Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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01-22-21 | Oilers v. Maple Leafs -140 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 11 h 33 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Edmonton Oilers. In the new all-Canadian NHL Scotia North Division, the Maple Leafs are clearly the team to beat. There was plenty of talent on this team last year to go all the way, but a five-game series loss to Columbus in the Qualifying round was a result of Toronto not having enough toughness. They seem to have addressed that in the off-season with the addition of a couple of gritty, 6'2" players in F Wayne Simmonds and D Zach Bogosian. The offense will continue to be led by All Stars Auston Matthews and John Tavares. And the addition of 41-year-old Joe Thornton should result in valuable experience off the ice, as well as on. With their upset victory on Wednesday, the Oilers have now taken two straight over Toronto going back to last season. But the Leafs have owned this series otherwise, winning 14 of the last 18 meetings going back to December 2010. Edmonton is also a poor 1-11 (-12 games on the money line) in its last 12 immediately off of a road win vs. a division rival. Take Toronto. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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01-21-21 | Flyers v. Bruins -130 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 12 h 48 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Bruins over the Philadelphia Flyers. As expected, the Flyers have looked very good so far, with only one loss on their ledger after four games. But they've played two teams with suspect defenses in the Penguins and Sabres. And they have some players who have now landed on the COVID list as well as some others who are otherwise unhealthy coming into this match-up against the Bruins. The Flyers were already without #1 center Sean Couturier who has a rib separation, and now they may have to be without another as C Morgan Frost left Tuesday's game with an injury and was headed for an MRI as of this writing. That game was also potentially costly to Philadelphia's blue line as D Phillipe Myers was removed with an undisclosed injury and his status for tonight is questionable at best. Look for a very good Bruins team to take advantage as they go for their second win of the season in their home opener. Boston did get shutout in its last game, 1-0, by the Islanders. But the Bruins are 5-1 in their last six after being shut out, and they're 47-14 after giving up less than two goals in their previous game. Take Boston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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01-20-21 | Wild -125 v. Ducks | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 17 h 47 m | Show |
At 9:35 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Wild over the Anaheim Ducks. Despite making the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, the Wild have very little to show for their regular season success. In fact, you have to go back to 2015 to find the last time this team won a post-season series. That is the main reason there was a bit of a revamping after the 2019-2020 abbreviated campaign that ended with a loss to Vancouver in the qualifying round. Out are a pair of veteran Centers (Mikko Koivu and Eric Staal) and in comes veteran Marcus Johansson (trade from Buffalo) to take over the top spot there. The Wild also parted ways with G Devan Dubnyk and replaced him with Cam Talbot who signed on for three years. Whether or not these changes (and there were others) make a major difference come post-season remains to be seen but the team already seems to be playing with a bit of a chip on its shoulder. That chip could come in handy tonight as the Wild try to avenge a difficult 1-0 loss to this Ducks team on Monday despite winning the shots battle, 34-27. Anaheim is a poor 5-15 (-11 games on the money line) in its last 20 off a home win by one goal. Take Minnesota. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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01-19-21 | Sabres v. Flyers -145 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 18 h 41 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Flyers over the Buffalo Sabres. After back-to-back losses to a very good Caps team to open the season, the Sabres were again decided underdogs in Game 3 on Monday against the undefeated Flyers. But they dominated last night and their reward is a rematch tonight in Philadelphia. The Flyers weren't very active in the free agent market, but they didn't need to be. The biggest additions this season will likely be two players that were already on their roster as Oskar Lindblom -- cancer recovery -- and Nolan Patrick -- migraine disorder -- could give the team huge boosts as they return to the ice. Lindblom's and Patrick's returns should give young goalie Carter Hart even more confidence as he continues his rise through the ranks of the NHL's elite net-minders. But with Hart having played last night, it will be veteran back-up Brian Elliott making his season debut in this one. The 35-year-old has been one of the most consistent goalies in the league over the past decade. Despite their loss last night, the Flyers have won nine of the last 13 meetings with Buffalo going back to February 2016. Take Philadelphia. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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09-28-20 | Lightning -165 v. Stars | Top | 2-0 | Win | 100 | 16 h 54 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Dallas Stars. Game 5 of this Stanley Cup Finals was one for the ages. With their backs against the wall, the Stars somehow managed to survive yet again despite being out-shot and out-played by the Lightning. And once they were able to get the game into overtime, they seemed to be energized to a different level. Dallas prevailed 9:23 into the second overtime period on the second goal of the game by Corey Perry to stay alive and take this series to a sixth game. Like he has done much of these Playoffs, the Stars' goalie Anton Khodobin kept them in the game and you have to wonder if he has it in him to do it again. While this is a 3-2 series, the games really haven't been that close. The Bolts have out-shot the Stars in all five of the games, and they hold a cumulative advantage in that category of 175 to 135. Tampa is 64-25 (+25 games on the moneyline) in its last 56 immediately following a loss. Look for the Lightning to wrap up their second Stanley Cup Championship tonight. Take the Bolts. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-26-20 | Stars v. Lightning -155 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -155 | 15 h 51 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Dallas Stars. We cashed again last night on Tampa Bay (we've now played on the Lightning in each of their last 20 games), and won't get off them tonight, given that they might hoist Lord Stanley's Cup. Indeed, I released the Lightning as my NHL futures pick a year ago, prior to the season, at 7-1 odds, and it was one of my two favorite futures bets in the past 20 years (along with Virginia (2019) in NCAA basketball, at 22-1 odds). Game 5 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals will have an interesting wrinkle, as it will be played with no rest after a grueling, overtime Game 4 that went late into Friday night. When the smoke cleared, it was the Bolts who emerged with a 5-4 victory and a 3-1 series lead, needing just one more to clinch their second-ever Stanley Cup. Last night's defeat was painful for the Stars, who had three separate leads in the game (1-0, 2-0, and 3-2) but simply couldn't put the incredibly pesky Bolts away. And the penalty which set up Tampa's game-winning goal was questionable, too. It's not known as of this writing whether the Lightning will rest goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to go with back-up Curtis McElhinney, but we're not going to let that possibility interfere with our selection as the Bolts have consistently shown that they can win without key players on the ice this entire post-season. This will be the second back-to-back game for Tampa in these playoffs, and it won the first one 7-1 over Boston. During the regular season, Tampa was 8-3 in 11 games with no off-day. Take the Lightning. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-25-20 | Lightning -152 v. Stars | Top | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 11 h 48 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Dallas Stars. As if the Lightning's fortunes couldn't get any better, they got captain Steven Stamkos back on the ice for the first time in seven months and as if that wasn't enough, Stamkos scored on his first shot of the game. But it would also be his only shot as Stamkos didn't play in the final seven minutes of the first period and then didn't play the rest of the game, having apparently re-aggravated his injury. But it didn't matter much as the rest of the Bolts players stepped up in his absence and Tampa cruised to a 5-2 victory to take a 2-1 series lead heading into tonight's crucial Game 4. It was Tampa's most complete game of the series as the Bolts out-shot the Stars by 32-24 and out-played them on both ends of the ice, knocking Dallas goalie Anton Khudobin out after two periods. It's unclear whether Stamkos will suit up tonight, but the truth is that it may not matter if the Bolts continue to play like they have. Tampa is 46-21 in its last 67 after a win by more than two goals, while Dallas is 8-12 this season off back to back losses. Take the Bolts. As always good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-23-20 | Lightning -150 v. Stars | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 13 h 49 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Dallas Stars. After getting pushed around pretty bad in Game 1, the Tampa Bay Lightning made some adjustments before Game 2. Those adjustments paid off as Tampa built a 3-0 in the first period and was able to hold on for a 3-2 victory that evened this series at a game apiece. Tampa achieved two important things in the process of winning Game 2. First, unlike Game 1, the Bolts didn't let the Stars dictate the game with their physical play. And it seemed like every time one of Dallas' physical players -- and there are quite a few of them -- hit someone, they got hit back. Second, the Lightning were able to get to Stars' goalie Anton Khudobin early and often in building that 3-0 lead, and that could turn out to be the key to this series. It also won't hurt that Dallas suffered a key injury on Monday night, with Blake Comeau leaving the game in the 2nd period. The Stars generally have not responded well to close losses. In their last 52 games following a defeat by one goal, the Stars are 25-27 (-7 games on the moneyline). Take the Lightning. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-21-20 | Stars v. Lightning -147 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 52 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Dallas Stars. When the Lightning looked across the ice Saturday night, it probably seemed like looking into a mirror. If the Stars showed favored Tampa one thing in Game 1, it's that the Bolts will be facing a very different type of team than they saw in the last round. While the Isles tried to beat Tampa with tight checking and defense, the Stars will be using a much more open-ice, offensive style of hockey. And in Game 1 at least, they gave the Bolts a taste of their own medicine, so to speak, and came away with a 4-1 victory. The good news for Tampa is that the only real difference-maker for Dallas was goalie Anton Khudobin who had to be at his very best once again (35 saves). And while the Stars held a shot advantage through the first two periods, Tampa totally dominated in the last 20 minutes, and out-shot Dallas by a whopping 22-2 -- but just couldn't break Khudobin. Tampa is 40-12 (+23 games on the moneyline) in their last 52 following a loss by two or more goals, and 10-1 this season after not scoring two goals in their previous game. Take the Bolts. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-19-20 | Stars v. Lightning -145 | Top | 4-1 | Loss | -145 | 14 h 23 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Dallas Stars. It's been five days since the Dallas Stars wrapped up their series with the Golden Knights to reach their second Stanley Cup Finals ever (and first in 20 years). But the Lightning are fresh off of their six-game series win over a gutsy Islanders team, and if they don't miss a beat on the ice it could be bad news for Dallas. I don't expect Tampa to suffer in any way, as it's 61-23 (+23 games on the moneyline) when playing its 4th game in seven days. And, despite the number of close results on the scoreboard in Tampa's Eastern Conference Finals series, most of the games weren't really that competitive. The only thing that kept New York in Thursday's game (and some of the others) was the amazing play of goalie Semyon Varlamov who spent most of his time looking like he was facing a firing squad. If the Stars are even the least bit flat coming into tonight, it could be a long evening for them. The Bolts are 32-9 their last 41 after allowing one goal (or less) in their previous game. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-17-20 | Lightning -160 v. Islanders | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 12 h 24 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the New York Islanders. With the 2-1 defeat on Tuesday night that went into the 92nd minute of play, the Lightning have now played five overtime games since the playoffs began. Tuesday's was the first one in which they came up on the short end. In their last two OT contests (Boston on August 25 and 31), the Bolts came back in the next game to win easily (7-1 against the Bruins and 8-2 in Game 1 of this series). Tampa will be looking to make it three in a row and, by doing so, it will punch its ticket to its first Stanley Cup Finals in five years to take on the Dallas Stars. Once again in Game 5 the Bolts out-shot their opponents like they have in every game of this series, save one (Game 2) , and they appeared to dominate play throughout most of the OT affair. It was the first time the Lightning had been held to a single goal since Game 2 of the Columbus series. But the good news for tonight is that they are 43-8 in their last 51 after scoring two goals or less in their previous game. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-15-20 | Islanders v. Lightning -170 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -170 | 13 h 48 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the New York Islanders. Before the season, we tabbed Tampa Bay as our Futures pick to win the Stanley Cup (at 7-1 odds). And it was one of my two favorite Futures picks over the last 20 years (the other was my pick on Virginia in College Basketball at 22-1 odds, which won in 2019). After a dominating 4-1 victory in Game 4, the Tampa Bay Lightning are one win away from their first Stanley Cup Finals in five years. It seems as if there's little the Islanders can do at this point to stop the Bolts, especially considering that no matter how well goalie Semyon Varlamov plays, Tampa's Andrei Vasilevskiy is just that much better. Simply put, Vasilevskiy is the best net-minder in the world right now and it's really not close. Not that they needed any more help, but the Lightning got the services of Brayden Point back in Game 4. However they used him somewhat sparingly and it would show the Isles how confident they are if they didn't even put their talented forward on the ice tonight in an effort to ensure that he's 100% healthy for the Cup Finals. Tampa feeds off of dominant victories like the one it had in Game 4. The Bolts are 47-16 (+21 games on the moneyline) in their last 63 games after allowing one goal or less in their previous game. And they're also not prone to letdowns, as they're 119-64 (+14 games on the moneyline) off a win. And they're 11-4 when leading in a Playoff series. Take Tampa Bay. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-14-20 | Stars v. Golden Knights -168 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -168 | 14 h 54 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Dallas Stars. If they Knights are going to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in three seasons, then they're going to have to do it by way of a three-game win streak. But despite being down 3-1 to the Stars in this series, there is some good news. For one thing, all three of their losses have been by a single goal while in their lone victory, the Knights won 3-0. Second, they have matched or bested the Stars in shots on goal in all four of the games played and in Game 4, Vegas out-shot Dallas by 13 (33-20). They just have to find a way to get the better of Dallas goalie Anton Khudobin who has been their MVP in the playoffs. Add C/LW Roope Hintz to the Stars' list of walking wounded as he left Game 4 with an undisclosed injury and likely won't be available tonight. That's the second key Dallas Forward to go down with an injury in this series. The Knights are 8-1 (+8 games on the moneyline) in their last nine after losing two straight by one goal. Take Vegas. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-13-20 | Lightning -140 v. Islanders | Top | 4-1 | Win | 100 | 9 h 54 m | Show |
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the New York Islanders. The Isles finally put together 60 minutes of solid, physical hockey, resulting in their first win of this series, 5-3, on Friday night. A loss in Game 3 would have all but doomed New York in its quest for its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1984. The Isles still have quite a hill to climb (more like a mountain) as Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had an off night in Game 3, and the chances of him having another in succession are small. The Bolts could get a huge lift this afternoon from the possible return of Brayden Point. The dynamic young center missed Game 3 after having to leave Game 2 with an injury but he's been skating with the team. Even without him, Tampa was in the game almost the entire time and easily could have won if the puck had bounced its way in the third period. The Bolts are 12-2 (+9 games on the moneyline) in their last 14 after losing their previous game by two or more goals (39-12, +22 games, in their last 51). Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-09-20 | Islanders v. Lightning -162 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 9 h 58 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the New York Islanders. If this was supposed to be a close Finals Series with a lot of back-and-forth play then somebody forgot to tell the Lightning before Game 1. In the biggest rout of the post-season since they did basically the same thing to the Bruins about two weeks ago, the Bolts blitzed the Isles, 8-2 in a game that was basically over almost as soon as it started. New York tried everything, including replacing its goalie but nothing helped. The Isles have to regroup now but clearly they need another formula from the one they employed on Monday night. Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy didn't have his best stuff in Game 1 (two goals allowed on 24 shots) but he didn't have to. And the scary thing for New York is that Tampa generally doesn't have letdowns after games like that. In fact the Bolts are 21-9 (+6 games on the moneyline) in their last 30 after a blowout win by four or more goals. They're also 11-2 in their last 13 after a five-game win streak. Take the Lightning. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-08-20 | Stars v. Golden Knights -159 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 54 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Dallas Stars. Whatever we were expecting from Game 1 of this series, what we got was an old-fashioned defensive battle. When the smoke cleared, it was the Stars' first period goal which made all the difference in an unlikely 1-0 victory over favored Vegas. A total of only 50 shots on goal were fired in the entire 60 minutes (25 for each side). It was the exact same strategy that the Stars employed to take down the heavily favored, and offensively superior Avalanche. But if the you're Vegas, the worst thing you can do now is panic and start changing lines. When they were shut out by the Canucks in Game 6 as a heavy favorite, the Knights simply re-grouped to turn the tables in a 3-0 Game 7 victory. The Knights will get a big boost tonight from the return of tough, physical forward Ryan Reeves, who is back after a one-game suspension. Vegas is 8-3 in its last 11 after being shut out. Take the Knights. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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09-07-20 | Islanders v. Lightning -146 | Top | 2-8 | Win | 100 | 16 h 34 m | Show |
At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the New York Islanders. There's quite a contrast in the way these two teams got to this point. The Lightning rolled past the over-matched Bruins in five games, winning four straight after losing the opener and out-scoring Boston 13-4 in the final three. Meanwhile, the Islanders had a back-and-forth, seven-game nail-biting series with the Flyers, finally putting it all together in Game 7 with a no-doubt victory. And while Tampa won't get the services of its leader, Steven Stamkos back for this series (so says the team currently), it will have Nikita Kucherov (high stick to the face) ready to go tonight and that's very good news. But the man of the hour would seem to be Tampa's all-everything goaltender, Andrei Vasilevskiy. There's little doubt now that the 26-year-old is the best netminder in the game, never mind the best left in the playoffs. It's hard to imagine the Isles having much of an answer to him. The Bolts are 10-2 in their last 12 games vs. teams from the Metropolitan division, and Tampa's also 13-2 this season (and 35-14 their last 49) when they've won their four previous games. Take Tampa Bay. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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09-06-20 | Stars v. Golden Knights -160 | Top | 1-0 | Loss | -160 | 14 h 46 m | Show |
At 8:20 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Dallas Stars. While most people probably expected the Knights to be here in the Western Conference Finals, the fact that the Stars made it this far is somewhat of a surprise. It's Dallas' first trip here in over 10 years (2008) and the Stars made it by basically beating the Avalanche at their own game. But Colorado was at a distinct disadvantage without its #1 goalie, Philipp Grubauer who missed almost the entire series with an injury, leaving the team to rely on its #2 and #3 net-minders, neither of whom were very effective in the end. That's a problem the Knights don't have as not only do they have a strong veteran goalie who's been here before in Marc-Andre Fleury, but they also have one of the best in the game in Robin Lehner. This is probably the match-up the Knights wanted as they are 6-1 in the last seven meetings with the Stars, while Dallas has won just 16 of 37 games (minus 10 games on the moneyline) off a game in which they scored more than four goals. Take Vegas. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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09-05-20 | Islanders -124 v. Flyers | Top | 4-0 | Win | 100 | 15 h 58 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the New York Islanders over the Philadelphia Flyers. You can sum up another come-from-behind Flyers victory on Thursday to force this seventh game in two words -- Carter Hart. The young goaltender was outstanding when he needed to be, amidst an onslaught of pressure from a superior Islanders offense for most of the game's five periods. When the smoke cleared, and Ivan Provorov had won it for Philly, Hart had made a remarkable 49 saves and was the unquestionable MVP for his team. On the other end, Semyon Varlamov had his second shaky performance in a row so I wouldn't be surprised if Barry Trotz tabbed Thomas Greiss to be in net for New York tonight. But we've seen Hart struggle after a huge effort before, so if the Isles keep the pressure up like they did on Thursday, they should find themselves in the East Finals against the Lightning. Indeed, they've been without a doubt the better team in this series. One of my favorite stats of this year's Playoffs is that New York is 10-5 in the Playoffs, and has yet to lose by more than 1 goal. In other words: they've played well enough to have won every single game. For the Playoffs, they've outscored their foes 50-31, while the Flyers have actually been outscored 33-27, even though they've won seven of 12 games. So, New York's outscored its foes by an average of 1.26 gpg, while the Flyers have been outscored by 0.5 gpg. New York's a super 33-25 off back to back losses (+10 games on the moneyline). Take the Islanders. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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09-04-20 | Canucks v. Golden Knights -202 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 51 m | Show |
At 9 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over Vancouver. The Knights were shutout, 4-0, last night by the upstart Canucks. And this quarterfinals series is now tied at 3-games apiece. However, if there is a silver lining for Vegas, it's that they've out-shot the Canucks in each of the six games, including a staggering 91-40 over the past two games! But hockey can be a cruel sport, so the Knights are no doubt scratching their heads after losing both of the last two games. Still, if you're going to have the overwhelming number of shots on goal, you'll generally take your chances. Vegas is a solid 18-7 (+6 games on the moneyline) when playing with revenge this season, and 29-14 (+11 games on the moneyline) after not scoring 2+ goals in its previous game. Take the Golden Knights. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-31-20 | Stars v. Avalanche -131 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 8 h 16 m | Show |
At 9:45 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Dallas Stars. Like their Denver counterparts in Major League Baseball (the Rockies), the Avalanche are known for scoring. So it was more than a little disconcerting when they managed just five total goals in Games 1 and 2 of this series and quickly fell behind a very good Stars team, 2-0. But the Avs didn't panic, and sure enough, the scoring came back in Game 3 this past Wednesday in a virtual "must-win" situation. They took that one 6-4, netting their six goals on just 31 shots and gave themselves an opportunity for a new series after that effort. Unfortunately, they fell behind early last night, and lost 5-4, so they're now one game away from elimination. Thus, tonight's game is a definite "must-win." Colorado is 16-8 after allowing 4+ goals, and it's also 13-6 when playing with revenge from a loss in which it surrendered 4+ goals. Meanwhile, the Stars are a poor 16-20 (minus 9 games on the moneyline) after scoring more than 4 goals in their previous game. Take the Avalanche. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-31-20 | Bruins v. Lightning -118 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 6 h 37 m | Show |
At 7:00 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Boston Bruins. After two dominating victories, the Lighting are one game away from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals to take on either the Flyers or the Islanders. You just have to feel that the air has gone out of the Boston balloon at this point, having been outscored by a combined 10-2 in the last two games. And a perfect scenario would be for Tampa to wrap up the series tonight and have the Flyers and Islanders duke it out for several more days while the Bolts get a chance to rest and practice. Tampa is an incredible 15-3 its last 18 immediately following a game where it did not give up 2+ goals, while Boston's an awful 10-16 (minus 14 games on the moneyline) when playing with triple revenge. Take the Lightning. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-30-20 | Golden Knights v. Canucks +185 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 23 m | Show |
At 10:30 pm, our selection is on the Vancouver Canucks over the Vegas Golden Knights. This has been a back-and-forth series so far, with the Knights taking Games 1 and 3, and the Canucks taking Game 2. Last night, the Golden Knights broke out on top, 2-0, in the first period even though they were outshot in that period, 16-9. We'll play on Vancouver to bounce back off its shutout loss last night, as it's 5-1 this season off a shutout defeat, and 16-8 (+11 games on the money line) off a shutout loss the last three seasons. Indeed, its Game 2 victory was immediately off a 5-0 shutout loss in Game 1 of this series. Take the Canucks in Game 4 tonight. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-30-20 | Flyers +108 v. Islanders | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -100 | 9 h 3 m | Show |
At 8 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Flyers over the New York Islanders. We played on the Islanders yesterday as our NHL Game of the Month for August, and were rewarded with a 3-1 victory. But we'll switch gears today, and take the #1-seeded Flyers in what is, essentially, a 'must-win' game, given that teams rarely come back from a 3-1 series deficit. The Flyers are a solid 17-6 (+10 games on the money line) when playing with revenge this season from a loss earlier in the year, and 19-12 (+6 games on the moneyline) off a loss. Take Philadelphia. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-29-20 | Golden Knights -195 v. Canucks | Top | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 29 h 25 m | Show |
At 9:45 pm, our selection is on the Vegas Golden Knights over the Vancouver Canucks. As a #5 seed winning its first-round series in a slight upset over the defending champion St. Louis Blues, Vancouver was rewarded by having to face #1 seed Vegas. Many thought this might not be much of a series, and it certainly started to look that way after Vegas white-washed Vancouver in Game 1, 5-0. But to their credit, the Canucks came back big in Game 2 and won decisively, 5-2. If the Knights want a positive takeaway from that loss, there's the fact that they out-played the Canucks through most of that game and out-shot them by a lopsided 40-26. Jacob Markstrom, who was replaced during Game 1 came back and was excellent for Vancouver in Game 2 but he's an inconsistent goalie who will be the target tonight for the Vegas sharp-shooters. The Canucks are 12-19 (-6 games on the moneyline) in their last 31 immediately off a win vs. a Division rival, while Vegas is 17-6 this season when playing with revenge from a loss earlier in the year. Take the Knights. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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08-29-20 | Flyers v. Islanders -111 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 25 h 10 m | Show |
At 7:00 pm, our selection is on the New York Islanders over the Philadelphia Flyers. After a couple days of postponements, the NHL playoffs re-start today with two games on the ledger that feature the #1 seeds in each conference. And in both cases, those #1 seeds have to feel at least a little bit nervous at this stage. For the Flyers, they're one of the only teams left in the post-season that has perhaps some question at the goaltender position. On the one hand there is young Carter Hart who has gotten them most of the way here, but has shown some cracks and whose inexperience appears to be a vulnerability. On the other, there is veteran Brian Elliott who has plenty of playoff experience but whose best years are behind him. Philly has stuck with Hart so far, but he's been very shaky in two of the last four games and a poor showing early on in this Game 3 might get him the hook. The Flyers are lucky this series is not 0-2 right now, needing OT to win Game 2 after getting trounced in the first one. The Isles like the position they're in as they're playing great hockey since the re-start. And their great play has completely erased the memory of their 7-game losing streak heading into this post-season. Indeed, in New York's three playoff series, they're 8-3, and have yet to lose by more than one goal. Overall, they've outscored their opponents by 37-19, or 1.63 gpg. In contrast, the Flyers have gone 5-3 in their two playoff series, but have been outscored 20-15 (-0.62 gpg). Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-29-20 | Lightning -110 v. Bruins | Top | 3-1 | Win | 100 | 20 h 52 m | Show |
At 12:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Boston Bruins. Including the Round Robin, the Lightning had played a total of 10 post-season games heading into Wednesday night's Game 3 against the Bruins. In those 10, the Bolts were 7-3 and they had won each of those seven games by one goal. Apparently, Tampa really wanted to break that streak of one-goal victories in playoff game #11. Everything came together for the Bolts -- and fell apart for the Bruins -- in Game 3 as Tampa demolished Boston, 7-1. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that the seven goals were scored on just 31 shots, resulting in the removal of Jaroslav Halak about mid-way through and the insertion of Daniel Vladar -- the first Bruins goalie ever to make his NHL debut in the post-season. If that sounds like trouble for Boston, it is and no doubt Tampa would like to end this series as soon as possible to get some added rest before the next round. Surprisingly (for a team as good as the Bruins), Boston has won just 18 of 51 games when playing with revenge from a loss by more than three goals. The Bolts are 45-15 in their last 60 after allowing one goal or less in their previous game, and 44-12 their last 56 division contests. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-26-20 | Lightning -105 v. Bruins | Top | 7-1 | Win | 100 | 8 h 20 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Boston Bruins. After being upset in Game 1, the Lightning bounced back nicely last night to take Game 2 in OT over a very determined Bruins team. Now, with no off-day, the Bolts have to avoid another letdown. They know now that the Bruins are not going to go away without a fight and there's plenty of size on that Boston roster to go toe-to-toe with the talented and speedy Bolts. The key to this series will almost certainly be between the pipes. While the Bruins feature a goalie who was part of a Jennings Trophy-winning tandem in Jaroslav Halak, Tampa has on its side the best young net-minder in the game (and the defending Vezina Trophy winner), Andrei Vasilevskiy. Ironically by the numbers, Vasileveskiy was actually slightly worse in Game 2 than Game 1, but he was huge for his team when it needed him most. With its Game 2 victory, Tampa is now 20-7 in its last 27 vs. division opponents. Take the Lightning. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-25-20 | Bruins v. Lightning -106 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 16 h 44 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Boston Bruins. When a team goes from playing a huge revenge match-up in the first round to a very good team in the second round, they often find themselves flat. Such was the case for the Lightning in Game 1 of this series having come off of a big payback series with the Blue Jackets. By the time Tampa figured out it was playing the Bruins this time around, it had fallen behind 3-0. The Bolts were out-shot 15-10 in the first period. But after they woke up in the second period, the Lightning dominated the rest of the way, out-shooting the Bruins 27-16 in the final 40 minutes (but only managing to get two of the goals back). The 3-2 defeat was stinging for sure, but it should've taught Tampa Bay a lesson in the process. Expect 60 minutes of Lightning hockey tonight as the Bolts try to even this series. Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy had a rare off-night in goal but I expect him to bounce back big in Game 2. Tampa is 15-7 in its last 22 immediately following a loss to a Division rival. Take the Lightning. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-24-20 | Stars v. Avalanche -156 | Top | 5-2 | Loss | -156 | 16 h 7 m | Show |
At 9:45 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Dallas Stars. It's no small feat what the Stars pulled off in Game 1 of this series. The high-octane Avs finished off the Coyotes in the first round by scoring seven goals in back to back contests in Games 4 and 5 and out-scored them by a total of 22-8 in the series. Yet somehow the Stars managed to hold Colorado to just three goals in Game 1 and come away with a 5-3 victory. But don't think the offensive juggernaut of the Avs is done. They were the highest scoring offense in the regular season and they rarely throw back-to-back duds. The biggest problem for Colorado in Game 1 may have been that goalie Philipp Grubauer was playing hurt in the first period when the Stars netted three of their goals and he eventually came out of the game and was replaced by Pavel Francouz. Francouz is a solid back-up and will be ready for 60 minutes tonight. The Avs are 5-1 (+5 games on the money line) in their last six coming off a loss by at least two goals to a division rival. Take Colorado. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-23-20 | Bruins v. Lightning -105 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -105 | 13 h 0 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Boston Bruins. We're down to four teams in each Conference and perhaps no series is as compelling as this one. These two are everyone's favorite playoff underachievers (now that the Caps have won it all) since 2011, the last time one of them took home the Stanley Cup (Boston). Between them, the Bruins and Bolts have lost three Stanley Cup Finals in the last seven years and of course only one of these teams can get there this year. It's the Lightning who come into this quarterfinal series off of a major high, having beaten the team that knocked them out in four straight in the first round in 2019 (Columbus). Their mantra in this playoff run should be "No Stamkos, No problem" as the Bolts have been playing some of their best hockey of the season despite the continued loss of their Captain. This could be the best match-up for them right now as the Bolts are 19-6 (+9 games on the moneyline) in their last 25 games vs. Division foes. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-19-20 | Blue Jackets v. Lightning -171 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 4 h 28 m | Show |
At 12 noon, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Columbus Blue Jackets. There are two takeaways from this -- so far -- lopsided playoff series that could be wrapped up by Tampa this afternoon. The first is that revenge can be sweet as it was the Jackets who eliminated the heavily favored Bolts with a first round playoff sweep in 2019. The second is that a team with depth, a strong defense, and a Vezina-caliber goalie can overcome the loss of its best player as Tampa has done in the post-season so far without C Steven Stamkos. Since that first round shellacking, the Bolts have taken four of five meetings with the Jackets and look to make it five of six today while moving on to the next round. It's not like the Jackets have been a push-over as these battles are close, but it seems that the more tight, low-scoring games the Bolts play, the more they benefit. They are an super 44-15 in their last 59 after allowing one goal or less, while the Jackets are a horrid 24-35 (minus 13 games on the moneyline) when playing with double-revenge. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-17-20 | Lightning -151 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 2-1 | Win | 100 | 10 h 54 m | Show |
At 3:00 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Columbus Jackets. After a somewhat surprising comeback by the Blue Jackets in Game 2 of this series, the Lightning's stifling defense took over in Game 3. Tampa smothered Columbus pretty much the entire game on Saturday, allowing just 17 shots to get through to their outstanding net-minder (only seven in the last 45 minutes) and the Bolts won the game 3-2 to take a 2-1 series lead. Tampa has now out-shot Columbus by a whopping 159-102 over the course of the three games and if this continues then it will likely be lights out for the Jackets. In addition to the suffocating defense of their opponent, the Jackets are continuing to be hampered by the loss of several key offensive players. On the other side, with the depth the Lightning have, they haven't seemed to have missed star Steven Stamkos who has been out with a lower body injury. A lot of teams will suffer letdowns off wins, or bounce back after losses, but not these two teams. Tampa is 112-62 (+9 games on the moneyline) off a win, while the Jackets are a poor 18-23 this season off a loss, and just just 14-21 (-5 games on the money line) in its last 35 revenging a loss against an opponent. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-16-20 | Flyers -130 v. Canadiens | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 13 h 39 m | Show |
At 8:00 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Flyers over the Montreal Canadiens. Those who thought that the Canadiens' improbable run would end quickly in round one against the talented, top-seeded Flyers were in a for a bit of a shock on Friday. The lowest seeded team, who beat the mighty Penguins in four games in the play-in round, shocked Philly with a 5-0 rout two nights ago. Veteran goalie Carey Price was magnificent, stopping all 30 shots he faced while the Flyers pulled their #1, Carter Hart, after he allowed four goals and replaced him with veteran Brian Elliott. If you're a Flyers fan there's no need to panic just yet. Philly was simply flat on Friday and the Flyers have done a really good job recently at bouncing back after games like that. Philly is 7-2 (+6 games on the moneyline) in its last nine after a blowout loss of at least five goals in the previous contest. The Flyers are also 14-5 (+10 games on the moneyline) in their last 19 revenging a loss to an opponent. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are a poor 6-11 this season (and 16-32 the past 3 seasons (-15 games on the moneyline)) when matched up against the league's best teams (which outscore their foes by 0.5 goals per game). Take Philadelphia. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-15-20 | Lightning -167 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 13 h 26 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Columbus Blue Jackets. You have to hand it to the Blue Jackets. After a devastating 5 OT loss in Game one on Tuesday, you wouldn't blame them if they packed it in. But Columbus sucked it up and came back in Game 2 on Thursday and beat the favored Bolts, 3-1. Now it's up to Tampa to show that it can rebound in the same manner. The Lightning once again had a huge shot advantage in game two, 37-22, but following his NHL record 85-save performance in Game 1, Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo was stellar once again. Look for the Bolts to shake up their front lines in an effort to get back to the type of scoring they had during most of the regular season (first in the NHL at 3.47 GPG). The banged-up Jackets will once again be without several key offensive players, including Brandon Dubinsky, Josh Anderson, and Cam Atkinson. Tampa is 19-3 (+14 games on the moneyline) in its last 22 after scoring 1 goal or less in its previous game, and 59-25 (+20 games on the moneyline) off a loss. Take the Lightning. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-13-20 | Blue Jackets v. Lightning -162 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -162 | 8 h 25 m | Show |
At 3:00 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Columbus Blue Jackets. In an historic Game 1 on Tuesday, the Lightning out-lasted the Blue Jackets when Brayden Point scored at 10:27 of the fifth OT period. That Game 1 result certainly satisfied us, as we had a big play on Tampa in Game 1 (and also have it as our Preseason Futures wager this season at 7-1 odds). Several NHL records were set in that one, including most shots on goal (151) and most saves by a goalie in a game (85 by the Jackets' Korpisalo). And although the fourth-longest game in NHL history doesn't necessarily spell doom for the Jackets, it certainly lets some air out of their balloon heading into this afternoon's Game 1. It's a great boost for Tampa today knowing that the only thing that kept Columbus in the game that long was the play of its goalie as the Bolts out-shot the Jackets by a whopping 25 when all was said and done. While Korpisalo's superhuman efforts will be remembered, it's also important to point out that Tampa's Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy bought time for Point and Co. with 61 saves of his own. Tampa is 23-12 in its last 35 after winning its previous game in overtime. Take the Lightning. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-11-20 | Blue Jackets v. Lightning -166 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 7 h 43 m | Show |
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets played the only five-game series in the play-in round, outlasting Toronto with a 3-0 win on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Bolts (who were our preseason pick at 7-1 odds to win the Stanley Cup) lost their final match in the qualifying round to the Flyers (who were also 2-0 coming in) on Saturday 4-1. However you could argue that the loss puts Tampa in a much better position now, having to meet Columbus -- the only team coming in with only one day of rest -- compared to the red-hot Canadiens who ran through top-seeded Pittsburgh in four games (Philly gets Montreal now). There is also a nice revenge factor at work for the Bolts as they have a chance to get back at the team that eliminated them in the first round of the 2019 playoffs in a four-game sweep. Not including that dreadful playoff series, Tampa has dominated its meetings with Columbus recently, winning each of the last seven going back to October 2017. The Bolts are also 24-7 (+14 games on the money line) in the last 31 after a blowout loss by three or more goals. Take Tampa. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-09-20 | Blue Jackets v. Maple Leafs -155 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -155 | 13 h 14 m | Show |
At 8:00 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over Columbus. There were eight first round, best-of-five playoff series in the 2020 NHL playoffs and this is the only one to go five games thanks to a crazy Game 4 in which the Maple Leafs prevailed on Friday night. Down 3-0 with less than four minutes to go in the final period, the Leafs staged a furious comeback that took it into overtime. They then prevailed in the extra stanza on an Auston Matthews power play goal. It was just the 3rd time in NHL Playoffs history that a team came back to win after being down three goals with under four minutes to play. Of course, it's also worth noting that, in Game 3, it was Columbus which came back from a three-goal deficit to win. Thus, both teams will want to make sure they don't squander a lead tonight. The Blue Jackets have now lost 14 of their last 19 games. Even worse, Columbus' best defenseman, Zach Werenski, has been downgraded to 'doubtful' with an upper body injury. That doesn't bode well for John Tortorella's men. Nor does the fact that they are averaging just 1.78 expected goals per game in the series when playing at full strength. I look for Toronto to close out Columbus tonight with a decisive win. Take the Maple Leafs. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-07-20 | Maple Leafs -140 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 10 h 30 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over Columbus. The Maple Leafs haven't won a playoff series since 2004. And, unless they win the next two games vs. Columbus, their playoff drought will continue. At the very least, I expect the Maple Leafs to force a decisive Game 5. Tonight, they'll look to bounce back from a 4-3 defeat in Game 3 -- a game in which they led 3-0 midway through the second period. Unfortunately, they have up three 3rd period goals, and that was "all she wrote." The Leafs are now 2-5 their last seven games. But Toronto's a super 40-21 if it's lost at least 4 of its previous 6 games. Take the Maple Leafs. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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08-07-20 | Penguins -153 v. Canadiens | Top | 0-2 | Loss | -153 | 10 h 46 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Montreal Canadiens. With their backs against the wall, the Pens might turn to Tristan Jarry in goal against Montreal tonight. While you certainly can't blame Matt Murray entirely for the difficult position the Pens find themselves in -- one loss away from elimination -- and you can't blame coach Mike Sullivan for using him in Game 3 after his performance before that, don't be surprised if there is a change today. Jarry was better in the regular season and, at this point, the Pens can't afford to lose. The good news for them is that their two losses have been very close. And with a couple of different bounces, they would be the ones with the 2-1 lead. The Habs are 8-17 (-12 games on the money line) after scoring more than 3 goals in their previous game, while Pittsburgh is 20-13 when playing with revenge from an upset loss. Take the Pens. |
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08-07-20 | Predators -134 v. Coyotes | Top | 3-4 | Loss | -134 | 8 h 16 m | Show |
At 2:35 pm, our selection is on the Nashville Predators over Arizona. This has been a back-and-forth series, with Arizona up 2-games-to-1 going into this afternoon's tilt. We'll take the Predators as they're 146-92 (+54 games on the moneyline) when playing with revenge from a defeat in which they didn't score 2+ goals. Nashville's also 47-28 (+10 games on the moneyline) its last 75 when playing with revenge from a loss earlier in the season. Meanwhile, Arizona's a wallet-busting 43-60 (minus 17 games on the moneyline) off a win. Take the Predators. |
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08-06-20 | Canucks v. Wild -118 | Top | 3-0 | Loss | -118 | 3 h 26 m | Show |
At 2:35 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Wild over the Vancouver Canucks. After firing on all cylinders in game one of this series and shutting out the Canucks 3-0, the Wild stumbled a bit in game two, falling 4-3. The Wild dominated most of the third period, out-shooting the Canucks 16-8 in that final stanza and staged a furious rally that just fell short. If Minnesota can continue where in left off in game two, it should be able to take an important 2-1 lead in this series after today. The goalies haven't been confirmed for this match-up, but it's always possible that the Wild could turn to Devan Dubnyk after going with Alex Stalock in each of the first two. Eager to get his #1 net-minding job back after losing it this past winter when his wife had a medical emergency and he missed time, Dubnyk would be ready to go if called upon. And It wouldn't hurt to turn to a veteran goalie who has something to prove -- with a bit of a chip on his shoulder -- come playoffs. But regardless if it's Stalock or Dubnyk, we're taking Minnesota. The Canucks are 14-26 (-9 games on the money line) off a one-goal win, while the Wild are 51-38 after giving up more than three goals. And the Wild have controlled the play in this series this year, by out-shooting Vancouver in four of the five meetings. The Wild should once again control play in the 5 x 5 action, and produce more scoring opportunities. If they get better goal-tending play from Stalock (or Dubnyk) than they did on Tuesday, then they should win. Take Minnesota. As always, good luck...Al McMordie |
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08-05-20 | Lightning v. Bruins -108 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -108 | 10 h 14 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Bruins over the Tampa Bay Lightning. While eight teams in each conference battle for a chance to advance in the playoffs as seeds 5 through 12, the top four teams in the East and West are playing a round robin tournament against each other to determine the final playoff seeding (with regular season overtime and shootout rules). The Bruins won the Presidents Trophy and are considered the top team although that really doesn't matter in this format. They were rusty in their first game, falling to the Flyers, 4-1 on Sunday. Another zero-point effort tonight would almost make their third and final game meaningless, so the Bruins need to come out firing. The Lightning beat the Caps in their first game but needed a shutout to do it as Washington out-played Tampa in the final two periods. The Bolts were without their best player, C Steven Stamkos (lower body). The oft-injured leader won't play tonight either. Boston is 24-9 (+12 games on the money line) after scoring one goal or less in its previous game. Take the Bruins. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-04-20 | Blue Jackets v. Maple Leafs -141 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 9 h 28 m | Show |
At 4:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Columbus Blue Jackets. This series figures to be close as the Leafs and Jackets are the #8 and #9 seeds respectively in the Eastern Conference play-in round. So perhaps it wasn't too surprising when Columbus scored a mild upset in game one on Sunday. What was more surprising perhaps was the fact that the Leafs were held scoreless, something that happened just once during the regular season. Game one was a defensive struggle for the first two periods before the Jackets broke the tie just a minute into period #3 and then sealed the deal with an empty net goal in the final minute. Look for the Leafs to come out more aggressively and take it to the Jackets with an offense that was third best in the league in terms of scoring during the regular season (3.39 GPG). The Maple Leafs are 26-11 (+13 games on the money line) in their last 37 games revenging a loss to an opponent in which they scored one goal or less. Take Toronto. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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08-03-20 | Blackhawks v. Oilers -130 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 16 h 33 m | Show |
At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the Edmonton Oilers over the Chicago Blackhawks. It's hard to imagine many positive take-aways from a Game 1 lopsided loss to a 12 seed when you are the heavy favorite. But Edmonton actually has some things to build on as it prepares for Game 2 after a 6-4 defeat on Saturday. First, there's the fact that, from the second period on, the Oilers out-scored Chicago 3-2. The problem, of course, was the four first period goals they surrendered. If they can prevent another early meltdown they should be fine. Second is the fact that after veteran goalie Mike Smith was pulled following a dismal performance (five goals in 23 shots), back-up Mikko Koskinen stepped in and saved 18 of 19 the rest of the way. It hasn't been announced but don't be surprised if the 31-year-old Koskinen gets the call tonight off of that superb effort which was too little too late for Edmonton. The Oilers are 11-4 (+8 games on the money line) in their last 15 after allowing five or more goals in their previous game, and 15-6 off a loss by 2+ goals. Take the Oilers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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03-10-20 | Penguins -174 v. Devils | Top | 5-2 | Win | 100 | 11 h 25 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over New Jersey. The Pens have hit the skids, with eight losses in their last 10 games. And it couldn't have come at a worse time, as the Pens have fallen into 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division, behind the red-hot Flyers, who have won nine straight. Tonight, the Pens will attempt to get back into the win column, and will be most happy to see a 28-28-12 Devils squad which has been reduced to the role of a spoiler. Pittsburgh is a solid 58-37 after allowing more than 3 goals, and also 7-3 this season after scoring 2 or less goals in back to back games. Meanwhile, the Devils are a wallet-busting 2-8 this season off back to back wins, and 18-28 (minus 9 games on the money line) their last 46 in this role. Take Pittsburgh. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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03-08-20 | Wild -128 v. Ducks | Top | 5-4 | Win | 100 | 12 h 30 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Wild over the Anaheim Ducks. There are less than 15 games left in the season, so every game is critical for the Wild, who sit 1 point behind the Canucks, Predators and Jets in the race for a playoff spot. Anaheim, on the other hand, won't be a playoff participant this season, so it must content itself to play the role of a spoiler. So, Minnesota should have more urgency tonight, given the post-season implications. And the Wild have also dominated the Ducks here, in Anaheim, with four wins in the last five meetings. We'll look for that trend to continue on Sunday night, with Minnesota looking to bounce back off its 7-3 loss at Los Angeles last night. The Wild are 30-17 (+10 games on the money line) after a loss by 3+ goals, while the Ducks are an awful 8-19 (minus 11 games on the money line) off a win (and 1-6 off back to back wins). Take Minnesota. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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03-07-20 | Predators v. Stars -145 | Top | 1-0 | Loss | -145 | 5 h 15 m | Show |
At 2:05 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Stars over the Nashville Predators. This is an immediate revenge situation as the Preds just beat the Stars in Nashville two nights ago. In fact, they not only beat them, but they shut them out and that's no easy task. The Stars have now lost four in a row, but two of those four losses came against the Blues and Bruins, two of the best teams that the NHL has to offer. That 2-0 defeat on Thursday to the Predators -- who may not even make the playoffs at this point -- might very well serve as a wake up call for the Stars. Dallas is 19-9 (+9 games on the money line) in their last 28 coming off of a loss by two goals or more to a division rival. Furthermore, that victory was the Preds lone win in the last six match-ups with the Stars going back to April 17 of last season. And the Predators are 11-14 (-7 games on the money line) in their last 25 after shutting out their opponents in their previous contest. Nashville is also just 13-30 in the last 43 meetings here at the American Airlines Center and the favorite is 26-12 in the last 38 meetings of these two. Take the Stars. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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03-06-20 | Maple Leafs -163 v. Ducks | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -163 | 16 h 48 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Anaheim Ducks. The Leafs began a west coast road swing this week and unfortunately it hasn't gone well for them so far. Toronto lost to the Sharks in San Jose on Tuesday night and followed that up with a tough shootout loss at the hands of the Kings in Los Angeles yesterday. Tonight, they'll head south to Orange County to face the Ducks and perhaps the good news is that Anaheim is only 14-18 here at home this season. The other good news for the visitors tonight is the fact that Toronto is 5-0 in the last five meetings with the Ducks going back to November of 2017 and 13-3 in the last 16. Also, the favorite is 6-0 in the last six meetings of these two clubs. The Ducks won their last game, 4-3 in a shootout against the Avalanche, however that may not bode well for them tonight, as they're 1-7 (-6 games on the money line) coming off of an Overtime win. Finally, Anaheim's 2-12 at home when the total was 6+ goals. Take the Leafs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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03-05-20 | Maple Leafs -175 v. Kings | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -175 | 13 h 6 m | Show |
At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have won three games in a row, and two of those have come against two of the hotter teams in the League. Last Wednesday, Los Angeles beat the Penguins, 2-1 and then two games later they followed that up with a dominant 4-1 victory against the Knights in Las Vegas. But the Maple Leafs could pose a more difficult challenge to L.A. tonight as they are 9-4-1 vs. Pacific Division teams this season (and 16-9-2 vs. teams from the West), while the Kings are just 4-22 in their last 26 games vs. teams from the Atlantic Division, and 1-8 off a road win. Toronto's loss to the Sharks in San Jose in its last game did snap a three-game winning streak. But the Leafs are 36-21 (+10 games on the money line) off a road loss. Take the Maple Leafs. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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03-05-20 | Canadiens v. Lightning -196 | Top | 0-4 | Win | 100 | 2 h 52 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over Montreal. The Lightning were my preseason choice (at 7-1 odds) to win this year's Stanley Cup. They got off to a slow start, but came on strong from late-December to mid-February where they won 23 of 26 games. Since then, they've stumbled to a 1-5 record, so they'll look to get back on track tonight. The good news is that Montreal is the opponent, and the Canadiens have lost all three games this season to Tampa, and also the last five here at Amalie Arena. And Montreal's been poor when playing with double-revenge, as it's 25-52 its last 77. Meanwhile, Tampa's a spectacular 39-9 (+20 games on the money line) vs. Atlantic division rivals, 5-1 this season after not scoring 2+ goals in their previous game, and 56-24 (+18 games on the money line) off a loss. Take the Lightning. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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03-03-20 | Oilers v. Stars -169 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -169 | 15 h 52 m | Show |
At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Stars over the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers were one of the busiest teams at the trade deadline and early reports have listed them as one of the big winners as well based on the moves they made. They sure looked like it last night when they exploded for eight goals against the Predators in Nashville. Tonight should tell a much different story as the Oilers come into Dallas where they've won just once in the last four visits. The Stars were the opposite of the Oilers, opting not to make any moves at the deadline, something that makes perfect sense when you look at their current makeup, and the fact that Dallas only has four picks in this summer's upcoming draft. The Stars' defense is more-than-solid as evidenced by Dallas' top goals-against average in the Western Conference of 2.54. Unfortunately, the Stars' defense let them down at St. Louis, on Saturday, as they fell, 4-3, to the defending Champs. They also fell here in December to the Oilers, but the Stars are 17-11 (plus 5 games on the money line) in their last 28 revenging a loss vs. an opponent (and 8-4 in their last 12 revenging a home loss). And Dallas is also 14-3 at home after giving up more than three goals in their previous game, and 97-53 (+29 games on the money line) off a road division loss. Take Dallas. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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03-02-20 | Oilers v. Predators -127 | Top | 8-3 | Loss | -127 | 16 h 51 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Nashville Predators over the Edmonton Oilers. It was a quiet trade deadline for the Predators, indicating that GM David Poile believes the team can make a playoff run without any major changes. A deeper look however shows that the moves Nashville made indicate the Preds chose quality over quantity. This team was a bit soft on defense, so a veteran like the Devils Brian Boyle makes perfect sense. In fact, the 34-year-old Boyle has already made an impact and will likely continue to contribute for the Preds down the stretch. The Oilers were the opposite of the Preds at the deadline, making several deals to improve the front line and hopefully give Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl -- one of the league's top dynamic duos -- some help in the remaining weeks of the season. Whether or not the moves they made will make a difference for an Oilers team that has won just two of their last six games remains to be seen. One thing is for certain -- this has been a lopsided series over the past six seasons with the Preds winning 14 of the last 17 meetings going back to March of 2014. The Preds are 11-5 in their last 16 coming off of a home loss as well as 13-3 (+9 games on the money line) in their last 16 after allowing three goals or more in two straight. Take Nashville. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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03-01-20 | Capitals -126 v. Wild | Top | 4-3 | Win | 100 | 5 h 7 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the Minnesota Wild. It's a short road trip (just two games) but still the Caps would like to come out of it at .500 and that means they must win tonight in Minneapolis. DC lost badly in Winnipeg two nights ago, getting shut out by the Jets, 3-0, despite out-shooting the home team 34-31. Minnesota's last game also resulted in a shutout, but it was the Wild that did the blanking in a 5-0 beat-down on the road Friday night. That makes the cumulative total over the Wild's last three games a lopsided 17-5. But those three were against the Red Wings and Blue Jackets (twice), so things figure to get a lot tougher for them tonight against a Caps team which is in a dogfight now for the Metropolitan Division title. And there aren't many series that have been as lopsided as this one has over the past five years. The Capitals are 8-1 in the last nine meetings with the Wild going back to March of 2015, and also 5-0 in the last five meetings in Minneapolis. Finally, Minnesota is 1-5 in its last six games vs. teams with a win % above .600. Take Washington. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-29-20 | Blackhawks v. Panthers -155 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -155 | 2 h 25 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Florida Panthers over the Chicago Blackhawks. It's leap day today and that's perhaps appropriate for the Panthers right now who have taken a leap of faith by trading one of their core players to a rival team for a package of young talent. In an effort to revitalize their playoff hopes, the Panthers moved 26-year-old Vincent Trocheck to the Hurricanes at the deadline for forwards Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark with Carolina prospects Eetu Luostarinen and Chase Priskie also coming to Florida in the deal. Something else that might energize the Panthers is a visit from the Blackhawks as Florida has won the last two meetings of these two team going back to December of 2018. The 'Hawks had a big upset in their last game, beating the Lightning on Thursday, by a 5-2 final score. But that may not bode well tonight for Chicago who is 0-4 in its last four games immediately following a win. Although the Panthers are basically a .500 team (33-25-6), they do by far their best work vs. inferior competition, going 8-2 in their last 10 vs. teams with a losing record. Florida is also 20-11 (+9 games on the money line) in its last 31 after allowing four goals or more in its previous game. Finally, the Hawks are 18-28 (-10 games on the money line) in their last 46 games off of a road victory. Take the Panthers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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02-28-20 | Penguins -175 v. Ducks | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -175 | 19 h 43 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the Anaheim Ducks. No team re-tooled itself over the past week more than the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens added some significant talent to their offense, including forwards Jason Zucker (Minn), Riley Barber (Mon), Phil Varone (Mon), Patrick Marleau (SJ), Conor Sheary (Buf) and Evan Rodrigues (Buf). That's a total of six forwards heading to Pittsburgh to play for a club which was already loaded on the front lines. But it seems as though the pieces of the puzzle may still be figuring things out as the Pens have lost four games in a row coming into tonight -- the first time that's happened all season. A meeting with the Ducks in Anaheim may be just what the doctor ordered for the Pens as they have taken nine of the last 13 meetings, and four of the last six here at the Honda Center. That re-tooled Penguin offense should have a field day with four of Anaheim's defensive regulars either questionable or out with injuries tonight. The Ducks won their last game, in overtime, but that may not bode well for tonight as they are 4-18 their last 22 off a win, and 0-7 off an overtime victory. They're also 6-14 in their last 20 vs. teams from the East and 1-12 in their last 13 home games that had an over/under line of 6+ goals. Finally, the Pens are 9-1 off back to back road losses. Take the Penguins. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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02-27-20 | Devils v. Sharks -140 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 18 h 21 m | Show |
At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over the New Jersey Devils. The NHL trade deadline has come and gone and in some cases, it was hard to tell exactly what teams were up to. Not so with the Devils. New Jersey clearly signaled that it is playing for the future, executing deadline deals in which five solid players left the Garden State in exchange for future draft pick considerations (along with some very minor players in return). The immediate result is that things could be even uglier the rest of this season for the 25-37 Devils (although the future beyond 2020 may indeed be bright). So, it's somewhat ironic that New Jersey comes into San Jose tonight on the heels of a three-game winning streak which includes a 3-2 victory over the Capitals. In contrast, the Sharks have lost five in a row, with the last four coming on the road (including a loss last Thursday at New Jersey). No doubt they're glad to be home where the Sharks are basically a .500 team this season (14-15-1). And this has been a very host-friendly series lately, with the home team having won each of the last four meetings going back to March of 2018. The Sharks are also 5-2 in the last seven meetings while the favorite is 6-1 in the last seven. Finally, the Devils are 5-12 (minus 8 games on the money line) in their last 17 if they were on a 3-game (or better) win streak. Take the Sharks. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-27-20 | Stars v. Bruins -170 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 15 h 22 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Boston Bruins over the Dallas Stars. There are plenty of teams who made dramatic changes at the NHL trade deadline (the Penguins, Maple Leafs, and Oilers, to name three). And then there are the Dallas Stars. Taking a very obvious "stand pat" approach, the Stars did virtually nothing to their roster by the time Monday's deadline had come and gone. While it's true Dallas looks like a safe pick to get a playoff spot, the Stars are also in a dogfight with some pretty good teams in the West. Tonight, they'll visit the Bruins, who also didn't do much at the deadline. But unlike the Stars, the Bruins have a fairly comfortable points lead in the Eastern conference, despite having lost two in a row coming into tonight's game. On Tuesday, the Bruins lost at home in regulation for just the third time this season and they will look to rebound against a Stars team that they've dominated recently. In the last eight meetings of these two going back to February of 2016, Boston is 6-2 vs. Dallas. The Bruins are also 58-35 in non-conference games, and 19-11 in their last 30 after allowing three goals or more in three consecutive games. Take Boston. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-25-20 | Blue Jackets v. Wild -158 | Top | 4-5 | Win | 100 | 6 h 44 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Wild over Columbus. The Wild have played well in their first four games for new coach Dean Evason, notwithstanding their 2-2 record. Indeed, they've out-shot their four opponents, 139-107, and out-hit their foes 83-73. If Minnesota continues its energetic play, the wins will certainly follow. Columbus, on the other hand, surely feels snakebit right now. The Blue Jackets snapped their 8-game losing streak last night with an overtime win against Ottawa. Unfortunately, the Jackets suffered injuries to both forward Riley Nash and goalie Elvis Merzlikins. And they now have 11 regulars in street clothes. We'll take the homestanding Wild, as they're 39-20 (+19 games on the money line) after allowing more than two goals in back-to-back games. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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02-23-20 | Blackhawks v. Stars -188 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 9 h 50 m | Show |
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Stars over Chicago. The Blackhawks upset Nashville, 2-1, on Friday, while Dallas was upset here at home, 5-1, by the Blues. That loss snapped a 6-game streak by Dallas in which it earned at least a point in each game (5-0-1). But I love Dallas to bounce back this afternoon, as it's 66-32 off a home loss by more than 2 goals, and 14-2 its last 16 home games after allowing more than 4 goals in its previous game. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are a miserable 9-20 (minus 11 games on the money line) off a division win. Take Dallas. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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02-22-20 | Capitals -195 v. Devils | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -195 | 6 h 40 m | Show |
At 1:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the New Jersey Devils. With their home loss as a strong favorite on Thursday night, the Capitals have now gone down to defeat in three straight games. Not only that, but Washington has also lost its lead in the Metropolitan Division for virtually the first time all season as the red-hot Penguins have caught the Caps with 80 points. But despite all of the bad news coming out of DC, with more than a quarter of the NHL season left to play, there is no reason to panic. For one thing, the Caps are 100% healthy right now and are there aren't many teams in the league that can say that. Second, DC has already made one trade to shore up its defense, acquiring Brenden Dillon from the Sharks for two future draft picks. And the Caps could very well make at least one more before the trade deadline. A Saturday matinee in New Jersey to play the last-place Devils should definitely put the Caps back on the winning track. The Devils have won four of their last seven, but those victories have come against the Sharks (26-34), Blue Jackets (30-32), Red Wings (15-47), and Kings (22-39). The Caps are 8-3 in their last 11 games as a road favorite, while the Devils are 8-19 in their last 27 vs. teams from their own division. Take Washington. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-21-20 | Wild v. Oilers -109 | Top | 5-3 | Loss | -109 | 18 h 53 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Edmonton Oilers over the Minnesota Wild. The Oilers come into tonight having won four of their last six games, with victories over the Hurricanes, Panthers, Blackhawks, and Predators. Perhaps more importantly, the two losses came to the Lightning and Bruins and there isn't a lot of shame losing to those two teams these days. Their loss to the Bruins was the most recent one, and it came in overtime here at Rogers Place where the Oilers are 17-12-2 this season. They will take a step down in class tonight with the Wild coming to town for the first time since December of 2018. Minnesota is just 11-15-2 in 28 games away from Minneapolis this season, and this series has been very friendly toward the home team, which is 5-2 in the last seven meetings (including a 6-5 win by Minnesota, back on Dec. 12). Edmonton's offense has come alive a bit recently as the Oilers have averaged 3.22 goals per game so far this month (nine games). That ranks them in the top 10 in the NHL for scoring in February (fifth best in the Western Conference). Finally, the Oilers are 11-5 (+9 games on the money line) in their last 16 games when revenging a same season loss against an opponent. Take Edmonton. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-20-20 | Flyers v. Blue Jackets -120 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -120 | 16 h 32 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Columbus Blue Jackets over the Philadelphia Flyers. This is the second half of a home-and-home series between two Eastern Conference teams that are very close in the standings. Right now, the Flyers are in the Playoff picture with 73 points (3rd place in the Metropolitan), while the Jackets are on the outside-looking-in, despite having totaled just one less point, at 72. The Flyers easily won the first game at home, 5-1, despite registering only 15 shots on goal in the game. The Jackets pulled starting goalie Elvis Merzlikins and replaced him with Matiss Kivlenieks, but neither one performed well. Look for Columbus to bounce back strong tonight at home, where they are 18-11-3 this season. The Flyers on the other hand have struggled all season on the road, with just 13 victories in 31 games. Finally, the Flyers are 5-11 (minus 7 games on the money line) in their last 16 games after a blowout victory by more than 3 goals. Take the Blue Jackets. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-19-20 | Coyotes v. Stars -148 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 8 h 11 m | Show |
At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Stars over Arizona. The Stars have recorded at least a point in each of their five previous games (4-0-1), and I look for them to continue their solid play tonight, at home, where they're 17-11 on the season. The Coyotes did just win back-to-back home games over Washington (3-1) and the Islanders (2-1). But that doesn't bode well for the visiting team, as Arizona's an awful 23-56 after not giving up more than 2 goals in each of its two previous games. Even worse, the Coyotes' last win in Dallas was more than eight years ago. Dating back to 2012, they've dropped 12 straight road games here to the Stars! Take Dallas. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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02-17-20 | Lightning v. Avalanche +106 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -100 | 18 h 41 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Tampa Bay Lightning. 10-game winning streaks are difficult in any professional sport, and the NHL is no exception. But right now, Tampa has done exactly that and, needless to say it is the hottest team in the league as a result. Certainly, we don't mind that, as the Lightning were our preseason choice (at 7-1 odds) to win this year's Stanley Cup, and they will probably end up with the league's #1 record by season's end. Tonight, the Bolts look for #11 in a row at a place where they were beaten soundly back in October, 6-2. The explosiveness of the Avalanche goal-scoring has been well-documented with what is likely the best #1 line in the game (MacKinnon, Landeskog, Rantanen). But as good as they are overall, this group is even better when playing here at the Pepsi Center. In 28 home games, the Avs are averaging 3.71 goals per game -- the best such number in the Western Conference (compared with 3.41 in 29 road contests). The Avs have been riding the back of their excellent veteran goalie Phillipp Grubauer for most of the season. But Grubauer went down with a lower body injury on Saturday and likely won't suit up tonight. However, the Avs have a more-than-capable back-up in 29-year-old Pavel Francouz. Colorado is 51-38 (+14 games on the money line) vs. the Eastern conference, and it's 46-33 (+14 games on the money line) after allowing more than 2 goals in back to back games. Take Colorado. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-16-20 | Blues -105 v. Predators | Top | 1-2 | Loss | -105 | 13 h 19 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over the Nashville Predators. With a little more than 1/4 of the season to go, the Blues are set to defend their Stanley Cup Title. But although last year's Champs are leading their division once again, it is a very close race at this point with both the Stars and Avalanche breathing down the Blues' necks. You don't see many four-game losing streaks if you follow St. Louis' hockey club, but that's the current situation coming into tonight. It's only the second time this season that the Blues have lost four in a row, and they didn't lose a fifth straight back in October when in the same situation as tonight. The other factor that plays into this game is that it is an immediate revenge situation as the Blues lost to this Predators team in their last game (at home) just last night. The Blues are 23-12 in their last 35 when playing with double revenge, and are 8-2 their last 10 off 3+ losses. Take the Blues. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-15-20 | Predators v. Blues -131 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -131 | 6 h 1 m | Show |
At 3:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over Nashville. The Blues are on a rare 3-game losing streak after dropping a 6-5 decision to the Golden Knights on Thursday. Tonight, they'll welcome Nashville to Enterprise Center, and will seek to avenge two losses to the Predators earlier this season. We'll play on the defending champs, as St. Louis has gone 8-1 its last nine off three straight losses. And it's also 23-11 when playing with double-revenge. Take the Blues this afternoon. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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02-14-20 | Devils v. Hurricanes -230 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 16 h 2 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the New Jersey Devils. The Devils won their game on Thursday, 4-1, and held their opponents to just 26 shots in the process. But before we declare New Jersey's hockey team a contender once again, let's consider who they were playing. The Devils beat the Red Wings -- a team which has won a total of five road games all season -- at home, in New Jersey. And that's hardly something to brag about. Sure, if the Devils were in the Atlantic Division, there would be two other teams with worse records. But they're in the Metropolitan, and they're in the cellar there by a wide margin. Tonight they play a road game against a Division opponent which is fighting for a playoff spot. The Hurricanes return home after a very tough four-game road trip. But, when one considers the competition (St. Louis, Arizona, Vegas, and Dallas), the fact that they went 2-2 is impressive. So, not only will Carolina step down in class tonight, but it's also a revenge situation as the Devils won here in Raleigh when these two teams last met, back in November. Finally, the home team is 6-1 in the last seven meetings, while the 'Canes are 6-2 this season after not scoring 2 goals in their previous game. Take Carolina. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-13-20 | Islanders v. Predators -137 | Top | 0-5 | Win | 100 | 14 h 9 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Nashville Predators over the New York Islanders. The Predators followed up their Stanley Cup Finals run in 2016-2017 with two straight first-place finishes in their division (only to lose in the first and second rounds of the playoffs the last two seasons). But this year, the Preds are languishing a bit, currently sitting in 6th place in the Central. Tonight the Preds return home from a four-game road trip (that saw them go 2-2) for their first game at Bridgestone Arena since February 1. If there's anything that can get the Predators back on the winning track, it just might be a game here against the Islanders. Nashville has won each of the last four meetings with New York going back more than two years (February 5, 2018), including the last meeting here on October 13, 2018 when the Preds took an easy 5-2 victory. The Predators are coming into this game off of two days of rest and they are 4-0 in their last four games with at least that many days off in between. Also, the Preds have lost their last two games by identical 5-3 scores, and they are 12-3 (+8 games on the money line) in their last 15 games after allowing three or more goals in two straight (and 40-14 in their last 54 in those situations). Take Nashville. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-11-20 | Red Wings v. Sabres -230 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 15 h 4 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Buffalo Sabres over the Detroit Red Wings. The only thing worse than a bad team is a bad team with a bunch of injuries. That pretty much describes the Detroit Red Wings right now. This once proud franchise is languishing at the bottom of the league and it likely wouldn't be in much of a different position if the team was healthy. But the Wings are anything but healthy currently with no fewer than nine skaters who have missed time due to various injuries. Although Detroit will likely get two of those players back for this game tonight, this team is still a long way from competing. The Sabres have some injury challenges right now as well, but they are a much better club than the Wings and they've done by far their best work at home this season where they have a winning record (albeit slightly at 15-10-4). The Sabres were without both of their top two goalies in their last game on Sunday -- a 3-2 loss to the Ducks -- but they should have Carter Hutton back between the pipes tonight as he returns from missing time for personal reasons. The Sabres are 5-2 in the last seven meetings with the Red Wings going back to November of 2018. Detroit has won just five road games (of 27 total) all season. Take Buffalo. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-07-20 | Wild v. Stars -175 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -175 | 15 h 12 m | Show |
At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Stars over the Minnesota Wild. It seems like only yesterday that Devan Dubnyk was the goalie that could do no wrong between the pipes for the Minnesota Wild. As recently as last season, the five-time All Star was still putting up stellar numbers, with a 2.54 GAA and .913 saves pct in a league-leading 67 games. But something has gone amiss this season with the now-33-year-old net-minder (a 9-15 record with a 3.40 GAA in 25 games) and a new star has emerged in goal. 32-year-old journeyman and St. Paul native Alex Stalock is the flavor of the month it seems and Stalock was stellar again last night as the Wild beat the Canucks, stopping 24 of 26 shots. But the fact that he played last night means that Minnesota must turn again to the shaky Dubnyk tonight in a very tough match-up in Dallas. The Stars have been very solid here at home and they'll look to continue their dominance over the Wild, having taken five of the last seven meetings. And this has been a very host-friendly series lately, with the home team taking each of the last four meetings (with Dallas being victorious in the last three played here at AA Center). Finally, the Wild have significantly underperformed on back-to-back nights, having gone 3-13 in their last 16 games playing without rest. Take the Stars. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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02-06-20 | Sharks v. Oilers -161 | Top | 6-3 | Loss | -161 | 18 h 16 m | Show |
At 9:35 pm, our selection is on the Edmonton Oilers over the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks beat the Flames in their last game, 3-1, but it was only their ninth road victory (in 26 tries) and their first in their last six road games. They stay on the road tonight traveling to Edmonton and although this particular venue has been good to the Sharks lately, Edmonton has really heated up in the New Year. The Oilers have won seven of 10 games overall since January 4 and have gone 4-1 in their last five here at home. Already without their #1 Center, Logan Couture (ankle) and #2 Tomas Hertl (knee surgery), the Sharks became even thinner at that position over the weekend when Joel Kellman went down with a lower body injury in the game against the Lightning. Although his injury is not considered to be long-term, Kellman will not be available tonight. That will not help an offense that has been anemic on the road this season, averaging just 2.27 GPG in 26 games away from San Jose (third-worst road output in the NHL). The Oilers were shut out by an improving Coyotes team in their last, 3-0, however they are 9-3 this season following a loss by three or more goals. Meanwhile the Sharks are 2-6 in their last eight games following a win and 1-5 in their last six vs. winning teams. Take Edmonton. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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02-04-20 | Blackhawks v. Wild -125 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 13 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Wild over Chicago. The Wild were crushed, 6-1, at home by Boston. But we'll take the Wild to bounce back tonight. And, for technical support, consider that the Wild are 46-35 (+14 games on the money line) off a loss by more than 3 goals (including 4-1 this season), and 10-5 after allowing 6+ goals. Take Minnesota. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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02-04-20 | Hurricanes v. Blues -130 | Top | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 14 h 13 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Blues over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Defending Stanley Cup Champions have hit a bit of a mid-season skid. But as bad as their current slump is -- they've lost five out of their last six overall -- if you ask the Blues they would probably tell you that they'd rather go through this in late January/early February than in March. So, it's not a time to panic for a team which still has the best record in the Western Conference. And, if there's a match-up that could begin a turnaround for the home team tonight, it just might be a visit from the Hurricanes. St. Louis is 4-1 in the last five meetings with Carolina, and are 5-2 in the last seven meetings in the Gateway City. The Hurricanes squeaked out a home win in their last game, 4-3 in a shootout, but they are 0-4 in their last four games away from Raleigh. Finally, the Blues are 30-19 (+6 games on the money line) in their last 49 off back-to-back losses. Take the Blues. |
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02-04-20 | Avalanche -173 v. Sabres | Top | 6-1 | Win | 100 | 13 h 12 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Buffalo Sabres. What started as a very promising season for the Sabres in the first month, has gone downhill quickly after that. And it's gotten even worse, lately. The main reason for this continued slide is very easy to put into words: mounting injuries. The Sabres looked for sure like they had found their goalie for the foreseeable future in 26-year-old Swede Linus Ullmark, who was having a breakout campaign in his fifth NHL season. Then last Tuesday, Ullmark went down awkwardly in Buffalo's game against Ottawa having sustained a lower-body injury that will likely keep him out for three-to-four weeks. But their net-minder is just the tip of the ailment iceberg for the Sabres. Buffalo has at least seven other regulars who will miss tonight's game due to injury or illness and at least three of them are on defense. That's not a good thing against one of the most potent offenses in the league. Even worse: the Sabres are off a home win over Columbus, but are an awful 14-32 (-13 games on the money line) in their last 46 games after a home victory. Take the Avalanche. |
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01-31-20 | Capitals -185 v. Senators | Top | 5-3 | Win | 100 | 15 h 49 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the Ottawa Senators. The Senators notched a rare win on Tuesday, as they defeated Buffalo, 5-2. And that was just Ottawa's 6th win in 25 road games this season. Washington, meanwhile, dropped a home game to Nashville, 5-4. Interestingly, that was the eighth straight win by Nashville vs. Washington. Braden Holtby was once again shaky in goal for the Caps in that loss, and he accepted much of the blame after the game. The good news for Caps fans is that Holtby won't be between the pipes tonight as the Caps will turn to their much more consistent rookie, Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov has some stellar numbers -- a 15-2-1 record with a 2.06 GAA and .927 saves pct. -- and is clearly the goalie of the future. The question for the Caps is when will that future begin, as Samsonov and Holtby continue to share the load almost equally. Samsonov, though, was in goal in the last meeting with the Sens as the Caps took an easy 6-1 win at home, making it seven straight victories in a row for Washington over Ottawa. That bodes well for Washington tonight. As does the fact that Ottawa's an awful 0-11 following a win over a division foe by more than a goal. Take Washington. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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01-27-20 | Ducks v. Sharks -135 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 21 h 28 m | Show |
At 10:35 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over the Anaheim Ducks. If the Ducks are going to make a run at the post-season in the second half -- and avoid their second straight losing season after making the playoffs in six straight -- they're going to have to find a way to win on the road. Anaheim is basically a .500 team at home (11-12) but away from Honda Center, the Ducks are awful. Their 15 losses in regulation tie them for worst in that category in the Western Conference (Minnesota). The Sharks are in a similar situation, but actually have a winning record at home while taking just eight of 25 on the road. Tonight's game is in the Sharks' home arena and that's a good thing for them when it comes to this series lately. The hosts have dominated, taking each of the last four meetings going back to the Fall of 2018. And overall, the Ducks are just 5-13 in the last 18 meetings here at the SAP Center and 3-9 in the last 12 meetings overall. The Ducks do come into this game off back to back road wins. They beat a good Hurricanes team, 2-1, in OT in their most recent game, but are just 2-7 in their last nine after not giving up 3+ goals in their previous game. And the Ducks are also 3-13 in their last 16 games following a win. Take San Jose. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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01-17-20 | Ducks v. Hurricanes -220 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -220 | 17 h 51 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the Anaheim Ducks. After winning three straight games here at home, the Hurricanes have now lost two on the road coming into tonight. But the first of those two was against the best team in the league (the Caps) and last night's defeat was a very unfortunate bad beat in Columbus. Despite out-shooting the Blue Jackets by a lopsided total (34-18) and outplaying the hosts through 60 minutes, the 'Canes somehow lost 3-2. Goalie Petr Mrazek certainly should take some of the blame as he made just 15 saves on 18 shots. And tonight Mrazek will be watching from the bench as James Reimer gets the call in net. Anaheim hasn't been to Carolina in over a year (November of 2018) when the 'Canes lost a tough one in OT, 2-1. This will be the second and last meeting of these two this season and it's a revenge situation for Carolina which lost in Anaheim back on October 18, 4-2. It's not the best situation for the Ducks right now as they are 1-5 in their last six vs. teams from the East and 1-5 in their last six vs. those from the Metropolitan Division. And although the 'Canes have to turn right around after their loss in Columbus, they are 4-0 in their last four playing on zero days' rest. They are also 6-1 in their last six vs. teams from the Pacific Division. Take Carolina. As always, good luck...Al McMordie
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01-16-20 | Hurricanes -131 v. Blue Jackets | Top | 2-3 | Loss | -131 | 14 h 15 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is a huge revenge game for Carolina, which has lost both prior meetings to the Jackets this season. But we'll take the Hurricanes to avenge those defeats, as they come into this game off a rare shutout loss, 2-0, to the Capitals on Monday. But Carolina is a perfect 3-0 this season off a shutout defeat. Coincidentally, the Blue Jackets come into this game off back-to-back shutout wins. Unfortunately, Columbus is a poor 3-7 this season after allowing less than 3 goals in each of their two previous games. Take Carolina. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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01-14-20 | Canucks v. Jets -130 | Top | 0-4 | Win | 100 | 15 h 10 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Winnipeg Jets over Vancouver. Winnipeg was blanked, 1-0, at home on Sunday by Nashville. And that was the Jets' 2nd shutout loss this season. The first time was back on November 12, when the Avalanche defeated Winnipeg, 4-0. Winnipeg bounced back nicely in its next game, as it won at Florida, 4-3, as a +150 underdog. And that's been par for the course for the Jets, as they're an awesome 8-0 (+9 games on the money line) the past 3 seasons after a shutout loss, and also 7-1 this season after scoring less than 2 goals in their previous game. Even better: Vancouver will be playing its 3rd game in 4 nights, and it's a poor 17-26 in that scheduling situation. Take Winnipeg. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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01-10-20 | Penguins v. Avalanche -154 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -154 | 17 h 15 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Leave to the Penguins to come up with a hot young goaltender virtually out of nowhere. They did it a few years ago when Matt Murray first hit the scene and the then-21-year-old contributed to his team winning a couple of Stanley Cups. Now with Murray struggling somewhat, it's young Tristan Jarry who is the latest phenom between the Pittsburgh pipes. But the 24-year-old has lost two of his last three starts and is beginning to look mortal and it could be a case of the league finally catching up to him the way it did with Murray. So it appears the visitors will give their young net-minder a rest tonight and go with Murray for just his second start in the last 13 days. And Colorado's Pepsi Center is a tough place for a rusty goalie to get his wheels back as the Avalanche are averaging 3.90 goals-per-game here, which is the second-best home number in the league (Tampa's #1 at 4.14). The hosts have dominated this series lately with the home team winning each of the last four meetings going back more than two years (December 18, 2017). The Avs did lose their last game, 5-3, in New York to the Rangers. But they are 10-3 (+8 games on the money line) in their last 13 after allowing 4+ goals in their previous game. Take Colorado. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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01-08-20 | Jets v. Maple Leafs -185 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -185 | 13 h 17 m | Show |
At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Winnipeg Jets. Lofty expectations for the Maple Leafs this season were initially met with some very underwhelming results. Through their first 23 games, the Leafs went 9-14. But since that point (the third week of November), this team has been on a tear, as Toronto has reeled off 15 victories in its last 21 contests. This is the type of offensive juggernaut that the coaches and fans expected from the likes of John Tavares, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner. And, speaking of coaches, perhaps it was the change behind the bench when the Leafs replaced veteran coach Mike Babcock with Sheldon Keefe that made the difference as the newcomer is 15-5-1 since taking over. Matthews is second in the league in goals scored with only David Pastrnak of the Bruins besting his total of 29. The Leafs have an excellent chance to keep their fortunes going tonight against a Jets team that they've dominated lately. Toronto is 5-1 in the last six meetings with Winnipeg going back to February 2017. Moreover, Winnipeg is just 1-6 in its last seven games vs. teams with a winning record. Take Toronto. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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01-01-20 | Predators +104 v. Stars | Top | 2-4 | Loss | -100 | 12 h 30 m | Show |
At 2:05 pm, our selection is on the Nashville Predators over the Dallas Stars. The Cotton Bowl will be only the third venue in the state of Texas to host a regular season NHL game today when the puck drops for the 12th Winter Classic (Reunion Arena and American Airlines Center being the other two). It is the first time a hockey game will be played here as the Predators come into Dallas for the first time since Game Six of the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs last April. Dallas won that series (they lost in the second round) so not only are the Preds looking for some revenge from that but also from the only previous meeting of these two this season as the Stars won 4-1 in Nashville just a little more than two weeks ago. The Predators are 39-21 (+11 games on the money line) in their last 60 games revenging a same season loss vs. an opponent, so the revenge situation works well for them. They've lost two in a row, but they were both against a red-hot Penguins team, 6-4 and 5-2, and the Preds are 7-1 in their last eight (and 35-12 their last 48) immediately after allowing more than 2 goals in each of their two previous games. Finally, it's worth noting that the road teams have gone 8-2-1 in the first 11 Winter Classics. Take Nashville. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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12-29-19 | Islanders +104 v. Wild | Top | 3-1 | Win | 104 | 11 h 1 m | Show |
At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the NY Islanders over Minnesota. The Wild exploded for six goals at Colorado, on Friday, as they won their second straight game. This evening, they're back home, and will welcome the Islanders to Xcel Energy Center. The Isles lost, 5-2, at Chicago on Friday. And that was their 3rd straight loss, overall, as they succumbed, 3-2, on Monday to Columbus, and 6-5 to Anaheim two days before that. I look for New York to rebound this evening, as it's a super 19-4 after not scoring 3+ goals in either of its two previous games. Even better: the Wild are a dreadful 7-21 (minus 20 games on the money line) off a win over a division rival. And Minny's also 25-41 (minus 23 games on the money line) after scoring 3+ goals in back to back games. Take the Islanders. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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12-27-19 | Blue Jackets v. Capitals -196 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 13 h 20 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Capitals over the Columbus Blue Jackets. We played against Washington in their most recent game -- a 7-3 blowout loss at Boston. But we'll switch gears tonight, and take the home-standing Capitals against a Columbus squad which has had their number in 2019. So, perhaps the third time will be the charm for the Caps vs. the Jackets tonight in the first day of the post-Christmas NHL Season. If you're looking for a reason why Columbus has beaten Washington twice in the last 17 days (once here and once in Ohio), you can stop now. There is no rational explanation for the Caps struggles this season against an over-matched and heavily-injured Blue Jackets squad when the Caps have run over virtually every other club in the league -- many with relative ease. And, actually, Columbus has now won all four meetings of Calendar Year 2019, dating back to last season. But with the Caps being well-rested after the Christmas break, they should finally break through in this series. Indeed, the Caps shine in these situations coming off a long break as they are 7-0 in their last seven games after a rest of at least three days. And they're also a perfect 5-0 this season after giving up more than 4 goals in their previous game. Take Washington. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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12-23-19 | Blue Jackets v. Islanders -165 | Top | 3-2 | Loss | -165 | 13 h 37 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Islanders over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Islanders lost a tough one here at home on Saturday, falling to Anaheim, 6-5, in a shoot-out despite out-shooting the Ducks by a 33-28 margin. They are trying to keep up with the Caps in the Metropolitan Division, and that's no easy task these days and nobody knows that more than Isles' coach Barry Trotz who led Washington to its only Stanley Cup just two seasons ago. Trotz and the Islanders will reload tonight and welcome the Blue Jackets into town for the second time this season. New York won the first one, shutting out Columbus, 2-0, back on November 30, and that's been par for the course recently when these two get together. The Isles are 5-1 in the last six meetings with the Jackets going back to December 1, 2018, and three of those victories -- including the last -- have been shutouts. The biggest problem for the Jackets so far this season? That's easy -- injuries. No team in the NHL is more banged up right now than Columbus, with no fewer than nine regular players either out for the season, out indefinitely, or questionable at best for this game tonight. The Jackets are 1-7 in their last eight games as a road underdog and the Isles are 10-2 in their last 12 as a home favorite. Take New York. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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12-21-19 | Lightning -110 v. Capitals | Top | 1-3 | Loss | -110 | 11 h 7 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Washington Capitals. We played on Washington last night at New Jersey, but will switch gears and go against Alex Ovechkin & Co. tonight. This will be the 3rd time in 23 days that these two teams have faced off. And perhaps the 3rd time will be the charm for the Lightning tonight, as they'll seek to avenge losses in those two prior games. Tampa blew a 3-1 lead in its game two nights ago, and fell in overtime to the Dallas Stars. But if there was a silver lining in that defeat, it's that Tampa played extremely well, and out-shot the Stars 48-20. Perhaps Tampa is starting to turn the corner, as it's 5-3-1 its last nine games, and was out-shot in just two of those nine games (compared to being out-shot in 13 of its first 24 games). I look for the Lightning's solid play to continue tonight, and it will have an advantage by being rested, while the Caps had to play last night. Also, Tampa is a super 53-21 its last 73 after allowing more than three goals in its previous game. Take the Lightning. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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12-19-19 | Canadiens v. Flames -133 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -133 | 15 h 21 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the Montreal Canadiens. This will be Calgary's fourth home game in a row, and its final one before heading out on a three-game road trip. After a loss to the Penguins on Tuesday, the Flames are 1-2 on this home-stand, so a victory tonight would even up that four-game record. Tonight, it's the Canadiens who come into town for the first meeting between these two in over a year (November 15, 2018). And although the Habs have won the last three in row, they've all been close affairs (3-2 finals in each). It's a banged-up Canadiens squad which will be visiting Scotiabank Saddledome this evening to take on an almost completely healthy Calgary club. Montreal bounced back from an embarrassing loss to the lowly Red Wings on Saturday to beat the Canucks on Tuesday despite being out-shot 39-30. They could have trouble scoring on a Flames defense that is a half-goal stingier at home than it is on the road this season (2.71 GA vs. 3.21). The Flames are 8-4 in their last 12 (+4 games on the money line) after allowing more than three goals in their previous game. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are 22-31 in their last 53 (-9 games on the money line) after a victory by two or more goals. Take Calgary. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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12-14-19 | Canucks v. Sharks -120 | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 18 h 11 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the San Jose Sharks over the Vancouver Canucks. The Sharks' Peter DeBoer became one of five coaches to be fired already this NHL season. It's not surprising, as the Sharks have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the league in recent weeks, and that inconsistency has turned into some long losing streaks. They lost five straight when DeBoer was relieved of his duties and they've lost one more under new skipper Bob Boughner. That last game was vs. the NY Rangers; tonight's game is against division rival, Vancouver. And playing a team which the Sharks know extremely well -- and one which they've had a bunch of success against -- could very well result in Boughner's first win with the team. The Sharks are 12-3 in the last 15 meetings with the Canucks, and also catch the Canucks off an overtime win. Vancouver beat Carolina, 1-0, at home in its last one, but it's a wallet-busting 16-27 (-12 games on the money line) in its last 43 immediately off of a home victory. Take the Sharks. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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12-12-19 | Islanders v. Panthers -120 | Top | 3-1 | Loss | -120 | 15 h 1 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Florida Panthers over the New York Islanders. Both of these teams played the same opponent in their last game -- the Lightning -- with very different results. While the Isles routed the Bolts at home on Monday, 5-1, the Panthers dropped a tough one in Tampa, 2-1, the following night. Repeating that five goal performance tonight in south Florida could be very tough for the visitors. The Islanders have a nice 3.27 GPG average in New York this season, but on the road, they've seen that number drop to 2.50 in 14 games. Those statistics are reflected in the Isles' record this season as they are one of the more dominant home teams at 12-2-1, but barely over .500 away from the Big Apple (8-5-1). Two of the Islanders' 12 home wins this season came at the expense of the Panthers. But this will be the first time these teams met in Miami this season. And the home team has won three of the last four meetings between these two, with the last two road victories coming in overtime or shootout. The Panthers are 6-2 in their last eight immediately following a one-goal loss and they are also 18-9 (+10 games on the money line) in their last 27 after scoring two goals or less in their last two. Take the Panthers. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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12-11-19 | Flyers v. Avalanche -155 | Top | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 14 h 17 m | Show |
At 9:35 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over Philadelphia. The Flyers will start goalie Carter Hart tonight. And he's been awful on the road this season, with a 2-4-1 record, 3.78 GAA, and .849 Saves %. Even worse: Travis Konecny, the Flyers' leading scorer (28 points; 11 goals), sustained a concussion on Saturday night, and will be sidelined. To replace Konecny on the top line, coach Alain Vigneault decided to elevate Tyler Pitlick from the 4th line, which will give the Avs a big advantage when their top line is on the ice. Colorado, of course, has its own injuries, and hopes to start Philipp Grubauer, who is banged-up, tonight. Grubauer did practice on Tuesday, and will be re-evaluated this morning before a final decision is reached. If Grubauer -- who has won his last four starts -- can't go, then Pavel Francouz will man the pipes. And all Francouz has done this season is lead the Avalanche to a 7-3 record in his starts (including a perfect 3-0 vs. Eastern Conference foes). Overall, the Avs are 8-1-2 this season vs. foes from the Eastern Conference. And they are also 8-3-2 at home, while leading the NHL in shooting (11.6%; 3.7 goals on 31.8 shots per game). Take Colorado. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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12-05-19 | Jets v. Stars -155 | Top | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 17 h 29 m | Show |
At 8:35 pm, our selection is on the Dallas Stars over the Winnipeg Jets. This is the second game of a home-and-home series between these two teams. Winnipeg won the first round at home on Monday by a 5-1 final, but several signs point to a series leveler tonight in Dallas. For one thing, the Jets are a much better team at home this season (10-5) than on the road (7-6). And by the same token, the Stars have done by far their best work here at American Airlines Center (9-5) vs. what they've done elsewhere (6-9). Second, there's the fact that Winnipeg has a long list of walking wounded now, including forwards Appleton, Little, and Letestu, and defensemen Beaulieu and Kulikov -- as well as a suspension to D Dustin Byfuglien. And it's not surprising that the Jets won round one of this series as the home team has taken 7 of the last 8 meetings of these two going back to early 2018. The Stars went with back-up goalie Anton Khudobin on Monday but tonight they will have regular #1 netminder Ben Bishop back between the pipes and Bishop has been outstanding so far this season (2.20 GAA; .928 Sv Pct). Dallas historically does very well in these situations, going 66-33 (+36 games on the money line) in their last 99 off a blowout loss by three goals or more to a division rival. Take the Stars. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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12-04-19 | Blues v. Penguins -118 | Top | 0-3 | Win | 100 | 16 h 47 m | Show |
At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Pittsburgh Penguins over the St. Louis Blues. In the second game of this home-and-home series, the Pens are looking for some revenge after being soundly beaten on Saturday in St. Louis, 5-2. They may have lost two in a row now but, overall, what the Penguins have done in light of the loss of Sidney Crosby is quite remarkable. And it must be said that not only are the Pens without the services of their captain for at least another few weeks, but also a plethora of other players, some of whom are also important to their success. This includes #1 RW Patric Hornqvist (lower body), winger Bryan Rust, center Nick Bjugstad and defenseman Justin Schultz. Still, since losing Crosby on November 9, the Pens have been almost a .500 team, despite his absence and those of several others. But if there is one thing that makes the Pens feel confident about tonight, it's their record at home so far this season. In 15 games here at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins are 10-3-2. Pittsburgh is also 8-1 in its last nine (+6 games on money line) coming off of back-to-back road losses and 16-8 in its last 24 (+6 games on the money line) after allowing more than 3 goals in two straight games. Take the Pens. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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11-27-19 | Ducks v. Coyotes -140 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 14 h 20 m | Show |
At 9:35 pm, our selection is on the Arizona Coyotes over the Anaheim Ducks. Through the years, this has been a lopsided series in favor of Anaheim. Since coming into the league, the Ducks have won 48 of 81 regular season games vs the Coyotes, going back to 2005. But more recently, the Coyotes have turned the tables on the Ducks. In the last five meetings of these two, Arizona has gone 3-2 while out-scoring the Ducks. 16-12 (though it did lose this season's prior meeting). The Coyotes have not had a winning season since 2012-2013 (and not made the post-season since then as well), but they're looking to change that. Through their first 25 games, the Coyotes are 14-8-3 and sitting in 2nd place in the Pacific Division. The biggest change has been their defense and goaltending. Through those 25 games, Arizona has the best goals-against average in the league at 2.28. But as impressive as that is, it gets even better when they're playing at home. In 12 contests here at Gila River Arena, the Coyotes have allowed an average of just 1.92 goals per game. If that wasn't enough, consider the fact that the Ducks are averaging just 2.42 goals scored per game this season when playing away from Anaheim. The Ducks are 4-9 in their last 13 games (-6 games on the money line) after shutting out their opponent in the previous game, while Arizona is 10-2 at home when playing with revenge from a loss earlier in the season. Take Arizona. As always, good luck...Al McMordie
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11-12-19 | Panthers v. Bruins -159 | Top | 5-4 | Loss | -159 | 13 h 47 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Boston Bruins over the Florida Panthers. The Panthers had a big win on Sunday, beating the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, 6-5 in a shootout. While that victory is important -- as is any win on the road these days -- it should be noted that the Rangers have the second-worst goals-against number at home this season at 3.60 (only New Jersey's 3.75 is higher). And when it comes to protecting the goal at home, no team is better at it this season than the Bruins, who sport a sparkling 1.78 GAA here at the TD Center, which is tops in the league so far. The Bruins come into this game having lost three straight (for the first time this season) but they are 6-2 (+5 games on the money line) in their last eight coming off of a three-game losing streak. They are also 16-9 (+4 games on the money line) in their last 25 after losing their previous game in OT. Meanwhile the Panthers are 6-11 (-7 games on the money line) after scoring 6 or more goals. Finally, the home team is 6-3 in the last nine meetings of these two. Take the Bruins. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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11-11-19 | Senators v. Hurricanes -225 | Top | 2-8 | Win | 100 | 16 h 13 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Carolina Hurricanes over the Ottawa Senators. This is the 2nd game of a home-and-home series, which commenced Saturday, in Ottawa. The homestanding Senators won that game, 4-1, which was Carolina's fourth straight defeat (by an aggregate score of 17-7). But now the Hurricanes are back home. And they're 9-2 after allowing more than three goals in four straight games. That bodes well for Carolina on Monday. As does the fact that Ottawa is an awful 2-18 on the road after scoring more than 3 goals in its previous game, and also 4-16 after winning back-to-back games. Take Carolina. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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11-05-19 | Coyotes v. Flames -155 | Top | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 18 h 19 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Calgary Flames over the Arizona Coyotes. The Flames return home tonight from a brutal six-game road trip which featured five teams with winning records. They wrapped up on Sunday against possibly the hottest team in the league right now in the Washington Capitals and held their own, losing a tough 4-2 contest in DC. Their reward for a such a difficult road trip is that they get a home game against a Coyotes team that they've dominated recently. Sure, Arizona stands to be improved from the 39-43 record they put up last season, but whether they're good enough to make the post-season for the first time since 2012 remains to be seen. The Coyotes added Phil Kessel and Carl Soderberg over the summer (both by trade) in an effort to boost their offense, but so far results are mixed. With a 2.85 GPG average, the Coyotes are just 20th in the league in scoring and that number is even lower on the road (2.71). Meanwhile, Arizona may find out tonight just how happy the Flames are to be back home as they are averaging 3.67 GPG here at the Scotiabank Saddledome this season. The Flames are also 35-25 (+6 games on the money line) in their last 60 immediately after allowing four or more goals in their previous game. Take Calgary. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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11-01-19 | Stars v. Avalanche -141 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -141 | 15 h 56 m | Show |
At 9:05 pm, our selection is on the Colorado Avalanche over Dallas. The Avalanche have dropped their last two games. But those two were against Florida and Anaheim -- two teams that would, if the season ended today, be in the Playoffs. The Dallas Stars, meanwhile, come into tonight's game with a losing record (5-8-1). And Dallas is also an awful 2-5 on the road this season. The Stars did win their last game, 6-3, vs. Minnesota. But the Wild are a woeful 4-9 on the season. And Dallas is 9-17 (minus 14 games on the money line) after scoring 5+ goals in its previous game, while the Avalanche are 37-27 (+14 games on the money line) after giving up 3+ goals in each of their two previous games. Take Colorado. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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10-29-19 | Capitals v. Maple Leafs -120 | Top | 4-3 | Loss | -120 | 17 h 22 m | Show |
At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Washington Capitals. The big question facing the Capitals this season as they start a legitimate campaign for their second Stanley Cup in the last three years, is whether this will be the final season in DC for the core group of stars. Alex Ovechkin may have two years left on his contract, but both Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby will be free agents come the Summer of 2020. While the Caps may work out a deal for their veteran center, Holtby is another matter. The 30-year-old goaltender has been showing signs of a decline so far this fall, and the Caps have 22-year-old Ilya Samsonov perhaps ready to take over in net. The 2015 first round draft pick has already appeared in five games (started in four) and the young net-minder has better overall numbers than Holtby who will be in goal for tonight's contest in Toronto. Holtby's career statistics against the Leafs are solid, but last season he struggled against them, going 1-2 with a 3.96 GAA and .896 saves pct in three games vs. Toronto. The Leafs lost on the road to the Canadiens, 5-2, on Saturday. But they are 15-3 at home their last 18 after losing on the road in their previous game. Take Toronto. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie. |
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10-28-19 | Panthers v. Canucks -115 | Top | 2-7 | Win | 100 | 16 h 31 m | Show |
At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the Vancouver Canucks over the Florida Panthers. It's been five seasons since the Canucks made the playoffs. Last season, Vancouver was just 35-36-11, but that was actually better than they had done in the previous two campaigns. And with the changes they made in the off-season, a playoff appearance next Spring is not out of the question. The biggest off-season news were the signings of defensemen Tyler Myers (five-year contract) and Jordie Benn. Up front, the Canucks also added some versatile players with offensive upside in Micheal Ferland (Carolina) and J.T. Miller, for whom they traded a first-round pick to the Lightning. Finally, GM Jim Benning re-signed forward Brock Boeser on a good bridge deal ($5.875 million AAV for three years). There's no more cap room, but the Canucks have 16 players under contract through next season. The Panthers' biggest signing was behind the bench as Joel Quenneville was hired to handle the head coaching duties. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was also brought in, but he has some big skates to fill in future Hall-of-Famer Roberto Luongo, who retired. Bobrovsky has struggled so far and Florida's 3.60 GAA is the fourth-worst in the league. We'll take the Canucks, as the home team is 6-2 in the last eight meetings of these two. Take Vancouver. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |