January 15th, 2016 NHL Betting “Tips”

Im with you guys on tonight, nothing really stands out but as always i’ll try to get every game right – practice makes perfect and i feel like these kind of nights are those where you should take notes. I’ve noticed that when i first look at a hockey round and nothing really stands out that could mean there’s some good odds available that im just hesitant to go for.

Anyway, imma give it a shot:

Bruins vs Sabres is a tricky one. Both teams really want the win, as Boston is on a 3 game losing streak and have lost 8 out of last 10 – Sabres on the other hand won the past 2 but have dropped 5 straight home games. So it’s basically a battle of getting out of a slump vs getting a W for your home crowd. Because of the Bruins struggles and Sabres getting the positivity back in the room my first thought are the Sabres, without Krejci & McQuaid Boston doesn’t have much of an edge on paper. But at the same time they’re still a bit better. Lehner with his first game back but Gustavsson will be in net so really no edge in goaltending for either team. Normally i’d feel like Boston can shift their frustration on to Buffalo if that makes sense, they can’t get any worse results-wise so just go out and play your game and let the home team worry about their home struggles. But the thing is Boston has had 3 games in a row that were “must win” games in their mind and they did show a good effort, just didn’t get any results – that’s always very stressing mentally and the reason why we sometimes see teams who struggle come out with a pathethic effort. So in the end im very much leaning towards the Sabres. @ 3.15 odds it’s a decent option to go for. A lot of variables though and Boston could still have something left in the tank mentally – this is never a sure thing. But this game reminds me of the Jackets vs Islanders game where the Blue Jackets really needed a win and didn’t really show it on the ice, they just looked beaten. But that “off-night” mentally let them to come out well the night after against the Leafs and they won it. Oddly enough, the Bruins play the Leafs tomorrow.

Hawks vs Maple Leafs – if the Hawks were “just” playing well without a big winning streak i’d say avoid them as they have too big of an edge and that’s never good thing in the NHL, it makes you overconfident and that usually leads to upsets or at least OT games. But the Hawks are on a 9 game winning streak, i just can’t make myself not to go with them. On a streak like this the puck bounces your way and you enjoy playing no matter who the opponent is. Sure, the Hawks are on the tail end of a back-to-back and play their 3rd game in 4 nights but as odd as it sounds i think this just serves as motivation, they’ll want to push themselves and on the road your only focused on hockey. I think they’ll be ready to play, and i think most of the fatigue you’d expect them to show tonight will show on Sunday vs the Blues. Even though my analysis is what it is i don’t think im going to bet a lot, as there’s a chance the Hawks might overlook this game and have already set their sight on the Blues game. Impossible to know what’s going on their minds right now.

Canucks vs Hurricanes – Carolina is playing great hockey at the moment, and even though their winning streak of 4 games isn’t very long, in those 4 games they’ve done a lot of things. Decisive win at home over Columbus, faced adversity in OT wins vs Columbus & Pittsburgh and yesterday stomped the Blues on the road which is never easy to do. They’re having fun and the team is really coming together at the moment. I would never bet against them on this game, but Vancouver’s 5 game winning streak vs Carolina is a bit of a red flag. At the same time i feel like winning streaks vs a particular opponent is just a coincindence in a sense that your facing that team in appropriate times. That being said, normally (meaning the Canes W-streak wouldn’t be this impressive) i’d say this is definitely an OT game and it’s quite funny to see S&G’s experimental OT system to suggest this too. I might throw something on the OT just for the odds but i can also see the Canes can pick up the W after a lot of momentum swings. A lot depend on whether or not the Canes are tired though and there’s a good chance they are, making this one more of an OT type of game.

Penguins vs Lightning – I have no idea why but my gut says Pens in regulation. Sometimes you have to fight the gut feeling when it doesn’t make any sense though. I see the Pens having a big time game in effort and potting in a few goals. But the Bolts are on the verge of joining the possible long W-streak club. They’re similar to the Sharks who also had a tough first half but are turning the corner big time. Tampa’s roster is finally healthy and they’re starting to look like themselves. To be honest im not sure what to pick here, as the Pens IMO are a total mess, but they can still have good games here and there. Basically what it comes down to is, do the Bolts let up or not, im that convinced they’re in the invincible-mode based on their recent games. Pens odds @ 3.1 are very tempting but don’t know if i want to pull the trigger. It’s never fun to bet against a team that’s winning. Will most likely leave this alone and see how it pans out.

Jets vs Wild – this one is pretty easy i feel like. Jets are tired after tough game last night and it’s their 3rd game in 4 nights. Meanwhile Wild are pissed off after 2 bad games at home and they will want to bring a good compete level especially against a divisional rival. Without Scheifele in my opinion the Wild are a much better team and Dubnyk also has an edge over Hutchinson. I can’t really see any other option than Minnesota here.but I wouldn’t bet on the odds available right now though (1.9), i can easily see the game being tied midway through and Minnesota climb back to win it. Good game for live-betting for better odds.

Stars vs Ducks – im not too impressed with the Ducks. They’ve gotten good results lately, but yeah, i think they’re beatable every night. Stars have had 5 days off to think about their recent struggles and they should come out hard and fresh. 5 days without a single game is a lot though, and they could be a bit out of sync to start the game which gives the Ducks an opportunity. Im torn between Dallas win and OT, but my gut says OT so i’ll probably give it a go.

Phew, a lot of text there. Have a nice weekend everybody !

I can see why you guys favour the Storm with a 6-2-0record in the last 10gms. I can’t believe they shut out the Knights! OS is 5-3-2 in last 10 & 3/4 gms ended in OT so this one could be close. What could help the Storm is OS are on a btob.
* The home team has won every game in this series so it’s the Storm’s turn to win. Fingers crossed. 🙂
Surprisingly, the Wolves are 5-4-0.The Greyhounds are 4-3-2.
SSM scored 5 & won last night but according to the team, didn’t play well. Wolves give up a lot of goals so SSM has the edge.
Like the your home team Frontenacs to beat Flint. Flint’s road record is awful at 7-13-0 vs Kingson 11-5-2 at Home. Flint is on a btob too. The only odds worth it are -120 if you wanna risk betting on the -1.5 spread.
Good luck tonight!