Thursday's Best NHL Bet
By Covers.com
New York Rangers at Washington Capitals (-170, 6)
Get used to seeing the Capitals carrying six-goal totals this season. Washington is carrying over its offensive dominance from a year ago.
The Caps have found the back of the net 15 times in three games, but the stat that has over bettors drooling is the 11 goals the club has allowed.
Coach Bruce Boudreau thought his team took too many bad penalties in his club’s 5-6 OT loss to the Flyers on Wednesday, but starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov didn’t completely escape the bench boss’ wrath.
“I thought there were some soft goals,” Brodreau told the Washington Post after the game. “Varly has to be mentally tougher to play. One thing that’s reared its ugly head right now is they score in bunches on him. I think he gets down on himself, and we have to get him out of that.”
You bet you do Brodreau. Otherwise it’s red light Theodore to the rescue.
Pick: Over
Hot Teams
-- Coyotes won their first two games, both on road, 6-3/3-0.
-- Flyers won their first three games, 2-0/5-2/6-5ot. Penguins won two of their first three games; they got blanked 3-0 last night by Phoenix.
-- Washington won two of first three games, scoring 15 goals.
-- Thrashers won their first game, 6-3 vs Tampa.
-- Blues won their first two games vs Detroit: 4-3/5-3.
-- Colorado won its first two games, 5-2/3-0. Predators won their first game 3-2 in shootout at Dallas.
-- Flames won their first three games, scoring 13 goals.
-- Blue Jackets won their first two games, 2-1/5-3.
Cold Teams
-- Ducks lost first two games, blowing 3-0 third period lead Tuesday. Bruins split their first two games, both at home.
-- Sabres lost their first game, 2-1 in OT vs Montreal.
-- Islanders lost their first game 4-3 in shootout to Penguins. Senators split first two games, both on road, scoring twice in each game.
-- Rangers splut their first two games, 2-3/5-2.
-- New Jersey lost its first two games, 5-2/3-2. Tampa Bay also lost its first two games, 6-3/2-1so.
-- Detroit lost both its games overseas, 4-3/5-4. Blackhawks split their first two games over in Europe.
-- Oilers split their first two games, allowing four runs in each.
-- Kings split their first two home games, allowing 10 goals. Minnesota split its first two games, rallying from 3-0 deficit in 3rd period Tuesday.
-- Sharks lost two of first three games, all on the road.
Series Records
-- Hone side won last three Anaheim-Boston games; Ducks lost last two visits to Beantown, 4-3/6-0.
-- Buffalo beat the Coyotes twice LY, 2-0/5-1.
-- Islanders were 3-1 vs Senators LY, but are 2-6 in their last eight trips to Ottawa.
-- Penguins beat Philly in six games in playoffs last spring; they won four of their last five visits to Philly.
-- Washington came back from 3-1 series deficit to beat Rangers 4-3 in the playoffs last spring; they're 9-4 in last 13 games vs Rangers.
-- Devils won their last seven games against Tampa Bay.
-- Blackhawks lost five of last six visits to Detroit; Red Wings beat them in five games in conference finals last spring.
-- Thrashers won two of last three games against St Louis.
-- Avalanche lost six of last eight visits to Nashville, but they were 3-1 against the Predators last season.
-- Flames won four of last five games against Edmonton.
-- Kings won six of last eight games against Minnesota.
-- Columbus is 0-8 in Shark Tank the last four years.
Totals
-- Two of last three Anaheim-Boston games went over total.
-- No totals trends of note for Phoenix-Buffalo game.
-- Over is 6-4 in last ten Islander-Senator games.
-- Five of last seven Flyer-Penguin games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Ranger-Washington games stayed under total.
-- Three of last four Devil-Lightning games went over the total.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in Chicago's last five games in Detroit.
-- Two of last three St Louis-Atlanta games stayed under.
-- Seven of last eight Colorado-Nashville games stayed under total.
-- First three Calgary games went over the total.
-- Under is 9-3-4 in last sixteen Minnesota-Los Angeles games.
-- Under is 11-4-1 in last sixteen Colorado-San Jose games.
ANAHEIM (0-2-0-0, 0 pts.) at BOSTON (1-1-0-0, 2 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 29-10 ATS (+12.5 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 33-9 ATS (+21.5 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 18-3 ATS (+13.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 1-1-0 straight up against ANAHEIM over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)
PHOENIX (2-0-0-0, 4 pts.) at BUFFALO (0-1-0-0, 0 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 109-106 ATS (+234.6 Units) in road games first half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
BUFFALO is 2-1 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
BUFFALO is 2-1-0 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.9 Units)
NY ISLANDERS (0-0-1-0, 1 pts.) at OTTAWA (1-1-0-0, 2 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 80-90 ATS (+215.4 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 5-3 (+4.6 Units) against the spread versus OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 5-3-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.4 Units)
PITTSBURGH (1-1-1-0, 3 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (3-0-0-0, 6 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 33-14 ATS (+14.1 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 27-10 ATS (+15.7 Units) after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 15-10 (+2.9 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 15-10-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
14 of 23 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.4 Units)
NY RANGERS (2-1-0-0, 4 pts.) at WASHINGTON (2-1-0-0, 4 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 16-2 ATS (+12.7 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 50-34 ATS (+0.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 20-12 ATS (+7.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 9-6 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 9-6-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
10 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.6 Units)
NEW JERSEY (0-2-0-0, 0 pts.) at TAMPA BAY (0-1-1-0, 1 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
NEW JERSEY is 27-12 ATS (+12.3 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 24-59 ATS (-57.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 10-27 ATS (-18.4 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 12-27 ATS (+48.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 16-32 ATS (+49.1 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
NEW JERSEY is 7-1 (+6.2 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
NEW JERSEY is 7-1-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.5 Units)
CHICAGO (1-0-1-0, 3 pts.) at DETROIT (0-2-0-0, 0 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 189-231 ATS (-83.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
CHICAGO is 96-120 ATS (-45.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.
CHICAGO is 44-25 ATS (+15.4 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 8-11 (+1.6 Units) against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 11-8-0 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
9 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)
ATLANTA (1-0-0-0, 2 pts.) at ST LOUIS (2-0-0-0, 4 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 43-45 ATS (+111.4 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 106-119 ATS (+266.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 1-1-0 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.0 Units)
COLORADO (2-0-0-0, 4 pts.) at NASHVILLE (0-0-1-0, 1 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 5-3 (+2.1 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO is 5-3-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
7 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+6.2 Units)
CALGARY (3-0-0-0, 6 pts.) at EDMONTON (0-1-1-0, 1 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CALGARY is 9-3 ATS (+12.4 Units) in road games after a 3 game unbeaten streak over the last 3 seasons.
CALGARY is 9-1 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 7-8 (+1.0 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
CALGARY is 8-7-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
10 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.9 Units)
MINNESOTA (1-1-0-0, 2 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (1-1-0-0, 2 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 88-112 ATS (+208.2 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
LOS ANGELES is 47-70 ATS (-46.8 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 5-3 (+3.4 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 5-3-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.2 Units)
COLUMBUS (2-0-0-0, 4 pts.) at SAN JOSE (1-2-0-0, 2 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 4-18 ATS (+28.6 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 12-22 ATS (-12.9 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 8-22 ATS (-15.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 18-2 ATS (+13.6 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 9-0 ATS (+9.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 33-34 ATS (-24.2 Units) after a division game over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 5-3-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.2 Units)
ANAHEIM at BOSTON
ANAHEIM: 78-94 SU AWAY when the total is 5.5
BOSTON: 17-32 SU at home after scoring 5+ goals
PHOENIX at BUFFALO
PHOENIX: 2-11 SU after BB wins
BUFFALO: 84-54 SU at home when the total is 5.5
NY ISLANDERS at OTTAWA
NY ISLANDERS: 5-12 SU when playing with 3 or more days rest
OTTAWA: 14-30 SU after 1+ consecutive unders
PITTSBURGH at PHILADELPHIA
PITTSBURGH: 13-4 SU off a home loss
PHILADELPHIA: 18-21 SU at home when the money line is -100 to -150
NY RANGERS at WASHINGTON
NY RANGERS: 6-0 SU off a road division win
WASHINGTON: 1-5 SU after scoring 5+ goals in BB games
NEW JERSEY at TAMPA BAY
NEW JERSEY: 7-1 SU against Tampa Bay
TAMPA BAY: 10-27 SU in the first half of the season
CHICAGO at DETROIT
CHICAGO: 14-23 SU as a road underdog of +100 to +150
DETROIT: 19-2 SU at home after BB division games
ATLANTA at ST LOUIS
ATLANTA: 20-15 SU off a home win
ST LOUIS: 7-20 SU after a game with 8+ goals scored
COLORADO at NASHVILLE
COLORADO: N/A
NASHVILLE: N/A
CALGARY at EDMONTON
CALGARY: 9-3 SU AWAY after three straight wins
EDMONTON: 14-26 SU after one or more consecutive overs
MINNESOTA at LOS ANGELES
MINNESOTA: 9-4 SU AWAY after one or more consecutive overs
LOS ANGELES: 8-17 SU as a home favorite
COLUMBUS at SAN JOSE
COLUMBUS: 1-9 SU off a road win scoring 4+ goals
SAN JOSE: 11-1 SU as a home favorite of -200 or less
ANAHEIM vs. BOSTON
Anaheim is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Anaheim is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing at home against Anaheim
NY ISLANDERS vs. OTTAWA
NY Islanders are 4-21 SU in their last 25 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of the NY Islanders last 7 games on the road
Ottawa is 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing at home against NY Islanders
Ottawa is 11-5 SU in their last 16 games when playing NY Islanders
NY RANGERS vs. WASHINGTON
NY Rangers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of the NY Rangers last 9 games
Washington is 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
PHOENIX vs. BUFFALO
Phoenix is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
Phoenix is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Buffalo's last 19 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 6 games
PITTSBURGH vs. PHILADELPHIA
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Pittsburgh's last 17 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Philadelphia's last 11 games at home
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
CHICAGO vs. DETROIT
Chicago is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chicago's last 9 games
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Detroit is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Chicago
NEW JERSEY vs. TAMPA BAY
New Jersey is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
New Jersey is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing New Jersey
Tampa Bay is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against New Jersey
ATLANTA vs. ST. LOUIS
Atlanta is 3-6-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
COLORADO vs. NASHVILLE
Colorado is 3-12 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Colorado's last 10 games
Nashville is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Nashville's last 8 games when playing Colorado
CALGARY vs. EDMONTON
Calgary is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Calgary's last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Edmonton's last 15 games when playing at home against Calgary
Edmonton is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Calgary
COLUMBUS vs. SAN JOSE
Columbus is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against San Jose
Columbus is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Jose
San Jose is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
San Jose is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
MINNESOTA vs. LOS ANGELES
Minnesota is 3-5-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Minnesota's last 11 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
Los Angeles is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 6 games at home