Betting news, trends, odds and predictions for Friday, March 9, 2018 from various handicappers and websites
NHL
Long Sheet
Friday, March 9
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DETROIT (26-30-0-11, 63 pts.) at COLUMBUS (35-28-0-5, 75 pts.) - 3/9/2018, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 5-2 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 5-2-0 straight up against DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.8 Units)
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CALGARY (33-25-0-10, 76 pts.) at OTTAWA (23-32-0-11, 57 pts.) - 3/9/2018, 7:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 3-2 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
OTTAWA is 3-2-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.1 Units)
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ANAHEIM (34-22-0-12, 80 pts.) at DALLAS (37-24-0-6, 80 pts.) - 3/9/2018, 8:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 4-3 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 4-3-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.3 Units)
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MINNESOTA (38-22-0-7, 83 pts.) at VANCOUVER (25-33-0-9, 59 pts.) - 3/9/2018, 10:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 5-3 (+5.4 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 5-3-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.1 Units)
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NHL Betting Cheat Sheet and Odds: Original Six rivals meet for rare matinee home-and-home
Monty Andrews
The Dallas Stars are struggling on offense, the Toronto Maple Leafs are really missing Auston Matthews, and the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks meet for a pair of afternoon games this weekend. We break down all of the betting angles you'll need to know for this weekend's action with our NHL Cheat Sheet.
No O in Big D
The Dallas Stars have been one of the more reliable Over plays for most of the season - but things have changed over the past 2 1/2 weeks as the Stars prepare for a Friday night encounter with the visiting Anaheim Ducks. The Stars have gone below the total in seven of their previous 10 games, including four shutouts over that span; Dallas has been on the right end of two of those shutouts, and blanked in the other two. And there's a good bet that stretch will continue Friday night, with Anaheim coming into the game as one of only three teams with 40 or more Unders on the season.
Bad Time for a Bad Stretch
The Toronto Maple Leafs are finding life without Auston Matthews a lot more difficult this time around than they did earlier in the season - and they'll likely be without their electrifying center as they entertain the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. Matthews has missed the past five games with a shoulder ailment, and Toronto has gone just 1-2-2 in that span while carrying a four-game losing skid into Saturday's encounter. The Penguins head to the Ontario capital on a three-game winning streak and have prevailed nine of their last 12 games overall, including a 5-3 win over Toronto on Feb. 17.
Original Six Showdown
Two of the NHL's oldest franchises will do battle this weekend as the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks take part in a rare home-and-home matinee series. The Bruins have been one of the hottest teams in the league since the All-Star Break and have positioned themselves as a terrific bet to win the Stanley Cup, presently installed at +650 on Bet365 - behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators. Things haven't been nearly as rosy for the Blackhawks, who find themselves at the bottom of the Central Division race and will likely one of the first Western Conference teams eliminated from postseason contention.
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Player Notes
* The Carolina Hurricanes have made a front-office shake-up, removing Ron Francis as general manager and reassigning him to president of hockey operations. The Hurricanes enter Thursday night four points out of the second East wild-card spot.
* The Boston Bruins will be without forward David Backes through the weekend after he was given a three-game suspension for a hit on Detroit Red Wings forward Frans Nielsen. It's the first time Backes has been suspended in his NHL career.
* The Chicago Blackhawks have rewarded Jan Rutta for a solid season, signing the 27-year-old to a one-year contract extension worth $2.25 million. Rutta entered Thursday night with six goals and 13 assists in 43 games this season.
Injury Updates
* Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury suffered Tuesday against the New York Rangers. The Jets are 13-3 SU and 11-5 O/U in games in which Scheifele has found the back of the net this season.
* The Philadelphia Flyers have welcomed forward Wayne Simmonds back to the lineup after he missed eight games with an upper-body injury. The Flyers won their first four games with Simmonds on the sidelines, then promptly lost the next four.
* Injured Calgary Flames netminder Mike Smith has joined the team on its three-game road trip but isn't sure when he'll be back in the lineup. Smith, who hasn't played since Feb. 11 against the New York Islanders, is 23-16-6 with a 2.53 goals-against average.
Stanley Cup Futures
* The Tampa Bay Lightning remain the team to beat in oddsmakers' eyes. The NHL's overall points leaders are installed as +425 favorites on Bet365 to win their second Stanley Cup title; Nashville is a close second in the odds race at +500.
* The Toronto Maple Leafs' recent struggles have dropped their odds to +1,300 - sixth-best in the league, and fourth among Eastern Conference contenders. They're one spot ahead of the Penguins (+1,400), who visit Air Canada Centre on Saturday.
* Don't count out the Minnesota Wild, whose sensational second half of the season has pushed them into live underdog status. The Wild have moved all the way up to +1,700 on Bet365, the fourth-best odds among Western Conference teams.
Betting Trends
* Host teams have been particularly dominant of late, going 31-14-4 - a 63.3-percent success rate - over the seven-day period ending Wednesday. That gives the home side a 56.4-percent win rate over the past 30 days, and 55.8 percent for the season.
* Over has been the stronger play over the most recent seven-day stretch, with 27 games exceeding the total and 21 going Under. That puts the count at 504 Overs compared to 499 Unders so far in 2017-18.
* You won't find many better Under plays at this point in the season than the Detroit Red Wings, who have gone below the total in 14 of their previous 18 games entering Thursday night. They're the first Eastern Conference team to surpass 40 Unders.
* Colorado's value to bettors has depended almost entirely on where the Avalanche have played. The Denver-based franchise has returned a league-best 1,278 units at Pepsi Center, but is at -274 units in 32 games away from Colorado.
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NHL
Friday, March 9
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Trend Report
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DETROIT @ COLUMBUS
Detroit is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Detroit's last 13 games
Columbus is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 6 games
CALGARY @ OTTAWA
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Calgary's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Calgary's last 8 games when playing Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Ottawa's last 8 games when playing Calgary
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Ottawa's last 7 games at home
ANAHEIM @ DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Anaheim's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 7 games when playing at home against Anaheim
MINNESOTA @ VANCOUVER
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Vancouver's last 10 games at home
Vancouver is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
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