NHL betting trends, odds and predictions for Wednesday, April 12th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NHL Knowledge
Montreal won six of last seven games with the Rangers; road team won five of those seven games. New York lost three of last four games in the Bell Centre. Over is 3-1-1 in last five series games. Rangers were outscored 16-8 in losing last four road games; they’re 2-5 in last seven games overall- their last three games stayed under. Canadiens won six of last eight games, three of last four at home. Under is 7-2-1 in their last ten. Rangers won their last four first round series; Montreal missed playoffs LY- they split last six first round series, over last eight years.
Home side won six of last seven Columbus-Pittsburgh games; Blue Jackets lost four of last five games in Steel City. Under is 5-3 in last eight series games. Jackets lost six of last seven games overall, five of last six on road- under is 7-2-1 in their last ten. Pittsburgh is 4-6 in its last ten games but won last two at home. Penguins won Stanley Cup LY, won first round series three of last four years- this is their 10th year in row in playoffs. Columbus is in playoffs for just third time, first time since 2014; their coach won Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004.
St Louis won five of last seven games with Minnesota; teams split last four series games played in Twin Cities. Over is 3-2-1 in last six series games. Blues won six of last eight games, three of last four on road- over is 3-1 in their last four. Minnesota won its last four games by a combined 17-9; they won last three home tilts. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Blues are in playoffs for 6th straight year; they lost first round series three of last four years. Minnesota is in playoffs for 5th year in row; they’re 4-3 overall in first round series.
Boston lost its last six games with Ottawa, including last five played in this building. Three of last four series games stayed under total. Bruins won six of last eight games, including last two road games. Under is 7-1 in their last eight. Senators won three of last four games; they won last three home games. Under is 3-1 in their last four games. Bruins missed playoffs last two years, which is part of why they changed coaches during season; they won five of last six first round series. Ottawa lost four of last five first round series- they missed playoffs two of last three years.
Edmonton is in playoffs for first time since 2006, when they lost Cup final; they’ve lost four of last five first round series. San Jose lost Stanley Cup final LY; they’re 9-3 in last 12 first round series. Oilers won last three games with San Jose- they also won three of last four visits here; road side won five of last seven series games. Over is 3-1-2 in last six series games. Sharks lost five of last six road games, but won three of last four overall (under 3-1). Edmonton won its last nine home games; they’ve won eight of last nine overall- over is 3-0-1 in its last four.
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NY RANGERS (48-28-0-6, 102 pts.) at MONTREAL (47-26-0-9, 103 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 14-28 ATS (-14.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 11-18 ATS (-10.5 Units) after a division game this season.
NY RANGERS are 14-8 ATS (+22.8 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
NY RANGERS are 13-4 ATS (+8.4 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
NY RANGERS are 23-11 ATS (+9.4 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 7-2 (+5.8 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 7-2-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.2 Units)
COLUMBUS (50-24-0-8, 108 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (50-21-0-11, 111 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 8-21 ATS (+37.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 47-24 ATS (+10.8 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 50-32 ATS (+9.8 Units) in all games this season.
COLUMBUS is 13-3 ATS (+8.9 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
COLUMBUS is 23-11 ATS (+10.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 7-5 (+4.0 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 7-5-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.1 Units)
ST LOUIS (46-29-0-7, 99 pts.) at MINNESOTA (49-25-0-8, 106 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 18-5 ATS (+10.8 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
ST LOUIS is 40-30 ATS (+8.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 18-8 ATS (+9.7 Units) in road games second half of the season this season.
ST LOUIS is 53-41 ATS (+7.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 7-3 ATS (+11.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
MINNESOTA is 46-52 ATS (-13.2 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 10-10-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.9 Units)
SAN JOSE (46-29-0-7, 99 pts.) at EDMONTON (47-26-0-9, 103 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 6-12 ATS (-8.7 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
SAN JOSE is 45-46 ATS (-23.8 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
EDMONTON is 18-7 ATS (+18.0 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
EDMONTON is 18-7 ATS (+7.9 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
SAN JOSE is 38-22 ATS (+14.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games in April games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 15-6 ATS (+8.2 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 26-20 ATS (+52.1 Units) in road games in the first round of the playoffs since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 21-13 ATS (+35.6 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 7-7 (+3.3 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 7-7-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.4 Units)
BOSTON (44-31-0-7, 95 pts.) at OTTAWA (44-28-0-10, 98 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 4-10 ATS (-10.1 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 19-24 ATS (-13.2 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
BOSTON is 24-33 ATS (-21.0 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 44-38 ATS (-6.2 Units) in all games this season.
OTTAWA is 46-34 ATS (+82.0 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 28-17 ATS (+10.9 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 20-13 ATS (+34.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 20-10 ATS (+8.7 Units) in road games vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 189-214 ATS (+459.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 10-3 (+11.4 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 10-3-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.5 Units)
BOSTON vs. OTTAWA
Boston is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Boston's last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ottawa's last 6 games when playing Boston
Ottawa is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
NY RANGERS vs. MONTREAL
NY Rangers are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing Montreal
NY Rangers are 16-8 SU in their last 24 games on the road
Montreal is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Rangers
Montreal is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
COLUMBUS vs. PITTSBURGH
Columbus is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Columbus
ST. LOUIS vs. MINNESOTA
St. Louis is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games at home
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
SAN JOSE vs. EDMONTON
San Jose is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
San Jose is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Edmonton
Edmonton is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Edmonton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
NY Rangers at Montreal
New York: 15-7 SU as a road underdog of +100 to +200
Montreal: 0-5 SU in home games after 3 consecutive division games
Columbus at Pittsburgh
Columbus: 13-3 SU when playing with 2 days rest
Pittsburgh: 8-9 SU off a close loss by 1 goal to a division rival
St Louis at Minnesota
St Louis: 30-21 SU as a road underdog of +100 to +200
Minnesota: 3-8 SU in home games after having won 4 of their last 5
San Jose at Edmonton
San Jose: 10-1 SU in road games after 2 consecutive division games
Edmonton: 82-84 SU in home games after a 2 game unbeaten streak
Boston at Ottawa
Boston: 4-10 SU when playing with 3 or more days rest
Ottawa: 20-14 SU after one or more consecutive overs
Wednesday's NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Preview
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New York Rangers at Montreal Canadiens (-150, 5)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (48-28-6, 40-36-6 O/U): New York ranked among the top five teams in scoring and had four players record at least 22 goals, led by Kreider, who establish career highs with 53 points and a team-leading 28 goals. In his fifth season, Chris Kreider has registered 20 goals in 65 postseason games and vowed not to let the incident with Carey Price alter his style. “For me to be effective, I need to get to the crease. That’s where I’m going to score goals,” Kreider said. “It’s the playoffs. I think everyone’s going to try to lift their physical play a little bit."
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (47-26-9, 29-38-15 O/U): Price emerged from a midseason funk and allowed seven goals while winning all three matchups against New York, but Montreal's other indispensable player, Max Pacioretty, provided a waiting-to-exhale moment at Tuesday's practice. The team's leading goal scorer by far with 35 tallies, Pacioretty was forced to leave the ice when he was inadvertently high-sticked in the left side of the face by teammate Michael McCarron. He will be re-evaluated Wednesday, but coach Claude Julien said: "We're very optimistic he'll be OK."
LINE HISTORY: The Habs opened the game listed as -130 home favorites and they have since been bet up to -147. The total is on the board at 5. Check out the complete line history here.
INJURY REPORT:
Rangers - RW J. Fast (Questionable Wednesday, undisclosed), G A. Raanta (Questionable Wednesday, knee).
Canadiens - LW M. Pacioretty (Probable Wednesday, face), D J. Benn (Probable Wednesday, upper body), D S. Weber (Probable Wednesday, lower body), D B. Davidson (Questionable Wednesday, Flu), D. A Emelin (Out Wednesday, lower body).
TRENDS:
* Rangers are 0-5 in their last five games following a win.
* Rangers are 1-6 in the last seven meetings.
* Under is 5-1-1 in Rangers last seven games playing on two days rest.
* Under is 5-1-1 in Canadiens last seven games following a win.
Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators (+110, 5)
ABOUT THE BRUINS (44-31-7, 37-37-8 O/U): Brad Marchand, who has a team-high 39 goals and scored 22 times in 41 games on the road, will return to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for spearing Tampa Bay's Jake Dotchin, but Boston has some major health worries. Defensemen Torey Krug (lower body) and Brandon Carlo (upper body) and rookie forward Noel Acciari have been ruled out of the series opener while third-leading goal scorer David Krejci and Dominic Moore missed Tuesday's practice. That puts more of an onus on Tuukka Rask, who set career highs this season with 37 wins and eight shutouts.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (44-28-10, 32-47-3 O/U): Ottawa, unlike the Bruins, is as healthy as it has been for much of the season, with the lone exception being defenseman Marc Methot, who is dealing with a finger injury resulting in a slash from Sidney Crosby. Coach Guy Boucher shuffled his lines at Tuesday's practice by moving Zack Smith (sidelined the past six games) to center on the fourth line while pairing Jean-Gabriel Pageau with forwards Mike Hoffman and slumping Mark Stone. Goaltender Craig Anderson, who took a leave from the team while his wife battled cancer, won all four starts against Boston this season.
LINE HISTORY: The Senators opened this game as home underdogs at +109 and have been faded to +115. The total is on the board at 5. Check out the complete line history here.
INJURY REPORT:
Bruins - G A. Khudobin (Probable Wednesday, illness), C D. Moore (Probable Wednesday, undisclosed), C D. Krejci (Probable Wednesday, undisclosed), RW J. Hayes (Questionable Wednesday, lower body), D T. Krug (Out indefinitely, lower body), C N. Acciari (Out Wednesday, upper body), D B. Carlo (Out Wednesday, upper body).
Senators - C Z. Smith (Probable Wednesday, upper body), D E Karlsson (Probable Wednesday, heel), D M. Methot (Questionable Wednesday, finger.)
TRENDS:
* Bruins are 4-0 in their last four first round playoff games.
* Senators are 6-0 in the last six meetings.
* Under is 4-0 in the Bruins last four games overall.
* Under is 5-0 in Senators last five games playing on two days rest.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins (-155, 5.5)
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (50-24-8, 32-44-6 O/U): Rookie Zach Werenski (upper body) returned to practice Tuesday and is expected to end a four-game absence by suiting up against Pittsburgh. "That's huge for us he's back, just with his ability on the ice and what he does on the back end," captain Nick Foligno said of the 19-year-old offensive-minded defenseman, who rejoined Seth Jones on the first pair Tuesday. Werenski recorded 21 (four goals, 17 assists) of his 47 points on the power play and his return could provide a spark for Columbus, which led the league by going 32-for-124 with the man advantage in its first 41 games before converting on just 10-of-87 opportunities the rest of the way.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (50-21-11, 47-30-5 O/U): Pittsburgh's postseason success could greatly hinge on the health of former Hart Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin (33 goals, 39 assists), who is expected to return Wednesday from a 13-game absence due to an upper-body injury. "I will play tomorrow, for sure. A couple extra days for me. ... I'm ready to play," the 30-year-old Malkin said Tuesday after taking part in a full-contact practice while skating between Bryan Rust and Phil Kessel (team-high 47 assists). While Malkin is set to return, fellow forwards Carl Hagelin (lower body) and Chris Kunitz (lower body) as well as defenseman Chad Ruhwedel (upper body) are expected to be spectators after sitting out practice on Tuesday.
LINE HISTORY: The Penguins open their defense of the Stanley Cup as hefty -167 faves against the Blue Jackets, but they have been faded slightly to the current number of -155. The total is on the board at 5.5. Check out the complete line history here.
INJURY REPORT:
Blue Jackets - D Z. Werenski (Probable Wednesday, shoulder).
Penguins - C E. Malkin (Probable Wednesday, shoulder), D C. Ruhwedel (Doubtful Wednesday, upper body), LW C. Kunitz (Out indefinitely, lower body), LW C. Hagelin (Late April, lower body).
TRENDS:
* Blue Jackets are 1-6 in their last seven games overall.
* Home team is 4-0 in the last four meetings.
* Under is 6-1-1 in Blue Jackets last eight road games.
* Under is 7-1-1 in Penguins last nine homes games vs. a team with a winning road record.
St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild (-160, 5)
ABOUT THE BLUES (46-29-7, 34-35-13 O/U): St. Louis won’t have veteran center Paul Stastny (foot) to start the series and rookie Ivan Barbashev is expected to take the top-line center role between Tarasenko (75 points) and Jaden Schwartz (55). Vladimir Sobotka, who was signed to a three-year deal late in the regular season after a three-year stay in Russia, reportedly will play with Jori Lehtera and Alex Steen on another line while Patrik Berglund centers a third unit. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was solid down the stretch while recording two goals and four assists in his last four games.
ABOUT THE WILD (49-25-8, 42-31-9 O/U): Devan Dubnyk, who struggled through the month of March with an .889 save percentage, has won all three of his starts this month to finish with a career-high 40 wins. Reportedly, Erik Haula is expected to play on the wing with captain Mikko Koivu and leading scorer Mikael Granlund (69 points) as coach Bruce Boudreau tries to even out his lines while 20-year-old rookie Joel Eriksson Ek likely will be in the lineup for Game 1. Defenseman Jared Spurgeon (lower body) missed the last two regular-season games but hopes to play Wednesday.
LINE HISTORY: The Wild opened this matchup as moderate -143 faves and have seen the majority of support since then, with bettors moving the line to Minnesota -160. The total is on the board at 5. Check out the complete line history here.
INJURY REPORT:
Blues - D R. Bortuzzo (Questionable Wednesday, upper body), RW N. Yakkupov (Questionable Wednesday, undisclosed), C P. Stasny (Doubtful Wednesday, foot).
Wild - D J. Spurgeon (Questionable Wednesday, lower body), D V. Bartley (Out indefinitely, tricep).
TRENDS:
* Blues are 6-1 in their last seven road games.
* Wild are 6-0 in their last six games playing on three or more days rest.
* Under is 12-3-3 in the Blues last 18 games vs. Western Conference opponents.
* Over is 5-0-1 in Wild's last six days playing on three or more days rest.
San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers (-150, 5)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (46-29-7, 22-37-23 O/U): Couture and Thornton both have practiced each of the last two days but are not guaranteed to rejoin the lineup Wednesday. "Both those guys are day-to-day," coach Peter DeBoer told reporters on Tuesday. "They both looked good today at practice, but that will be a game-time decision." More will be expected from Joe Pavelski should Couture and Thornton not play as the captain shared the team lead with 29 goals during the regular season and has scored 40 in 105 career playoff games, including 14 during the team's run to the Final in 2016.
ABOUT THE OILERS (47-26-9, 32-42-8 O/U): McDavid, who also led the league with 70 assists, joined Wayne Gretzky as the only Oilers to win the regular-season scoring title and was the first member of the franchise to reach the 100-point plateau since Doug Weight in 1995-96. He became the third-youngest player in NHL history - behind Sidney Crosby and Gretzky - to capture the Art Ross Trophy at 20 years, 86 days as Edmonton made the largest increase in points (33) in the league after placing 29th last season. Leon Draisaitl finished second on the team in both goals (29) and points (77) and ended the campaign nearly as hot as McDavid, landing on the scoresheet in 12 of the final 14 games (six goals, 15 assists).
LINE HISTORY: It may be the Oilers first playoff game in 11 years, but bettors like them in Game 1. Since opening at -131 Edmonton has moved to -150. Check out the complete line history here.
INJURY REPORT:
Sharks - C L. Couture (Questionable Wednesday, teeth), C J. Thornton (Questionable Wednesday, knee).
Oilers - No injuries to report.
TRENDS:
* Sharks are 1-6 in their last seven road games.
* Oilers are 9-0 in their last nine home games.
* Over is 9-3-3 in Sharks last 15 first round playoff games.
* Under is 8-2 in Oilers last 10 games playing on two days rest.