I keep being on the wrong side of the Minnesota Wild games of late, but luckily the Hurricanes came through in overtime for a very modest profit of +0.04 units last night, which brings the season record to (74-77) for +0.58 units. I just like one play tonight, but I like it quite a bit so we should be above a unit profit by tomorrow.
Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks
The Red Wings are 9-10-0 on the road this season, while the Blackhawks, who are the top team in the NHL standings at the moment are 13-3-3 at home. The Blackhawks are coming off a tough loss to the LA Kings where they failed to score a goal so I expect them to be ready to go in this one, especially because the Red Wings are another top team that they will want to test themselves against. The Wings have won 2 games after the Christmas break, but the Blackhawks at home are an entirely different battle and I’m surprised they are such small favourites, especially considering the Wings struggles on the road this season.
Play: Blackhawks -110 (5Dimes.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
We had a positive night last night, but it could have been even better if the Wild were able to win the shootout against the Preds in a game they dominated. Overall we were 1-1 for +0.7 units, which gets me out of the negatives and brings the season record to (73-76) for +0.54 units.
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Carolina Hurricanes
The Leafs have been struggling lately winning only 3 of their last 9 games, while the Hurricanes have won their last 2 home games and have looked good. Their most recent game was a loss to the surging Penguins, while the Leafs just lost to a reeling Panthers team that had been struggling. Toronto has won only 2 of their last 6 away games and the Hurricanes should be the favourite at home tonight, but the oddsmakers have them as slight dogs.
Play: Hurricanes +104 (BetOnline.com)
Edmonton Oilers @ Minnesota Wild
Minnesota played last night, and although they outplayed the Preds they ended up losing their 8th in a row. The Wild are quickly losing positions in the Western Conference and they haven’t been dominant against the Oilers this season. Minnesota won 3 of the 5 games these two squads have played this season, but each of these came in a shootout, which shows that Edmonton will stay with the Wild in this game and the winner will likely be decided by only one or two goals. The Oilers will be fresh and should be able to take advantage of a down and out Minnesota team.
Play: Oilers +120 (SportsInteraction.com)
**This is another great opportunity to take advantage of the $20 free NHL bet at SportsInteraction.com.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
My first 2 plays of the 2012 World Junior tourney did not go as planned. The Finns looked like they were going to be able to keep the game with Canada close after they had their time out and Ruutu scored a beauty over Visentin, but then Stone scored his second of the game and the flood gates opened. In the other game, Sweden dominated as anticipated and they were covering the 5.5 goal spread when Latvia scored a late goal to cut the lead to just 9-4 and Sweden was unable to respond. This leaves my World Junior record at 0-2 for -2.43 units, but tonight I hope to turn it around with some W’s.
Finland @ USA
The USA showed they have the firepower to score goals in this tournament when they lit up Denmark 11-3 in their tournament opener. Of course Denmark is considered one of the weakest teams in the tournament, but this firepower shows that the States have the ability to run up the score in games. I don’t expect the States to do as well as Canada against the Finns in this game, but they should win by more than one goal. I found a spread of 2 at 5Dimes.com, so even if the States only wins by 2 goals the bet is a push, but I expect them to take this one by 3 or 4.
Play: USA (-2) -125 (5Dimes.com)
Sweden @ Switzerland
Switzerland was unable to score against Russia, but they did outshoot the Russians 40-30 and I expect them to surprise some people in this tournament. The Swiss have the reputation of playing a responsible game defensively and I expect them to try to tighten up the game against a more skilled Swedish opponent. Expect this game to finish with Sweden winning the game, while recording no more than 4 goals, which will result in a total of under 7.
Play: Under 7 +110 (5Dimes.com)
Czech Republic @ Canada
The Canadians showed they have the ability to destroy contenders when they defeated the 5th rated Finnish team 8-1 in the tournament opener. The Czech’s won 7-0 last night over Denmark, but I still believe them to be a weaker team than Finland and with a day off Canada should be ready to go score some more goals and put another rout on a weaker opponent.
Play: Canada (-4.5) -110 (5Dimes.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Last night continued my Christmas time prediction woes with another 2 losses, bringing the season record to (72-75) for -0.16 units. This is the first time I’ve been in the minuses this year and I’m not a fan. I’ve found two solid underdog picks tonight that should get me out of the negatives moving into the new years.
Minnesota Wild @ Nashville Predators
The Wild have lost 7 in a row, but they do have their captain Mikko Koivu back in the lineup and it is crazy how important a role he plays on this team. Looking at the other team, the Predators, they are on the other end of the spectrum having lost their top player, Shea Weber. He is also a huge part of the team generally playing over 25 minutes a game. Weber is out with a concussion and the Preds were unable to win without him against the Red Wings two nights ago. The Preds have a .500 record at home this season and have also lost two in a row. You get the feeling of how important Weber is to this team when there is talk of him returning on Friday, which would only have him sit for 2 games with a concussion, which seems very risky. The Preds are on the playoff bubble though and they know how hard it will be to win without their top player.
Play: Wild +110 (5Dimes.com)
Los Angeles Kings @ Chicago Blackhawks
The Kings were finally able to score more than 2 goals in a game on Monday, “exploding” for 4 goals against the Coyotes. The Kings will look to build on this offensive momentum into Chicago to play the top team in the league. At their best the Kings are an extremely solid team that can be considered one of the better teams in the league, however we have not seen this Kings team very often this season. If a strong Kings team shows up like I expect they have a good shot at beating the Kings tonight and at +170 odds I can’t pass up a play on LA tonight.
It also helps to make these plays when you see other bookies such as 5Dimes and BetOnline only offering odds of +163 and +158 on the Kings tonight.
Play: Kings +170 (SportsInteraction.com)
**This is another great play for the free $20 bet we negotiated for our visitors with SportsInteraction.com. Learn more about this amazing promo that expires at the end of December by clicking here.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Last night was another minus night with my picks going 1-3-0. The Kings finally were able to score more than 2 goals in game, defeating the Coyotes 4-3 at home, which must be a huge weight of the teams shoulders, but it did not help my bankroll. Tonight there are plenty more games to choose from so I will hopefully be improving upon my current (72-73) for +2.57 units record on the season.
Montreal Canadiens @ Ottawa Senators
The Habs were horrible heading into the Christmas break losing their last 5 games. They haven’t yet won under coach Randy Cunneyworth and I’m sure the Habs fans are blaming that on the fact that he is English. Anyways the Senators were playing good heading into Christmas, except for their sub par outing against the Hurricanes on the 22nd. Craig Anderson earned them a point in that game and the players are surely ready to return the favour. The Sens are simply a superior team and the Sens have been good at home this season.
Play: Senators -125 (5Dimes.com)
Philadelphia Flyers @ Tampa Bay Lightning
The Flyers lost to their HBO rival Rangers heading into the Christmas break and they’ve had to deal with the cameras following them around after that game. I expect them to be ready to go tonight in Tampa Bay against another team they have some history against. The two teams were involved in the strange game where Philly refused to move the puck against the Lightning’s 1-3-1 early in the season. The Lightning won that game, but the Flyers will remember this team and be ready to display their dominance in this one.
Play: Flyers -148 (5Dimes.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
The NHL is back. It was a long few days, but there are plenty of games tonight to get us back in the swing of things. The two losses back on the 22nd brought the record down to (71-70) for +4.32 units. Here we are after the Christmas break committed to getting back in the win column and bringing up our unit count for the season.
Colorado Avalanche @ Minnesota Wild
Colorado has won their last 4 games and although they were all at home they should take this momentum into Minnesota tonight to face a team that has lost 6 games, but is expected to get their top player (Mikko Koivu) back in the lineup tonight. This should be a tight game, but I’m expecting the recent confidence of the Avs to help them pull off a win against a reeling Wild squad.
Play: Avalanche +125 (SportsInteraction.com)
**This is another great game to bet the free $20 that I have negotiated with SportsInteraction.com. Hurry you only have until the end of December to take advantage of this offer! Click here to learn more.
Washington Capitals @ Buffalo Sabres
Washington has not been good on the road this season, but Buffalo has been about equally as poor at home so those statistics I’m considering a wash in this one. I am looking at how the Capitals have found a way to win after their last 4 losses this season and I expect them to do the same after losing to New Jersey in a shootout on December 23rd. Buffalo is on a 3 game losing streak and they’ve lost 5 of their last 6. They are clearly a struggling team and I expect the Capitals to pounce on some much needed points.
Play: Capitals +105 (5Dimes.com)
Detroit Red Wings @ Nashville Predators
Detroit lost their last 2 games heading into the Christmas break and have been sub par on the road this season with an 8-10-0 record. The Preds have been good at home (9-5-3) and have won 6 of their last 8. It’s surprising how big of dogs they are at home against a Red Wings team that didn’t look their best heading into the break.
Play: Predators +128 (5Dimes.com)
Phoenix Coyotes @ Los Angeles Kings
The Coyotes are another team that are dogs, but have been much better than the Kings of late. LA hasn’t scored more than 2 goals in a game in their last 14 outings. It’s hard to win games when you can not score goals. The Kings have won 5 of these 14 games (2 in a shootout) and they haven’t shown any glimpses of being able to find the back of the net in upcoming games. The Coyotes are 11-6-1 on the road, while the Kings are 9-9-1 at home. The Coyotes are the smart bet in this one.
Play: Coyotes +125 (5Dimes.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
This is primarily an NHL betting site with NHL predictions available every day, but with the 2012 World Junior Championships here over the Christmas holidays I’ve decided to try handicapping some games. I always follow the tournament very closely so I expect to earn a profit over this tournament. The record I get in the World Juniors will be separate from my NHL betting predictions record. There are 4 games today and from what I’ve seen the best sportsbooks for betting on the IIHF World Juniors are 5Dimes.com and SportsInteraction.com.
Sweden @ Latvia
The Swedes have the talent to run up the score against a Latvian team that is not in the same class as the top teams in this tournament. Mika Zibanejad scored two goals against the Canadians in a 5-3 pretournament win and I expect him and the other skilled players on Sweden to not let up in this first game of the tournament. The spread is set at 5.5 goals at 5Dimes and I expect the Swedes to score 8 or more against Latvia which should result in them covering the spread.
Play: Sweden (-5.5) -125 (5Dimes.com)
Canada @ Finland
The Canadians haven’t looked too sharp in pre-tournament play, especially in goal so this game may be more difficult than many anticipate. The Finns are expected to be the 5th most talented team in the tournament and they have Mikael Granlund who could easily be in the NHL as a skill player bearing down on them in this game. I expect the Canadians to pull out the win, but it should be a tighter game than many expect and the Finns should be in the game until the end.
Play: Finland (+3.5) -118 (SportsInteraction.com)
**5Dimes has the spread at only 2.5 with basically the same odds. So if you plan to bet on Finland you should definitely visit SportsInteraction.com, while if you plan to back the Canadians, 5Dimes.com is the best place to wager.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Last night we made a single play and although they didn’t look good the Coyotes managed to pull out the win. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that the Hurricanes found a way to lose, which they have been doing a lot of this season. That win brings the season record to (71-68) for +6.42 units. Tonight there are 8 games in the NHL so we have a few opportunities to win some more cash.
Florida Panthers @ Ottawa Senators
The Senators recently got Kuba and Gonchar back from injury, which is a huge help to the team as these are both top 4 defencemen. Last game the Senators absolutely destroyed the Buffalo Sabres and I don’t expect them to play any differently tonight. The Sens have been a streaky team all season and they have won 2 in a row up to this point and Craig Anderson is getting the nod in net, which is also good for the team. The Panthers haven’t been as strong of late having lost 4 of their last 6 games, and only winning their 2 in extra time or the shootout. The Senators should outclass the Panthers tonight and that should be enough for the win.
Play: Senators -110 (SportsInteraction.com)
**This is another great opportunity to take advantage of the free $20 bet we have negotiated with SportsInteraction.com. Click here to learn more.
Minnesota Wild @ Edmonton Oilers
The Wild have lost 5 in a row, while the Oilers have lost four straight. Both teams have had a very difficult time scoring of late so I expect this to be a low scoring game, but something does have to give and one of these teams will break their losing streak tonight. The Wild have shown they are capable of being a very strong team this year and still sit near the top of the NHL standings. Backstrom gets the nod in net tonight for the Wild and he will be facing Khabibulin at the other end. Both ‘tenders have been strong this season and they should help make this a defensive battle. In a low scoring game I have to give the edge to the Wild, and the solid odds make a Minnesota bet the where the smart money is going tonight.
Play: Wild +120 (5Dimes.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
I took yesterday off to focus on an exam and I am happy to say that I am now finished University. Sunday wasn’t a great day though, we lost both plays and now sit (70-68) for +5.42 units on the season. Tonight I’m only making one play in the hopes of getting back on track.
Phoenix Coyotes @ Carolina Hurricanes
This is mostly a fade because the Hurricanes have been horrible for the entire season and I’m surprised that the Coyotes are only very slight favourites in this one. Phoenix has been solid on the road all season (10-6-1), while Carolina (6-9-2) has been not great at home.
Phoenix -106 (BetOnline.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
I took the night off last night seeing as there were only 3 games on tap, but Saturday was pretty much a wash going 2 for 4 and finishing the night up just 0.07 units, which brings the season record to (70-66) for +7.62 units. Tonight is a surprisingly busy Monday so I’m going to make a few plays to try to build some momentum heading into the end of the year.
Philadelphia Flyers @ Colorado Avalanche
For those of you who have followed my picks throughout the season you likely have noticed that I often fade the Avalanche and tonight is no different. The Flyers are without Claude Giroux, but they were still riding a 7 game winning streak before being derailed by the Bruins on Saturday in a 6-0 spanking of a game. That huge defeat will likely wake up the team and they will not be taking the Avs lightly in this one. Philly is 12-3-1 on the road and the Avs are a great team for them to play against in order to put Saturday’s game behind them.
Play: Flyers -121 (5Dimes.com)
Minnesota Wild @ Vancouver Canucks
This is probably the only time that you will see a team that is second in the entire NHL, has won 7 of their last 10 games and only lost 1 of their last 10 in regulation and is 10-4-2 on the road be this huge of an underdog at a sportsbook. Especially when the Canucks haven’t even been playing that strong of hockey in recent games. Sure they beat the fading Maple Leafs on Saturday by a score of 5-3, but their previous two outings showed them losing to 2 of the league’s worst in the Blue Jackets and Hurricanes. This is the Canucks first game back at home after a long road trip, which may give them a boost, but these odds are crazy in my opinion. The smart money is on the Wild in this one.
Play: Wild +190 (5Dimes.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
