An easy winner yesterday on the “over” in Detroit as it was set at just 5 goals and the game ended with a total of 10 in a 6-4 Red Wings victory!
That brings us to a perfect 3-0, 6.29 unit weekend.
Two picks for this evening, we are getting great odds on both of our selections:
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Minnesota Wild: BLUE JACKETS 2.56
Risk: 2 Units | Win: 3.12 Units
What a sensational price on Columbus tonight. This one should have been a pick’em (or close to it), we get the Blue Jackets as big dogs tonight against the struggling Minnesota Wild. The Blue Jackets most recent victory came on Saturday, a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Boston. The Blue Jackets entered that game receiving just 16% of the bets according to Sports Insights [ http://account.sportsinsights.com/affiliatewiz/aw.aspx?A=180 ], which tracks actual bets placed across seven major sports books. The Blue Jackets did have a four game skid prior to their victory over Boston, losing 2-1 to the Rangers, 3-2 to the Habs, 5-2 to both the Islanders and Maple Leafs. Note though that the Rangers are the 3rd best defensive team in the League right now (2.33 GA/GP), and the Habs are 5th overall on defense (2.36 GA/GP). The Columbus defense allowed 3.00 goals against over their last 10 games, but at least their offense was able to score the
same amount of goals per game (3.00) over their last 10 games. The Minnesota defense is struggling, having allowed an average of 3.40 goals against per game over their last 10 games, which includes allowing a whopping seven goals on two separate occasions, in a 7-1 loss via the Dallas Stars, and a 7-2 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Wild offense has scored just 2.40 goals per game over their last 10 games, and one of those games was a 7-0 blanking of the Buffalo Sabres. If we take that game out of the equation and use the other 9 games, the Wild would have scored less than 1.88 goals per game. The Columbus power play is electric right now, as the Blue Jackets are 29.6% on the man advantage over their last 10 games. Note that Columbus actually has the third best power play in the entire NHL at 24.7%. This red hot power play will stack up against the Minnesota penalty kill that was successful just 79.3% of the time over
their last 10 games. The Columbus penalty kill was just 77.5% over their last 10 games, but the Wild are just 17.1% on the power play (last 10) and are 26th overall with a dismal 14.7 PP%. A few trends to consider, the Blue Jackets have won 4 of their last 5 games versus a team with a losing record, while the Wild have lost each of their last eleven games when their opponent allows two goals or less in their previous game. Take this very generous price on the Blue Jackets to defeat the Wild tonight in Minnesota.
Calgary Flames @ Los Angeles Kings: FLAMES 2.53
Risk: 2 Units | Win: 3.06 Units (Members Only Pick)
Here we go again, another fantastic price on the Calgary Flames this evening. Both the Calgary Flames and the Los Angeles Kings have exactly 51 points in 45 games this season. If the playoffs started today, the Flames would clinch the second available Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, while the Kings would actually miss the playoffs due to the NHL’s tie breaking rules. This game tonight is very important for both clubs, if the Kings win they will have the 2nd wild card spot bumping the Flames out of playoff contention, while if the Flames win they will keep their spot and will have a two point lead on Los Angeles (assuming no extra point for OT/SO loss). The Kings have posted back-to-back losses, losing 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, and 3-2 to the Ducks in a shootout on Saturday (a winner for us on the Ducks, great odds at 2.29). The Kings have lost seven of their last ten games, and managed to allow 2.90 goals
against per game over that span. The once-mighty Los Angeles defense is slipping up, currently 11th overall with 2.51 goals against per game. The Flames have been especially tight on defense lately and are now just 16th overall with 2.60 goals against per game. Note that Calgary allowed only 2.30 goals against per game over their last 10 games. Both clubs have awful penalty kill numbers right now, as Calgary is 27th with a 75.7 PK%, while the Kings are 25th with a 77.9 PK%. These numbers are even worse as of late, with Los Angeles going just 69.2% on the penalty kill over their last 10 games, while the Flames are 68.4% during that span. Joni Ortio is probable for the Flames tonight and since being called up from the AHL he has gone a perfect 3-0 with the Flames, stopping 82 of 86 shots for a .953 save percentage and a 1.33 goals against average. Ortio is just 23 years old and will have a bright future in the NHL if he keeps up with this
style of play. Jonathan Quick is probable for Los Angeles tonight and hasn’t been credited with a win since January 1st, a 3-1 victory over San Jose. Quick has lost each of his last five games (and 7 of his last 8). Quick is just 16-11-9 this season with a 2.47 GAA and a .912 SV%. This price on the Flames is too generous to pass up, they have a great shot at defeating Los Angeles tonight and keeping their spot in the post season.
