Written by Graeme & Scott on Thursday, August 20th, 2020
Follow @BetNHL
It was a big day in the NHL yesterday with a few slight upsets and three eliminations.
Lightning vs Blue Jackets was a hell of a game. Blue Jackets fought so hard and were on the verge of staying in when Tampa scored just prior to overtime. Tampa were able to take it 5-4 in OT.
The Bruins beat the Hurricanes 2-1, and the Coyotes went out in horrific fashion. A sad end to the playoffs for Darcy Kuemper who conceded 6 goals in another 7-1 thrashing.
The Canucks were able to pull off the 4-3 victory over the Blues in a feisty affair. Habs and Flyers spat in the face of over/under lines with the Habs winning in an 8 goal thriller.
Hockey truly is amazing that way where you can have so many games between teams dominated by defence and goalies. Then it just explodes like that.
A bit of a quieter day for us with just two games to handicap. It’ll be weird not having hockey during the day to watch.
Islanders vs Capitals Betting Tips:
Graeme: I put my faith in the Capitals in Game 4 and it paid off as they managed to avoid the sweep. Not that I thought they were too good to get swept or anything – that sort of thinking is nonsense – but I was indebted to them from that comeback back in January, and it was nice for them to pay it off yet again.
So now what? They are actually slight favourites to win here. Was that just a blip? Or are they going to be rejuvenated? I’d call this a real 50/50 game meaning neither odds make it worth betting.
Part of me wants to look for trends for player props etc but I’m going to go with Over 5 Goals incl OT instead. It’s pretty simple for Islanders – Caps are usually good for 2 goals a game and they need to score more. I think this will be a good offensive game.
Canada: 1.84 Odds at BetOnline..
USA: -121 Odds at BetOnline..
Everyone Else: 1.84 Odds at BetOnline..
(Odds correct as of 2020/08/20 7:31:52 AM EST but are subject to change.)
Scott: Well Ovechkin made sure that the Caps weren’t eliminated in game 4. The Caps were down 2-0 before the halfway point of the first period but rallied and came back to win 3-2. Ovechkin scored the game tying goal and the winner.
When Ovechkin gets going there are very few players in the league as good as him. But they did find a way to get themselves in this hole so the Islanders are a team capable of beating them.
Islanders win incl OT
Canada: 2.00 Odds at BetOnline..
USA: +100 Odds at BetOnline..
Everyone Else: 2.00 Odds at BetOnline..
(Odds correct as of 2020/08/20 7:31:52 AM EST but are subject to change.)
Stars vs Flames Betting Tips:
Graeme: The flip flopping stopped as the Stars won 2 in a row with a tight 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames.
I didn’t tip the Stars that game however I did say looking at the advanced metrics, it really wasn’t a 50/50 series and the Stars were looking the better team. So it wasn’t a surprise that they’d win.
I must admit having only 2 games on the board was nice. Allowed me to really take my time and analyze the hell out of this one and put a lot of focus on it.
All the talk about the Flames is a fast start. However their 1st period stats during the regular season were pretty woeful. Even in the playoffs the 1st period is their worst period.
Personally I’d take the over in this one. I think it’s a good bet. However I’m going to go with Johnny Gaudreau Over 2.5 Shots instead. Looking at all the player metrics I feel he gets 4-5 shots today.
Canada: 1.72 Odds at 888 Sports.
USA: No odds yet but BetOnline. usually has player props.
Everyone Else: 1.72 Odds at 888 Sports.
(Odds correct as of 2020/08/20 7:31:52 AM EST but are subject to change.)
Scott: Well the Flames are now facing elimination. They had won 2 of the first 3 games of the series but the Stars have won the last 2 in a row.
This has been a great series and it seems like a perfect series to go the distance. Sure they lost the last two games but both were by a single goal and one of the games needed overtime.
I like the Flames chances to win this game and force a game 7
Flames win incl OT
Canada: 2.16 Odds at BetOnline..
USA: +115 Odds at BetOnline..
Everyone Else: 2.16 Odds at BetOnline..
(Odds correct as of 2020/08/20 7:31:52 AM EST but are subject to change.)
