Weekly NHL Betting Notes
Every week we update you on who's hot, who's not and situational betting spots in the National Hockey League.
HOT TEAM: Buffalo Sabres
The words flowing out of the Buffalo Sabres locker room Saturday night were about as expected:
"We were overdue."
"It's about time."
"We felt like we owed our fans."
All true, of course. The Sabres were speaking about their season-long home woes fresh off a 3-2 overtime win over the Washington Capitals. It was their first home win of the season -- yep, only the first -- and they were the league's last team, going into the night, to not have a victory on home ice. Hard to believe.
But now that the skid is over -- and all of its subsequent talk -- perhaps now we can move onto more important things. Like the Sabres, who were flat-out awful to start the year, have turned a corner over the past seven days. And bettors should take notice.
Granted, most of it was on the road, but the Sabres won three of the last four games heading into Monday night's clash with the Canucks in Buffalo. And in the past four games before the Vancouver meeting, they had registered at least one point. Not bad. Thomas Vanek is starting to score again, potting two Saturday vs. Washington, and goaltender Ryan Miller has returned to full health.
We bring all this up, because while there is still a talent differential between the Sabres and many of the league's elite teams, you may be able to get some real good prices this week on a team that is fighting and scrapping to get back in the Northeast Division race.
Again, though, the competition is fierce. This week alone, they play the aforementioned Canucks, Capitals, Kings and Lightning. That's a tough slate. But, understand that the Sabres are now playing their best hockey of the season, and that alone, might be enough to make them a "go on" team this week.
COLD TEAM: Dallas Stars
The long, winding, Western Conference road simply wore down the Stars last week. An up-and-down team to begin with, Dallas took it on the chin on a three-game swing, losing to Avalanche, Kings and Ducks. The scores were ugly, too. They were outscored 12-4 in that span.
If you're looking for a silver lining, however, the Stars return home for three games this week, where they are 5-3. They welcome Anaheim, San Jose and Colorado. It would be wise for Dallas to make some hay on this homestand, despite the degree of difficulty, considering their opponents.
After all, the Stars are in the ultra-competitive Pacific Division, and this little funk has them in last place. Until they prove they can score three goals a game on a consistent basis, consider Dallas -- even with Brad Richards on the rebound this season -- a "go against" for awhile.
OVER PLAY: Phoenix Coyotes
OK, so next to nobody is in the stands to watch them at home. And even when they're on the road, no one -- in a national sense -- is tuning in to watch them. But the Coyotes have been lighting the lamp these days, and their defensive deficiencies have been returning the favor, as well. For totals players, that's all that really matters, right?
It all adds up to a solid "over play" for the foreseeable future, as the Coyotes have been involved in games of seven or more goals, for and against, in five of their last seven contests. In a league short on offense, that's a pretty consistent clip.
In their last two games alone, there have been 17 goals scored. Wow. Over, anyone?
Continue to monitor this Coyotes run. They play at Calgary on Wednesday.
UNDER PLAY: Boston Bruins
The Bruins, perhaps eager to erase the memories of blowing a 3-0 series lead to Philadelphia in last year's second round, opened up with some fire to start the year, but have surprisingly cooled off in a hurry.
Leading into Monday's game against the Devils, Boston had dropped four of five. And more importantly for totals players, the Bruins had scored one goal or less in their four games leading into the New Jersey tilt.
Listen, there's too much talent up front on this team -- Nathan Horton, Milan Lucic, David Krejci -- to believe this funk will last forever. But let's face it, they are squeezing the sticks a little tightly right now, and with goaltender Tim Thomas playing the way he's playing -- he took a 1.45 goals against average into Monday's action -- it's tough not to consider this team a quality "under play" for a good bit here.
Surveying the schedule:
-The Edmonton Oilers on Sunday finished a grueling five-game road trip, but there isn't much time for this young club to recharge itself. On Wednesday, they have to play host to the Stanley Cup champions, and two days after the Blackhawks leave town, the Coyotes come knocking. Again, this is an inexperienced team in Edmonton that is not prepared for the long grind. And that Phoenix contest will conclude an eight-game stretch in which Edmonton did not have more than two days off in between any of those tilts.
-No one's been able to slow the Flyers these days, but maybe the schedule will get to them this week. They have four games this week and a total of five in eight days. Keep in mind, the defending Eastern Conference champions have played more than three games in a week just once this season, and the year is almost two months old. You may be able to get some good prices going against this team this week, as the public always loves a winner.
-Speaking of four-game weeks, the Blues are about to enter their second straight such stretch. What's more, they will carry a three-game losing streak into the run. Keep an eye on this young St. Louis team, especially when the weekend hits. They have a dreaded back-to-back stretch, two games in 24 hours: vs. Ottawa Friday, and vs. New Jersey Saturday.