Free Picks: Service Plays for Tuesday, November 8

Hollywood Sports

Oilers at Canadiens
Prediction: Under

Edmonton (8-3-0-2) comes off a 4-2 loss at Phoenix on Saturday -- and they have played 4 straight games Under the Total after scoring two goals or less in their last game. They also have played 6 straight games Under the Total when played with two days in-between games. The Oilers will be playing their third straight game on the road -- and they have played 4 of their last 5 games on the road Under the Total. And Edmonton has played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total against teams with a losing record while having also played 7 of their last 9 games Under the Total as an underdog. Montreal (5-6-1-1) returns home after playing three of their last four games on the road which culminated with their 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers on Saturday -- and they have played 5 straight games Under the Total after allowing at least five goals in their last game. The Canadiens have also played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total against an opponent that scored two goals or less in their last contest. The Under is 6-2-2 in Montreal's last 10 games as a favorite in the -110 to -150 price range. And in their last 5 games versus teams with a winning percentage at 60% or higher, the Canadiens have played 4 of these games Under the Total. With the Total set at 5, there is a very good chance of either winning or pushing the Under which makes this play a solid investment. Take the Under in the Edmonton/Montreal game on Tuesday.

Matt Fargo

Nashville Predators vs. Los Angeles Kings
Play: Los Angeles Kings

After a big start to the season, the Kings have faded, losing five straight games including two by way of a shootout. The stretch of games has been extremely tough, coming against some of the best teams in the league and while that continues tonight, the situation is a favorable one. Los Angeles is 0-2 in the second of back-to-back games this year but the first instance came in Europe while the second came in consecutive road games. Nashville is 2-1 on its current roadtrip to improve to 5-2-1 away from home. The Predators are a point ahead of Los Angeles in the Western Conference standings but they have dropped six of their last 11 games. Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne, who just inked a new, large deal on Thursday, has been outstanding this season as he has a 2.33 GAA but last season he lost twice against the Kings and posted a 4.68 GAA and .821 save percentage - his worst marks against any Western Conference opponent. This is the start of a four-game homestand for the Kings, which has not won at home since October 22nd against Dallas, going 0-2-1 since then so it is important to get things started the right way at the Staples Center. Last night, the Kings has Jonathan Quick between the pipes so we will likely see Jonathan Bernier tonight and while he has lost both of his starts this season, playing Nashville is a good thing as he went 3-1 with a 2.25 GAA in four starts against them last season. Nashville is getting outshot by 8.3 shots per game this season and that increases to 10 shots per game on the road so the fact that it has been winning may come as a surprise. The Predators are getting outshot in every period and are getting outscored in both the first and third periods so there has been some fortunes taking place is the second period. The Kings are 8-3 in their last 11 games as a home favorite between -110 and -150 and they get a short number here at home tonight. 3* Los Angeles Kings

David Chan

Colorado Avalanche @ Detroit Red Wings
PICK: Detroit Red Wings

The 7-6-1 Colorado Avalanche hit the road to take on the 6-5-1 Detroit Red Wings.

The Avs are 6-1-1 away from friendly confines; the Wings are 4-2-1 at Joe Louis Arena.

Detroit opened the season on fire, then hit a wall; however it broke out of its scoring slump in style on Saturday, hammering the hapless Ducks 5-0.

“We feel we are a good team,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “But when you don’t win for a period of time, you start to wonder what the heck is going on, especially the way we were playing.”

While the offense may have struggled for a few games, net-minder Jimmy Howard has posted a 1.77 GAA with two shutouts:

“The hardest win to get when you are in a skid like that is the first one,” Howard said. “It’s just back to business as usual.”

Colorado is coming off a 2-1 loss to Calgary on Sunday.

Note that the Av's penalty-kill has been an issue of late; after stopping 21 of 23 penalties in their first seven games, they've stopped just 13 of 22 shorthanded situations in the last seven contests.

I'm laying the juice on this underachieving Red Wings team!

Jim Feist

Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues
Play: St. Louis Blues

I'm not sold on this first place Chicago team, one ranked 28th on the power play, 22nd in penalty killing and 21st in goals against. They've been doing it all with offense. And the Blackhawks are 1-5 in their last 6 games as a road underdog. St. Louis has a winning record the last 7 games and the Blues are 5-1 in their last 6 games as a home favorite. And home ice has meant so much in this series, with the home team 7-1 in the last 8 meetings. Play the St. Louis Blues!

Jimmy Boyd

1 Unit Western Michigan/Toledo UNDER 68

Western Michigan combined with its opponent to score 80 points in its last game. Toledo combined with its foe to score 123 points in its last contest. With the total set at just 68 points, odds makers clearly want the money rolling in on the over here, but we won't bite. I expect both teams to do certain things better to bring down the score in this one. First off, look for the Broncos and Rockets to get after it a whole lot harder on defense after giving up 555 and 532 yards respectively in their last games. Secondly, look for Western Michigan to do a much better job of taking care of the football after giving it away 4 times against Ball State. Thirdly, expect the Rockets to perform much better on special teams after giving up a pair of kick return touchdowns against NIU. The Under is 4-1 in the Broncos' last 5 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game and 5-2 in their last 7 road games. The Under is also 7-3 in the Rockets' last 10 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game. These teams combined for 61 points in last season's matchup, and I'm expecting a similar output tonight. Bet the Under.

SPORTS WAGERS

Chicago –101 over ST. LOUIS

A favorite angle for sports bettors over the years is playing the first game out for a new coach after a firing. That would make the Blues a play here but the puck line strongly suggests that the Blackhawks will not lose this game in regulation. On the puck line, St. Louis is -½ +156 while Chicago is +½ -170 and that’s a clear enticement to attract Blues money. The bookmakers are sharp and they’re quite aware that this game has extra attention tonight because of the hiring of Ken Hitchcock. All the “so-called” experts say this was a good hiring but we’re not so sure. Hitchcock is an old-school coach that has been out of a job since December of 2010 because he couldn’t adjust to new-school personalities. Four teams interviewed him in the summer and four passed. Has he changed? Listen to what Hitchcock said when asked how long it would take to address the power play: “One practice. We’ll get that fixed quick.” The Blues rank last in the league in that department. One practice? Hitchcock instantly confirmed that Jaroslav Halak (1-6, 3.35 GAA) will get the start tonight and perhaps that’s the real reason Davis Payne was fired. Halak has a monster contract and Payne was leaning heavily to Brian Elliott as the #1 guy. In any case, Halak has not made a game changing play all season long. He appears lost out there and now he’s about to face a Blackhawks squad loaded with snipers. It’s very tempting to play this one over the total of 5½ but again, the puck line says Blackhawks won’t lose in regulation and therefore we’ll play it that way. Play: Chicago –101 (Risking 2.02 units to win 2).

Florida +115 over TORONTO

The Maple Leafs have 19 points and are second in the East just two points behind Pittsburgh, yet the books have made the Leafs a small favourite tonight over a Florida team that currently has amassed 15 points. Yet, the Red Wings, who are tied for 11th place in the West with 13 points are instilled as a –185 against a Colorado squad with the same 15 points. When you figure that the Leafs are a popular team while the Panthers have less followers than the Bay City Rollers, it causes this small line to stick out even more. Florida extended its season-high point streak to four games with a win in Buffalo and three straight shootout losses. The Panthers are a team on the rise. Playing in Toronto always amps up the visitors and the Panthers absolutely have a great chance to skate away with a win. Play: Florida +115 (Risking 2 units).

Minnesota +113 over CALGARY

The Flames return home from a short three-game trip but they’ve played in two different time zones, making this the third time zone change in five days. That’s significant and it sure doesn’t hurt that the Wild are playing some pretty good hockey right now. The Wild have won four in a row and they’ve defeated four quality opponents in Detroit (twice), Vancouver and St. Louis. Furthermore, the Wild have allowed one goal or less in all four games. Minnesota embarks on a five-game trip, beginning here and one of the best angles this season is playing on teams in the first game of extended trips. Everything sets up positively for the Wild here and having them on a current roll makes it all the more enticing. Play: Minnesota +113 (Risking 2 units).

Nashville –101 over LOS ANGELES

This one is very much like the Blackhawks/Blues games in that the puck line strongly suggests that the Predators will not lose in regulation. L.A. is -½ +156 while the Preds are +½ -170 and so the play is Nashville on the money line in regulation only. It makes sense too. The Kings will play their fourth game in six nights, their third game in four days and the tail end of back-to-backs after losing in San Jose last night. The Kings have dropped five in a row and they’ve failed to score more than two goals in any of those games. Meanwhile, the Preds are getting healthier and better. They have one of the best goalies in the league, complimented by a solid defensive corps. Nashville has won four of five and picked up points in all five games. That includes wins in San Jose and Phoenix and an OT loss in Chicago. What’s even more appealing about the Preds these days is that they’re scoring goals, having scored three or more in five straight and four or more in three of those. Predators feeling great while an exhausted Kings team is reeling. Play: Nashville –101 (Risking 2.02 units to win 2).

Scott Rickenbach

Wild @ Flames
PICK: Under 5

Minnesota and Calgary are two of the lowest scoring teams in the league, and the under has played out frequently in their games. The under is a combined 9-2-1 L12 games for these teams. Wild goalie Nicklas Backstrom will get the start in tonight’s contest. He’s an impressive 8-1-1 L10 starts versus the Flames with a superb 1.11 GAA. Look for Backstrom to contain a Flames offense scoring just 2.3 goals per game. On the other end of the ice, Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff has also been rock solid, carrying a 2.19 GAA and .925 save percentage. The Wild, which have totaled just 30 goals all season, will struggle to find the back of the net in this match-up. The under is a solid 27-12-13 L52 meetings between these teams and 7-1-1 L9 meetings in Calgary. Look for these trends to continue tonight. Consider a small play on UNDER the total in Calgary Tuesday.