Wednesday's Best NHL Bets
Vancouver Canucks at Los Angeles Kings (-105, 5)
Nothing went as planned for the Vancouver Canucks in Monday night’s 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, who took a 2-1 lead in the series. Goalie Roberto Luongo struggled, getting pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 16 shots.
Luongo’s woes were even more evident on the penalty kill where the Kings have managed to score seven times on 12 opportunities during the series. Vancouver allowed three shorthanded goals on three consecutive penalties Monday night and never even managed to clear the puck once. The power plays lasted 31, 42 and 37 seconds respectively.
“We have to lay it all on the line when we’re killing penalties,” Luongo told The Province. “We have got to block shots and take some rebounds away. Obviously, we have to be able to kill penalties because we are not going to go penalty free every game.”
Vancouver also caught a tough break when Henrik Sedin’s goal late in the third period was disallowed following a controversial decision by the replay officials who felt Sedin kicked the puck in the net. If the call wasn’t problematic enough, NHL vice-president Mike Murphy added in a post-game interview on CBC that it would be nice to see the Kings win the Stanley Cup.
“I think it would be neat to see the Kings succeed and win a Stanley Cup because it would just be a tremendous amount for the Southern California market and the Kings’ franchise.”
Things just aren’t looking good for the Canucks.
Pick: Kings
Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens (+175, 6)
No one knew what to expect from the Montreal Canadiens after they squandered a 4-1 lead to the Capitals in Game 2 Saturday night and suffered a 6-5 overtime loss. And they looked like they were on a mission during the first period of Game 3, outshooting the Capitals 10-7 and getting a number of good scoring opportunities.
But they weren’t able to get the puck past Semyon Varlamov and collapsed in the second period. The Caps scored three goals on six shots in a little over seven minutes and marched to a 5-1 victory at the Bell Centre.
Goalie Jaroslav Halak didn’t prove Alex Ovechkin wrong after the Capitals’ captain told reporters that Halak was so nervous in Game 2 he was shaking. Halak didn’t even last the entire game getting replaced by Carey Price after allowing four second-period markers.
Montreal has done a good job containing Ovechkin, who only had one shot on goal in Game 3, and shutting down Washington’s top-ranked power play, which was 0-for-7 Monday night (0-for-14 in the series).
“We (stink) right now,” Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau told the Washington Post. “It’s the biggest… it’s the worst stretch we’ve gone through. I thought we had some really good looks and some really good chances. But none went in and you get frustrated.
“I’m sure we’ll get a goal on it – maybe not this series, but eventually, next year or something.”
If Price, the likely starter for Game 4, can do a better job in net and the Habs play a strong defensive game, they will squeak by the Caps.
Pick: Canadiens
Wednesday's Ice Plays
By Judd Hall
If you want excitement, look no further than the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Out of 23 postseason tilts we’ve seen, 14 of them have been decided by just one goal. And the “chalk” hasn’t been a sure thing at all, evidenced by a 12-11 mark in the first round. Wednesday’s card offers up three pivotal games. Let’s take a look.
Capitals at Canadiens – 7:05 p.m. EDT
After two lackluster performances, Washington’s 5-1 victory in Game 3 as a $1.75 road favorite looked like the team that won the Presidents’ Trophy. The Capitals peppered Jaroslav Halak for three goals on 13 shots, and took Carey Price to task for two lamp lighters in the 23 SOG he saw on Monday night.
The Caps also appear to have found their goalie for the playoffs in Simeon Varlamov (pretty sure this happened last year as well). Varlamov stopped 26 of 27 SOG in Game 3 and 19 of 22 shots fired his way on Saturday night.
What does have to be an area of concern for Bruce Boudreau and company is how they aren’t performing on special teams. Washington led the league on the power play by converting 25.2 percent of its chances with the advantage. In three playoff games, the Capitals have failed to light the lamp once on 14 chances.
Montreal needs something to get itself back into the series. One likely move will be having Price start Game 4 after responding well on Monday after coming off the bench cold. But they should also be getting back pivot Glen Metropolit for the second straight game. Metropolit didn’t factor into Monday’s tilt because he played just five minutes and spent one shift on the power play. Look for that to change on Wednesday since he’s scored 10 goals on the advantage to lead the club.
Most sportsbook are expecting the Caps to take a coming 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series by installing them as $2.03 road favorites (risk $203 to win $100) with a total of six. The Canadiens can be backed for healthy plus-186 (risk $100 to win $186) return to even the series at two wins all.
What will keep gamblers from backing the Habs is the fact that they’re 2-4 in their last six games as home pups with the ‘over’ going 3-2-1. They aren’t even worth taking on the puck line in those games, evidenced by a 1-5 mark.
Washington has lost three of its last four games as a road favorite after winning as a road “chalk.” The ‘over’ is 3-1 in those tests.
Sabres at Bruins – 7:05 p.m. EDT
If Buffalo wasn’t worried about its first round showdown before, they are now. The Sabres find themselves down two-games-to-one in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal after a 2-1 setback as $1.15 road pups to Boston.
The Sabres picked up their lone goal from Mike Grier out of his seven shots on goal. Not to belittle Grier in this spot, this is a guy that scored 10 goals during the regular season and is mediocre on the attack. But he was the only Buffalo skater that appeared to give a damn on the stat sheet. Derek Roy (26 regular season goals) had just two SOG. Jason Pominville (24 regular season goals) also had just two shots on Tuukka Rask. Ryan Miller was his usual solid self in goal with 27 saves on the 29 shots he saw.
It certainly appears that Buffalo is sorely missing the likes of Thomas Vanek on the ice. Vanek had a team-high 28 goals and 25 assists in the regular season. And there isn’t anything to say he’ll be on the ice for Wednesday’s tilt since he was nowhere to be found during the morning skate on Tuesday.
Boston doesn’t have the offensive firepower (Saturday’s five-goal output was an aberration) to light up the scoreboard like they used to do last season. But that doesn’t matter when you have a netminder like Rask stopping 94 percent of the shots coming at him in the playoffs.
The majority of betting outlets are posting the Bruins as $1.25 home favorites with a total of five. Gamblers can side with the Sabres in this game at plus-115.
Boston has gone 7-6 as a home favorite against teams from the Northeast Division this season. While that doesn’t sound all that promising to the betting public, keep in mind they’re 3-1 in its last four games.
The Sabres aren’t going to give you much of anything in terms of backing them for Game 4. That’s because Buffalo is 2-5 in games where they were listed as a road pup after losing as a road underdog in its previous contest.
Canucks at Kings – 10:05 p.m. EDT
You can almost hear the cries of being cheated emanating out of the Pacific Northwest after the Canucks lost 5-3 to Los Angeles as $1.15 road favorites in Game 3 of their Western Conference Quarterfinal.
The complaints stem from Daniel Sedin’s score that was ruled to not be a goal after the NHL’s “War Room” decided that he kicked the puck past Jonathan Quick in the third period. Did Vancouver get jobbed in that spot? In my opinion, the goal reversal was justified. Besides, Sedin scored a legit goal about a minute later.
What the Canucks should be more concerned with is the fact that Roberto Luongo was lit up like a Christmas tree, yielding four goals on 12 shots. And Vancouver’s special teams awful on Monday night as they let the Kings score three goals on as many power plays. That has been a thorn in Alain Vigneault’s side in this series as LA has cashed in on seven of its 12 power plays in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Los Angeles has spread the wealth so far in the postseason with eight of its players visiting the red lamp district. Anze Kopitar has just one goal to his credit, while Michal Handzus and Fredrik Modin have each scored two goals.
Vancouver is getting the love from the oddsmakers, having been installed as a $1.20 road “chalk” with a total of five. The Kings can be head for a decent profit at plus-110.
The Canucks have only been posted as road favorites against the Pacific Division four times this season. They are 1-3 in those contests with the ‘over’ going 3-0-1.
LA has been a home pup against Northeast Division foes three times this year and has walked away victorious each time. The ‘over’ has gone 2-1 in those contests as well.
vegasinsider.com
Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens
The Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens will both be gunning for a victory on Wednesday when they meet at Bell Centre.
Eric Fehr and Brooks Laich each had a goal and an assist, as the Capitals skated past the Canadiens 5-1 in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series on Monday night.
Washington won as -185 road favorites, while the game resulted in a PUSH on the 6-goal total set by sportsbooks.
Alex Ovechkin, Matt Bradley, and Boyd Gordon also scored for the Capitals, who now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Tomas Plekanec potted the lone marker for Montreal, which was outshot 36-27 in the loss.
Team records:
Washington: 54-15-13
Montreal: 39-33-10
Washington most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
Before playing Calgary are 4-6
After playing Montreal are 5-5
After a win are 7-3
Montreal most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Washington are 4-6
After playing Washington are 2-8
After a loss are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Montreal
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games
Montreal is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Montreal is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Next up:
Montreal at Washington, Friday, April 23
Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins
The Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins will both be trying to pick up a win on Wednesday when they battle at TD Garden.
Patrice Bergeron scored the winner midway through the third period to lift the Bruins past the Sabres 2-1 in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series on Monday night.
Boston cashed as -130 home favorites, while the game played UNDER the 5-goal total listed by oddsmakers.
Dennis Wideman had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, who now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Mike Grier lit the lamp for Buffalo, which outshot Boston 33-29 in the loss.
Team records:
Buffalo: 45-27-10
Boston: 39-30-13
Buffalo most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
Before playing Colorado are 7-3
After playing Boston are 5-5
After a loss are 6-4
Boston most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing Ottawa are 3-7
After playing Buffalo are 8-2
After a win are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 6 games
Buffalo is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Buffalo is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Buffalo
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
Next up:
Boston at Buffalo, Friday, April 23
Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings
The Vancouver Canucks and the Los Angeles Kings will both be trying to pick up a win on Wednesday when they battle at STAPLES Center.
Drew Doughty finished with a goal and three assists to lead the Kings past the Canucks 5-3 in Game 3 of their Western Conference quarterfinals series on Monday night.
Los Angeles cashed as -105 home underdogs, while the game played OVER the 5-goal total set by sportsbooks.
Michal Handzus had two goals and an assist for the Kings, who got three helpers from Jack Johnson in the payday.
Mikael Samuelsson posted a goal and an assist for Vancouver, which now trails Los Angeles 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Team records:
Vancouver: 49-28-5
Los Angeles: 46-27-9
Vancouver most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-4
Before playing San Jose are 6-4
After playing Los Angeles are 5-5
After a loss are 7-3
Los Angeles most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 3-7
Before playing Dallas are 3-7
After playing Vancouver are 6-4
After a win are 3-7
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vancouver's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Vancouver's last 9 games
Vancouver is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Vancouver's last 12 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Los Angeles's last 12 games when playing Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 6 games when playing at home against Vancouver
Los Angeles is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Los Angeles is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Vancouver
Next up:
Los Angeles at Vancouver, Friday, April 23
BUFFALO (46-30-0-9, 101 pts.) at BOSTON (41-31-0-13, 95 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 12-11 (+0.9 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 12-11-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
15 of 22 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+6.8 Units)
WASHINGTON (56-16-0-13, 125 pts.) at MONTREAL (40-34-0-11, 91 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 9-6-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.4 Units)
VANCOUVER (50-29-0-6, 106 pts.) at LOS ANGELES (48-27-0-10, 106 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
LOS ANGELES is 7-8 (+1.7 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 8-7-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.1 Units)
BUFFALO vs. BOSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games on the road
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games
WASHINGTON vs. MONTREAL
Washington is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Montreal is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
VANCOUVER vs. LOS ANGELES
Vancouver is 8-13-4 SU in its last 25 games ,when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Vancouver's last 12 games when playing Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Los Angeles's last 12 games when playing Vancouver
Los Angeles is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Vancouver
Eastern Conference Playoffs
First Round, Game Four (Boston Leads, 2-1)
BUFFALO at BOSTON
BUFFALO: 12-3 SU after scoring 1 or 0 goals
BOSTON: 1-5 SU at home off a win by 1 goal
Eastern Conference Playoffs
First Round, Game Four (Montreal Leads, 2-1)
WASHINGTON at MONTREAL
WASHINGTON: 40-15 SU off a win
MONTREAL: 11-26 SU at home off a loss by 4+ goals
Western Conference Playoffs
First Round, Game Four (Los Angeles Leads, 2-1)
VANCOUVER at LOS ANGELES
VANCOUVER: 16-4 SU off a loss by 2+ goals
LOS ANGELES: 5-11 SU at home after winning 2 of their last 3 games