NHL betting trends, odds and predictions for Friday, October 6th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NHL Knowledge
Montreal won four of its last six games with Buffalo; visitors are 6-4 in last ten series games. Canadiens won three of last five visits here. Over is 4-2-3 in last nine series games. Montreal lost in six games to the Rangers in LY’s playoffs, scoring total of 4 goals in losing last three games. Sabres didn’t make the playoffs; they lost five of their last six games.
Home side won 8 of last 10 Nashville-Boston games; Predators lost four of last five visits to Boston. Last four series games stayed under the total. Nashville lost Stanley Cup final LY; they got shut out in last two games. Bruins lost in six games to Ottawa LY; four of last five games in series went overtime.
Colorado lost four of last five games with the Rangers; road team won five of last six series tilts. Avalanche are 3-2 in last five visits to Manhattan- they missed the playoffs LY; losing 8 of their last ten games. Rangers lost to Ottawa in six games in LY’s playoffs.
Washington won 7 of its last 9 games with Ottawa; under is 7-3 in last ten series games. Caps are 3-2 in last five visits to Ottawa. Washington lost in 7 games to the Penguins in the playoffs LY- they won four of last five road games. Senators also lost to Pittsburgh in seven games, losing Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final in OT.
Minnesota lost four of last six games with Detroit; home side won last four series games. Over is 4-2-3 in last nine series games. Wild lost last three visits to Motor City, all by one goal- they lost to St Louis in five games in playoffs LY. Red Wings didn’t make playoffs LY, which is rare; they lost five of their last seven games.
Pittsburgh won the last two Stanley Cups, but they’ve lost six games in a row to Chicago, losing last five visits to Windy City, scoring one goal in each of last four. Penguins raised Stanley Cup banner at home last night, before they lost in OT to St Louis. Blackhawks lost their last four regular season games, then got swept out of playoffs by Nashville in four straight.
Philadelphia lost three of its last four games with Los Angeles; road team lost 8 of last 10 series games. Flyers won three of last four visits to Staples Center. Under is 3-1-1 in last five series games. Philly won 5-3 in San Jose last night. Kings didn’t make playoffs LY; they were 4-5 in their last nine games.
Arizona lost five of last six games with Anaheim; they were outscored 13-5 in losing last three visits to the Pond. Over is 5-2-1 in last eight series games. Coyotes didn’t make playoffs LY; they lost four of their last five road games. Ducks lost in six games in the playoffs to Nashville last spring.
Armadillosports.com
NHL Game of the Day: Golden Knights at Stars
Covers.com
Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars (-260, 5.5)
The NHL's 31st team drops the puck on its inaugural season Friday as the expansion Vegas Golden Knights pay a visit to American Airlines Center to face the Dallas Stars. Three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury joins a host of others selected in June's expansion draft as the Golden Knights vie to give their home city a reason to smile as it deals with the aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy.
"I still get those butterflies and still get nervous every once in a while. To be a part of a historic game like that will be pretty amazing. I'm looking forward to it," the 32-year-old Fleury told Las Vegas Weekly. While Fleury backstopped Pittsburgh to at least 30 wins in eight of his 13 seasons, Dallas has been aching for stability in net for quite some time. The Stars, who posted the fourth-highest goals-against average (2.98) last season, addressed their longtime weakness by trading for the rights to Ben Bishop and signing the two-time Vezina Trophy finalist to a six-year, $29.5 million contract. Dallas added several new faces in the offseason but welcomed back a familiar one as coach Lindy Ruff was replaced by Ken Hitchcock, who guided the team to the 1999 Stanley Cup.
LINE HISTORY: The Golden Knights face long odds in the first game in franchise history as Sports Interaction opened the Stars as -250 favorites and they have since moved up to the current number of -260. The total hit the board at 5.5. Check out the complete line history here.
INJURY REPORT:
Golden Knights - LW James Neal (Questionable Friday, hand), D Clayton Stoner (Mid October, undisclosed)
Stars - C Martin Hanzal (Questionable Friday, ankle)
ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS: The true X-factor on a team full of questions may very well be top-line center Vadim Shipachyov, who Vegas is betting on translating his considerable success in the Kontinental Hockey League to the NHL. The Russian import recorded a KHL third-best 76 points last season for SKA St. Petersburg and joins former 40-goal scorer James Neal on an offense that is expected to struggle out of the gate. The focus of general manager George McPhee and respected coach Gerard Gallant at the expansion draft was on stockpiling draft picks as well as stacking the defense, notably Shea Theodore (Anaheim), Nate Schmidt (Washington) and Jason Garrison (Tampa Bay).
ABOUT THE STARS (2016-17: 34-37-11, 6th in Central Division): Dallas was quite active with the checkbook this offseason as it inked Alexander Radulov to a five-year, $31.25 million deal to add extra firepower to an offense that features Tyler Seguin (team co-leading 26 goals, 72 points) and former Hart Trophy winner Jamie Benn (26 goals). Towering 6-foot-6 center Martin Hanzal signed a three-year, $14.25 million deal and can contribute at both ends of the ice, which likely will bring a smile to the face of the defensive-minded Hitchcock. Blue-liner John Klingberg's offensive numbers dipped last season, but the addition of Marc Methot should aid in helping a Stars' defense that finished 29th in goals against.