Saturday's best NHL bets
Dallas Stars at Pittsburgh Penguins (-215, 5.5)
It was about this time last season that the Pittsburgh Penguins found their stride en route to a Stanley Cup championship run. Pittsburgh closed the regular season winning 18 of its final 24 games and rolled into the postseason hotter than the sun.
The Penguins could have another streak starting to smolder after winning back-to-back games following the Olympic break. They recently knocked off the New York Rangers, taking a 5-4 overtime victory with the help of star Evgeni Malkin Thursday night. The Russian forward netted the game-winning goal, lifting him to 22 goals on the season and extending his point streak to 15 games.
"That's a pretty good example of how we want to play the game," coach Dan Bylsma told reporters after Thursday’s win. "You'd like to tilt the ice so it's 70/30 and wear teams down. The feeling in our dressing room was (winning) was going to be inevitable."
Pittsburgh carries that momentum into the weekend. It’s won the past four contests with the Stars, dating back to 2004, and outscoring Dallas 16-5 during that span. The Penguins most recent win over the Stars came last March, when Malkin scored a goal and added two assists in a 4-1 victory.
Pick: Pittsburgh
St. Louis Blues at Colorado Avalanche (-130, 5.5)
The Colorado Avalanche are hoping the Rocky Mountain high continues in the second half of the season.
The Avs opened the post-Olympic break schedule with back-to-back road losses, falling to Anaheim and Phoenix earlier this week. Now, Colorado is back in the Pepsi Center for the next three games, trying to improve on its already stellar 20-9-1-1 record at home this year.
In Denver, the Avalanche allow just 2.25 goals per game – half a goal less than when playing the role of visitor. They also score an average of three goals per home game while netting 2.6 goals per game on the road.
Colorado has already flexed its home-ice dominance against the Blues this season, knocking off St. Louis 5-2 in the Pepsi Center back on February 8.
Pick: Colorado
Hockey Night In Canada Betting Preview
By ARI BAUM-COHEN
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators (-215, 5.5)
The basics
Toronto has lost four in a row (0-3-1) and has won seven of its last 30 games. At 19-32-12, the Maple Leafs are in last place in the Eastern Conference.
The Senators are suddenly slumping, losing three of four following a stretch where they won 13-of-14 games. As of Friday, Ottawa is 36-25-4 - tops in the Northeast Division.
Last time these teams met, Toronto ended Ottawa’s eleven game winning streak.
Under-whelming?
Toronto and Ottawa have gone under the total in all four meetings this season and in six of the last eight meetings.
Toronto has gone under the total in five of six games started by Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
Ottawa has allowed 27 goals in its last seven games.
"It seems like we're searching for our game and we're caught in between, making the wrong decisions some times," Sens forward Daniel Alfredsson told reporters.
The kids are alright
According to Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star, the Maple Leafs are now the youngest team in the league at 26.6 years old.
“It’s audition time for a lot of guys who want full-time jobs whether it will be this year or next year,” coach Ron Wilson told the Toronto Star.
The Senators are finally healthy and have been aided by surprise contributions from rookie forward Peter Regin and defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Playing the percentages
Despite having the league’s worst penalty kill at 71.8 percent, the Maple Leafs have killed off 13 straight penalties and have allowed only one power-play goal in their last seven games.
Ottawa has the league’s 27th-ranked power play at 15.7 percent and is 1-9 (11.1 percent) with the extra man over its last four games.
Special teams can be a difference maker in close games. Seven of the last 10 games between Ottawa and Toronto have been one-goal contests.
Montreal Canadiens at Los Angeles Kings (-185, 5.5)
The basics
The Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings met for just the third time since the lockout.
Montreal has lost three of its last four and is tied for the final playoff spot in the Eastern conference with 66 points.
Los Angeles is 11-2-1 in its last 14 games. The surprising Kings are fifth in the Western conference with 80 points (38-21-4).
Montreal has won the last four meeting between the teams.
Trade dud-line?
Habs GM Pierre Gautier kept both of Montreal’s promising young goaltenders at the trade deadline, refusing to deal Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak.
Los Angeles was slightly more active at the deadline, adding depth players Jeff Halpern and Freddy Modin.
"I'm pretty happy adding this," Kings GM Dean Lombardi said of the moves, "and getting (forward Justin) Williams back in a couple weeks will be like a free deal."
Halpern can play on any line (in a defensive role) and Modin, when healthy, is an above average goal-scorer.
Between the pipes
Saturday night’s contest will showcase two of the better young goalies in the NHL.
Probable starter Jaroslav Halak led team Slovakia to its best finish in an Olympics (fourth place). Halak is 17-10-2 with a goals against average of 2.56 and a save percentage of .923.
Jonathan Quick has been a nice surprise for the Kings. The 24-year-old netminder doesn’t have spectacular numbers, but he leads the NHL in one important category - wins.
High-percentage (power) play
Montreal has the second-best power play in the league at 24.4 percent and the league’s best road power play at 31.5 percent. Unfortunately for the Habs, they have had only 201 opportunities to score with the man advantage which is last in the NHL.
The Kings are near the bottom of the NHL in killing penalties at home. They rank 26th in the NHL at 76.2 percent and have allowed a power-play goal in four of their last five games.
DALLAS (28-23-0-12, 68 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (38-22-0-4, 80 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 7-22 ATS (-17.7 Units) in March games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 52-19 ATS (+26.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 57-20 ATS (+22.1 Units) in home games second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 39-17 ATS (+19.4 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 59-54 ATS (+122.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 18-7 ATS (+10.1 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
DALLAS is 144-85 ATS (+35.4 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
DALLAS is 151-93 ATS (+27.3 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 2-0 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 2-0-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.2 Units)
BOSTON (28-23-0-11, 67 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (26-31-0-7, 59 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 28-34 ATS (-16.0 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 16-18 ATS (-10.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
BOSTON is 8-15 ATS (-9.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
BOSTON is 44-34 ATS (+80.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 53-31 ATS (+14.5 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 8-3 (+4.2 Units) against the spread versus NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 8-3-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.7 Units)
TORONTO (19-33-0-11, 49 pts.) at OTTAWA (36-25-0-4, 76 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 19-44 ATS (+71.1 Units) in all games this season.
TORONTO is 5-17 ATS (+26.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
OTTAWA is 36-29 ATS (+70.0 Units) in all games this season.
OTTAWA is 17-6 ATS (+10.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
OTTAWA is 15-9 ATS (+2.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
TORONTO is 264-262 ATS (+550.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
TORONTO is 22-21 ATS (+54.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 9-5 ATS (+16.9 Units) in road games in March games over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 56-58 ATS (-5.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 10-8 (+4.7 Units) against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 10-8-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
11 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+5.4 Units)
NY RANGERS (29-27-0-8, 66 pts.) at WASHINGTON (43-14-0-7, 93 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 11-7 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 11-7-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 17 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.2 Units)
CAROLINA (26-30-0-7, 59 pts.) at FLORIDA (25-28-0-10, 60 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 5-18 ATS (+30.5 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
FLORIDA is 40-34 ATS (+4.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 38-18 ATS (+13.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
CAROLINA is 16-7 ATS (+24.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
CAROLINA is 12-3 ATS (+8.4 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 109-124 ATS (+248.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
FLORIDA is 90-134 ATS (+245.7 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.
FLORIDA is 227-257 ATS (+496.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
FLORIDA is 110-137 ATS (-58.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season since 1996.
FLORIDA is 66-106 ATS (+182.0 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 11-8 (+0.6 Units) against the spread versus FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
CAROLINA is 11-8-0 straight up against FLORIDA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.4 Units, Under=-0.7 Units)
ATLANTA (28-24-0-10, 66 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (26-26-0-11, 63 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 22-9 ATS (+32.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 33-34 ATS (+79.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 11-4 ATS (+17.0 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 50-93 ATS (+169.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 19-37 ATS (-21.6 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 24-42 ATS (+81.6 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 17-36 ATS (+54.0 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 20-41 ATS (+84.8 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 17-40 ATS (+67.2 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 11-8 (+2.3 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 11-8-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
11 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.8 Units)
ANAHEIM (30-27-0-6, 66 pts.) at PHOENIX (38-22-0-5, 81 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 4-14 ATS (+19.9 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
PHOENIX is 38-27 ATS (+7.6 Units) in all games this season.
PHOENIX is 42-34 ATS (+77.6 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 163-154 ATS (+337.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 44-36 ATS (+2.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 39-34 ATS (+2.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 131-155 ATS (-76.4 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
PHOENIX is 57-62 ATS (-49.4 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 10-9 (+4.1 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 10-9-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
9 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.9 Units)
ST LOUIS (30-25-0-9, 69 pts.) at COLORADO (36-22-0-6, 78 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 8-29 ATS (+49.1 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 36-28 ATS (+65.1 Units) in all games this season.
COLORADO is 10-4 ATS (+14.9 Units) on Saturday games this season.
ST LOUIS is 19-16 ATS (+42.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 13-10 ATS (+26.9 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
ST LOUIS is 40-33 ATS (+79.5 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 11-5 ATS (+17.8 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 10-6 ATS (+18.6 Units) in road games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
COLORADO is 12-25 ATS (-17.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 5-5-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.4 Units)
MONTREAL (30-29-0-6, 66 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (38-21-0-4, 80 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 29-43 ATS (-23.8 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 31-40 ATS (-22.3 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 38-25 ATS (+76.8 Units) in all games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 13-3 ATS (+9.5 Units) in non-conference games this season.
LOS ANGELES is 12-5 ATS (+6.4 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
LOS ANGELES is 18-6 ATS (+11.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
LOS ANGELES is 101-122 ATS (+231.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 2-0-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.0 Units)
COLUMBUS (25-28-0-11, 61 pts.) at SAN JOSE (41-14-0-9, 91 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 25-39 ATS (+65.2 Units) in all games this season.
COLUMBUS is 9-25 ATS (+36.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
COLUMBUS is 8-22 ATS (+38.2 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 7-4 (+0.4 Units) against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 7-4-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.1 Units)
DALLAS at PITTSBURGH
DALLAS: 7-22 SU in March
PITTSBURGH: 11-0 SU at home when playing 5 or less games in 14 days
BOSTON at NY ISLANDERS
BOSTON: 6-12 SU revenging a same season loss
NY ISLANDERS: 5-0 SU at home after scoring 3+ in 3 straight games
TORONTO at OTTAWA
TORONTO: 5-17 SU second half of the season
OTTAWA: 17-6 SU at home when the total is 5.5
NY RANGERS at WASHINGTON
NY RANGERS: N/A
WASHINGTON: N/A
CAROLINA at FLORIDA
CAROLINA: 9-2 SU after allowing 1 goal or less
FLORIDA: 7-26 SU off a home win
ATLANTA at TAMPA BAY
ATLANTA: 11-4 SU in March
TAMPA BAY: 2-15 SU after allowing 4+ goals in 5 straight games
ANAHEIM at PHOENIX
ANAHEIM: 6-19 SU as a road underdog of +100 to +200
PHOENIX: 23-12 SU at home
ST LOUIS at COLORADO
ST LOUIS: 8-2 SU playing with double revenge
COLORADO: 14-29 SU off a road loss
MONTREAL at LOS ANGELES
MONTREAL: 12-5 SU after having lost 3 of their last 4
LOS ANGELES: 1-4 SU when playing 3 or less games in 10 days
COLUMBUS at SAN JOSE
COLUMBUS: 12-8 SU after 3+ consecutive overs
SAN JOSE: 4-8 SU at home off BB home games
DALLAS vs. PITTSBURGH
Dallas is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games ,when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas
BOSTON vs. NY ISLANDERS
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 7 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
Boston is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Islanders last 6 games when playing Boston
NY Islanders are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Boston
CAROLINA vs. FLORIDA
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Carolina's last 8 games on the road
Carolina is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing Florida
Florida is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing Carolina
Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
NY RANGERS vs. WASHINGTON
NY Rangers are 6-14 SU in their last 20 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of the NY Rangers last 8 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
Washington is 14-6 SU in their last 20 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
TORONTO vs. OTTAWA
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto's last 10 games when playing on the road against Ottawa
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games
Ottawa is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Ottawa's last 15 games
ATLANTA vs. TAMPA BAY
Atlanta is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing Atlanta
ANAHEIM vs. PHOENIX
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Anaheim is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
Phoenix is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games when playing at home against Anaheim
ST. LOUIS vs. COLORADO
St. Louis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing St. Louis
MONTREAL vs. LOS ANGELES
Montreal is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Montreal is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 7 games
Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Montreal
COLUMBUS vs. SAN JOSE
Columbus is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing San Jose
San Jose is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Jose's last 6 games