Picks: Vote on the New Fan Favourite Pick!

Updated: November 11, 2009 at 1:29 pm by Matt Bennett

We’re kicking off a new feature this week that allows you to vote on which pick you think is the best one of the night! Make sure you come back and vote every day and we’ll keep a running total for how successful the fan favourite pick does. We’re looking to harness the power of the crowd and establish a solid bet that we can count on!

Looking for a great sportsbook site to place your bets? I use and trust Bodog to place my hockey bets but if you are looking for a site where you can bet for free, try CentSports. You always have a minimum of 10 cents to start off and let you bet on the NHL and other sports. When you increase your balance, you are eligible to cash out! Remember that I post these picks for fun and I encourage you to do the same (i.e. don’t bet what you can’t afford to lose). All lines are provided by Bodog and are current at the time of posting.

Pittsburgh Penguins +110 at Boston Bruins -130

The Pens seemed to finally let their injuries catch up to them at the end of their West Coast road trip, dropping games to LA and San Jose – allowing 5 goals in each. Pittsburgh finds themselves back in their comfort zone in the East (9-1 against Eastern Conference opponents) against the Bruins. David Krejci might be back for the Bruins, but they could be without Michael Ryder, as they need as much help on offense as they can get. They scored 4 goals against Buffalo on Saturday but that was against Jhonas Enroth making his NHL debut. Prior to that, the Bruins scored only 4 goals in 5 games. Provided we see Tim Thomas match up against Marc-Andre Fleury, this game should lean towards the under as Boston features the 8th-ranked defense and Pittsburgh features the 9th. Both teams’ offenses are hampered by injuries and it is taking a noticeable effect on their scoring abilities lately. Penguins at +110 is tempting as they haven’t shown any success as an underdog, going 2-2, but looks comparable to Boston’s 5-5 record as a favourite.
Pick: Under 5.5 goals -125

Minnesota Wild +120 at Toronto Maple Leafs -140

No team scores fewer goals on the road than the Minnesota Wild, only averaging 1.7 goals for in 9 road games, of which they’ve just recently won their first (against Pittsburgh). The Wild have, however, won 3 of their last 5 games but barely scraped by in each of their victories, only winning by 1 goal in each. The Leafs have an unreal amount of confidence in front of the Monster to which nobody can explain, and are riding a 7-game point streak (3 wins). It’s strange seeing the Leafs as favourites but you can’t argue against the fact that Jonas Gustavsson provides the best opportunity for them to win as each game he started and was credited with a loss (including OTL) has been a 1-goal game. The Leafs have scored a powerplay goal in each of their last 4 games, contributing to their league-best 27% powerplay, but could have a difficult time converting against the Wild penalty kill, 92.1% on the road (league-best). Ask me a week ago if I thought the Leafs had a chance to win 3 straight and I would’ve laughed at you (along with many others) but they have the hot hand right now after a solid effort in their first home win on the season.
Pick: Leafs -140

Calgary Flames -120 at Montreal Canadiens +100

The Flames are riding a 3 game win streak and looked great disposing of the Rangers on Saturday. Montreal, however, was unable to crack Antero Niittymaki – only scoring 1 goal on 37 shots – and Carey Price followed up his best effort of the year, a 42-save 2-1 win over Boston, with an 18-save 3-1 loss. The Flames have the 3rd-best offense in the league, averaging 3.5 goals per game, and have only allowed 4 goals in their last 3 games (2 on the road). The Habs have only won 2 of their last 6 games, getting outscored 22-15 over that stretch. The Habs haven’t beaten a Western Conference team yet this year (0-5) and only have a 5-4 record at home. The Flames feature a 4-1-1 road record and are 2-0 against Eastern Conference opponents, including a thrilling 4-3 victory in October.
Pick: Flames -120

Nashville Predators +215 at San Jose Sharks -260

Can the Predators come up big as a huge underdog again? Don’t count on it. The Kings now appear to be slumping and Nashville caught them at the right time. The Sharks, however, are the hottest team in the league, winning 7 of their last 8 and coming off a convincing 5-0 victory over the Penguins. Nashville is still the second-lowest scoring team in the league, averaging only 2.1 goals per game and 2.9 goals allowed. San Jose’s defense is pure domination at home, averaging a league-best 1.3 goals against and 92.3% penalty kill on home-ice – not to overshadow their 5th-best offense (overall) averaging 3.4 goals per game. San Jose will also benefit from scorer Devin Setoguchi returning from his leg injury. Sharks should have no problem on the puck line, even if the Sharks choose to give the start to Greiss.
Pick: Sharks -1.5 +110

Fan Favourite Record: Nothing Yet! Make sure to get your votes in every day!

Betting results by category so far this season: