I’m back from my Thailand vacation and ready to get back into picking winners in the NHL. Tomorrow is as good a day as any to get back into the action with 9 games on tap and some good value to be had. I want to get back into the swing of things with a winning night so I’ve done a great deal of research for tomorrow’s picks.
Season Record To Date: 29-35 for -5.46 units
Vancouver Canucks @ Columbus Blue Jackets
The Canucks have not been good this year. You will still see them as a favourite against the Blue Jackets every time though, as the big road favourite tag (-150) against a Blue Jackets team that has won 5 straight proves. That said the Canucks have lost 2 more games than they’ve won this year and the Jackets are rolling. They beat the Canucks in overtime less than a week ago and followed that up with 2 big wins over the Red Wings, who are no pushovers. Before their 5 game win streak they also took the Stars and the streaking Blackhawks to overtime, so the team has been playing well for quite some time now. In fact the last time they lost a game by more than 1 goal is back on February 16th (a 5-3 loss to Phoenix). As surprising as it may sound I see the Blue Jackets as the favourites in this one.
Play: Blue Jackets +130 (SportsInteraction.com)
San Jose Sharks @ St. Louis Blues
The Sharks haven’t played well at all since they started the season with 7 straight wins. Now add in the fact that Martin Havlat is out of the lineup and their scoring has suffered even more. The team now has 1 win in the 4 games without Havlat and I don’t expect them to double that amount tonight. If you take away the first 7 games of the season, the Sharks are an abysmal 4-7-6. That is just 4 wins in 17 games! The Blues have also been a very streaky team this year, and they haven’t been as good as they were at the start and they are still giving up goals in bunches, which isn’t supposed to be a characteristic of this team. The offensively challenged Sharks might be just what the doctor ordered for the Blues tonight.
Play: Blues -135 (5Dimes.eu)
Anaheim Ducks @ Minnesota Wild
The Ducks and Wild have both been playing well and scoring goals of late. Yes, they have each also been able to hold their opposition to low goal totals, but I think playing one another these teams will find a way to score. The Wild seem to finally be over their goal scoring issue as they’ve scored at least 2 goals in their last 8 games, while the Ducks continue to fire on all cylinders scoring 26 goals in their last 7 games. Look for the over to cash on this one, even if it’s a 3-2 shootout win for one of these teams.
Play: Over 5 -110 (SportsInteraction.com)
Tagged with: Anaheim Ducks • Columbus Blue Jackets • Minnesota Wild • San Jose Sharks • St. Louis Blues • Vancouver Canucks