NHL Betting Cheat Sheet
By Monte Andrews
Covers.com
Wounded Shark Ahead
The San Jose Sharks looked like Pacific Division champions two weeks ago - now, they're scrambling to avoid becoming a Western Conference wild-card team. The reeling Sharks carry a six-game losing streak into Tuesday's pivotal home showdown with the New York Rangers, who themselves have slipped into wild-card territory with their recent struggles. Goal-scoring has been a major issue for San Jose, which has scored just seven times during its skid while giving up a whopping 23 goals over that span. The Sharks are an incredible 8-20-9 O/U in 37 home games this season.
Goals A-Plenty in Beantown?
Look for offensive fireworks Thursday night as the Boston Bruins look to solidify an Eastern Conference playoff berth with a home game against the Dallas Stars. The Bruins enter the week as the owner of the second wild-card spot in the conference, three points clear of the Tampa Bay Lightning and just a single point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic. Boston and Dallas have let their offenses run wild in their previous four meetings, averaging a combined 8.8 goals while playing to the Over in each game. They've also combined for six or more goals in eight of their last 11 encounters.
Leafs Look to Clip Wings
One of the NHL's oldest rivalries has been a one-sided affair of late, and the Toronto Maple Leafs would love to keep it that way as they visit the Detroit Red Wings in an Original Six showdown on Saturday night. The Leafs continue their unexpected charge toward an East playoff spot, and have the upper hand in their recent history against Detroit with wins in four of the past five meetings - including three in a row coming into this one. Toronto, which is averaging four goals per game during the streak, hasn't won four straight games against the Red Wings since 1989.
Injury Updates
The Dallas Stars will be without winger Patrick Sharp for the remainder of the season following surgery to repair a hip injury. It was a miserable season for Sharp, who finishes with just eight goals and 10 assists to go along with a minus-22 rating in 48 games, in which the Stars went 18-24-6 SU and 31-17-0 O/U.
The Florida Panthers are reportedly set to welcome netminder Roberto Luongo back to action sometime this week; the veteran puck-stopper has been out since March 2 with a lower-body injury. The Panthers have struggled with Luongo on the sidelines, going just 4-7 SU while allowing four or more goals four times in his absence.
Player Notes
Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid is doing his best to eliminate any drama related to the NHL scoring race. The 20-year-old is currently riding a seven-game point streak during which he has notched three goals and 10 assists to open up a six-point lead in the Art Ross competition. Edmonton is 6-1 SU during the streak, scoring 33 goals over that span.
Two netminders are in the running for a goals-against average below 2.00: Blue Jackets star Sergei Bobrovsky leads the NHL with a 1.99 GAA, while Washington's Braden Holtby is close behind at 2.01. The two netminders will likely face off Sunday evening in Columbus; the Capitals own a 2-1 edge in the season series.
Look for Tampa Bay winger Nikita Kucherov to get plenty of player-of-the-month votes, as his sizzling March has played a major role in the Lightning remaining competitive for a playoff berth. Kucherov enters the week with 12 goals and eight assists in 13 games this month, leading Tampa Bay to a terrific 8-4-1 SU mark so far in March.
Stanley Cup Futures
Sports Interaction has four teams well ahead of the pack in Stanley Cup futures odds. The Washington Capitals continue to lead the way as a +500 favorite to hoist the Stanley Cup in June, with the Chicago Blackhawks close behind at +550 for the best odds in the West. Pittsburgh is third at +600 while Minnesota rounds out the top four at +700.
Looking for a solid dark horse candidate? Look no further than the Anaheim Ducks, who have surged into top spot in the Pacific Division on the strength of a four-game winning streak but are still listed at +2,000 - third in the division behind San Jose (+1,600) and Edmonton (+1,800). Anaheim embarks on a four-game Canadian west coast road trip this week.
The Bruins are the longest of longshots at this point (+4,500), but could make for an intriguing play if they can hang onto a playoff spot. And to that end, the schedule should work in their favor, as they'll play six of their final seven regular-season games at home. However, three of their final four games come against league elites Chicago, Ottawa and Washington.
Over/Under Trends
The once-high-flying Pacific Division has been a veritable trove of Under plays this season. Not only does it house a Sharks team that has recorded just 19 Overs all season, but only two of the seven teams have recorded 30 or more Overs on the year; by comparison, every team in the Central Division has reached the 30-Over plateau entering this week.
The Ottawa Senators have played plenty of tight, low-scoring hockey of late, rewarding Under bettors with a 1-6-1 O/U stretch they extended Saturday night with a 3-1 loss to host Montreal - its third defeat at the hands of the Canadiens in an eight-day span. Ottawa is just 28-43-3 O/U for the season, including a 12-26-1 home mark.