Saturday's Best NHL Bets
By Covers.com
Philadelphia Flyers at New Jersey Devils (-140, 5.5)
The Flyers are determined not to make the same mistake twice. They got off to a sluggish start last year and earned a 0-3-3 record after the first six games. The slow start ended up costing them home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
This year, the team is focused on getting off on the right foot.
“It’s a matter of starting better and finishing stronger,” coach John Stevens told the media. “They all make a difference in the end. We’ve gone through a lot of experiences the last two years. Now it’s time to put it all together.”
The Flyers also added to their defensive unit by acquiring veteran blue liner Chris Pronger. He joins an already stand-out group led by Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn. They will be called to help out new goalie Ray Emery who owned a 1.78 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage during the preseason.
Expect Philly to be the hungrier team in this matchup.
Pick: Flyers +129
Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals (-196, 6)
The Leafs may have added size and toughness in the offseason, but their penalty kill looked shaky in the 4-3 overtime loss to the Habs Thursday night. They outshot the Canadiens 46-27 and dominated most of the game, but they allowed two shorthanded goals on four penalties including the tying one to Glen Metropolit with less than four minutes left in regulation.
The Leafs had the worse defense and the worse penalty kill last year. And so far, it appears to be more of the same.
“I don't think we have a bad penalty kill, we just didn't do the job tonight,” said center Matt Stajan. “Every team is going to take penalties. We have the guys here who can kill penalties, we have to make sure we do a better job of it. We don't want to change the way we play.”
“At the end of the day, you're not going to take zero penalties in a season. We just have to do a better job killing them.”
The Leafs will have their work cut out for them Saturday night against the Capitals’ powerful offense. Washington dominated the Bruins from start to finish in Thursday’s 4-1 victory. Their offense was sharp and even Jose Theodore, who struggled for most of last season, looked solid between the pipes.
Pick: Capitals -196
CHICAGO vs. FLORIDA
Chicago is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Chicago is 1-3-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Florida
Florida is 3-7-2 SU in its last 12 games when playing Chicago
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
ST. LOUIS vs. DETROIT
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Detroit
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing St. Louis
VANCOUVER vs. COLORADO
Vancouver is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Vancouver's last 6 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Colorado's last 9 games
CAROLINA vs. BOSTON
Carolina is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Carolina is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Boston is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing Carolina
Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Carolina
MINNESOTA vs. COLUMBUS
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games
Columbus is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Columbus's last 9 games when playing Minnesota
MONTREAL vs. BUFFALO
Montreal is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games
Buffalo is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Montreal
Buffalo is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Montreal
OTTAWA vs. NY RANGERS
Ottawa is 18-6 SU in their last 24 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Ottawa's last 5 games when playing NY Rangers
NY Rangers are 9-3 SU in their last 12 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the NY Rangers last 8 games at home
PHILADELPHIA vs. NEW JERSEY
Philadelphia is 1-14 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Philadelphia's last 16 games when playing on the road against New Jersey
New Jersey is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
New Jersey is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games at home
PITTSBURGH vs. NY ISLANDERS
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing NY Islanders
NY Islanders are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of the NY Islanders last 13 games
TAMPA BAY vs. ATLANTA
Tampa Bay is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Atlanta is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Atlanta is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games when playing Tampa Bay
TORONTO vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Toronto's last 19 games on the road
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Washington is 5-8-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
NASHVILLE vs. DALLAS
Nashville is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Nashville
Dallas is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games when playing at home against Nashville
CALGARY vs. EDMONTON
Calgary is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Calgary's last 14 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
Edmonton is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
SAN JOSE vs. ANAHEIM
San Jose is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
San Jose is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Anaheim's last 7 games when playing at home against San Jose
Anaheim is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose
PHOENIX vs. LOS ANGELES
Phoenix is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Phoenix is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Los Angeles is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Phoenix
Los Angeles is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Phoenix