SPORTS WAGERS
N.Y. Rangers -1½ +368 over MONTREAL
Montreal is going through a rough stretch with no end in sight. Aside from a brutal schedule that has seen the Habs on the move constantly over the past month, they are getting badly outplayed in every game. Montreal’s 7-4 victory over Winnipeg last week is fool’s gold. They scored on just about every shot on some fragile goaltending but still allowed four goals. Minnesota exposed them the next night in a 7-1 shellacking. In Montreal’s 4-3 win over Dallas and 5-3 win over Toronto last week, both victories were of the fortunate variety. Montreal has scored seven of its last 16 goals on the power-play, which is also fool’s gold as PP’s run hot and cold. Scoring on the PP is not a skill, as every team employs the same strategy, which is crowd the net, get the puck back to the point and let it rip. What is lost in all this is that the Habs have allowed 7, 4, 4, 3 and 3 goals against in their last five games respectively. Banged up, fragile and exhausted, Montreal is up against it here against a Rangers’ team that comes in off a five-day layoff with a tightener last night.
We’ve faded the Rangers plenty of times this season because they have been overpriced so often but we’re not opposed to shifting gears when it’s warranted and this is one of those times. The Rags played a strong third period last night against Toronto. They figure to be sharper tonight with plenty left in the tank after five days off. The Rangers have also been MUCH better on the road this season with the NHL’s best mark but here’s the kicker…New York is 7-0 this year in the second game of back-to-backs. Part of the reason is because Annti Raanta is usually in net for those and he’ll be between the pipes for this one. Raanta has a .921 save percentage to go along with 10 wins in 14 starts. Once again, we’re going to continue with our -1½ puck strategy because the payouts are great and the winning team wins by two or more frequently when games do not go into OT.
EDMONTON -1½ +175 over Calgary
The Flames lost at home to New Jersey last night while allowing 36 shots against. Allowing the Devils 36 shots is not an easy thing to do. New Jersey is last or damn near it in several key offensive categories. While that was just one game and it’s quite possible that the Flames were looking ahead to this game against their biggest rival, it doesn’t change the fact that the Flames are not in great form. Calgary has played in eight back-to-back games this year and in the second game, the Flames have scored just one goal in five of those eight games. That includes one goal on Arizona, the Islanders, Vancouver, Anaheim and San Jose. They have scored just twice two other times. Over its last five games, Calgary has scored nine goals. Last night, Chad Johnson was in goal for Calgary, which works in the Oilers favor here, as they are very likely to see Brian Elliott and his .889 save percentage.
Edmonton is 2-2 in its last four games and just 5-5 in its last 10 games but it is not a .500 team nor is it playing like one. The Oil are dominating without the results and it’s only a matter of time before the results follow. Edmonton limited New Jersey to 19 shots on goal on Jan. 12, marking the third time in January that the team has limited its opponent to 20 shots or less. Over their past four games, the Oilers have only allowed a total of 85 shots on net, an average of 21.25 shots against. Most recently, the Oil outshot New Jersey, 34-19, San Jose, 36-28, Ottawa, 38-18 and New Jersey again, 43-20. Edmonton is losing games that they don’t deserve to lose, which is just a matter of poor puck luck. The Oilers are an offensive juggernaut and their defense is getting stingier by the week. The Oilers rank among the NHL leaders in goals scored – seventh in the NHL, 1401 shots on goal - third in the NHL, 31.08 shots on goal per game– tied for fourth in the NHL and 1078 hits, which is fifth in the NHL. They are a tough, physical and talented team that deserves better, thus plenty of convincing wins are forthcoming and we’re suggesting this will be one of them.
Big Al
Rangers vs Canadiens
Pick: Under
The Canadiens come home to skate on their Bell Centre ice for only the second time in their last 11 games, going back to before Christmas. But if their last two games here are any indication of what is to come tonight, then the Habs may want to get straight back out on the road. Their last game here in particular, the Canadiens offense was anemic, putting just 23 shots on goal while succumbing to the Caps in what would be one of their easier victories of the season, 4-1. At least some of the reason for their offensive struggles can be pinned on the fact that three of their center-linesmen have been unavailable due to injury. And it's likely that Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais, and Andrew Shaw will continue to be sidelined this evening. That could be a big problem for them against a Rangers team that has allowed just 2.38 goals-against on the road this season (fifth-best in the league). The under is 15-6-6 in the last 27 meetings and 9-3-2 in the last 14 in Montreal. The under is also 20-9 in the Habs' last 29 games coming off of a loss of five or more goals.
Will Rogers
Pittsburgh vs Detroit
Pick: Pittsburgh
The set-up: The 26-10-5 Pittsburgh Penguins will square off with the 17-19-6 Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. Both come in on losing streaks (Pittsburgh has lost two straight and Detroit is on a three-game slide) but that's where the similarities end.
Pittsburgh: The Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup champs and incredibly, had not suffered back-to-back regulation losses over their previous 90 contests! The Penguins lost 5-2 at Washington on Wednesday and then 4-1 at Ottawa on Thursday. A key to the two losses was the penalty kill, which allowed four power-play goals in the two games. "Our penalty kill has to improve," Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan said. "We can't give up shorthanded goals against night in and night out and expect to sustain winning." Captain Sidney Crosby is also in the midst of a season-high four-game goal-scoring drought, which has followed a five-game streak that helped raise his league-leading total to 26.
Detroit: The Red Wings have reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for 25 consecutive seasons, the longest active streak in North American professional sports, but are last in the Atlantic Division, eight points behind the Ottawa Senators, who are in the Atlantic Division's third playoff spot. Even more bad news is, there are four teams between Detroit and Ottawa. The Red Wings rank 25th in the NHL in goals (2.38 per game) and their power play is last at 11.4 percent.
The pick: After losing back-to-back regulation games for the first time since Dec. 14-19, 2015. shouldn't we expect the Penguins to bounce back here? After all, Detroit won its first four contests of the season in "Hockeytown" but has gone 3-10-3 at home since! The play is on Pittsburgh..
LV Traders
Mississippi at South Carolina
Pick: Mississippi
Point-spread is out of control for what this match-up presents. South Carolina only has one prolific scorer (Thornwell) and Andy Kennedy's scheme will limit his touches. Meanwhile, the Rebels have a plethora of guys who can bomb three-balls from well beyond the arc. Burnett may not play which is unfortunate... however, his absence will allow more guys to get involved in what is sure to be a physical affair. This will be a tough low-scoring grind and taking all those points is certainly advised.