It’s game 7 time with a spot in the Western Conference Finals on the line. I’ve not made any picks in a while, but I felt the need to come back and make my game 7 pick for tonights game.
Regular Season Record: 68-59 for +11.33 units.
Playoff Record: 16-14 for +1.77 units.
Playoff Series Record: 8-0 for +9.05 units.
San Jose Sharks @ Los Angeles Kings
The Sharks and Kings have each held serve in their building for this entire series. This was to be somewhat expected as each team had extremely strong home records throughout the season with the Sharks going 17-2-5 at home and the Kings doing even better at 19-4-1. In the playoffs neither team has lost a home game yet (Kings are 6-0 and the Sharks are 5-0), but that said game 7’s are their own animal. Even so I like the Kings tonight. Not so much because they are at home, but because they play a style that wins game 7’s and they have the experience in their locker room to come out with a win tonight. Jonathan Quick has been the best goaltender in these playoffs and it will be very hard for the Sharks to beat him in front of his own fans. I expect a tight game, but the Kings will find a way to win late.
Play: Kings -135 (5Dimes.eu)
The Senators weren’t able to come through for me last night with the Penguins just showing too much talent up front. It looked good for the Sens going into the second period, but too many defensive lapses *cough cough Cowen* cost the team the game. My profits for playoff game predictions are now just slightly in the positive, so a big night tonight with 3 games on the schedule is needed.
Regular Season Record: 68-59 for +11.33 units.
Playoff Record: 14-13 for +1.02 units.
Playoff Series Record: 8-0 for +9.05 units.
Boston Bruins @ New York Rangers
Tortorella will have his team ready to go tonight even though they are down 3-0. And you can be sure that Lundqvist will be on his game. The Rangers just need to find a little offense tonight to win a game at MSG and at least force Boston to close out the series at home. New York should probably bench Nash, but other than him they are a resilient bunch who won’t want to be embarrassed by going out 4 straight.
Play: Rangers -108 (5Dimes.eu)
Chicago Blackhawks @ Detroit Red Wings
The Blackhawks are in a must win situation with this game here tonight and I expect them to come out with a big effort. Overall, the Blackhawks are just a better team than the Red Wings and I expect this to show through here with their backs against the wall. Look for Toews to finally come out with a big game and lead his team to victory.
Play: Blackhawks -125 (5Dimes.eu)
San Jose Sharks @ Los Angeles Kings
The Kings have yet to lose a home game in this post season and I don’t expect them to start now. LA is 5-0 at home and have played some very good hockey in that rink. Quick seems very comfortable and the team is able to generate more offense. I still expect this to be a close game, but look for the Kings to pull this one out.
Play: Kings -147 (5Dimes.eu)
I dropped a couple games yesterday, so I’m looking for a big bounce back win tonight. The only game on the agenda is the Sens and Pens, and this series has been very exciting thus far.
Regular Season Record: 68-59 for +11.33 units.
Playoff Record: 14-12 for +2.02 units.
Playoff Series Record: 8-0 for +9.05 units.
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators
The Pens were so close to a 3-0 stranglehold on the series with just 30 seconds left in game 3, but a heroic effort by Alfredsson pushed the game to overtime. It took until double overtime for the Sens to solve Vokoun again, but Greening battled hard for the winner.
The teams will now have had two days to recover from the game 3 marathon and think about how they can win game 4. The Sens will need more stellar goaltending from Craig Anderson and I expect them to get it. Vokoun has also been great and the two day breaks are definitely more advantageous to him than they are to Anderson who enjoys playing every game during the regular season. That said Alfredsson and Gonchar could definitely use the extra day, as both are pushing the ends of their careers.
I like the Senators as dogs in this one. They have won every game at Scotiabank Place this playoffs and they really seem to play better hockey there. In fact they just seem like they can’t lose. Down by 2 goals with 8 minutes left they managed to win game 4 of their first round series as well. I see this series being won by whoever can win away from home and I don’t think that will happen tonight. Take the Sens as dogs.
Play: Senators +130 (5Dimes.eu)
It’s been a few days since my last post because I had quite a busy weekend. There are two games tonight though, and each could give a team a strangehold of the series. The Bruins look to go up to 3-0 against the Rangers, while the Kings want to bounce back after dropping an OT game in San Jose on Saturday.
Regular Season Record: 68-59 for +11.33 units.
Playoff Record: 14-10 for +4.39 units.
Playoff Series Record: 8-0 for +9.05 units.
Boston Bruins @ New York Rangers
The Rangers don’t seem to be too fazed that they are down 2-0. This might have something to do with winning all 3 of their home games in the first round against the Capitals and also being down 2-0 after 2 in that series. The Rangers were also 16-6-2 at home this season. They avoided a scare in that Lundqvist will be between the pipes for them tonight and he is the type of goaltender who steps up when his teams back is against the wall. Just look at the shutouts in must win games 6 and 7 last series for proof of that. I still like the Bruins to win this series, but I think the Rangers will get on the board tonight at home.
Play: Rangers -137 (5Dimes.eu)
Los Angeles Kings @ San Jose Sharks
The Sharks pulled out a tight one at home on Saturday and this is basically another must win for them because the Kings have been so strong at home this season. That said I expect Quick to be on top of his game tonight after feeling he was not treated fairly in Saturday’s game. Havlat is out with another injury and Logan Couture might not be 100% tonight after his leg injury last game. I like the Kings as small dogs in this one.
Play: Kings +120 (5Dimes.eu)
There are two games on tap tonight. The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers finally start their second round battle, while the Sharks look to avoid going down 2-0 at the hands of the Kings. I went 1 and 1 with my picks a couple days ago, so I’m still doing quite well these playoffs.
Regular Season Record: 68-59 for +11.33 units.
Playoff Record: 12-10 for +2.39 units.
Playoff Series Record: 8-0 for +9.05 units.
New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins
The Rangers and Bruins have each had a couple days rest to relax after their tough first round series’, but now it is back to work in Beantown. I think game 7 against the Maple Leafs might have awoken the beast that is the Boston Bruins when they play their best. The Seguin, Marchand and Bergeron line scored the OT winner and if that line can get going against the Rangers the Bruins are in good shape. I just don’t like Nash or Richards at all in these playoffs and they have to step up if the Rangers are going to advance. Richards should find something in his experience, but Nash had never won a playoff game until this year and it has showed. He’s just not as good as everyone expects. Lundqvist could always steal games in this one, but I thin the Bruins can get him off his game with lots of traffic and banging around the crease.
Play: Bruins -124 (5Dimes.eu)
San Jose Sharks @ LA Kings
The Sharks now will be without Raffi Torres in this game and I think he has been a big part of their team in these playoffs. Martin Havlat has been ruled out for this game as well and it is going to be hard for the Sharks to generate any offense against this stingy Kings team. I like the Kings to win this one at home again and extend their winning streak to 6 games. I think the Sharks have the ability to get back in this series, but they will have to do so at home and hopefully with the help of Martin Havlat.
Play: Kings -145 (5Dimes.eu)
The Maple Leafs completely choked in the third period yesterday against the Bruins and the Capitals never showed up, so both of my picks from yesterday were losers. That said I went 8 for 8 in my series predictions and you can check out the round two picks here.
Regular Season Record: 68-59 for +11.33 units.
Playoff Record: 11-9 for +2.39 units.
Playoff Series Record: 8-0 for +9.05 units.
Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins
The Senators and Penguins meet for the fourth time in 7 years in the playoffs. The Penguins swept the Sens in the season series, but each game was a battle. I expect Karlsson to come out and play much better than he did against the Canadiens. He did score 6 points in 5 games in the first round series, but by no means was he at his best. I think he will be out for blood in this game, his first against the Penguins since Cooke cut his achilles, but instead of hurting the Pens physically he will aim to do so on the scoreboard. If he can keep his emotions in check I expect a big game from Karlsson.
Anderson hasn’t played in 5 days and this can sometimes take him off his game because he likes to play very often. That said I don’t think the Senators have anything to worry about in goal. I like Bylsma’s decision to stick with Vokoun, but you can bet that after one bad game they will go back to Fleury. I just think the odds are too good to pass up on the Senators in this game. They are well rested and will be ready to go against this strong Pens team.
Play: Senators +185 (SportsInteraction.com)
San Jose Sharks @ Los Angeles Kings
The Sharks haven’t played in a week and this lengthy break may cause them to be a little shaky. The Kings have found their game and have played some great hockey finishing off the Blues on Saturday. They have had a bit of rest, but should be ready to pick up right where they left off. I also like the Kings because they have looked good at home. They won all three home games against the Blues and were 19-4-1 at home in the regular season, for the best home record in the league.
Play: Kings -150 (5Dimes.eu)
I went 8 for 8 in my round 1 predictions and I’m looking to continue this hot streak throughout these NHL playoffs. So far everything that I thought was going to happen has so I’m going to stick with what I had predicted for this round in my original NHL bracket. There have been a few minor changes in my thoughts, but I will address these in each of the picks outlined below.
One interesting note from the first round is that only 3 of 8 higher seeds won their first round match ups. This shows that home ice advantage may not mean as much in the playoffs (it was very important in the regular season) and that the NHL is such an even league that anything can happen.
(1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (7) Ottawa Senators
Sens fans like myself were hoping Tavares and company could pull off the major first round upset, but it wasn’t to be. Now taking out the favorites falls on the Ottawa Senators. The Sens do have a team that is capable of defeating the Penguins though. They have solid goaltending and big defensemen who can stand up to the up front size of the Penguins. I would give the Sens the edge in both defense and goaltending. The issue arises when you look at the teams forward corps. Malkin, Crosby, Iginla, Neal, Kunitz, Dupis, Morrow, etc are by far the best forward group in hockey right now. If the Senators are going to win they cannot allow over 4 goals a game like the Islanders did.
The odds aren’t as much in favour as the Penguins this round as they were last round against the Islanders, but I’m taking the Sens. Only a 1 star pick though.
Play: Senators +251 (PinnacleSports.com)
(4) Boston Bruins vs (6) New York Rangers
The Bruins and Rangers were each pushed to the brink last round, but came through in game 7. The Bruins showed a gutsy performance coming back from 4-1 down with under 10 minutes left in the third period to win in overtime. I think that game will have awaken the beast in Boston and the team will start to play with more jump. Marchand and Seguin in particular need to step up if they are going to defeat the Rangers.
On the other side of the coin the Rangers need better performances from Brad Richards and Rich Nash in particular.
I see the Bruins stars improvement being more likely than the Rangers so I like the Bruins in this series.
Play: Bruins (odds expected to be around -140…will update)
(1) Chicago Blackhawks vs (7) Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings were able to pull out a 7 game win over the Ducks thanks to their star players, but that won’t be the case against the Blackhawks. The Wings don’t have the energy to get into the latter stages of the playoffs anymore and coming up against a stronger team will make it that much more difficult. The Blackhawks have everything going for them in this series and they should make light work of the Wings.
Play: Blackhawks -269 (PinnacleSports.com)
(5) Los Angeles Kings vs (6) San Jose Sharks
The Kings and Sharks are both on four game winning streaks, but the Kings did have to play an extra two games in that first round series. The Kings look to be playing like the Stanley Cup Champs from last year and Jonathan Quick has been stellar in goal after a shaky start to the series. The one thing going against the Kings may be that they had an incredible battle against the Blues that would have taken a lot out of any team. The Sharks on the other hand made quick work of the Canucks who weren’t playing like a team in the playoffs.
I had the Sharks winning this series in my bracket, but I think I’m going to make a switch and take the Kings in this one. They really stepped up against a solid team, while the Canucks weren’t much of a test for the Sharks.
Play: Kings -140 (5Dimes.eu)
I was away for the weekend so I didn’t get any picks up for last nights games. That said, on Friday I went 2 for 3 to add some more profit to my playoff record. Tonight the Caps and Rangers, and the Leafs and Bruins battle it out in one game winner take all series’ to see which teams face off in the next round.
Regular Season Record: 68-59 for +11.33 units.
Playoff Record: 11-7 for +4.65 units.
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Boston Bruins
The Maple Leafs have outplayed the Bruins in the majority of this series. They are riding a two game winning streak into tonights game. Reimer has played very well. The back to back games should benefit the younger Maple Leafs team. The Bruins had to delay their flight back to Boston until this morning because of airplane problems. These are all reasons why the Maple Leafs should have a slight edge tonight. The only benefit the Bruins have is their experience, which cannot be overlooked. That said at these odds you have to take the Maple Leafs tonight to finish the comeback and beat the Bruins in 7.
Play: Maple Leafs +160 (5Dimes.eu)
New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals
The home team has won each of the 6 games in this series and I expect that to continue tonight. Last year when these teams met up the home team won 5 of the 7 games. That means that in the last two playoffs the home team has won 11 of 13 games between these two. Lundqvist does have the ability to steal the game, but Holtby has played well and if Ovechkin and company can get a couple goals that could be enough to win the game. I like the Caps to advance tonight.
Play: Capitals -126 (5Dimes.eu)
I just got back from Montreal after staying and hitting the bars after the big Senators win. I had some extra money to use after also taking the Senators to finish off the series last night. Vokoun also played how I expected, which won us the under bet in that game.
Regular Season Record: 68-59 for +11.33 units.
Playoff Record: 9-6 for +3.92 units.
There is a full four game schedule tonight with plenty of teams with the chance to close out their series.
New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals
The Rangers need to win a road game if they are going to win this series, but I don’t think that will happen tonight. The Caps will be happy to be back home where they’ve played much better this season. The Rangers also haven’t been great on the road. I expect the Caps to get back in the win column and take back control of this series in front of their home fans.
Play: Capitals -133 (5Dimes)
Anaheim Ducks @ Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings are going to have to put Wednesday’s game behind them quickly if they want to stay alive in these playoffs. I expect them to be able to do this and I expect a big effort from the Red Wings tonight. They’ve already won 4 must win games this year to close out the season and now they have their backs to the wall once again. There are so many solid veterans on this team that they should be able to win at home and force a game 7.
Play: Red Wings -123 (5Dimes.eu)
St. Louis Blues @ Los Angeles Kings
The Blues and Kings have gone over 4.5 in their last two games and it is very rare to see a total this low. Elimination games have the potential to get out of hand and if the Kings can score early you can expect a few pucks to find the back of the net. Even if the game is tight there is the chance of it finishing 2-2 after regulation, in which case the bet wins. There are just a lot of reasons this bet could go right and only a few why it could go wrong.
Play: Over 4.5 -127 (5Dimes.eu)
I was at the Senators game on Tuesday, which is why I wasn’t able to get my picks up yesterday: lots of celebrating was done. I’m heading to MTL for game 5 in that series today as well so I likely won’t get any picks up tomorrow. That means tonight has to be a winning one.
Regular Season Record: 68-59 for +11.33 units.
Playoff Record: 7-6 for +1.78 units.
Ottawa Senators @ Montreal Canadiens
As I mentioned I was at the Sens game on Thursday and was amazed how they came back to win that game in overtime. Tonight they head to Montreal and you can be sure Paul Maclean will have the team ready to end this series tonight. Carey Price will likely not get the nod in net after it looked like he could have seriously hurt himself at the end of the third period in game 4. That said Peter Budaj had an 8-1-1 record in the regular season and will be much better if he starts than he was coming in cold for overtime the other night. I still like the Senators in this one though. They are only very slight dogs in this one, but Gionta and Price are out of the lineup and I don’t see the Sens not taking advantage of this like they did in Game 2.
Play: Senators +114 (5Dimes.eu)
New York Islanders @ Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are finally going with Vokoun in net. In my opinion he is a much better goaltender than Fleury and this should keep the total number of goals in the game down. It is extremely rare to see over/unders of 6 goals, but the Penguins have made a habit of both scoring a lot and giving up plenty in the playoffs. That said when you find an over/under of 6 in the NHL it is hard to pass up the under. I’m banking on Vokoun keeping the Islanders to 2 or fewer goals tonight, so the Pens would have to score 5 plus for this bet to lose.
Play: Under 6 -105 (SportsInteraction.com)
