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Carolina Hurricanes v. Tampa Bay Lightning
Projected Goalies: Petr Mrazek v. Andrei Vasilevskiy
Both of these teams enter tonight's matchup jockeying for position at the top of the Central Division. Carolina currently paces the group but Tampa is only 2 points back, a gap that can be made up with a win here tonight. Carolina has won 2 in a row and recorded a 3-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday. Tampa lost last time out by a 5-3 decision to in-state rivals Florida. Steven Stamkos remains out for the Lightning but that squad knows a thing or two about playing without its star forward as Stamkos has missed a lot of gametime in recent seasons. It is rare to see Tampa listed anywhere close to -120 odds and that price point is too juicy to pass up, even against a good opponent, at home tonight.
The Bet: Lightning Moneyline
Prediction: Hurricanes 2-3 Lightning
Columbus Blue Jackets v. Florida Panthers
Projected Goalies: Elvis Merzlikins v. Sergei Bobrovsky
Columbus is in a dire situation as they have dropped 5 games in a row. The Blue Jackets were blown out 5-1 by Dallas on Saturday and tonight they will healthy scratch top-6 forward Max Domi. Florida has cemented itself as a playoff team and has only gotten stronger as their trade deadline acquisitions are now in the lineup. Sam Bennett will anchor the second line center role while Nikita Gusev plays as a top-line winger and Brandon Montour sees power play time with Aaron Ekblad and Mackenzie Weeger out with injury. Columbus has nothing to play for and I expect a listless performance from them tonight in the greater Miami area.
The Bet: Panthers Puckline
Prediction: Blue Jackets 1-4 Panthers
Detroit Red Wings v. Dallas Stars
Projected Goalies: Jonathan Bernier v. Anton Khudobin
Detroit lost 4-0 to the Blackhawks on Saturday but before that they were winners of 3 in a row. You can tell that this young, rebuilding team is starting to gain a little confidence and the addition of a pure goal scorer, like Jakub Vrana from Washington, certainly helps. Dallas secured two much needed victories over Columbus in each of their past two matchups with both being commanding wins. Dallas is playing itself back into the playoff race in the Central Division and games like this one tonight against Detroit are crucial in the battle with Nashville.
The Bet: Stars Puckline
Prediction: Red Wings 2-4 Stars
Chicago Blackhawks v. Nashville Predators
Projected Goalies: Kevin Lankinen v. Juuse Saros
Lankinen was in net Saturday and secured the 4-0 shutout over Detroit, he will reclaim the cage again tonight. Chicago has also played itself back into the playoff race by winning 4 of their last 6 contests. Nashville currently owns that coveted 4th spot in the Central Division but they have lost 2 in a row. Both teams will throw out their top goalies and Saros sneakily has some of the best underlying stats in the league at the goaltender position. The under is the play here tonight.
The Bet: Under 5.5 Total Goals
Prediction: Blackhawks 2-3 Predators
Minnesota Wild v. Arizona Coyotes
Projected Goalies: Cam Talbot v. Darcy Kuemper
Minnesota has won 3 in a row and they have allowed exactly 2 goals in each of those games. The Wild have all but assured themselves the 3rd spot in the West Division and now they are focusing on maintaining a strong level of play going into the playoffs. Arizona is still in the midst of a battle for the 4th spot which they currently own. The Coyotes welcomed back Darcy Kuemper to the net on Saturday and he recorded his first win in quite some time. When healthy, Kuemper is among the NHL’s best goalies, and with him back in net tonight I expect an upset win for the ‘Yotes.
The Bet: Coyotes Moneyline
Prediction: Wild 1-2 Coyotes
Montreal Canadiens v. Edmonton Oilers
Projected Goalies: Carey Price v. Mike Smith
These two teams are each coming off very different results. Montreal was shutout by Ottawa 4-0 in an embarrassing game on Saturday. Edmonton, on the other hand, shutout the Jets 3-0 on the very same day. Only one spot in the division standings separates these two teams but the Oilers have secured 7 more wins than the Canadiens. There is a talent gap between these two sides that Montreal can not makeup, especially without their leader and top-6 forward Brendan Gallagher.
The Bet: Oilers Moneyline
Prediction: Canadiens 3-4 Oilers
Ottawa Senators v. Calgary Flames
Projected Goalies: Matt Murray v. Jacob Markstrom
Murray and Ottawa roll into this game feeling good about that shutout win they had over Montreal on the weekend but make no mistake about it, Ottawa isn’t very good. I am not as much concerned with Ottawa's skaters as I am with their goaltending. It might be hard to criticize a goalie coming off a shutout but Murray has consistently been among the worst goalies in the league this year and gives up over 3.50 goals a game on average. Calgary is desperate for points and games like against Ottawa are prime opportunities that they know they can’t pass up. I expect the Flames to knock Murrary and Ottawa back down to Earth.
The Bet: Flames Puckline
Prediction: Senators 2-4 Flames
San Jose Sharks v. Vegas Golden Knights
Projected Goalies: Martin Jones v. Robin Lehner
The late game on tonight's slate features a great rivalry between the Sharks and Golden Knights. These two teams absolutely hate each other and hopefully we see some fireworks tonight. San Jose and Vegas are also trending in completely opposite directions at the moment. The Sharks have lost 5 in a row and after the last game their coach publicly called out multiple players for their low effort levels. Vegas has won 6 in a row at the moment and last played a 1-goal game on the 11th of this month against Arizona, a game in which they actually shut out the Coyotes and won 1-0. This is a mismatch on paper, on the ice, and in the odds books but with a rivalry game you can never truly count out the underdog. San Jose has given up 3 or more goals in each of the 5 consecutive games they’ve lost while Vegas has scored 4 or more goals in all but one of the 6 consecutive games they’ve won.
The Bet: Over 5.5 Total Goals
Prediction: Sharks 2-5 Vegas
Fancy a Parlay?
Panthers, Stars & Flames to Win
