Tuesday's Best NHL Bets
By Covers.com
Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres (-110, 5.5)
It’s been a long time since Todd Bertuzzi was considered a top line forward, but he’s getting a chance to prove his doubters wrong.
Wings head coach Mike Babcock is letting the burly right winger play with two of the league’s best forwards, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.
Bertuzzi got bumped to the No. 1 line primarily because of the injury to Johan Franzen.
Even though Bertuzzi didn’t register a point in Detroit’s win over the Caps on Saturday, Babcock told reporters afterwards that it was the best game he’d seen from Bertuzzi “in a number of years.”
“I think I’m capable of playing with (Datsyuk and Zetterberg),” Bertuzzi told Michigan Live. “It would be nice to get some chemistry with them and try to contribute.”
Detroit got back to its style of play over the weekend holding the explosive Capitals to just 23 shots. Even though they’re on the road against a good Buffalo team, you’ve got to like the Wings priced this low.
Pick: Red Wings
Colorado Avalanche at Toronto Maple Leafs (-135, 6)
What’s the worst job in the NHL? If you said Alex Ovechkin’s barber, you were close but not bang on.
Fans of the Maple Leafs are always hard on players on the team that are slumping, but none more than the starting netminder.
Vesa Toskala is at the very bottom of all major stat categories for goalies and is a big part of why the Buds are still in search of their first win this season. If it were up to the mob mentality of Leaf Nation, Toskala would be run out of town.
But the decision is up to coach Ron Wilson, and although he’s going with Joey MacDonald for Tuesday’s game against the Avs, he insists the starting job still belongs to Toskala.
“Right now Vesa starts and that’s where it ends,” Wilson told the Toronto Star.
The Leafs might not win Tuesday’s match, but you can bet they’ll play better in front of their own net.
Pick: Under
Hot Teams
-- Blue Jackets won three of their first four games.
-- Sabres won their last two games, allowing a single goal. Red Wings won their last two games, both by 3-2 scores.
-- Avalanche are 3-2 in their first five games.
Cold Teams
-- Flames lost their last two games, allowing 11 goals.
-- Toronto lost its first five games, allowing 24 goals.
Series Records
-- Home team won last six Calgary-Columbus games.
-- Red Wings won last three games vs Buffalo, allowing four goals.
Totals
-- All six Calgary games went over the total.
-- All three Buffalo games stayed under the total.
-- Four of first five Maple Leaf games went over the total.
CALGARY vs. COLUMBUS
Calgary is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Calgary's last 5 games
Columbus is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Calgary
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary
DETROIT vs. BUFFALO
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
Buffalo is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Buffalo's last 8 games
COLORADO vs. TORONTO
Colorado is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado's last 8 games on the road
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games
Detroit Red Wings vs. Buffalo Sabres
The Detroit Red Wings and the Buffalo Sabres will both be gunning for a victory on Tuesday when they meet at HSBC Arena.
Tomas Holmstrom's third-period power play marker lifted the Red Wings to a 3-2 victory over the Capitals on Saturday, as -130 favorites. The five goals fell UNDER the night's posted over/under (6).
Ville Leino potted two goals for the Red Wings, and Chris Osgood stopped 22 shots.
Ryan Miller made 25 saves for the shutout on Saturday as the Sabres defeated the Predators 1-0. The Sabres won the game as a -110 pick'em, while the teams played UNDER the posted over/under (5.5).
Mike Grier scored at 16:35 of the third period for the only goal in the game.
Current streak:
Detroit has won 2 straight games.
Buffalo has won 2 straight games.
Team records:
Detroit: 2-2-0
Buffalo: 2-0-1
Detroit most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 6-4
Before playing Edmonton are 6-4
After playing Washington are 8-2
After a win are 6-4
Buffalo most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 8-2
Before playing Colorado are 7-3
After playing Nashville are 2-2-1
After a win are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Buffalo
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
Buffalo is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Buffalo's last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Buffalo's last 8 games
Next up:
Detroit home to Los Angeles, Thursday, October 15
Buffalo home to NY Islanders, Friday, October 16
Calgary Flames vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Calgary Flames and the Columbus Blue Jackets will both be trying to pick up a win on Tuesday when they battle at Nationwide Arena.
Olli Jokinen and Dustin Boyd each put up a goal and an assist for Calgary in its 6-5 overtime loss to Chicago on Monday night.
Chicago won as -170 home favorites, while the game played OVER the 5.5-goal total listed by sportsbooks.
Mathieu Garon stopped 36 shots for the shutout on Saturday, as the Blue Jackets defeated the Coyotes 2-0. The Blue Jackets won the game as +110 underdogs, while the teams played UNDER the posted over/under (5.5).
Rick Nash and R.J. Umberger scored in the victory.
Current streak:
Calgary has lost 2 straight games.
Team records:
Calgary: 4-1-1
Columbus: 3-1-0
Calgary most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 7-3
Before playing Los Angeles are 4-6
After playing Chicago are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5
Columbus most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 5-5
Before playing Los Angeles are 3-7
After playing Phoenix are 3-7
After a win are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Calgary's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Calgary's last 5 games when playing on the road against Columbus
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Calgary's last 7 games when playing Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Calgary's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary
Columbus is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Calgary
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Columbus's last 7 games when playing Calgary
Columbus is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Next up:
Calgary home to Vancouver, Friday, October 16
Columbus home to Los Angeles, Saturday, October 17
Colorado Avalanche vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
The Colorado Avalanche and the Toronto Maple Leafs will both be gunning for a victory on Tuesday when they meet at Air Canada Centre.
David Jones' shorthanded marker in the second period stood up as the winner, as the Avalanche upset the Bruins 4-3 on Monday.
Colorado won as +220 road underdogs, while the game played OVER the 5.5-goal total set by oddsmakers.
Jason Blake and Alexei Ponikarovsky scored for the Maple Leafs in their 7-2 loss to the Rangers on Monday night.
New York won as -210 home favorites, while the teams played OVER the 6-run total listed by oddsmakers.
Current streak:
Toronto has lost 5 straight games.
Team records:
Colorado: 3-1-1
Toronto: 0-4-1
Colorado most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 7-3
Before playing Buffalo are 8-8-1
After playing Boston are 8-2
After a win are 4-6
Toronto most recently:
When playing on Tuesday are 3-7
Before playing San Jose are 3-3-2
After playing NY Rangers are 5-5
After a loss are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Colorado's last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado's last 8 games on the road
Colorado is 3-5-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Toronto
Colorado is 2-4-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games at home
Toronto is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Next up:
Colorado at Montreal, Thursday, October 15
Toronto home to NY Rangers, Saturday, October 17
CALGARY (4-1-0-1, 9 pts.) at COLUMBUS (3-1-0-0, 6 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CALGARY is 3-11 ATS (+14.7 Units) in road games after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 45-35 ATS (+94.8 Units) after playing 3 consecutive road games since 1996.
COLUMBUS is 24-21 ATS (+46.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 13-10 ATS (+26.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 4-4 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 4-4-0 straight up against CALGARY over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.9 Units)
DETROIT (2-2-0-0, 4 pts.) at BUFFALO (2-1-0-0, 4 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 72-73 ATS (-44.9 Units) on Tuesday nights since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 3-0-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.0 Units)
COLORADO (3-1-0-1, 7 pts.) at TORONTO (0-5-0-0, 0 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 17-30 ATS (-18.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 255-243 ATS (+524.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
TORONTO is 14-25 ATS (-13.4 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 12-27 ATS (+42.4 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 1-0 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 1-0-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.2 Units)
CALGARY at COLUMBUS
CALGARY: 8-4 SU after allowing 6+ goals
COLUMBUS: 8-23 SU off a road win
DETROIT at BUFFALO
DETROIT: 2-7 SU AWAY off 2+ consecutive home wins
BUFFALO: 4-1 SU when playing 3 or less games in 10 days
COLORADO at TORONTO
COLORADO: 5-12 SU as a home favorite
TORONTO: 14-25 SU at home in first half of the season
Tips & Trends
Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres
Red Wings: Detroit has enjoyed great success playing Buffalo. The Red Wings have won 15 of the past 18 times versus the Sabres going 15-1-1 dating back to March of 1996. The Red Wings have averaged 3.77 goals in their last 18 games against the Sabres. Detroit led the league in power play scoring percentage last year at 25.5 percent. This year Detroit is six-for-20 (30 percent) on the power play after four games. The Red Wings have won two straight, both at home after opening with consecutive losses to St. Louis in Stockholm. The Red Wings followed those two defeats to edge Chicago 3-2 on Thursday and then beat Washington on Saturday, 3-2. The Red Wings, though, are 1-5 in their last six games when going up against a team with a winning record. Detroit has dropped its last four road contests. Detroit is 5-2 under in its last seven games.
Top Trends
The Under has cashed in 17 of the Red Wings’ last 22 games versus Northeast Division foes.
Key Injuries
John Franzen (torn ACL) is out.
Kirk Maltby (thigh) is questionable.
PROJECTED SCORE: 2
Buffalo (-$1.10, O/U 5.5 over -$1.15): Despite scoring just four goals, fewest in the NHL this season, the Sabres are undefeated at 2-0-1. That’s because they surrendered the least amount of goals yielding just three in three games. The Sabres nipped Nashville, 1-0, on Saturday in their last game scoring with 3:25 left on a goal by Mike Grier. Goalie Ryan Miller made 25 saves to record his 13th career shutout. The home team has won four of the last five in the series. The over has turned a profit in seven of the last 10 meetings between the two teams. The over is 5-1 the last six times they’ve met in Buffalo. Veteran defenseman Toni Lydman is expected to play for the first time after missing the first three games because of a hand injury. He’ll take the place of Andrej Sekera, who was injured against Nashville on Saturday.
Top Trends
The Under is 6-2 in Buffalo’s last eight games.
Key Injuries
Andrej Sekera (rib) is out.
PROJECTED SCORE: 3 (UNDER - Total of the Day)