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New York Islanders v. Pittsburgh Penguins
Projected Goalies: Semyon Varlamov v. Tristan Jarry
These two teams met on Saturday and it was the Penguins who walked away with a 6-3 victory, although the game was somehow not as close as the scoreline indicates. The Islanders only played 2 games last week due to Covid-19 schedule pauses which is a low number in this odd season. Pittsburgh is somehow continuing to get wins despite their minor injury crisis. Evgeni Malkin has been out for over a week now and Kasperi Kapanen just picked up a knock himself. These blows have hit their top-six forward group the hardest but today they got good news as Jason Zucker was activated from IR and is expected to play tonight. In a rematch from a weekend blowout I expect the pendulum to swing back the other direction.
The Bet: Islanders Moneyline
Prediction: Islanders 4-2
Philadelphia Flyers v. Buffalo Sabres
Projected Goalies: Brian Elliot v. Linus Ullmark
Both these teams are in the middle of a crisis right now, but for very different reasons. The Flyers have a serious goaltending/defense problem as only the lowly Ottawa Senators allow more goals per game than Philly. Head Coach Allain Vigneault has decided to get ahead of the problem by scratching goalie Carter Hart for 2 games to “work harder” ... yikes. Buffalo has lost 17 straight games and at this point there are no more silver linings. The Sabres are so pathetic that on Saturday they entered the 3rd period with a 2-1 lead over Boston and proceeded to put 2 shots on net all period and lose in regulation. I know it may sound crazy, but I think the Sabres will break their losing streak in one of the two games they have with Philly this week.Put a penny on them at great odds each night and I promise you will see the streak snap.
The Bet: Over 5.5 Total Goals, Sabres Moneyline (sprinkle)
Prediction: Flyers 2-3 Sabres
Edmonton Oilers v. Toronto Maple Leafs
Projected Goalies: Mike Smith v. Michael Hutchinson
These two teams required overtime on Saturday and it was Toronto who walked away victorious. The Oilers blew a 3-1 lead in that game and their poor head-to-head record against the Leafs only got worse. Tonight the Oilers get a massive boost, not from their side, but from the other side, where Michael Hutchinson will start in goal. Hutchinson is a walking free meal ticket for opposing bettors, he has only recorded 1 win all month and last time out he got pulled after allowing 2 goals on 3 shots against Ottawa. There is no way Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl won’t have their way with an AHL caliber goalie tonight.
The Bet: Oilers Moneyline
Prediction: Oilers 5-3 Maple Leafs
Anaheim Ducks v. Colorado Avalanche
Projected Goalies: Ryan Miller v. Philip Grubauer
This game has the largest odds disparity in the NHL so far this season as Colorado is a -400 favorite tonight. That is an insane number for a NHL game. Anaheim played yesterday and earned a solid win over the Blues but the second half of the back-to-back means veteran backup Miller will have to start against a Colorado team that boasts the best line in the NHL. The Avalanche’s first line of Gabriel Landeskog-Nathan Mackinnon-Mikko Rantanen has been lighting it up recently. Landeskog has points in 7 of his past 8 games while Rantanen and Mackinnon have points in 8 of their past 9 games. The Avs will win this game, but you will have to dig deep to find a bet on them worth placing tonight.
The Bet: Avalanche to Win the 1st Period
Prediction: Ducks 1-4 Avalanche
Los Angeles Kings v. Vegas Golden Knights
Projected Goalies: Cal Petersen v. Robin Lehner
Full disclaimer, this game is a little tough to preview as neither team has confirmed their starting goalies and both coaches love to play mind games as to who they will start. The Kings are one of the best bad teams in the league, but recently they have lost 3 of 4. Their biggest problem is consistent scoring, as they have not registered more than 2 goals in each of those 4 outings. Vegas is a wagon who sits at the top of the West Division and defeated the red-hot Avalanche in their last game. The Golden Knights have arguably the top goalie combination in the league so it doesn’t really matter who starts for them, there is a legit chance they could record a shutout anyways.
The Bet: Under 5.5 Total Goals
Prediction: Kings 0-3 Golden Knights
Winnipeg Jets v. Calgary Flames
Projected Goalies: Connor Hellebuyck v. Jacob Markstrom
Tonight is the final installment in a 3 game set between these two squads. Both teams have registered a win so far with the Jets taking game one followed by a Flames win on Saturday. This game certainly means more to the hosts since they are actually in a playoff race, but Winnipeg should also be fighting hard to secure the top spot in the North Division and thus an easier first round playoff opponent. This game is tough to handicap, I could see both teams coming out on top by really any margin, so I am going to place a pretty penny on seeing some extra hockey tonight and hope it hits at great odds.
The Bet: Game to go to Overtime/Regulation to End in a Tie
Prediction: Jets 3-2 Flames
Minnesota Wild v. San Jose Sharks
Projected Goalies: Cam Talbot v. Martin Jones
The late game tonight features two teams trending in different directions. The Wild are coming off a shutout of the Blues and their strong start to the season was no fluke as they are legitimate playoff contenders. San Jose got shut out themselves by the Coyotes last time out and have dropped 6 of their past 8 games. There was a short stretch there where Martin Jones was actually playing well in net again before he looked all out-of-sorts on Saturday. Tonight I expect Kirill Kaprisov and his speed plus skill to be all over this aging Sharks defense.
The Bet: Over 5.5 Total Goals
Prediction: Wild 4-2 Sharks
Fancy a Parlay?
Avalanche & Golden Knights to Win
Daily Fantasy (DFS) Plays of the Day:
Center: Sean Couturier-The Philly forward is on a 3-game point streak and tonight takes on the awful Sabres in a prime matchup. Enough said.
Wing: Kirill Kaprisov-As long as Fanduel and other DFS sites continue to undervalue him, he remains a great play. He is easily the best player on the Wild and what forward doesn’t love shooting on Martin Jones?
Defense: Literally Any Avs Defenseman-Take your pick; you can go Cale Makar if you like fancy things, Samuel Girard if you like sneaky good finds, or Devon Towes if you like the new shiny acquisition. All are great plays tonight.
Goalie: Philip Grubauer-The former Capitals backup is a dark horse for the Vezina Trophy and is fresh off breaking Patrick Roy’s franchise record for least amount of games to get to 20 wins in a season. Ride him with confidence tonight.
Utility: Pierre Luc-Dubois-The early-season trade acquisition has kind of struggled to find his game north of the border, but the truth is he’s still an elite talent. Dubois is priced way lower than he was in Columbus and I could easily see him scoring a goal tonight and give you a great ROI.
