Hockey Night In Canada Betting Breakdown
By ARI BAUM-COHEN
Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens (+105, 5.5)
The Basics
Saturday’s matchup will be the second leg of a home-and-home between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens.
Philadelphia is 30-25-3, good for 63 points and seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers are 15-7-1 in their last 23 games.
The Canadiens have won four of five and at 29-26-6 are sixth in the Eastern Conference with 64 points.
Goaltender Guess Off
Since being claimed off waivers by Philadelphia, Michael Leighton has a 10-3-1 record, 2.21 goals against average, and .925 save percentage.
In Montreal, Jaroslav Halak seems to have emerged as Montreal’s number one option. Halak has much better numbers than Carey Price and has started eight of Montreal’s last 10 games.
Price and Leighton are starting on Friday – stay tuned to see who will get the call on Saturday.
The Amazing (Playoff) Race
The difference between sixth place and ninth place in the Eastern Conference is one point.
"It's a chance to jump over them and keep the games in hand," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette told reporters on Thursday. "But they're looking at it the same way, so it should be a good hockey game. There should be urgency from both sides for points."
With both sides desperate for points, expect a playoff-type atmosphere at the Bell Centre on Saturday night.
Feeling Trendy
The Flyers are playing well defensively, allowing two or fewer goals in nine of their last 10 games. They have gone under the total six games in a row.
The Habs have allowed more than three goals only once in their last 10 games and have a 2-5-1 over-under record.
Montreal is 14-2-1 against Philadelphia since the start of the 2005-2006 season and their games have gone over the total in eight of the last 11.
Anaheim Ducks at Calgary Flames
The Basics
The late night HNIC game features two teams that appear to be heading in opposite directions.
The Anaheim Ducks are in 11th place in the West at 29-24-7 and have won five of six.
The Calgary Flames, at 29-23-9, occupy the final playoff spot in the West but are in the midst of a 4-11-4 slump.
Anaheim has won the last four and seven of the last eight meetings between the teams.
Under-whelming Offenses
Anaheim has scored at least three goals in its last five games, but will likely be without offensive leader Ryan Getzlaf.
The Ducks have also allowed more than two goals in a game only once in their last six, and have a 2-5-1 over-under record in their last eight.
Calgary has gone under the total in six straight games and haven’t scored more than two goals in their last four games.
38 Days Later
Plot: On Jan. 6 the Anaheim Ducks trailed the Calgary Flames by 14 points. Then, a virus known as “stone-hands” infected the entire Flames team, limiting their ability to score.
Thirty-eight days later, with a victory, the Ducks can pull into a tie with the Flames for the final playoff spot.
“We just have to keep throwing everything at the net,” infected Flames forward Eric Nystrom (0 goals in his last 42 games) told the Calgary Herald.
Netting a Win
Following a shaky November, Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller has lowered his goals against average every month. In February it is an impressive 2.21.
Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff is in or near the top 10 in every significant goaltending category and is one of a handful of players not drawing criticism from the Calgary brass.
“Kipper’s (goalie Miikka Kiprusoff) playing great, couldn’t be playing any better. It’s the best I’ve seen him play and he’s played some amazing years,” Brent Sutter told the Calgary Herald.
Saturday's Best NHL Bets
San Jose vs. Buffalo (-110, 5.5)
The Sabres had one of those practices on Monday that hockey players dread. Coach Lindy Ruff began by chewing out his team with a five-minute lecture and then he put them through 70 minutes of hard skating.
The result is that we saw a much better effort from Buffalo in its past two games, but they were still losses – one in overtime to Carolina and the other in a shootout to Boston. The Sabres have now dropped six in a row and 10 of their past 12.
But here’s why they might make a decent home underdog play Saturday night: San Jose’s top players will already have one foot out the door as they get ready to head to Vancouver for the Olympics.
Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle and Evgeni Nabokov are all headed to the Games following the Buffalo contest and you have to wonder how that will play out Saturday.
The Sharks thumped the Sabres 5-2 a couple of weeks ago and they could get caught flat-footed against a team desperate for a win.
Pick: Sabres
Dallas vs. Phoenix
For whatever reason, the Coyotes love playing on back-to-back nights this season. They are 7-1 on the puckline this year when they have to play two days in a row.
On Saturday, they’ll find themselves in that very spot when they host the Stars just one night after visiting the Colorado Avalanche.
Although oddsmakers will likely incorporate the fact that Phoenix will be a little tired when they set this line, don’t be fooled. The Dogs are one of the hottest teams in the league right now with eight wins in their last nine games heading into Friday – and guess who that lone loss came against?
You guessed it - the Stars.
Don’t expect any tired legs from a Coyotes team that will want to rectify a 4-0 loss in Dallas last Saturday.
Pick: Phoenix
TAMPA BAY (26-22-0-11, 63 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (24-29-0-7, 55 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 81-140 ATS (+253.8 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 63-137 ATS (+249.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
TAMPA BAY is 20-40 ATS (+61.4 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 1-9 ATS (+12.7 Units) after playing 3 consecutive home games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 39-73 ATS (+114.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
NY ISLANDERS are 50-89 ATS (-43.3 Units) in home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 6-5 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 6-5-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.3 Units)
SAN JOSE (40-12-0-9, 89 pts.) at BUFFALO (32-19-0-8, 72 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 17-7 ATS (+7.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
SAN JOSE is 21-8 ATS (+9.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BUFFALO is 0-6 ATS (-9.7 Units) in February games this season.
BUFFALO is 5-12 ATS (-10.8 Units) on Saturday games this season.
BUFFALO is 4-11 ATS (-10.5 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
BUFFALO is 2-1 (+1.6 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
BUFFALO is 2-1-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.4 Units)
OTTAWA (35-22-0-4, 74 pts.) at DETROIT (27-21-0-12, 66 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 55-55 ATS (-27.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 95-39 ATS (-2.3 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.
OTTAWA is 35-26 ATS (+6.9 Units) in all games this season.
OTTAWA is 14-6 ATS (+20.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
DETROIT is 27-33 ATS (-7.7 Units) in all games this season.
DETROIT is 15-18 ATS (-25.9 Units) in February games over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 49-40 ATS (-27.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 1-1-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.0 Units)
BOSTON (26-22-0-11, 63 pts.) at FLORIDA (24-27-0-9, 57 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 26-33 ATS (-16.0 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 6-14 ATS (-9.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 14-17 ATS (-11.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
FLORIDA is 18-15 ATS (+37.1 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 40-32 ATS (+83.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 19-13 ATS (+34.9 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 41-32 ATS (+79.8 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive road games since 1996.
FLORIDA is 64-96 ATS (+171.6 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.
FLORIDA is 227-255 ATS (+574.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
FLORIDA is 110-135 ATS (-56.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 6-4-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)
PHILADELPHIA (30-25-0-3, 63 pts.) at MONTREAL (29-26-0-6, 64 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 33-37 ATS (-11.7 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 31-39 ATS (-17.9 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 9-5 (+2.5 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 9-5-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.4 Units)
NEW JERSEY (36-20-0-3, 75 pts.) at CAROLINA (23-30-0-7, 53 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 9-8-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.2 Units)
WASHINGTON (41-14-0-6, 88 pts.) at ST LOUIS (26-25-0-9, 61 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 98-139 ATS (-52.3 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 36-33 ATS (+72.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 39-29 ATS (+71.4 Units) in road games in February games since 1996.
ST LOUIS is 2-9 ATS (-8.4 Units) in home games on Saturday games this season.
ST LOUIS is 7-14 ATS (-9.8 Units) in home games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 4-12 ATS (-14.8 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 1-1-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)
DALLAS (27-21-0-12, 66 pts.) at PHOENIX (37-19-0-5, 79 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 12-6 (+9.4 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 12-6-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.8 Units)
ANAHEIM (29-25-0-6, 64 pts.) at CALGARY (29-23-0-9, 67 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 8-2 (+6.7 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 8-2-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.2 Units)
COLORADO (34-19-0-6, 74 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (36-20-0-4, 76 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 6-2 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO is 6-2-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.9 Units)
TAMPA BAY vs. NY ISLANDERS
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
NY Islanders are 1-8 SU in their last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Islanders last 7 games
BOSTON vs. FLORIDA
Boston is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Florida
Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Florida's last 9 games when playing at home against Boston
NEW JERSEY vs. CAROLINA
New Jersey is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
New Jersey is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
OTTAWA vs. DETROIT
Ottawa is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Ottawa's last 12 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Detroit's last 9 games
PHILADELPHIA vs. MONTREAL
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Montreal
Philadelphia is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Montreal's last 8 games at home
SAN JOSE vs. BUFFALO
San Jose is 2-4-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Buffalo
San Jose is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
Buffalo is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Buffalo is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
WASHINGTON vs. ST. LOUIS
Washington is 2-9-1 SU in its last 12 games when playing St. Louis
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games at home
St. Louis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
ATLANTA vs. CHICAGO
Atlanta is 3-13 SU in its last 16 games on the road
Atlanta is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games
Chicago is 19-5 SU in its last 24 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games at home
DALLAS vs. PHOENIX
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Dallas's last 11 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Phoenix is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Phoenix's last 7 games at home
ANAHEIM vs. CALGARY
Anaheim is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Anaheim is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Calgary is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 7 games when playing Anaheim
COLORADO vs. LOS ANGELES
Colorado is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games at home
Hot Teams
-- Lightning won four of their last five games.
-- San Jose won four of its last five games.
-- Senators won 13 of their last 14 games.
-- Bruins won last three games, allowing six goals.
-- Canadiens won four of their last six games. Flyers won three games in a row, all by 3-2 score.
-- Carolina won last four games, outscoring foes 15-8.
-- Blues won last two games, 4-2/4-0. Washington is 14-2 in last sixteen games, but lost last two, both by 6-5 scores.
-- Coyotes won eight of their last ten games.
-- Ducks won four of their last five games.
-- Colorado won last foru games, allowing six goals.
Cold Teams
-- Islanders lost eight of their last nine games.
-- Sabres lost last six games, allowing 24 goals.
-- Red Wings lost four in row, 11 of last 14 games.
-- Panthers lost last five games, scoring four goals.
-- Devils lost five of their last seven games.
-- Dallas is 1-5 in game following its last six wins.
-- Blackhawks are 2-3 in last five home games.
-- Flames lost last three games, scoring four goals. Thrashers lost three of their last four road games.
-- Kings lost last two games, after winning previous nine.
Totals
-- Five of last seven Islander games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Buffalo games.
-- Six of last nine Detroit games went over the total. Under is 8-2-1 in last eleven Ottawa games.
-- Under is 11-1 in last twelve Florida games.
-- Six of last eight Montreal games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 8-4 in last dozen Carolina games.
-- Last five Washington games went over the total.
-- Three of last four Dallas games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Atlanta games went over the total.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Anaheim games.
-- Three of Kings' last four games went over the total.
Playing second of back-to-back nights
-- Flyers are 4-2 if they won the night before. Canadiens are 4-2 if they lost the night before.
-- Devils are 5-2 if they won the night before.
-- Blues are 3-9 if they played the night before.
-- Coyotes are 5-3 when they played the night before.
-- Atlanta is 6-3 if it played the night before, 3-0 if they won.
-- Avalanche is 4-6 if it played the night before.
Series Records
-- Tampa Bay won four of last five games against the Islanders.
-- Road team won last two Detroit-Ottawa games.
-- Bruins won three of last four visits to Miami.
-- Flyers won three of last four visits to Montreal.
-- Devils won three in row vs Carolina, allowing four goals.
-- Home team won last three St Louis-Washington games.
-- Coyotes won six of last seven games vs Dallas.
-- Road team won last three Atlanta-Chicago games.
-- Flames won seven of last eight games against Calgary.
-- Colorado won six of last eight games against the Kings.