Sunday's Best NHL Bets
Nashville Predators at Los Angeles Kings (-160, 5.5)
Nashville’s man behind the plastic mask got paid in late February, signing a two-year $2.8 million extension with the team, and he’s performed like his worth every penny since.
In four games after the ink dried on the contract, Predators goalie Pekka Rinne is 3-1-0 with a 2.01 goals-against average. He is coming off a 31-save, shutout performance on Friday over the Ducks.
"He's been a great goalie ever since he's been here," said Shea Weber. "Obviously, the organization wants him for the long run. They showed that by signing him, and he's been rewarding them with his good play.”
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick has been just as lights out as Rinne recently, but is 0-3 in his career against Nashville, posting a paltry 3.31 goals-against average.
If Preds’ coach Barry Trotz elects to rest Rinne on Sunday, his second option under the net isn’t bad either. Dan Ellis is undefeated in three starts at the Staples Center and 5-1-0 against the Kings in his career.
The Predators have won six straight and 8-of-9 games versus the Kings. L.A. has lost four in a row at home to Nashville, getting outscored 17-5 in those games.
Pick: Predators
Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning (+140, 6)
The Lightning get a new owner and look what happens. In less than a week, Tampa Bay defeats the best team in the NHL on its home ice.
"It was probably the best road game we played all year," said goalie Antero Niittymaki. "Not just because we beat Washington. The overall game."
Niittymaki held the Caps to fewer than three goals for only the second time in their last 27 games and slapped Washington with its first home loss since December.
The Penguins come into this game having lost two straight and four of their last five on the road. Goalie Marc Andre-Fleury has been atrocious in those four losses with a 4.77 goals-against average and got yanked from the game in two of those outings.
These two teams have split the season series but Tampa Bay came away the victor in the latest meeting on Jan. 2. The Lightning are battling for the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference and need this one more than Pittsburgh does.
Pick: Lightning
NHL on NBC Betting: Capitals at Blackhawks
Washington (45-14-9) is coming into this game with the best record in the NHL, while Chicago (44-17-5) is third overall in points.
Washington is off a rare loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team struggling to make the playoffs.
Chicago plays a tough Philadelphia team Saturday before testing themselves against Washington Sunday.
Keys of the game
Both teams’ success comes from their core of high-scoring talent.
In Washington, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin lead the attack, while in Chicago, young guns Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are regulars on the highlight reels.
Both teams play a fast-paced game and have plenty of offensive firepower. That being said, goaltending will be the biggest factor in the outcome of Sunday’s game.
Battle between the pipes
Chicago's goaltending needs to be strong if it wants a win against Washington on home ice.
There is currently a battle for the No. 1 spot in goal between Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi. According to the Daily Chronicle, Niemi will start in goal Sunday. The biggest question mark going into the game for Chicago will be how the team as a whole will handle the goal-scoring talent of Washington.
Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell says that everyone needs to do a better job of preventing pucks from hitting the back of the net.
"We have to give our goalies an opportunity to make saves instead of breakaways or back-door empty-netters. We have to take care of everything (defensively) first and then go on the attack after that," he told reporters.
And the offensive attack is where the Hawks are looking to punish the Caps.
"As a team we can control the puck offensively, try to eliminate time in our end and be effective when we are down there," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville told the Chicago Tribune.
Back on track
Washington needs to rebound from the disappointing loss to Tampa Bay with a solid showing against the Chicago.
If the Capitals plan to beat the Blackhawks Sunday, they are going to have to play with more energy than they did against the Lightning.
"We stayed out too long, we got outworked, and we didn't play the way we're capable of playing, and that's the reason we lost," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters.On Sunday, Boudreau is hoping his team puts more pucks in the net. "We should be able to score with [our] lineup, three goals a game," he said.
The Caps have some of the most dynamic scorers in the game and solid goaltending. This game should have a playoff like atmosphere when two of the top teams in the NHL square off on Sunday.
Trends
Chicago is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games.
Washington is 5-2-3 in its last 10 games.
This is the first matchup between these teams this season.
Injuries
Chicago is reporting no injuries prior to the game.
"Knock on wood there,” coach Joel Quenneville told reporters. “You know you're going to need to go and dig deep at times. But it's nice knowing everybody's healthy."
Washington has one player on the injured list. Milan Jurcina will sit out while he recovers from a sports hernia.
PHILADELPHIA (36-27-0-4, 76 pts.) at NY RANGERS (30-29-0-9, 69 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 4-9 ATS (-8.4 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
NY RANGERS are 30-38 ATS (-37.7 Units) in all games this season.
NY RANGERS are 9-14 ATS (-6.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
NY RANGERS are 5-11 ATS (-10.7 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NY RANGERS are 132-150 ATS (-95.4 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 5-13 ATS (-10.9 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
NY RANGERS are 7-12 ATS (-7.9 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
NY RANGERS are 63-73 ATS (-45.2 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 70-87 ATS (-72.6 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
NY RANGERS is 10-7 (+2.9 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 10-7-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.7 Units)
WASHINGTON (45-15-0-8, 98 pts.) at CHICAGO (44-18-0-5, 93 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 98-141 ATS (-56.1 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
CHICAGO is 70-54 ATS (-11.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 63-43 ATS (+15.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 1-1-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.1 Units)
COLORADO (38-23-0-6, 82 pts.) at DALLAS (29-25-0-13, 71 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 14-25 ATS (-15.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 151-94 ATS (+1.9 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
DALLAS is 60-57 ATS (+1.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 38-29 ATS (+67.6 Units) in all games this season.
COLORADO is 12-5 ATS (+17.6 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
COLORADO is 21-15 ATS (+5.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
DALLAS is 2-8 ATS (-9.2 Units) in home games in March games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 6-5 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO is 6-5-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+5.3 Units)
NASHVILLE (37-26-0-5, 79 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (40-22-0-5, 85 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 40-27 ATS (+71.3 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 36-31 ATS (+68.6 Units) in all games this season.
NASHVILLE is 14-11 ATS (+28.7 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
NASHVILLE is 60-60 ATS (+140.7 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
LOS ANGELES is 102-123 ATS (+232.9 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
NASHVILLE is 8-2 (+6.1 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
NASHVILLE is 8-2-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.5 Units)
PHOENIX (41-22-0-5, 87 pts.) at ATLANTA (28-29-0-10, 66 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 41-27 ATS (+68.2 Units) in all games this season.
PHOENIX is 19-11 ATS (+6.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
PHOENIX is 10-4 ATS (+14.3 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
PHOENIX is 12-6 ATS (+18.6 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
PHOENIX is 13-4 ATS (+17.3 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 1-0-0 straight up against ATLANTA 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)
TORONTO (23-34-0-11, 57 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (27-33-0-8, 62 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 23-45 ATS (+75.9 Units) in all games this season.
TORONTO is 3-14 ATS (+20.9 Units) after a non-conference game this season.
TORONTO is 10-6 ATS (+19.8 Units) in road games in March games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 6-5-0 straight up against NY ISLANDERS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-1.0 Units)
PITTSBURGH (40-23-0-5, 85 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (28-27-0-12, 68 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 43-20 ATS (+16.0 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 33-15 ATS (+14.5 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 52-95 ATS (-64.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 7-3 (+1.5 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 7-3-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.7 Units)
ST LOUIS (32-26-0-9, 73 pts.) at MINNESOTA (32-29-0-6, 70 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 18-7 ATS (+25.2 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
ST LOUIS is 10-5 ATS (+15.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
ST LOUIS is 15-11 ATS (+29.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 this season.
ST LOUIS is 42-34 ATS (+82.4 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 13-6 ATS (+20.8 Units) in March games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 12-8 ATS (+23.8 Units) in road games after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 6-5 (+2.4 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
ST LOUIS is 6-5-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.1 Units)
SAN JOSE (43-14-0-10, 96 pts.) at ANAHEIM (30-30-0-7, 67 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 163-156 ATS (+362.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 39-35 ATS (-1.7 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 30-12 ATS (+14.9 Units) when playing on back-to-back days over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 0-5 ATS (-5.1 Units) in March games this season.
ANAHEIM is 4-15 ATS (+19.9 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 14-11-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
15 of 20 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+8.8 Units)
CALGARY (34-24-0-9, 77 pts.) at VANCOUVER (42-23-0-3, 87 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CALGARY is 37-41 ATS (-15.0 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CALGARY is 2-9 ATS (-7.5 Units) on Sunday games over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 42-26 ATS (+8.1 Units) in all games this season.
VANCOUVER is 43-30 ATS (+5.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 12-1 ATS (+10.3 Units) in home games in March games over the last 3 seasons.
VANCOUVER is 20-10 ATS (+9.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
VANCOUVER is 58-81 ATS (-38.8 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 143-149 ATS (-85.8 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 76-91 ATS (-70.9 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 10-8 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 10-8-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
11 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+6.6 Units)
WASHINGTON vs. CHICAGO
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing on the road against Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games at home
Chicago is 2-4-1 SU in its last 7 games ,when playing at home against Washington
COLORADO vs. DALLAS
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Colorado's last 18 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Dallas's last 18 games when playing at home against Colorado
NASHVILLE vs. LOS ANGELES
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nashville's last 6 games when playing Los Angeles
Nashville is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Nashville
Los Angeles is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
PHILADELPHIA vs. NY RANGERS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games
Philadelphia is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
NY Rangers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
PHOENIX vs. ATLANTA
Phoenix is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Phoenix is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 1-10-1 SU in its last 12 games ,when playing Phoenix
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games at home
PITTSBURGH vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
TORONTO vs. NY ISLANDERS
Toronto is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing NY Islanders
NY Islanders are 15-4 SU in their last 19 games when playing at home against Toronto
NY Islanders are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
ST. LOUIS vs. MINNESOTA
St. Louis is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
St. Louis is 8-13-2 SU in its last 23 games ,when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Minnesota is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against St. Louis
SAN JOSE vs. ANAHEIM
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games on the road
San Jose is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Anaheim's last 6 games
Anaheim is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games at home
CALGARY vs. VANCOUVER
Calgary is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Calgary's last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vancouver's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Vancouver's last 12 games when playing Calgary
PHILADELPHIA at NY RANGERS
PHILADELPHIA: 6-1 SU Away off home win
NY RANGERS: 5-13 SU vs. division
WASHINGTON at CHICAGO
WASHINGTON: 91-137 SU vs. Western Conference
CHICAGO: 12-0 SU at home off BB Unders
COLORADO at DALLAS
COLORADO: 5-12 SU as road favorite
DALLAS: 11-4 SU off loss by 1 goal
NASHVILLE at LOS ANGELES
NASHVILLE: 20-10 SU playing their 4th game in 7 days
LOS ANGELES: 30-38 SU as home favorite
PHOENIX at ATLANTA
PHOENIX: 9-1 SU off win by 3+ goals
ATLANTA: 4-12 SU in 2nd of BB home games
TORONTO at NY ISLANDERS
TORONTO: 9-26 SU in road games
NY ISLANDERS: 21-15 SU in 2nd of BB home games
PITTSBURGH at TAMPA BAY
PITTSBURGH: 6-0 SU Away off 5 straight games w/ 30+ shots on goal
TAMPA BAY: 3-12 SU after scoring 3+ goals BB games
ST LOUIS at MINNESOTA
ST LOUIS: 0-10 SU off division road win
MINNESOTA: 6-20 SU off road win
SAN JOSE at ANAHEIM
SAN JOSE: 17-6 Under Away playing on BB days
ANAHEIM: 7-0 SU at home playing with triple revenge
CALGARY at VANCOUVER
CALGARY: 6-0 SU Away off home win
VANCOUVER: 76-91 SU at home vs. division
Hot Teams
-- Flyers won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Chicago won six of its last nine games.
-- Colorado won seven of its last ten games.
-- Kings won six of their last eight home games.
-- Coyotes won last four games, outscoring foes 15-4.
-- Maple Leafs won four of their last five games.
-- Blues won six of their last eight games.
-- Sharks won three of their last four games.
-- Calgary won its last four games, allowing seven goals. Canucks won seven of their last nine games.
Cold Teams
-- Rangers lost four of their last five games.
-- Washington lost three of last four road games.
-- Dallas Stars lost five of their last six games.
-- Nashville is 1-6 in game after its last seven wins.
-- Thrashers lost last five games, scoring total of six goals.
-- Islanders lost four of their last five games.
-- Penguins lost four of their last five road games.
-- Minnesota lost last five games, last two by combined 10-2 score.
-- Ducks lost last six games, scoring a total of nine goals.
Totals
-- Under is 8-4-1 in last thirteen Ranger games.
-- Six of last eight Chicago games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Dallas games went over the total.
-- Over is 7-3 in last ten Los Angeles home games.
-- Nine of last twelve Phoenix games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Islander games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last eight Tampa Bay games went over the total.
-- Eight of last ten St Louis games went over the total.
-- Seven of last nine San Jose games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Calgary games went over the total.
Playing second of back-to-back nights
-- Flyers are 5-2 if they won the day/night before.
-- Chicago is 11-3 if it played the day/night before.
-- Coyotes are 5-4 if they played the night before.
-- Islanders are 3-10 if they played the day/night before.
-- Blues are 4-9 if they played night before, 2-4 on road.
-- Sharks won six of their last eight games.
-- Vancouver is 7-3 if it played the night before.
Series Records
-- Rangers got shut out in last two ganes vs Philly, 6-0/2-0.
-- Chicago/Washington split their last two meetings.
-- Avalanche lost five of last six visits to Dallas.
-- Kings lost their last six games against Nashville.
-- Maple Leafs lost five of last seven visits to Long Island.
-- Penguins won four of last five games against Tampa Bay.
-- Blues won four of their last five games against Minnesota.
-- Sharks are 5-0 vs Anaheim this season, outscoring Ducks 18-7.
-- Flames won three of last four games against Vancouver.