Tuesday's Best NHL Bets
San Jose Sharks at Colorado Avalanche (+140, 5.5)
The San Jose Sharks saw a dominant performance come to a heart-breaking end after suffering a 1-0 overtime loss in Colorado Sunday night to fall 2-1 in the series.
Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle scored in his own net on a backhand pass that squeezed by goalie Evgeni Nabokov just 51 seconds into the overtime period.
“That’s pretty much the worst thing that could have happened,” Boyle told the Denver Post. “It’s going to have to be (just one loss). We’re going to have to be strong. I’m going to have to be strong.”
San Jose was frustrated all night by Avs goalie Craig Anderson who made 51 saves and kept his team in the game the entire night. The Sharks outshot the Avs 42-7 in the last two periods of Game 3, but couldn’t get the puck past the sprawling and diving Anderson.
“When you work hard and you stay positive, good results happen and you get the lucky bounces,” Anderson told the Canadian Press. “It’s remarkable.”
Anderson, who led the NHL in shots faced and saves this season, is be used to seeing a flurry of pucks in any given contest. Still, you have to figure if San Jose keeps hacking at the puck, it’s bound to pay off.
Pick: Sharks
Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators (+120, 5.5)
The Ottawa Senators just can’t find a way to slow down Sidney Crosby. The Penguins captain led his team to a 4-2 win in Game 3, scoring the game-winner and assisting on the last goal. He also managed to win 11 faceoffs and earn three hits along with three takeaways.
“A lot of guys have drive, a lot of guys want to win”, linemate Bill Guerin told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “With his drive and will, plus his talent, his physical makeup -- all that stuff – it makes something pretty special.”
On the other side of things, while Ottawa stars Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson haven’t been terrible, they haven’t dominated either. And to make matters worse, Alfredsson had to momentarily leave Game 3 in the second period following a hard hit by Crosby. He wouldn’t say whether he was hurt on the play.
“The official explanation is that I needed to go to the locker room for a good pep talk about keeping my head up”, Alfredsson told the Ottawa Citizen.
The momentum in this physical series seems to have shifted in Pittsburgh’s favor. Expect the Penguins to use it to get them one win closer to the second round Tuesday night.
Pick: Penguins
Phoenix Coyotes vs. Detroit Red Wings
The Phoenix Coyotes and the Detroit Red Wings will both be gunning for a victory on Tuesday when they meet at Joe Louis Arena.
The Coyotes defeated Detroit 4-2 as a +165 underdog on Sunday. The six goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5).
Petr Prucha and Radim Vrbata each had a goal and an assist for Phoenix, while Ilya Bryzgalov made 29 saves in the win.
Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula scored for Detroit and Jimmy Howard allowed four goals on 33 shots.
Team records:
Phoenix: 50-25-7
Detroit: 44-24-14
Phoenix most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing Chicago are 5-5
After playing Detroit are 4-6
After a win are 6-4
Detroit most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 7-3
Before playing Edmonton are 8-2
After playing Phoenix are 3-7
After a loss are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
Phoenix is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Phoenix's last 17 games on the road
Phoenix is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Phoenix is 5-14 SU in its last 19 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Detroit's last 7 games at home
Detroit is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home
Detroit is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Phoenix
Detroit is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games
Next up:
Detroit at Phoenix, Friday, April 23
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators will both be gunning for a victory on Tuesday when they meet at Scotiabank Place.
The Penguins defeated Ottawa 4-2 as a -125 favorite on Sunday in Game 3 of the series. The six goals scored went OVER the posted over/under total (5.5).
Bill Guerin and Sidney Crosby each had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves.
Mike Fisher and Matt Cullen scored for Ottawa and Brian Elliott made 20 saves.
Team records:
Pittsburgh: 47-28-7
Ottawa: 44-32-6
Pittsburgh most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 7-3
Before playing Ottawa are 7-3
After playing Ottawa are 6-4
After a win are 3-7
Ottawa most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing Boston are 7-3
After playing Pittsburgh are 6-4
After a loss are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Ottawa
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Ottawa
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Ottawa's last 6 games
Ottawa is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Ottawa's last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
Ottawa is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Next up:
Ottawa at Pittsburgh, Thursday, April 22
New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers
The division rival New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers are set to renew hostilities on Tuesday when they meet at Wachovia Center.
The Flyers defeated New Jersey 3-2 in overtime on Sunday in Game 3 of the series. The five goals scored caused the game to be a PUSH on the posted over/under total (5).
Daniel Carcillo scored in overtime for Philadelphia and Brian Boucher made 17 saves in the win.
Brian Rolston scored a pair of goals for New Jersey, while Martin Brodeur stopped 31-of-34 shots.
Team records:
New Jersey: 48-27-7
Philadelphia: 41-35-6
New Jersey most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 7-3
Before playing Buffalo are 8-2
After playing Philadelphia are 4-6
After a loss are 7-3
Philadelphia most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 4-6
Before playing Tampa Bay are 6-4
After playing New Jersey are 7-3
After a win are 3-7
A few trends to consider:
New Jersey is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games on the road
New Jersey is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
New Jersey is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against New Jersey
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing New Jersey
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Philadelphia is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Next up:
Philadelphia at New Jersey, Thursday, April 22
San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche
The San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche will both be gunning for a victory on Tuesday when they meet at Pepsi Center.
The Avalanche defeated San Jose 1-0 in overtime as a +120 underdog on Sunday in Game 3. The one goal fell UNDER the posted over/under total (5.5).
Ryan O?Reilly scored in overtime for Colorado, while Craig Anderson made 51 saves to record the shutout.
Evgeni Nabokov made 16 saves for San Jose in the loss.
Team records:
San Jose: 51-20-11
Colorado: 43-30-9
San Jose most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing Toronto are 4-4-1
After playing Colorado are 6-4
After a loss are 5-5
Colorado most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 5-5
Before playing Buffalo are 7-7-1
After playing San Jose are 3-7
After a win are 3-7
A few trends to consider:
San Jose is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Jose's last 9 games when playing on the road against Colorado
San Jose is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Colorado's last 15 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 9 games when playing at home against San Jose
Colorado is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Colorado is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games
Next up:
Colorado at San Jose, Thursday, April 22
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators
The Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators will both be trying to pick up a win on Tuesday when they battle at Bridgestone Arena.
The Blackhawks defeated Nashville 2-0 as a -270 favorite on Sunday in Game 2. The two goals scored fell UNDER the posted over/under total (5).
Antti Niemi stopped all 23 shots he faced for Chicago and Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist in the win.
Pekka Rinne made 31 saves for Nashville
Team records:
Chicago: 52-22-8
Nashville: 47-29-6
Chicago most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 5-5
Before playing Edmonton are 5-5
After playing Nashville are 6-4
After a win are 5-5
Nashville most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing Minnesota are 8-2
After playing Chicago are 6-4
After a loss are 8-2
A few trends to consider:
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Chicago's last 25 games on the road
Chicago is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Nashville
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Nashville's last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Nashville's last 14 games
Nashville is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Nashville's last 16 games when playing Chicago
Next up:
Nashville home to Chicago, Thursday, April 22
PHOENIX (52-26-0-7, 111 pts.) at DETROIT (45-26-0-14, 104 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 10-5 (+1.7 Units) against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 10-5-0 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.8 Units)
PITTSBURGH (49-29-0-7, 105 pts.) at OTTAWA (45-34-0-6, 96 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 10-9-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
10 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.4 Units)
NEW JERSEY (49-28-0-8, 106 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (43-36-0-6, 92 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 12-11 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA is 12-11-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
12 of 21 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.4 Units)
CHICAGO (53-23-0-8, 114 pts.) at NASHVILLE (48-30-0-6, 102 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 13-9-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
12 of 20 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.6 Units)
SAN JOSE (52-21-0-12, 116 pts.) at COLORADO (45-30-0-10, 100 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 9-6-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.3 Units)
PHOENIX vs. DETROIT
Phoenix is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Phoenix is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Detroit is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games at home
Detroit is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Phoenix
PITTSBURGH vs. OTTAWA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Ottawa
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Ottawa is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games at home
Ottawa is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
NEW JERSEY vs. PHILADELPHIA
New Jersey is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games on the road
New Jersey is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing New Jersey
CHICAGO vs. NASHVILLE
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chicago's last 16 games when playing Nashville
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Nashville's last 16 games when playing Chicago
Nashville is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Chicago
SAN JOSE vs. COLORADO
San Jose is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games
San Jose is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Colorado's last 15 games
Colorado is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games
Western Conference Playoffs
First Round, Game Four (Phoenix Leads, 2-1)
PHOENIX at DETROIT
PHOENIX: 7-1 SU off a road win scoring 4+ goals
DETROIT: 6-13 SU revenging a home loss
Eastern Conference Playoffs
First Round, Game Four (Pittsburgh Leads, 2-1)
PITTSBURGH at OTTAWA
PITTSBURGH: 12-2 Under off BB games allowing 2 goals or less
OTTAWA: 16-6 SU revenging a loss where they allowed 4+ goals
Eastern Conference Playoffs
First Round, Game Four (Philadelphia Leads, 2-1)
NEW JERSEY at PHILADELPHIA
NEW JERSEY: 15-5 SU playing with same-season revenge
PHILADELPHIA: 24-12 Under off an Over
Western Conference Playoffs
First Round, Game Three (Series Tied, 1-1)
CHICAGO at NASHVILLE
CHICAGO: 20-9 Over away after losing 2 of their last 3 games
NASHVILLE: 8-0 SU revenging a shutout loss
Western Conference Playoffs
First Round, Game Four (Colorado Leads, 2-1)
SAN JOSE at COLORADO
SAN JOSE: 4-10 SU away off an overtime loss
COLORADO: 10-1 SU at home off an overtime win