2 Expert Picks
Minnesota is almost giddy after the Quinn Hughes acquisition...
Vegas travels to Canada after losing at home...
I had not planned to play this, but the Flyers have ruled out No. 1 goalie Dan "Darth" Vladar. The former Calgary No. 2 has been excellent this year and stole the starting job from today's starter in Samuel Ersson (3.05 GAA). Which sounds a lot like Ershon and makes me think of the criminally underrated "The Other Guys." Truly love that movie. I also now want a glacier water with cucumber because it accents the water in such a way ... lol. In addition, Philly is without center Christian Dvorak (23 points, plus-8). Yeah, this got interesting real fast, although the Rangers for some reason are really struggling at home. Otherwise this should be probably -180.
Many teams are kicking themselves after the Red Wings beat them to the punch to acquire GK John Gibson during the offseason. After getting little help the past couple of years in Anaheim, Gibson is now flourishing in Detroit, pushing Cam Talbot to second fiddle as Gibson enjoys a big December. How big? Gibson is 6-0-0 this month, with two shutouts in his last four starts, stopping 115 of the 120 shots (.958 saves) he's faced during that span. Meanwhile, the Caps did snap a three-game skid when Logan Thompson (slated in the nets today) blanked the Leafs on Thursday, but Washington has lost three straight prior, scoring just three times that span. Play Red Wings on Money Line
Look, I am a very careful bettor because I play a lot. So I am fine paying this somewhat outrageous amount simply to avoid the stress and gastrointestinal discomfort that overtime/shootout would provide. I'm actually not kidding. I feel physically ill in OT (or extra innings) with stress because know I will lose. Sure feels that way. Do I think the Ducks win outright here with Dallas in the second of a B2B? Of course I think a great chance, I only play for draws in soccer. Perhaps tie no bet at -115 or I have to say Ducks +140 in regulation is not terrible. I want protection. Even at 82 cents.
I'm not one for using narratives to make a bet but when a narrative collides with an undervalued team trending the right direction it creates the perfect storm (pun intended). Carolina has no doubt had this game circled since being dispatched by Florida last postseason and the Canes are playing some of their best hockey right now with the return of Jacob Slavin on D. Florida is also getting results but their xG goal share of 50% is dwarfed by Carolina at 58% over the L5. I may be too high on Carolina compared to market but my fair price for this game is -141 so I'm happy to lay the discounted tag.
Do I think the Hurricanes are the better club right now? Yep, but I also say if you get the two-time champs +1 at home that you have to. Almost think the Cats will be offended being home dogs. But I'm slumping a bit across the board at the moment. Sometimes a built-in holiday day off or two isn't the worst thing to just reset. I'm not saying that I'm the Short Circuit robot -- Johnny 5 -- declaring "Malfunction! Need input!" but let's just say El DeBarge is from my hometown. "Who's Johnny?" How did a movie with El DeBarge, a lovable robot, Steve Guttenberg and Ally Sheedy not win an Oscar!?
We'll always be interested in a plus price with the defending champs, considering they hit Sunrise tonight having won three straight and six of seven. Since winning a wild 7-6 verdict over the Blue Jackets on December 6, Florida has tightened its defense considerably; in five of the wins in the six games since, the Panthers have allowed just 8 total goals. Sergei Bobrovsky, back in the nets tonight, has won in his last four starts, and stopped 68 of 73 shots (.932 saves) across the past three of those wins. True, Carolina does come in hot, with five straight wins, but prior to Wednesday's 4-1 win at Nashville, the Canes' previous three wins were all decided via shootout. Play Panthers on Money Line
Do you remember the 80s? I'm sure many of you not even born, but back then you earned bank to buy something, for some reason, that had Vuarnet on it (or Girbaud). It was just French cool. I have no idea what's cool now, but I expect to have some Vuarnet money with this. Are the Sharks the cash cow they were earlier in the year? No, but we are all over this. San Jose is 24-10 ATS and "Après la pluie, le beau temps." I hope that means I desire a grilled cheese with pickles inside. It does metaphorically ... and now that's happening in next 24 hours. "Florida Man dies after having forgotten to check his cheese is 4 years past date."
Though Dallas has lost in his last two starts, Jake Oettinger has been performing well in goal for the Stars. To wit: in five starts this month, Oettinger has posted a 1.81 GAA and .930 saves, though he has been betrayed by his offense in his last two starts as Dallas scored a combined two goals in losses to the Wild and Panthers. The Stars continued to look sluggish for most of Tuesday vs. the Kings, too, before scoring twice in the last four minutes to finally put the game away. Meanwhile, prior to a pair of high-scoring wins, the Sharks had played five straight unders, and Thursday starter Alex Nedeljkovic faring decently in goal this month (2.42 GAA in four appearances). Play Stars-Sharks Under
The marketplace remains a bit slow to buy on San Jose even as the Sharks continue to surprise. The win streak is three; six goals in each of the past two wins. Against Pittsburgh last Saturday, the Sharks scored four times in the 3rd period to rally from a 5-1 deficit to force OT before winning; on Tuesday, it was a 6-3 romp past Calgary when Macklin Celebrini's now-expected magic (great "spin-o-rama goal vs. Calgary!) scored twice and matched by vet Barclay Goodrow's brace. Meanwhile, Dallas has looked a bit flat lately, scoring just two goals across losses to the Wild and Panthers before scoring twice in the last four minutes to finally pull away from the Kings on Tuesday. Play Sharks on Money Line
Blanked for the sixth time at MSG this season by the Canucks last night, now it's time for the Rangers to go on the road, which has proven a sanctuary of sorts for New York, and where they are 12-5-1 this term. The Rangers have won three of their last four away, and while the offense has been hit-or-miss, defense and goaltending haven't been bad; Igor Shesterkin (2.55 GAA, .908 saves) is expected in the nets tonight. Note the Blues haven't scored more than three goals in any of their last five games, and Jordan Binnington has had a rough December in goal (we'll say...5.63 GAA, .807 saves in four starts). Play Rangers on Puck Line
Washington struggled to break through offensively on the road while surrendering 10 goals over a 2 game span. Returning to familiar surroundings should mean a renewed emphasis on defensive assignments trying to grind down on Leafs team that's really struggling to generate. I would have preferred a Woll - Thompson match-up but won't downgrade the bet too much with Hildeby. I do see this a bit higher variance so rather than laying -20 to go under 6 I prefer the + money at 5.5 for a partial position.
Quinn Hughes is a massive difference maker and I don't believe his addition is being properly factored into the Wild pricing on a nightly basis. CBJ has underachieved this year despite a renewed commitment to better team defense. My projection here is Wild -127 with Wallsteadt vs Greaves so there's enough here for a smaller bet on the road team.
Can't deny that I've been in a bit of an NHL malaise for about 10 days, but boy did we get a gift in the Blackhawks' last game when they blew a 2-0 third-period lead and lost 3-2 in Toronto for a third straight defeat. I'll have to fade Chicago almost daily as long as Connor Bedard is out (two total goals in two games without) as it's not a great offensive team even with the former No. 1 overall pick. Montreal runs super hot and cold, so we have to hope for the former. The Habs won 3-2 in Chicago on Oct. 11 and a similar score/push would not surprise here, but maybe we get lucky. I think regulation is fine.