NHL Picks & Predictions for Friday, October 8, 2010
By Drew Sharper
Many teams make their 2010-11 NHL Season debut on Friday and we have some picks to consider for the slate of games.
The always tough Detroit Red Wings open their season Friday night at home against the Anaheim Ducks. The Red Wings are coming off a season where they reached the Western Conference semifinals where the Ducks failed to reach the playoffs, finishing 11th in the Western Conference.
The most competitive game of the night should be Buffalo taking on Ottawa at 7:30PM ET. The Sabres finished third in the East a year ago while Ottawa was fifth. The game will be played in Ottawa.
Here are my picks for three games on Friday night.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Detroit Red Wings, 7PM ET
The Red Wings are 6-1-1 in their last eight games overall and 6-1-1 against the Pacific division. Anaheim is just 7-27-1 in their last 35 meetings with the Red Wings.
NHL Free Pick: Detroit | Best Line: -193 Sportsbook.com
Buffalo Sabres vs. Ottawa Senators, 7:30PM ET
Buffalo is 17-6 in their last 23 games on a Friday while the Senators are 1-7 in their last eight Friday games. In terms of head-to-head matchups, Ottawa has won 20 of the last 26 games against the Sabres.
NHL Free Pick: Ottawa | Best Line: -129 Sportsbook.com
Washington Capitals vs. Atlanta Thrashers, 7:30PM ET
Washington has won 10 of the last 11 games against Atlanta. The Capitals are also 14-6-1 in their last 21 road games and 50-23 in their last 73 games as a favorite.
NHL Free Pick: Washington | Best Line: -165 Sportsbook.com