Matt's Picks (1 Live)
I'm not sure why I am not being offered -1 with the moneyline having dipped this low. I've gotten it before on prices near -240. But I'll play Leafs -1 priced -150 (it's there). Regulation works too. The Hawks put superstar Connor Bedard on IR Monday and he's everything. Top young blueliner Artyom Levshunov will sit for disciplinary reasons. So yeah I'll do two units at -1 as I struggle to see a Toronto home loss barring Spencer Knight standing on his head for the visitors. Chicago is struggling anyways, especially away at 1-5 in the past six on the road. Good injury news for the Leafs with top goalie Joseph Woll activated off IR. He is 2-0 this month with a 1.20 GAA.
There appears to be a bit of a bug going around the Kings' locker room as they will be without two centers in Quinton Byfield (19 points, +5) and Phillip Danault (five points, +3). The Kings are slumping offensively anyways with three total goals in a two-game skid that both included overtime. It is Stars backup Casey DeSmith, but he has better numbers (2.23 GAA, .920 SV) than No. 1 Jake Oettinger does. Dallas is also getting a bit heathier on the blueline. It has gotten points in their last seven games played vs. Los Angeles at American Airlines Center (6-0-1).
Extremely fair price on the Jets after reigning Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck returned from injury over the weekend and dominated in a win over Washington. Third different city since Thursday for Ottawa, which is down three injured regulars in forwards in Lars Eller and Shane Pinto and blueliner Thomas Chabot. The Jets swept this series last season pretty easily.
Can't say I love this as the Devils have some injuries, but the Canucks got significantly worse when they traded All-Star defenseman Quinn Hughes to Minnesota. I don't get that at all but maybe wasn't gonna re-up. Almost feels like a punt year now. Whatever is Canadian for punt (rouge?). Where did Hughes want to go? New Jersey to play with his brothers. Alas, Jack is still out. Maybe the best remining player the Nucks have in Elias Pettersson will not play due to injury. This should at worst push but so should Kings have on Saturday. It's the NHL ...
Calgary is playing much better of late but Dustin Wolf is 3-8-0 away with a 4.05 GAA. And he has been confirmed in net. The Kings are rested and healthy. Regulation is fine. L.A.'s Anze Kopitar has scored 10 power-play goals vs. Calgary, tied for his highest total against any one opponent. He also leads the Kings with seven points over the last two seasons in head-to-head matchups with the "I will be the Flame" -- great 80s hair band song by Cheap Trick.
Will just do a half here because maybe Habs rookie goalie Jacob Fowler is the real deal. He got me Thursday in Pittsburgh, but I mean against Igor Shesterkin? And it's the front end of a B2B. The Rangers are not playing well but it hasn't been Shesterkin's fault as the former Vezina winner has been quite good. The books can't tell what to make of Fowler, either, as the totals are all over the place.
The books keep pricing Edmonton like it is last year(s). I'm not saying they won't win. When you have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, you can always win. But there is no way they should be favored in Toronto. I have been to a Maple Leafs game (back then the fans smoked like chimneys). Just a different vibe, really, really cool. I will go to a Leafs-Habs game in Montreal before I leave this earth. It's just so different up there how they care. Cannot wait for the Olympic hockey tournament (I'll be playing Canada +140 with a splash on Sweden longshot), if, you know, they actually build the arena.
I would crush Under 6.5 if offered, but I'd also crush a grape Kool-Aid right now. Oddly sounds refreshing. I don't think I've had KA in 30 years, not sure why it's in my dome. But you better believe it's in my Amazon cart right now. Along with Laffy Taffy. Pretty sure I will need to see the dentist. The Kraken can't score as it is and one of their top forwards, Jared McCann, is in doubt. I often like to back teams ahead of a long road trip because that final game at home takes on a bit more significance and that's where the Mammoth are. Not playing great otherwise. Probably pushes but therein is the beauty of -1.
Tuesday's Oilers OT loss hurt. They were rolling entering and facing basically some Sabres roadkill in the second of a B2B for Buffalo on the road. I watched (do we say watched or streamed these days?) that on ESPN+. You could see the Edmonton players getting outworked, taking for granted first two periods. Then third, they just went "Kirk: Energize." That's the fun team I like to back, flying around the rink and scoring at will. Alas, Edmonton blew an epic rally and lost in OT. Sadly, goaltending matters. That's hockey folks. But I'm going right back at -1 with the visitors in the second of a B2B.
Purely a goalie play as it's the NHL debut of Montreal's Jacob Fowler in net. The 21-year-old is likely the team's future in net and has been good in the AHL, but facing future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson, etc., is a whole different level. Habs forward Jake Evans (4G, 4A) is out. Pittsburgh's Tristan Jarry is 4-0-1 with a 2.47 GAA and .915 save percentage over his last six appearances. He's 3-0-0 at home this year.
That Tampa Bay is favored at NJ is a little strange to me without Andrei Vasilevskiy. Plus, future Hall of Fame blueliner Victor Hedman is iffy tonight. Not a fan of backup goalie Jonas Johansson (he has been good of late, I have to admit), but that might be because the first love of my life would play the Jonas Brothers non-stop. I'm not saying that's why it ended, but I'm not saying that's not why. She's now like the Queen of Belgium, so I guess upgraded. Poor King. New Jersey is definitely not the same without Jack Hughes and had lost five straight until Tuesday's 4-3 win at Ottawa. Feels like a "get-right" win to me and I expect a mini-run now.
A rare total play Wednesday as Chicago isn't scoring much of late with just six goals in the past four games. But netminder Spencer Knight has a 2.43 home GAA. The Rangers are among the worst offensive team in the NHL at 2.65 goals per game. Netminder Igor Shesterkin has allowed three or fewer goals in seven straight overall and has been better on the road with a 2.29 GAA. The Rangers' past five overall have all landed Under this total. It's the only 6.5 on our board and juiced, so it may flip soon.
Was not getting -1 earlier so that's nice as the Oilers suddenly are rampaging, winning their past two over Seattle and Winnipeg by a combined score of 15-6. Leon Draisaitl (416) is one goal away from tying Glenn Anderson for the third most in franchise history. Draisaitl has 19 points (7 G, 12 A) in his last 11 games, including points in nine of his last 10 appearances. Buffalo has lost three straight by multiple goals, including 7-4 last night in Calgary, and is without one of its top forwards in Jason Zucker (9G, 9A). If logic means anything at all, this should certainly not lose and I'm tempted to just hammer the moneyline. But logic rarely does mean much.
Columbus paid me more last season than any NHL team and probably has burned me more than any this season. But it seems like the club is regressing to its talent level having dropped two straight and six of eight. Also a third game in four nights: Miami/Washington DC/Raleigh. Sounds like Spirit Airlines when you are just trying to fly from Miami non-stop to Charlotte. Never ends up being your original itinerary and end up at the Die Hard 2 airport in nowheresville. But you get what you pay for in life. Carolina might be the East's best club. And I'm so thrilled that the REAL Canes made the College Football Playoff that I'm just gonna bet all things Canes for a while. Candy, etc.