Saturday's Best NHL Bets
Florida Panthers at San Jose Sharks (-290, 5.5)
San Jose extended its three-game winning streak with an 8-5 win over the Nashville Predators Thursday night. The Sharks were trailing 4-2 heading into the third period but erupted for six goals in the final frame.
"We won the game and that's great, but that's not what I focus on," coach Todd McLellan told reporters after the game. "We were clearly outworked, outplayed, out-hustled for two periods, and that's very disappointing."
The Sharks were working off some rest after not taking the ice since a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets last weekend. San Jose’s defense limited the Blue Jackets to 22 shots in that game and, before Thursday’s contest, had played under the total in six of its last seven games.
Bettors should expect the Sharks’ blueline to return to form this weekend.
Pick: Under
St. Louis Blues at Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blues are quietly becoming the NHL’s cash cow, winning six of their last seven games with four of those victories coming while St. Louis was priced as plus-money with sportsbooks.
The Blues’ most recent win was a 2-1 shootout victory over the New York Islanders Thursday night. They managed to pepper Isles goaltender Martin Biron with 36 shots on goal but snuck just one goal past him in regulation.
"But they put us under some pressure and we had to really get ourselves up to speed from a defensive aspect,” coach Davis Payne told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Once we got to that point, probably the execution offensively wasn't what we'd like. ... We put a lot of pucks on net, but we didn't generate many second opportunities.”
The lack of offensive pop is a big change from what St. Louis did during a five-game winning streak last week in which it scored nearly five goals a night. However, in the last two games, the Blues have managed to light the lamp just five total times despite out-shooting their opponents 78-63 during that span.
Goals will be hard to come by when St. Louis meets Columbus, another club struggling to find the back of the net. The Blue Jackets are averaging just over 2.5 goals per game in their past seven outings.
Pick: Under
Hockey Night In Canada Betting Preview
By ARI BAUM-COHEN
Edmonton Oilers at Toronto Maple Leafs (-205, 5.5)
The basics
Betting on this game will be the only way to make it interesting as the 29th-place Toronto Maple Leafs host the 30th-place Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers are 8-21-3 on the road and have won one game away from Rexall Place since December 11.
The Leafs are seven points ahead of the Oilers and have won three of their last four games.
Power outage
The Oilers are 1-16 with the man advantage over their last six games while the Maple Leafs are on an 0-for-30 stretch.
“We’ve got to set it up [the power play] and establish a point shot right away and maybe move the puck a little bit quicker,” Toronto forward Tyler Bozak told the Toronto Star.
Both teams will have their chances. Edmonton has committed 16 penalties over its last two games and Toronto has a league-worst penalty kill at 72.1 percent.
Already spoiled
“You know you're not going to make the playoffs so these are your playoffs and try to be a spoiler," Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney told reporters.
The only thing that can be spoiled between these teams is whether the Oilers or Bruins will draft top prospect Taylor Hall.
"We're much younger, guys are auditioning for next year,” Toronto coach Ron Wilson told the Toronto Star.
Net minding the under
Jeff Deslauriers has played well lately but has had an inconsistent season overall.
"We've seen high levels out of him, but he's got to keep working at it to find that," coach Pat Quinn told reporters.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere has made the most of his time in Toronto, with a 2.47 goals against average, .916 save percentage and two shutouts in eight games.
The under is 3-0 in Edmonton’s last three games started by Deslauriers and 6-2 in games started by Giguere.
Ottawa Senators at Vancouver Canucks (-175, 5.5)
The basics
Canada’s top two teams face off in the late HNIC game.
The Senators have all but secured a playoff spot and are fighting for the Northeast division title. Ottawa has struggled since the Olympic break, winning only one of its five games (1-3-1).
Vancouver leads the Northwest division with 85 points and is firmly entrenched in a playoff spot. The Canucks are 6-2-1 in their last nine games.
Olympic hangover
Ottawa has been flat offensively since the break, averaging just 1.4 goals a game. Brian Elliot continues his solid play with a 2.31 goals against average and has a save percentage of .932 in his last three games.
Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo has a 4.20 goals against average since the Olympics and described his performance against Colorado Tuesday as, “probably the worst I’ve ever played in my career”.
Trend setters
Elliot’s strong play and Ottawa’s inability to score has led to the Senators going under the total in all five games since the break. The under is 13-3-2 in Ottawa’s last 18 games.
Vancouver is tied with San Jose as the highest scoring team in the Western conference, averaging 3.24 goals a game. They have gone over the total in eight consecutive games.
The Canucks are led offensively by Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who trail only Washington’s Alex Ovechkin for the highest points per game average in the NHL.
Where are we?
Ottawa is on a quick tour of Western Canada, playing Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver on a three-game, five-day trip. Ottawa closes out the season by playing 11 of 16 games away from home.
The Canucks will play their first game at home since January 27 and have won five straight games at GM Place. Vancouver went 8-5-1 on its league-record, 14-game road trip and open a five-game homestand Saturday night.
CHICAGO (44-17-0-5, 93 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (35-27-0-4, 74 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 120-123 ATS (+273.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
CHICAGO is 37-18 ATS (+13.8 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 70-53 ATS (+14.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 4-11 ATS (-10.3 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 9-18 ATS (-15.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 1-0-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)
FLORIDA (27-29-0-10, 64 pts.) at SAN JOSE (43-14-0-9, 95 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 5-14 ATS (+19.7 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
SAN JOSE is 12-2 ATS (+8.9 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
FLORIDA is 1-0 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
FLORIDA is 1-0-0 straight up against SAN JOSE 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)
BUFFALO (36-21-0-8, 80 pts.) at DETROIT (32-23-0-12, 76 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 6-12 ATS (-8.5 Units) on Saturday games this season.
DETROIT is 96-39 ATS (-0.8 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.
DETROIT is 32-35 ATS (-16.5 Units) in all games this season.
DETROIT is 11-16 ATS (-13.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
DETROIT is 6-11 ATS (-8.6 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-1 (+1.8 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 3-1-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.0 Units)
NEW JERSEY (39-23-0-3, 81 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (26-33-0-8, 60 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 9-9 (+4.5 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 9-9-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
10 of 18 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.7 Units)
BOSTON (30-24-0-12, 72 pts.) at MONTREAL (34-29-0-6, 74 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 30-36 ATS (-15.7 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 10-17 ATS (-9.2 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 17-19 ATS (-11.2 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
BOSTON is 40-16 ATS (+17.0 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 43-32 ATS (+81.7 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive road games since 1996.
MONTREAL is 11-17 ATS (-18.7 Units) in home games on Saturday games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 8-14 ATS (-13.5 Units) in home games vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 18-30 ATS (-20.7 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 17-13 (+3.1 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 17-13-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
15 of 25 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+4.4 Units)
ST LOUIS (31-26-0-9, 71 pts.) at COLUMBUS (27-30-0-11, 65 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 11-7 (+4.8 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 11-7-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.9 Units)
EDMONTON (21-39-0-7, 49 pts.) at TORONTO (22-34-0-11, 55 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
EDMONTON is 20-45 ATS (+82.4 Units) in all games this season.
EDMONTON is 8-23 ATS (+40.1 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
TORONTO is 22-45 ATS (+89.8 Units) in all games this season.
TORONTO is 9-26 ATS (+40.8 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 82-99 ATS (-32.1 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
TORONTO is 21-32 ATS (-14.2 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 2-1 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 2-1-0 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.1 Units)
PHOENIX (40-22-0-5, 85 pts.) at CAROLINA (28-31-0-8, 64 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 18-9 ATS (+8.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
CAROLINA is 14-5 ATS (+8.8 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 7-3 ATS (+11.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
PHOENIX is 40-27 ATS (+67.1 Units) in all games this season.
PHOENIX is 12-4 ATS (+16.3 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 2-0 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
CAROLINA is 2-0-0 straight up against PHOENIX 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)
OTTAWA (37-26-0-5, 79 pts.) at VANCOUVER (41-23-0-3, 85 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 11-1 ATS (+9.3 Units) in home games in March games over the last 3 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 106-69 ATS (+24.4 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in home games in non-conference games this season.
VANCOUVER is 43-26 ATS (+12.5 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 42-30 ATS (+5.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 6-1 ATS (+7.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
VANCOUVER is 142-149 ATS (-86.7 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 57-81 ATS (-39.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 2-1 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 2-1-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.8 Units)
CHICAGO vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chicago's last 10 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Philadelphia's last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games at home
FLORIDA vs. SAN JOSE
Florida is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Florida is 1-7-1 SU in its last 9 games ,when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing at home against Florida
San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Florida
BOSTON vs. MONTREAL
Boston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Boston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
Montreal is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Montreal's last 6 games at home
BUFFALO vs. DETROIT
Buffalo is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Buffalo is 3-15-1 SU in its last 19 games ,when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games
EDMONTON vs. TORONTO
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Edmonton's last 11 games on the road
Edmonton is 1-14 SU in its last 15 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Toronto's last 14 games when playing at home against Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 9 games
NEW JERSEY vs. NY ISLANDERS
New Jersey is 8-3 SU in their last 11 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of New Jersey's last 16 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of the NY Islanders last 23 games when playing New Jersey
NY Islanders are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
PHOENIX vs. CAROLINA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games at home
ST. LOUIS vs. COLUMBUS
The total has gone OVER in 7 of St. Louis's last 10 games when playing Columbus
St. Louis is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Columbus is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against St. Louis
OTTAWA vs. VANCOUVER
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Ottawa's last 7 games when playing Vancouver
Ottawa is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vancouver's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Vancouver's last 7 games when playing Ottawa
CHICAGO at PHILADELPHIA
CHICAGO: 16-3 SU off BB home games
PHILADELPHIA: 4-11 SU after scoring 1 goal or less
FLORIDA at SAN JOSE
FLORIDA: 5-14 SU after scoring 1 goal or less
SAN JOSE: 12-2 SU after allowing 4+ goals
BUFFALO at DETROIT
BUFFALO: 9-21 SU playing on back-to-back days
DETROIT: 38-9 SU at home off home win
NEW JERSEY at NY ISLANDERS
NEW JERSEY: n/a
NY ISLANDERS: n/a
BOSTON at MONTREAL
BOSTON: 7-0 SU playing 6 or more games in 10 days
MONTREAL: 2-9 SU after a 4 game unbeaten streak
ST LOUIS at COLUMBUS
ST LOUIS: n/a
COLUMBUS: n/a
EDMONTON at TORONTO
EDMONTON: 1-11 SU if 8+ total goals were scored last game
TORONTO: 5-14 SU as favorite
PHOENIX at CAROLINA
PHOENIX: 4-15 SU off 2 straight wins
CAROLINA: 17-4 SU at home off home win
OTTAWA at VANCOUVER
OTTAWA: 32-52 SU after having lost 2 of their last 3 games
VANCOUVER: 7-0 SU in non-conf home games
CHICAGO vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chicago's last 10 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Philadelphia's last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games at home
FLORIDA vs. SAN JOSE
Florida is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Florida is 1-7-1 SU in its last 9 games ,when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games when playing at home against Florida
San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Florida
BOSTON vs. MONTREAL
Boston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Boston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
Montreal is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Montreal's last 6 games at home
BUFFALO vs. DETROIT
Buffalo is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Buffalo is 3-15-1 SU in its last 19 games ,when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games
EDMONTON vs. TORONTO
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Edmonton's last 11 games on the road
Edmonton is 1-14 SU in its last 15 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Toronto's last 14 games when playing at home against Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Toronto's last 9 games
NEW JERSEY vs. NY ISLANDERS
New Jersey is 8-3 SU in their last 11 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of New Jersey's last 16 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of the NY Islanders last 23 games when playing New Jersey
NY Islanders are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
PHOENIX vs. CAROLINA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing on the road against Carolina
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games when playing at home against Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games at home
ST. LOUIS vs. COLUMBUS
The total has gone OVER in 7 of St. Louis's last 10 games when playing Columbus
St. Louis is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Columbus is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against St. Louis
OTTAWA vs. VANCOUVER
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Ottawa's last 7 games when playing Vancouver
Ottawa is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vancouver's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Vancouver's last 7 games when playing Ottawa
Hot Teams
-- Blackhawks won six of their last eight games. Flyers won seven of their last ten games.
-- Sharks won last three games, scoring 13 goals. Panthers won three of their last four games.
-- Red Wings won five of their last seven games. Sabres won three of their last four games.
-- St Louis won six of its last seven games. Columbus won six of its last nine home games.
-- Maple Leafs won three of their last four games.
-- Canadiens won last four games, scoring 18 goals. Bruins won seven of their last ten games.
-- Carolina won nine of its last eleven games. Coyotes won three games, allowing total of four goals.
-- Canucks won six of their last eight games.
Cold Teams
-- Devils lost eight of their last nine road games. Islanders lost last four games, scoring total of eight goals.
-- Oilers lost eight of their last eleven games.
-- Senators lost five of their last six games.
Totals
-- Six of last seven Chicago games went over the total.
-- Last three Florida games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last seven Buffalo games stayed under the total. Detroit's last five games all went over.
-- Five of last seven New Jersey games went over the total. Islanders' last three games all stayed under.
-- Last four Montreal games all went over the total.
-- Under is 6-2 in last eight Columbus home games. Six of last eight Blue games went over.
-- Three of last four Edmonton games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Carolina home games went over the total. Five of last seven Phoenix games stayed under.
-- Last seven Vancouver games went over the total. Under is 5-0-1 in last six Ottawa games.
Playing second of back-to-back nights
-- Buffalo is 4-8 if it played the night before, 1-3 if it lost.
-- New Jersey lost last three times they played the night before, scoring a total of four goals.
Series Records
-- Red Wings won three of last four games against Buffalo.
-- Devils won eight of last eleven games against the Islanders.
-- Canadiens won four of last five games against Boston.
-- Blue Jackets won three of last four games against St Louis.