Picks: Vote on the New Fan Favourite Pick!
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Florida Panthers +165 at Boston Bruins -185
The Bruins have gone under the game total in 6 of their last 7 games, where defence has taken precedent while their offensive powers are out with injury. The Panthers just can’t put together a consistent offensive attack, averaging only 2.7 goals per game on the season and a third-worst 13.11% powerplay. The Panthers also have the second-worst defense, averaging 3.7 goals against per game. Their shootout in Washington was an aberration to the mostly low-scoring team and the Bruins likely won’t let that happen tonight. Boston has the 6th-best defense overall, 2.4 goals against, but still struggles to put the puck in the net, averaging 2.4 goals per game. Looking for more of the same from the Bruins tonight.
Pick: Bruins -185 and Under 5.5 goals -130
New Jersey Devils +105 at Pittsburgh Penguins -125
The Devils have gone 8 straight games under the posted game total and it’s apparent lately that Pittsburgh is having trouble scoring, getting shutout in 2 straight. Not to mention that, over their past 8 meetings, the game total has gone under 6 times. Provided we see Martin Brodeur and Marc-Andre Fleury face off in this one, we should be seeing another goaltending showcase. The Devils feature the best road defense, only allowing 1.8 goals per game contributing to a perfect 8-0 record on the road. The Penguins are 5-3 at home and Sidney Crosby’s struggles of late are well-documented as well as their injury woes – the Pens haven’t scored a powerplay goal in 6 straight games. The Devils have won 9 of their last 10 and are tied with Pittsburgh, losers in 4 of 5, for first place.
Pick: Devils +105 and Under 5.5 goals -140
Nashville Predators +135 at St. Louis Blues -155
At the beginning of the season, the Predators were under-performing immensely mainly due to a combination of poor goaltending and no offense. Turning in two solid performances on their west coast road trip, in games where they were huge underdogs, the Predators finally look like the Predators of last year. The Predators have won 4 of their last 6, beating opponents like Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. The Blues, on the other hand, just cracked their 5 game losing streak with a convincing 6-1 victory at home to Vancouver. The Blues look to be clicking again with their main offensive pieces finally back from injury. J.P. Dumont will also be back in tonight for the Preds and looks to build on his 11 points in 9 games. Both teams’ offenses rank among the bottom 5 in the league but they’ve been injury riddled up to this point. The game total has gone over in 4 of the last 5 meetings played in St. Louis and based on both teams’ recently resurgent offenses, I like for that trend to continue again. This over could be a great bargain.
Pick: Over 5.5 goals +130
Dallas Stars +170 at San Jose Sharks -200
In his last 6 starts, Evgeny Nabokov has only allowed 2 or more goals only once en route to a 5-0-1 record. The Stars, however, will make it tough as they have the league’s third-best road offense, at 3.6 goals per game, but their road defense allows 3.2 goals per game. The Sharks have the most dominant home defense, 1.6 goals allowed per game and a 92.9% home penalty kill, all backed up by an average of 3.4 goals for per home game. The Sharks are yet to lose a home game in regulation and the Stars have struggled of late on the road, dropping their last two to Minnesota and Nashville. The Stars offense has also been struggling, averaging only 2 goals in each of their last 4 games. For that reason alone, I like the Sharks to shut down the Stars and build on their 6-0-1 record. The Sharks are 9-10 on the puck line this season, one of the best in the league, and 4-3 at home.
Pick: Sharks -1.5 +160
Fan Favourite Record: 1-1, -0.091
Betting results by category so far this season:
- Money Line 34-35, -19.69
- Puck Line 7-14, -5.3
- Game Totals 33-20-1, +5.48