After a quiet night in the NHL where the sole game saw the Coyotes dismantle the lowly Oilers, almost every other team is in action tonight with 13 games on tap. I have found five bets that I will be placing this evening and if you are interested in tailing me I hope we can turn things around with a big night this evening.
Los Angeles Kings @ Montreal Canadiens
The Kings are in a bit of a slump at the moment having lost 4 of their last 5 games, with their only win coming in a shootout over Boston (in that game they blew a 3 goal lead). Bernier is getting the call in net for the Kings this evening and he has been much worse than Jonathan Quick on the year, winning only twice in six games. Bernier’s last two outtings have been road losses where he has given up 10 goals in total.
The Habs are coming off a tough road loss to Philadelphia where they gave up an early two goal lead, eventually losing 3-2 in regulation. The one positive from that game was Carey Price continuing to play well, saving 42 of 45 shots against in the game. Carey is once again between the pipes for the Canadiens tonight and he now has the fans behind him at home, which is evident by the fact that Price is leading the All-Star voting as a write-in! He will surely be extra motivated tonight after hearing of the support he has received from his fans in Montreal.
The Kings have only been to overtime 3 times this year and have won each time in shootouts. Montreal has only been to extra time twice winning once. The Canadiens should be too much for a struggling Kings team that finishing up a tough road trip.
My Pick: Montreal Canadiens -0.5 +130 (Bookmaker.com)
Columbus Blue Jackets @ New York Islanders
The Blue Jackets are riding a 4 game win streak, beating some of the top teams in the NHL over those games. Meanwhile, the Islanders have plummetted to the bottom of the standings after losing 13 straight games. The crazy thing is that the Blue Jackets are only slight favourites to win this game according to the oddsmaker lines. Added to these streaks Columbus is 7-1-0 on the road this season and 3-0-0 vs teams from the Eastern Conference. Garon gets the call in net for the Blue Jackets tonight and he has earned a shutout in 3 of his last 4 starts! Everything points to the Blue Jackets this evening, so much so that I’m placing 2 different wagers on them tonight.
My Picks: Columbus Blue Jackets -0.5 +145 (Bookmaker.com)
& Columbus Blue Jackets -1.5 +225 (Sportsbook.com)
St Louis Blues @ Nashville Predators
The Blues head into Nashville to take on the Predators tonight. The teams are 20th and 28th in goals for per game and 8th and 12th in goals against per game this season. That being said 5 of the Blues last 7 games have gone over 5 goals, with the other 2 finishing with exactly 5. Nashville on the other hand has gone under 5 in each of their last 3 games, but the 7 games prior to that they have been over 6 times and pushed once. I’m expecting a tight game tonight with possibly a push if exactly 5 goals are scored, but there should be more. The great thing about picking over 5 is that if the game finishes 2-2, you automatically hit the push in overtime.
My Pick: Over 5 -130 (Bodog.com)
Colorado Avalanche @ Vancouver Canucks
The Avalanche are on a 4 game winning streak, while the Canucks have lost their last 4. Yet the Avs are still huge dogs in this one. The Canucks have not been playing good of late and their last two losses have even come at home. The Avs have Anderson back in net, in his second game since returning from injury. He played very well winning his first game back and I expect another solid performance from him. This is a hot battle for tops in the division and each team should bring their A-game.
My Pick: Colorado Avalanche +155 (Bookmaker.com)
The NHL Betting Tips record took a hit of late and is now holding at (27-26) for -0.33 units on the season. I feel confident about tonights picks and look forward to being back in the positive tomorrow.
Written by: Niko de Jonge
Tagged with: Colorado Avalanche • Columbus Blue Jackets • Los Angeles Kings • Montreal Canadiens • Nashville Predators • New York Islanders • St. Louis Blues • Vancouver Canucks