Friday's Best NHL Bets
By Covers.com
Florida Panthers at Pittsburgh Penguins (-200, 6)
Last season the Penguins struggled to play above .500 without defenseman Sergei Gonchar in the lineup. Gonchar got hurt again and will miss the next four to six weeks, but beat reporters are talking Pittsburgh bettors down off the ledge.
The elevated play of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is enough to compensate for the loss of Pittsburgh’s best blueliner. Fleury is 8-0 with a 1.96 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.
“Marc-Andre’s been our best player every night, but we’re all out there frustrating the other team,” Pens defenseman Jay McKee said following a recent win over the Lightning. “There are a lot of things clicking for us right now, especially defensively.”
Fleury will get a day off when the Pens host the Panthers on Friday. Look for Pittsburgh’s offense to continue finding the back of the net and backup Brent Johnson to let in a few soft goals.
Pick: Over 6
Carolina Hurricanes at Colorado Avalanche (-113, 5.5)
The Canes failed to pick up their first road against Islanders Wednesday, but there were several signs pointing to a hot streak for Carolina.
Paul Maurice’s boys fought back from a 3-1 deficit and the coach was particularly glad to see Eric Staal collect his first multi-point game of the season.
“For our offense, getting that big boy going is critical,” Maurice told the Raleigh News & Observer. “He had the fire on the bench.”
The Hurricanes are too good of a team not to pick up steam soon. Look for the club to avenge the embarrassing loss to the Islanders with a big win against the surprising Avalanche.
Pick: Carolina +104
Florida Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Florida Panthers and the Pittsburgh Penguins will both be gunning for a victory on Friday when they meet at Mellon Arena.
The Panthers were defeated 5-2 by the Sabres last time out, as +105 underdogs. That game's seven goals made it OVER the posted over/under (5.5).
Steve Reinprecht and Rostislav Olesz replied for the Panthers.
Matt Cooke had a goal and an assist, as the Penguins skated past the Blues 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Pittsburgh cashed as -200 home favorites, while the game resulted in a PUSH on the 6-goal total set by oddsmakers.
Current streak:
Pittsburgh has won 6 straight games.
Team records:
Florida: 2-5-0
Pittsburgh: 8-1-0
Florida most recently:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing NY Rangers are 6-4
After playing Buffalo are 4-6
After a loss are 5-5
Pittsburgh most recently:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Ottawa are 7-3
After playing St. Louis are 3-7
After a win are 8-2
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Florida's last 13 games on the road
Florida is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing Pittsburgh
Florida is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida's last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games at home
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Florida
Next up:
Florida at Philadelphia, Saturday, October 24
Pittsburgh home to New Jersey, Saturday, October 24
Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues
The fans at Scottrade Center will be treated to a game between the Minnesota Wild and the St. Louis Blues when they take their seats on Friday.
Mikko Koivu scored the tying goal on the power play and then potted the shootout winner on Wednesday, as the Wild defeated the Avalanche 3-2. The Wild won the game as -130 favorites, while the teams played UNDER the posted over/under (5.5).
Brent Burns scored the other marker for the Wild, and Niklas Backstrom stopped 33 shots for the win.
Paul Kariya netted the lone marker for St. Louis in its 5-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
Pittsburgh cashed as -200 home favorites, while the game resulted in a PUSH on the 6-goal total set by oddsmakers.
Team records:
Minnesota: 2-6-0
St. Louis: 3-3-1
Minnesota most recently:
When playing on Friday are 4-5-1
Before playing Florida are 4-4-2
After playing Colorado are 3-7
After a win are 2-8
St. Louis most recently:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Tampa Bay are 3-3-1
After playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Minnesota's last 14 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Minnesota is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Minnesota is 4-5-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of St. Louis's last 14 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
St. Louis is 6-12-2 SU in its last 20 games when playing Minnesota
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Next up:
Minnesota home to Carolina, Saturday, October 24
St. Louis home to Dallas, Saturday, October 24
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Colorado Avalanche
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Colorado Avalanche will both be trying to pick up a win on Friday when they battle at Pepsi Center.
The Hurricanes lost 4-3 to the Islanders in a shootout on Wednesday, as -140 favorites. That game's combined score made it OVER the posted over/under (5.5).
Matt Cullen, Eric Staal, and Jussi Jokinen replied in the loss.
The Avalanche fell 3-2 to the Wild in a shootout on Wednesday, as +110 underdogs. The teams played UNDER the posted over/under (5.5).
Darcy Tucker and Kyle Quincey answered for the Avalanche.
Current streak:
Carolina has lost 4 straight games.
Team records:
Carolina: 2-4-2
Colorado: 6-1-2
Carolina most recently:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Boston are 5-5
After playing NY Islanders are 5-5
After a loss are 2-8
Colorado most recently:
When playing on Friday are 6-3-1
Before playing Buffalo are 8-8-1
After playing Minnesota are 6-4
After a loss are 2-8
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games when playing Colorado
Carolina is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games
Carolina is 1-12-3 SU in its last 16 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games at home
Colorado is 11-1-1 SU in its last 13 games when playing Carolina
Colorado is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Next up:
Carolina at Minnesota, Saturday, October 24
Colorado home to Detroit, Saturday, October 24
FLORIDA (2-5-0-0, 4 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (8-1-0-0, 16 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 129-87 ATS (+244.3 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 18-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 98-52 ATS (+27.1 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.
FLORIDA is 18-10 ATS (+7.5 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 5-3 (+0.5 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 5-3-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.9 Units)
MINNESOTA (2-6-0-0, 4 pts.) at ST LOUIS (3-3-0-1, 7 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 9-4 ATS (+13.7 Units) on Friday nights over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 4-4 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 4-4-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.1 Units)
CAROLINA (2-4-0-2, 6 pts.) at COLORADO (6-1-0-2, 14 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 1-7 ATS (-6.5 Units) in all games this season.
CAROLINA is 1-7 ATS (-6.5 Units) first half of the season this season.
COLORADO is 28-11 ATS (+13.5 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
CAROLINA is 19-13 ATS (+35.7 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 83-82 ATS (-91.3 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 1-1 (+0.2 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO is 1-1-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.1 Units)
FLORIDA vs. PITTSBURGH
Florida is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Florida's last 13 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Florida
Pittsburgh is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing Florida
MINNESOTA vs. ST. LOUIS
Minnesota is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing St. Louis
Minnesota is 4-5-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
CAROLINA vs. COLORADO
Carolina is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games
Carolina is 1-12-3 SU in its last 16 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Carolina
Colorado is 11-1-1 SU in its last 13 games when playing Carolina
Hot Teams
-- Penguins won last six games, outscoring opponents 26-11.
-- Avalanche won four of their last five games.
Cold Teams
-- Panthers lost five of their last six games.
-- Wild are 0-6 on the road, outscored 22-11. Blues lost four of their last five games.
-- Carolina lost its last four games, outscored 14-7; they're 0-4 on road.
Series Records
-- Penguins won seven of last ten games against Florida.
-- Blues won three of four against Minnesota LY.
-- Avalanche won two of last three games against Carolina.
Totals
-- Under is 3-0-1 in Penguins' last four games.
-- Three of last four Minnesota games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in Carolina's last five games.
FLORIDA at PITTSBURGH
FLORIDA: 29-43 SU when playing 3 or less games in 10 days
PITTSBURGH: 18-6 SU when playing with 2 days rest
MINNESOTA at ST LOUIS
MINNESOTA: 5-15 SU after a win by 1 goal in their previous game
ST LOUIS: 9-4 SU on Friday nights
CAROLINA at COLORADO
CAROLINA: 22-11 SU after a loss by 1 goal in their previous game
COLORADO: 7-22 SU off a road loss
Tips and Trends
Carolina Hurricanes at Colorado Avalanche
Hurricanes: The Hurricanes haven’t visited Denver since Dec. 11, 2006, when they lost 5-2 to the Avalanche. The teams last met Feb. 22, with Carolina winning, 5-2, at home. Matt Cullen scored three goals in that matchup. The Hurricanes (2-4-2) have yet to get going after reaching the Eastern Conference finals last year. They’ve lost four games in a row. In six of their eight games, the Hurricanes have scored two or fewer goals. The Panthers fell to New York on Wednesday in their last game, 4-3, in a shootout. Cam Ward has provided good goaltending, though, for Carolina with a 1.90 GAA in his last three games. Ward has never started at the Pepsi Center and has yet to win on the road this season going 0-3-1. Carolina is 0-5 in its last five games versus teams with a winning record.
The Over is 9-4 in Carolina’s last 13 games against Northwest Division competition.
The Under is 11-5-5 in Carolina’s last 21 games versus a team with a winning record.
Key Injuries - Defenseman Tim Gleason (upper body) is questionable
PROJECTED SCORE: 2
Avalanche (-$1.01, O/U 5.5): Colorado is a surprising 6-1-2 and leading the Western Conference going into its first home game in nearly three weeks. The Avs picked up 10 points during a stretch of seven straight road games. Goalie Craig Anderson has played a big part in Colorado’s early success. Anderson has a 2.06 GAA. He stopped 24 shots on Wednesday night in a 3-2 shootout loss to Minnesota. Defenseman Kyle Quincey had a goal and an assist in the losing cause. Colorado is 15-7-2 in its last 24 home games following a road trip of seven or more days. However, the Avs have lost seven of their past nine home contests. They are 1-8 during their last nine Friday matchups. Another angle working against Colorado is being 6-20 after scoring two goals or less during its previous game. Colorado is 6-0 the past six times it has hosted Carolina.
The Under is 13-4 in Colorado’s past 17 games.
The Under is 12-4 in Colorado’s last 16 games when playing on one day rest.
Key Injuries - Winger Cody McLeod (eye) is questionable
PROJECTED SCORE: 3 (Side of the Day)