Red Light Specials: 1/19 Edition
Good day, friends, countrymen, and all others. It’s an eight-game Tuesday with some real potential for blowouts. A horrible night for the RLS last night going 0-3, but it still wasn’t as bad of a night as the hockey fans in Alberta got. A combined 15-1 drubbing of the Flames and Oilers.
See, look at my “grass is greener” approach to the RLS today. Today is another day.
There’s something I want to mention at the start of the column today that has been all over the hockey news the last couple of days. Patrice Cormier, you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself. Not only was throwing a vicious elbow a complete lack of respect for your opponent, but your apparent lack of consideration for the convulsing victim of your hit? That’s pathetic on so many other levels. Not to get on a soap box here, as this is a betting article and not an op/ed piece of hockey hits, but what an embarrassment that was to the game. And to have a well-respected hockey man like Lou Lamariello say it wasn’t suspension-worthy? Incredulous.
Hockey is a beautiful game of skill and speed. It is a tough game to play, as many of us players can attest to. It’s a rough, violent game. I love the game of hockey, as so many of you readers do. But, when the game is bastardized in such a manner that leaves a man dead for 30 seconds and with the potential of brain damage, that is where a line must be drawn. I’m a huge fan of clean, legal hits. I’m not one of these, “we have to eliminate all headshots” people, but illegal hits like Cormier’s need to be punished to the fullest extents of severity. Otherwise, it will take a tragedy for things to change.
Anyway, apologies for the soap box. On to tonight’s picks!
DET @ WSH o6 (Ev)
Chris Osgood gets a rare start tonight against Jose Theodore, who has played really well of late. At one time, many fans had probably circled this game as a preview of the Stanley Cup Finals. Now, it’s a game between a high-flying powerhouse and a team that is finally getting a chance to play together.
Three big pieces are still missing from the Winged Wheel puzzle, but they are starting to get healthy and that means more offense from the men in red. The Capitals are on the warpath, with 35 goals over their last seven games.
Just a quick thought to interrupt here. If you get the chance to watch this game, you will probably see Pavel Datsyuk on the ice to negate Alexander Ovechkin as best he can. Alexander Semin will be around too. Now, let it sink in that this might be Russia’s top line for the Olympics. All I can do is shake my head. That’s insane.
In any event, with Osgood and Theodore squaring off tonight, I really expect a wide open game. I think this one easily ends up in 5-3 or 5-4 category.
Give serious consideration to the Caps -1.5 (+170) as well. Osgood is 2-7 ATS on the road this year.
BUF @ ANA o5.5 (Ev)
Taking a bit of a shot with this pick. Buffalo on a back-to-back and the Ducks being a team that is very inconsistent offensively. It’s a bit more of a gut feeling than anything else. It is especially hard to determine with the goalies not yet determined. It’s decent value and something that is entirely possible.
Quite honestly, guys, I don’t feel confident in advocating any other picks tonight. All of the prop bets are negative value, and the pucklines are giving some pretty poor value today, except for the very close matchups. Example A being Philly at -1.5 +150. They’re so inconsistent and it is just Emery’s second game back. Very hard to determine what will come from that game.
Good luck tonight, players!