too after blowing that 3-goal lead on Sunday. For the players on Vancouver, this 3-game stretch through Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal to end their road trip was one of importance. They get few opportunities to play in these three hockey hotbeds and a loss here to go 0-3 would be somewhat demoralizing. The Canucks are vastly superior to the Canadiens and they figure to dig down even deeper in an attempt to avoid that.
This is a tough spot for the Canadiens. They return home from a three-game trip after playing seven of their past eight on the road. Besides that, the Canadiens are in poor form with just one win over their past seven. That lone victory occurred against the Avalanche. Over that span, the Habs have lost to Buffalo twice and Dallas once. Losing in Dallas is no big deal but the Habs managed a measly 17 shots on net against one of the worst defensive teams in the league. This is another case of Carey Price needing to bail the Habs out because there is no chance of Montreal outplaying or outworking the Canucks here. Goaltenders win games for their team and it’s a reality we have to live with. There is no crystal ball in the world that can predict when or where that’ll happen but when we can take back a tag with the better team that figures to dominate play, we’ll step in every single time and we make no exceptions here.
Our Pick
Vancouver +107 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.14)
NYI @ MINNESOTA
N.Y. Islanders +119 over MINNESOTA
OT included. Minnesota is a solid team. They are one of the best defensive teams in the NHL and even lead the league in shots allowed per game. They are close to being true contenders but they are not going to make a deep run in the playoffs with their current goaltending situation and that’s the real basis for this play. Darcy Kuemper has been yanked more than any other goaltender in the league and is the absolute main reason why the Wild are just three games above .500. Niklas Backstrom (tonight’s confirmed starter) has tried to clean up Kuemper’s mess a few times but he might be worse. Backstrom has started just six games and although his overall save percentage is .917, his save % in games he started is much worse at .894. This is the worst goaltending duo in the NHL that make Ben Scrivens and Victor Fasth look like Eddie Giacomin and Gump Worsley (some of you may not get that comparison but you can always look it up). You need great goaltending to win consistently in this league and when you don’t have it you are always at risk of losing. The Islanders are one of those teams with multiple snipers that can take advantage. It’s also worth noting that Backstrom’s save % in shootouts of .591 is one of the worst ever.
The Islanders have scored four goals or more in four of their past eight games. They also got another goal scorer back recently when Michael Grabner came off the injured list and scored in his second game back against St. Louis. The Islanders 86 goals scored is one more than Chicago’s 85 in the same number of games. The Isles have also been outstanding on the road with nine wins in 14 games, which includes victories in Anaheim, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh among others. Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak had won 11 straight before losing to St. Louis on Saturday and he has a much better chance of a good game than his counterpart does. A strong offensive team that has been solid on the road taking back a tag against Backstrom or Kuemper is worthy of a play and that applies here.
Our Pick
N.Y. Islanders +119 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.38)
