It was a rough night for us on Tuesday with the Bruins and Leafs showing no signs of rust playing their second of back to back games. Tonight I looked at the odds and was very surprised at what I saw. Many teams that would be favourites or big favourites in my books were either dogs or given a slight edge. See what I mean below:
Vancouver Canucks @ New York Rangers
The Canucks have been by far the hottest team in the NHL over the past quarter of the season. The stats are simply amazing. The Canucks have only lost 1 of their last 22 games in regulation. They are actually currently on a 17 game streak of retaining at least 1 point from each game played. They’ve won 9 of their last 10 and have shown no signs of stopping. The Rangers on the other hand, have been playing fairly average hockey, winning 5 of their last 10, but their success has not come at home this season (10-9-2). Expect the Canucks to add another win to their tally. I was expecting the Canucks to be big favourites, but you can bet them at just -120.
My Pick: Vancouver Canucks -120 (Sportsbook.com)
Ottawa Senators @ New York Islanders
When I looked at the line earlier today and saw that the Senators were slight -115 favourites at Bookmaker.com I was surprised and expected to be placing a wager on the Islanders. After I investigated some more though I have found that Robin Lehner will be getting his first start in goal as a Senator tonight and Corey Locke, the AHL’s leading scorer will finally be getting the call to play with the big club. These might be Brian Murray’s smartest moves all season long. Lehner is, in my opinion, the best goaltender in the Senators system even though he is just 19. The team will come to play tonight, because they will want to perform for their rookie goaltender and the shakeup can only do good. Corey Locke will bring some added creativity and production to the team which has been sorely lacking. Bringing up other role players from the AHL was always strange to me, especially when you have the AHL’s leading scorer just waiting for a shot at the big time. Expect the Senators to be on their game tonight, but even that might not be enough. That being said I see them winning, with Lehner having a strong game and Locke picking up at least a point.
My Pick: Ottawa Senators -110 (Bodog.com)
Carolina Hurricanes @ Buffalo Sabres
The Hurricanes have been playing very well of late and for some reason are tagged as +110 underdogs in this game. The ‘Canes are (11-8-4) on the road this season, while the Sabres are (9-11-1) at home. The Canes are on a 3 game winning streak, while the Sabres have lost their last game. The Hurricanes definitely have at least a 50/50 chance of winning tonight.
My Pick: Carolina Hurricanes +110 (Bookmaker.com)
Nashville Predators @ Florida Panthers
The Predators are on a 6 game tear heading into Florida tonight, but once again the Predators are the underdogs for reasons on beknownst to me. The Preds have shown they are a very streaky team so you have to back them when they are on one of these streaks. They put a clinic on against the Wild a couple nights ago, and the Wild are a stronger team than the Panthers. Expect the streak to continue.
My Pick: Nashville Predators +100 (Bookmaker.com)
These are four great plays for this evenings games. Check out our past NHL predictions and sign up for exclusive picks through our newsletter below.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Detroit couldn’t quite pull off the comeback for us last night, with Jimmy Howard not having his best game of the season. Tonight we’re back at it finding 2 plays from a busy NHL schedule that will see 20 teams in action.
Ottawa Senators @ Boston Bruins
The Senators have not been finding ways to win lately, but the Bruins are playing their second of back-to-back games and I think this gives the Senators a big enough edge to justify betting them at +150. The Bruins are only (9-7-3) at home, while the Sens are (7-8-4) on the road. The Sens have basically put themselves out of the playoff race, having to win at least two-thirds of their final games to have a shot, but you can still expect them to come out hard against their division rivals with the hopes of starting a big winning streak to put them back into the hunt.
My Pick: Ottawa Senators +150 (Bookmaker.com)
Toronto Maple Leafs @ San Jose Sharks
Sticking with the back-to-back game idea, the Leafs are coming off a hard fought battle against the Los Angeles Kings and will likely be a bit fatigued once the third period rolls around tonight against the Sharks. San Jose has lost 4 straight, so this is an extremely important game for them to get back on track and continue their push for the playoffs in the tight Western Conference. San Jose is a very good team, but they have yet to show it consistently this season. I expect a large offensive outburst tonight against a tired Maple Leafs team, enough so that the Sharks cover the puckline and win by at least 2 goals.
My Pick: San Jose Sharks (-1.5 ) +125 (Sportsbook.com)
Our NHL predictions usually follow our basic NHL betting strategy. We are hoping to do an exclusive promotion for newsletter subscribers once the playoffs rolls around, so make sure you sign up below.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
It was a busy weekend so I wasn’t able to get my predictions up as I had hoped. Tonight I have found one play that I’m very confident in.
Detroit Red Wings @ Colorado Avalanche
The Red Wings bring their 3 game winning streak into Colorado to face an Avalanche team that has not been at their best lately. Budaj is in net for the Avs, which should slightly improve the Red Wings chances in this one. Detroit is (14-5-1) on the road, while the Avs are (11-8-3) at home. The Red Wings are still without Pavel Datsyuk, a huge part of their team, but the other players have stepped up in his absence and shown just how deep this Detroit Red Wings team is. Jimmy Howard is pencilled in as the starter and he has been playing very well of late and he will need to continue this against the powerful offense of the Avalanche, who seem to score in bunches. This is a pick’em game in the oddsmakers minds, but I see the Red Wings having a big advantage in this one.
My Pick: Detroit Red Wings -110 (Bookmaker.com)
If this is your first bet at Bookmaker.com make sure you use Bookmaker bonus code BMBONUS when registering your account in order to receive the best sign-up bonus available. Also, enter your email below to receive more promotion news and other exclusive predictions.
Tonight most Canadians will be watching Team Canada battle Russia for World Junior Championship gold, but for those of you still interested in the NHL here are a couple of my plays for this evening.
Atlanta Thrashers @ Florida Panthers
The Thrashers head into Florida to take on the Panthers this evening. The Thrashers are coming off of an overtime win over a slumping Canadiens team, but the Thrashers have still lost 5 of their last 7 games, including a loss to the New Jersey Devils, the NHL’s worst team. The Thrashers have not been scoring like they did during their winning parts of the season and for a team that doesn’t have many stars, the scoring needs to be a team effort.
The Panthers on the other hand have won 2 straight and they are the only team in the East that is not in a playoff position with a positive goal differential (+7). Florida has earned points in each of their last 5 games and look like they could make a push for a playoff position. Expect the Panthers to come out strong at home against a Thrashers team that has not fully regained their confidence.
My Pick: Florida Panthers -110 (Sportsbook.com)
Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks are on quite the tear and are making a case to me as favourites to win the Stanley Cup this year if they can remain healthy. Vancouver has won their last 6 games, earned at least a point in their last 13 games and have only lost in regulation once out of their last 18 games. The Canucks are just a dominate team in all areas.
The Flames, on the other hand, are a subpar team at the bottom of the Western Conference, coming off a 5-2 loss to the Rangers. I expect the Canucks to bring their A-game at home against their division rivals and dismantle the Flames in all aspects of the game.
My Pick: Vancouver Canucks (-1.5) +135 (Sportsbook.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
It’s the rematch everyone has been waiting for. Canada vs USA. The only change is that this rematch is in the semifinal game, when prior to the tournament everyone was expecting a repeat of last years finals with the Canadian World Junior squad attempting to get revenge from last years disappointing overtime loss. Both Canada and the United States haven’t looked as good as expected in this tournament, which makes this game all the more interesting.
Canada vs United States
Canada +1.5 (+180)
United States -1.5 (-240)
As you can see the Canadians are huge dogs, which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
Canada defeated Switzerland 4-1, while the States could only manage a 2-1 victory. Also, Canada defeated Russia 6-3, who went on to defeat the Finns in overtime in the other quarterfinal game, while the Finns also lost to the United States in overtime. Purely looking at the scores from the games played in this tournament, team Canada should be slight favourites to win this semifinal tonight.
Team Canada goaltending has not looked sharp thusfar and this could be an area where the USA could take advantage. Vistentin will likely be back between the pipes for Canada and he will need to have a solid game to give the Canadian players confidence in front of him.
Canada has lost Schwartz this tournament, while the USA have suffered injuries in the tournament, primarily against Slovakia, but these players look healthy enough to play tonight against Canada.
This game will be a tight affair and could go either way, but the line is ridiculous and anyone reading this should take advantage of this crazy line that pays out $180 on every $100 wagered if Canada wins OR if they lose by 1 goal. You can’t beat that line.
My Pick: Team Canada (+1.5) +180 (Sportsbook.com)
***EDIT***
As it turns out Sportsbook.com had made a mistake on the lines and they are now adjusted to the following:
Canada (-1.5) +180
USA (+1.5) -240
These lines look much more accurate with Canada the favourites as this post outlined that they should be. This just goes to show that it is possible for online sportsbooks to make mistakes and for bettors like you and I to get great lines because of these mistakes.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
This is the first post of the New Year and although there are several games on tap tonight, I have only found one play that I like.
Chicago Blackhawks @ Los Angeles Kings
The Chicago Blackhawks travel to LA tonight to face off against the Kings. Both teams are on 3 game losing skids, each of which followed 4 game winning streaks. Needless to say both the Blackhawks and Kings are streaky teams, but one team will have to win tonight and that edge will surely go to the home town Kings. The Kings are (13-4-1) at home this season, while the ‘Hawks are (8-7-3) on the road. The Blackhawks are a .500 team this year and .500 teams find it hard to make the playoffs in the Western Conference. Chicago will have to have a much stronger second half of the season if they hope to defend their Stanley Cup Championship and avoid the embarrassment of not even making the playoffs following their Cup win. Quick is confirmed in net for the Kings tonight, which should provide the team with more confidence because he has had a very strong steason thus far.
I expect the Kings to bounce out of their slump against a Blackhawks team that has yet to find a new identity following the dismantling of many of their 3rd line players, who have now turned out to be stars on other teams in the NHL. The goaltending battle goes to the Kings and that should be enough for them to continue their strong play at home this season.
My Pick: Los Angeles Kings -135 (Bookmaker.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Over the Christmas holidays we haven’t been able to get up as many picks as usual here at NHL Betting Tips, but we have found three solid plays for tonight. Check them out below:
Carolina Hurricanes @ Ottawa Senators
The ‘Canes are coming off of a hard fought win in Toronto last night and will have to play the second of back to back games against an Ottawa Senators team that is looking better of late and is really desperate to continue winning in order to turn their season around. The Hurricanes are 9-8-3 on the road this season, while the Sens are 9-9-2 at home. Cam Ward is in net against the streaky Brian Elliott, who is in the midst of one of his good streaks and he will look to continue his hot play tonight. The Senators are without Jason Spezza, which could hurt them offensively, but he hasn’t not been producing to his capabilities this year and it might be just as well to give some other players such as Peter Regin and Jesse Winchester some more ice time in order to show what they can do offensively. The Hurricanes should be tired tonight and the Sens should have enough jump to win this game easily if Elliott can continue to perform in net.
My Pick: Ottawa Senators -145 (Sportsbook.com)
New York Rangers @ New Jersey Devils
The Rangers, who have been lethal on the road this season (12-6-0), travel to New Jersey to face the NHL worst home team (5-10-2) and worst team period. The Rangers are right in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference playoff race, while the Devils have just rehired Jacques Lemaire to see where they stand relative to the other teams in this league. The Devils have lost 5 in a row and have only won once in their last 11 games. The Rangers can’t afford to lose games to the NHL’s bottom feeders if they want to make the playoffs so they should be ready to play tonight and they won’t overlook the Devils.
My Pick: New York Rangers -130 (Bookmaker.com)
Los Angeles Kings @ Phoenix Coyotes
The Kings four game winning streak was topped off by the beautiful flip pass from Kopitar to breakaway goal by Dustin Brown against the Sharks on Monday. The Kings have been playing very well and being the streaky team that they are I expect them to continue winning games. The Coyotes, another streaky team, have not been playing as well of late and have seen themselves slip to 11th in the West. They have won 1 of their last 4 (2 of last 6) and have not looked to have as much jump as during their winning streaks.
My Pick: Los Angeles Kings -120 (Bookmaker.com)
We will be getting back to having daily predictions, so check back often for more predictions for up coming games. This Saturday we will be back to having an email sent out with our top Saturday prediction. Sign up for this great newsletter in the space below:
Written by: Niko de Jonge
I hope everyone had a great Christmas, but boxing day should be even better because hockey is back in the NHL with 11 games and 22 teams in action tonight. The season is starting to heat up and many teams are playing extremely important games already, even though we aren’t even half way through the season.
Nashville Predators @ St. Louis Blues
My Pick: St. Louis Blues -135 (Bodog.com)
Montreal Canadiens @ New York Islanders
My Pick: Montreal Canadiens -150 (Sportsbook.com)
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators
My Pick: Ottawa Senators +135 (Bookmaker.com)
Written by: Niko de Jonge
The IIHF World Junior Championships get started today and the biggest game of the day would have to be the rivalry between Canada and Russia kicking off the tournament. Canada is often the pre tournament favourite, but this year that honour and responsibility goes to the United States who are the defending champions and have plenty of returning talent. You can take Canada to win the tournament at +140 (Sportsbook.com), while Russia comes in ranked fourth in terms of the odds with a +700 (Sportsbook.com) line to win the tournament. On to todays game and the prediction:
Canada vs Russia
Olivier Roy is getting the start for team Canada after playing 1 of the 3 pre tournament games. The 4-1 victory over a formidable Sweden squad. Russia will once again start Bobkov, who played well for them last year, but has since lost his starting job with the London Knights this season. That being said Bobkov is a big 240 pound goaltender who can have big games on big occasions.
Team Canada will be looking to score by committee this year, with perhaps Brayden Schenn the biggest name at forward for the team and captain Ryan Ellis will look to get on the score sheet while quarterbacking the power play in his third year with the team. Canada has many high draft picks from recent years on the team including 3rd overall Erik Gudbranson, 4th overall Ryan Johansen, 5th overall Brayden Schenn and 6th overall Brett Connolly (not all from the same years). Canada will be without Matt Duchene, Evander Kane, Ryan O’Reilly, Kyle Clifford, Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin and Jeff Skinner this year, all of which are playing in the National Hockey League at the moment. Just imaging the Canadian team if these players were available!
Vladimir Tarasenko is the highest draft pick playing for the Russians this year (16th overall in 2010). He will be looked to for offense on the Russian team. Burmistrov, who is currently playing for the Thrashers was the only player not made available to the Russian team.
Canada should have the more talented and effective team in todays game, but will they be able to overcome the 2.5 goal spread that Sportsbook.com is offering. Here are the odds:
Canada -2.5 (+140)
Russia +2.5 (-180)
My Pick: Russia +2.5 (-180) – Sportsbook.com
The Russians may have been underestimated coming into this tournament and they should at least be able to keep it close against team Canada. Even though Canada beat Sweden, who is likely a higher quality team than Russia, 4-1 the refs seemed to be on Canadas side in that game and the empty net goal made it 4-1. I expect Canada to win this game by 1 goal, but Russia to beat the spread.
Check back daily for more World Junior Championship predictions, along with our usual NHL predictions! Here at NHL Betting Tips we are Canadian, so needless to say we are very interested in seeing if Canada can regain their title of Junior Champions.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Plenty of games in the NHL tonight and we are back with some more predictions. Two picks tonight, check them out below:
Ottawa Senators @ Nashville Predators
The Senators head to Nashville tonight to take on the Predators who are playing the second of back to back games, but are happy to have starting goaltender Pekka Rinne back between the pipes. The Sens are moving Ryan Shannon up to the top line in the hopes of sparking some offense with some speed and energy. The Senators need to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Preds have been hot and the Sens have been cold. I’m looking for the Preds to be tired tonight after a 4-1 loss to the Blackhawks.
My Pick: Ottawa Senators +130 (Sportsbook.com)
Calgary Flames @ Dallas Stars
The Flames are coming off of two tough losses at the hands of the Minnesota Wild and they now have to face a much tougher opponent in the Dallas Stars. Dallas has surprised a lot of people this year and they will look to continue rolling against the lowly Flames. Dallas is (12-3-2) at home, while the Flames are (5-11-3) on the road. It’s Kipper vs Lehtonen in net and the Stars should be able to easily handle the Flames.
My Pick: Dallas Stars -160 (Sportsbook.com)
Check out our past NHL predictions and sign up to the newsletter below to receive our top Saturday pick each week.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
