Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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11-21-17 | Oilers v. Blues -137 | 3-8 | Win | 100 | 2 h 20 m | Show | |
At 8:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the St. Louis Blues (4) versus the Edmonton Oilers (3). Edmonton (7-11-1-1) continues to struggle this season having lost two straight games as well as four of their last five games with their 6-3 loss in Dallas on Saturday. After losing in the Western Conference Semifinals to Anaheim last postseason, this year’s group has really struggled. In part, everything went right for the Oilers last season — so some regular season regression was expected. But the other glaring weakness for this team is that they lack team speed after superstar Connor McDavid which is putting them at a disadvantage with more and more teams emphasizing speed over physicality and toughness of teams like the Los Angeles Kings in the past. Third-year head coach Todd McClellan has a dilemma with what to do with Leon Draisaitl. The right-winger is one of the few players on the roster who can complement McDavid and help put their Talisman in a position to succeed. However, using Draisaitl on that top line with McDavid leaves this Edmonton team very thin at forward after that top unit. This young team has not shown the ability to respond well to adversity as they have lost 39 of their last 52 games after a loss by at least three goals. The Oilers have also lost 38 of their last 54 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Edmonton has also lost 6 of their last 7 games after a game where at least seven combined goals were scored. Furthermore, the Oilers have lost 10 of their last 11 games when playing with two days of rest. Edmonton is looking to avenge a 4-1 loss to these Blues at home back last Thursday. But the Oilers have lost 7 of their last 8 games when looking to avenge a same-season loss. Revenge will be very difficult for this team that has lost 10 of their last 13 games played in St. Louis against the Blues. |
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11-10-17 | Bruins v. Maple Leafs -129 | 2-3 | Win | 100 | 1 h 0 m | Show | |
At 7:00 PM ET on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Toronto Maple Leafs (58) versus the Boston Bruins (57). Toronto (10-7-0) will be without their superstar Auston Matthews for a few games with an upper-body injury. Head coach Mike Babcock will likely use this opportunity to impress upon his team the importance of not being reliant on just one player — so his expectations will be sky-high for this game. The oddsmakers have moved the money-line to below my -150 threshold without Matthews on the ice which gives us a great opportunity to pounce. Babcock knows this team is a series threat to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs — and he is using the regular season to train his team to find success by deploying the tactics that are needed in the postseason rather than relying on their speed and the lack of physicality that often comes from the opponents during the regular season. The Maple Leafs have won two straight games with their 4-2 win over Minnesota on Wednesday. Toronto has won 5 of their last 7 games after scoring at least four goals in their last game. The Maple Leafs stay at home where they have won 4 straight home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. Toronto has also won 7 of their last 9 games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 7 games against fellow Atlantic Division foes, the Maple Leafs have won 5 of these games. With the veteran left-winger Patrick Marleau coming over in the offseason to join a young core that includes William Nylander and James Van Riemsdyk, their remains plenty of offensive firepower for this team even without Matthews tonight. 25* NHL Atlantic Division Game of the Month with the money-line on Toronto. Best of luck for us -- Frank. TO BE CONTINUED -- please check back before this game begins for my full written Report before this game starts -- and I also reserve the right to raise the Star Value of this play (while you still get it at the discounted price by buying early). Given the high volume of plays I offer clients, I am providing an initial “abridged version” of the play to get them posted faster to accommodate my Daily, Weekly and Monthly subscribers so they can begin shopping lines. My research is detailed for our plays (which I do complete before endorsing a play) but it does take some time to write the more detailed Reports that clients have grown to count on. Thanks, Frank. |
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10-24-17 | Oilers v. Penguins -145 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 1 h 50 m | Show |
At 7:05 PM ET on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (7) versus the Edmonton Oilers (8). Edmonton (2-5-0) has lost five of their last six games this season with their 2-1 loss in Philadelphia on Saturday. This Oilers team is struggling because they have somehow looked slow outside of their young superstar Connor McDavid. Being without their other young star Leon Draisaitl who has been out with concussion-like symptoms has not helped — and they will be getting him back on the ice tonight. But facing the fastest team in the NHL in the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions is a terrifying prospect for this sluggish team right now. As it is, the Oilers have lost 20 of their last 24 road games after they scored no more than one goal in their last game. Furthermore, Edmonton has lost 10 of their last 12 road games after a game where three or less combined goals in their last game. And in their last 6 games when playing with two days of rest, the Oilers have lost all 6 games. Moving forward, Edmonton has lost 6 of their last 7 games against Eastern Conference opponents. The Oilers have also lost 5 of their last 6 trips to Pittsburgh. That is not a good sign when considering that this franchise has seen their teams lost 91 of their last 122 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. |
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10-18-17 | Blackhawks v. Blues -110 | Top | 2-5 | Win | 100 | 3 h 52 m | Show |
At 8:05 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the St. Louis Blues (4) versus the Chicago Blackhawks (3). We are a bit more cautious in the regular season in the NHL especially early on in the season. Given the low scoring nature of this game, there is less opportunity to find value relative to what the oddsmakers are offering. Combine that with roster turnover impacting team chemistry and then add-in the inevitable injuries and the results are often too volatile for me to risk an investment — particularly in the grind of the regular season. That all said, this is a strong early season situation. St. Louis (4-2-0) returns home for just their second game on home ice all season after playing their last four games on the road. The Blues are looking to bounce-back from a 2-1 loss in Tampa Bay on Saturday. Scoring is a concern for this team — and they addressed that issue in the offseason by trading for center Braden Schenn from Philadelphia. Schenn has scored 51 goals over the last two seasons and he led the league with 17 Power Play goals this season. This St. Louis team has been ravaged with injuries this season — but the Twitter machine (the Blues official Twitter account, not Russian bots) has confirmed that first-line center Paul Stastny will be making his debut tonight after missing the first six games with a hand injury. The ripple effect on the depth chart getting Stastny back on the ice combined with this team playing at home should help this offense. This is a team that has won 10 of their last 14 games at home. The Blues have also won 38 of their last 55 games after playing at least two straight games on the road — and they have won 8 straight games when losing those last two games away from home. Furthermore, St. Louis has won 9 of their last 13 games after playing at least four straight games on the road. And in their last 14 games after scoring two goals or less in their last contest, the Blues have won 11 of these games. |
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06-11-17 | Penguins v. Predators -130 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -130 | 7 h 7 m | Show |
At 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (12) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (11). Nashville (54-36-12) looked due for an emotional letdown after rallying from an 0-2 deficit to pull this series at 2-2. Momentum is most defined by who scores first in the next game — and the Penguins got on the board in the first 91 seconds on Wednesday. That led to three first period goals for a 3-0 lead that compelled head coach Peter Laviolette to bench Pekka Rinne for the remaining two periods. The final result was a 6-0 loss which was the Predators’ worst loss of the entire season. Now returning home for a crucial Game Six, expect Nashville to be energized and to open the game with a great start like Pittsburgh did on Thursday. The Predators have won 6 of their last 8 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Nashville has also won 18 of their last 22 home games after looking to avenge a loss where they only scored one goal. Furthermore, Nashville has won 15 of their last 18 home games when looking to avenge a loss by at least three goals. The Predators have a huge home ice advantage in front of their raucous crowd in Bridgestone Arena. They are 9-1 at home in these playoffs (13-1 over the last two postseasons) while outscoring their opponents by +20 goals — and they have outscored the Penguins by seven goals in their two games at home in the Stanley Cup Finals. Rinne has been outstanding at home in these playoffs where he has a 1.44 Goals-Against-Average along with a .949 save percentage. Remember, he was facing adversity after two subpar games in Pittsburgh last week — and he responded with a 1.01 GAA along with a .962 save percentage in those two games. Laviolette’s option of the last shift change does help Rinne a great deal as it allows for the Roman Josi-Ryan Ellis line to go up against Sidney Crosby. There is an issue with Ellis who left in the 2nd period with an undisclosed injury — but my read of this situation is that the defenseman will play and his leaving Game Five had much to do with the blowout nature of that game. Rest will help — the Predators have won 24 of their last 30 home games when playing with two days of rest. Furthermore, while this is the first time in these playoffs where Nashville is facing elimination, they were 3-1 in those situations last postseason. The Predators have won 6 straight games when trailing in the playoffs. |
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06-08-17 | Predators v. Penguins -150 | Top | 0-6 | Win | 100 | 41 h 30 m | Show |
At 8:00 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (10) versus the Nashville Predators (9). Pittsburgh (65-28-6) returns home to Pittsburgh with the Stanley Cup Finals deadlocked at 2-2 after their 4-1 loss in Nashville on Monday. The Penguins scored only two combined goals over these last two games. But despite those uninspiring offensive results, Pittsburgh returns home with reasons to be confident. Said Sidney Crosby about his team’s effort in Game Four: “It’s the most consistent [effort] as far as generating chances … We found a different level there tonight, and didn’t get the result we wanted.” The deeper metrics support this conclusion. After generating only 15 combined “High Danger” scoring opportunities in the first three games of this series, the Penguins had 17 High Danger scoring chances on Monday. The Pens seem to be finally finding some holes in the Predators’ defensive pairings. Frankly, the Predators’ Pekka Rinne stole Game Three by playing his best game in this series. But there is a big pile of losing tickets from bettors giving up on Crosby in the playoffs not only this postseason but throughout his career. Returning home will help as it will afford head coach Mike Sullivan to choose the exact defensive pair that he wants Crosby and center line center Eugene Malkin to face. Don’t be surprised when Sullivan chooses to have Crosby take the ice when the chirpign P.K. Subban with the vastly underrated Mattias Ekholm complete their shifts — and that will help the superstar. Pittsburgh has been very tough when looking to redeem themselves from a disappointing effort. Not only have they won 21 of their last 29 games after a loss by at least three goals, but they have won 16 of their last 20 games after suffering two straight losses by at least three goals. The Penguins have also won 14 of their last 16 home games after a loss on the road by at least two goals. |
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06-05-17 | Penguins v. Predators -134 | 1-4 | Win | 100 | 7 h 58 m | Show | |
At 8:00 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (8) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (7). Nashville (54-35-12) made this a series on Saturday with their decisive 5-1 victory over the Penguins. The stakes remain sky-high for the Predators on Monday with the opportunity to even this series at 2-2. I expected this to be a long series before the puck dropped in Game One last Monday — and I have seen little to change that perspective despite Nashville losing the first two games of this series. As I argued in the Report on Nashville for Game Three: |
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06-03-17 | Penguins v. Predators -129 | Top | 1-5 | Win | 100 | 16 h 10 m | Show |
At 8:00 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (6) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (5). Pittsburgh (65-27-6) has seized a 2-0 lead in this series with their 4-1 victory on Wednesday. The defending champions are flexing their veteran muscles in this series by scoring at key times and taking advantage of a Predators team that has not responded well to adversity so far in these Finals. The Penguins broke Game Two open by scoring three goals in a 3:28 span in the 3rd period — eerily similar to their three-goal outburst in the a 4:11 stretch late in the 1st period in the opening game of this series. But besides those two moments, this Pittsburgh team has been outplayed. Check out some of the deeper metrics after two games in this series. The Penguins are scoring on 18.8% of their shots on net while the Predators are scoring on just 8.3% of their shots. Nashville is also peppering Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray with more shots as they hold a 64-39 edge in shots on net in this series. When including blocked shots and shots wide of the net to measure aggressiveness and pure chances, the Predators hold an 86-57 shot advantage at even strength for a 60.14% edge. Furthermore, 40 face-offs have taken place on Pittsburgh’s end of the ice as compared to the 28 face-offs behind Nashville’s blue line for a 60.6% edge for the Predators. The Penguins still lack a true number-one defenseman with Kris Letang out for these playoffs. They also may lose some of the big advantage they hold in this series down the middle with center Nick Bonino listed as questionable with a lower body injury. |
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05-31-17 | Predators +133 v. Penguins | 1-4 | Loss | -100 | 20 h 16 m | Show | |
At 8:00 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (3) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (4). Nashville (53-34-12) can take away plenty of confidence from their 5-3 loss on Monday in the opening game of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Predators entered this game with a significant disadvantage in Finals experience with only Mike Fisher having played in a previous Cup Finals. The team was also battling rust having not played since closing out their series with Anaheim back on May 22nd. The team was playing fine for the first 15 minutes of the game before the wheels fell off. First, a goal by P.K. Subban was challenged and overturned with the ruling that the play started with Nashville being offsides. Then an ill-advised penalty helped to put the Penguins on a 5-on-3 man advantage which led to a Evgeni Malkin goal at the 15:32 mark. Then just over a minute later, Conor Sheary scored a second goal against a stunned Predators’ team. To then compound matters, Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm scored on Pekka Rinne himself off a deflection from Nick Bonino to produce a 3-0 deficit with just 17 seconds left in the 1st period. But the Predators then completely dominated the game for the next 37 minutes over a stretch where they did not allow a single shot on net. They tied the game at 3-3 at the 13:29 mark of the 3rd period — but that goal allowed them to exhale and the Penguins scored the winning fourth goal a little over three minutes later on the stick of rookie Jake Guentzel. Nashville should play come out of the locker room much better with a Finals game under their belt. Rinne should also be much better tonight after allowing four goals in eleven shots on Monday. The dominance of the Predators’ elite blue line was evidence for almost two-thirds of that game. Moving forward, Nashville has won 25 of their last 36 games when looking to avenge a loss by more than one goal on the road. The Predators have also won 6 of their last 7 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Additionally, Nashville has won 7 of their last 9 games against an opponent that scored at least five goals in their last game. And in their 8 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice, the Predators have won 6 of these games. |
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05-23-17 | Penguins v. Senators +130 | 1-2 | Win | 130 | 6 h 4 m | Show | |
At 8:05 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Ottawa Senators (60) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (59). Pittsburgh (62-26-6) flexed their muscles on Sunday with their 7-0 blowout victory over the Senators. The Penguins were able to take an early 2-0 lead in that game which compelled Ottawa to abandon their 1-3-1 zone system — and their attempt to get back in the game backfired as it opened up space for Pittsburgh to blow that game wide open. It was only a short five days ago where the evolving conventional wisdom was that the defending champions looked tired and beaten after falling behind by a 2-1 margin in this series after suffering a 5-1 loss to the Senators in their building. Now their winning this series seems to be a fait accompli. But that easy win on Sunday will make it very difficult for this team to maintain the same sense of urgency that has propelled them to win the last two games in this series. These Penguins are 2-3 in this postseason in games where they had the opportunity to close things out — and that included losing a similar Game Six situation against Washington last round. As it is, Pittsburgh has lost 4 of their last 5 games after a loss. The Penguins have also lost 8 of their last 9 games against an opponent that allowed at least five goals in their last game. |
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05-22-17 | Ducks v. Predators -138 | 3-6 | Win | 100 | 5 h 37 m | Show | |
At 8:05 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (14) versus the Anaheim Ducks (13). Nashville (52-33-12) has the opportunity to close this series out tonight in six games after they pulled a 3-1 upset in Anaheim on Saturday to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Predators return home where they have won 10 of their last 11 games in the playoffs. This team will be looking to avenge their 3-2 loss in overtime to the Ducks on Thursday which was their first loss at home this postseason. Both these teams are riddled with injuries — but they are two distinct areas of advantage that this Predators team enjoys. First, they have four elite players on the blue-line with Roman Joss and Ryan Ellis along with P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm with latter quietly becoming the best player in the group. These two lines helped limit a desperate Anaheim team to just three shots on net in the last 8:59 minutes of that game. The second big edge the Predators enjoy is between the pipes with Pekka Rinne. The goalie was spectacular on Saturday by stopping 32 of 33 shots. He entered this series with a sensational .959 save percentage at home in the playoffs for Nashville in his career. The Predators have now won 20 of their last 28 games at home. Nashville has also won 9 of their last 12 games after allowing two goals or less. Additionally, the Predators have won 22 of their last 33 games after a game where no more than four combined goals were scored. And in their last 28 games after playing two straight Unders, Nashville has won 20 of these games. |
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05-20-17 | Predators +135 v. Ducks | 3-1 | Win | 135 | 2 h 48 m | Show | |
At 7:15 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (11) versus the Anaheim Ducks (12). Nashville (51-33-12) took a serious hit on Thursday with the season-ending injury to Ryan Johansen. The center was the team’s leading point scorer in these playoffs with three goals and ten assists. Frankly, I liked the Predators to win this series even while expecting the Ducks to win Game Four on Thursday as they did by a 3-2 score in overtime. I will be reassessing that conclusion with Johansen no longer available to this team. However, I do expect the urgency of the moment to motivate this Nashville team to come out very strong tonight. They were outshot by a 14-2 margin on Thursday in the 1st period so a better start was already going to be high on the agenda list for head coach Peter LaViolette. The Predators still have a dynamic goal scorer in Filip Forsberg who has scored four times while adding an assist in his last five games. The Predators’ strength remains their defense where they have two elite pairs in Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis along with P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm — and these four all can generate scoring opportunities for their team. Nashville also has the best goaltender remaining in these playoffs in Pekka Rinne. Two of the three goals he allowed on Thursday were deflections off his own players. Moving forward, the Predators have won 5 of their last 7 games after scoring two goals or less in their last game. Nashville has also won 15 of their last 18 games after scoring two goals or less in their last two games. And in their last 6 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice, the Predators have won 5 of these games. |
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05-19-17 | Penguins -110 v. Senators | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 4 h 59 m | Show | |
At 8:05 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (55) versus the Ottawa Senators (56). Pittsburgh (60-26-6) finds themselves down 2-1 in this series after their 5-1 blowout loss on Wednesday. Have the defending Champions hit the wall amidst a slew of injuries and a long run of games going back to their Stanley Cup run last season? There is a very large stack of losing tickets for those betting against Sidney Crosby and company. Game Three changed in the first 48 seconds when a Mike Hoffman shot was deflected twice before getting past goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. That early deficit put the Penguins on their heels in the face of an aggressive Senators team fueled by a fired up home crowd. Ottawa then scored three goals in a span of 2:18 to find themselves with a 4-0 lead after the first 12:52 of that game — and that contest was all but over with the Senators willingness to sink into their 1-3-1 zone (that became a 1-4 and even 0-5 formation). I am willing to chalk this game up to Pittsburgh catching a bad break early, then getting overwhelmed and then packing it in to prepare for this game. Remember, a victory tonight and the Penguins return home with home ice advantage once again. This is a team that has won 20 of their last 27 games after a loss by at least three goals. Pittsburgh has also won a decisive 40 of their alt 59 games after allowing at least five goals in their last contest — and that includes winning thirteen of these last sixteen situations. Furthermore, the Penguins have won 39 of their last 53 games when failing to score more than two goals. And while Pittsburgh has lost four of their last six games — although one of those wins was on the road in their decisive Game Seven with Washington back on May 10th, they have then won 8 straight games after losing four or five of their last six games. Admittedly, this team remains saddled with injuries (as they were against the Capitals) — but they did get back a key piece in defenseman Trevor Daley on Wednesday. And they still have Crosby along with Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin — and don’t be surprised if it Malkin tonight that steps up with a big game. |
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05-18-17 | Ducks +129 v. Predators | 3-2 | Win | 129 | 5 h 45 m | Show | |
At 8:05 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (9) versus the Nashville Predators (10). Anaheim (56-27-13) did not bring their A-Game on Tuesday in their 2-1 loss to the Predators. Said coach Randy Carlyle afterwards: “I thought our hockey club was flat with emotion.” That was to be expected after this team tied this series at 1-1 on Sunday after just surviving their seven-game series with Edmonton a few days earlier. We had a big play on the Predators in that game — but it is appropriate for us to zig-zag tonight and take the money-line underdogs in the Ducks. Frankly, Anaheim cannot play much worse than they did. Their 20 shots on net were doubled by Nashville. Ryan Kesler won only 41% of his face-offs while the team won just 44% of the 63 face-offs in that contest which was their worst mark since Game Four of their opening round series with Calgary. Center Ryan Getzlaf was held pointless for the second time in this series. And yet, this team had the opportunity to force overtime late in this game. Expect a much better effort from this Ducks team that has won 13 of their last 20 games on the road when trailing in a playoff series. Anaheim has also won 4 of their last 5 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. Furthermore, the Ducks have won 28 of their last 40 games after a loss. |
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05-17-17 | Penguins -125 v. Senators | Top | 1-5 | Loss | -125 | 8 h 34 m | Show |
At 8:05 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (53) versus the Ottawa Senators (54). Pittsburgh (60-25-6) tied this series at 1-1 on Monday with their 1-0 victory over the Senators. But this team did receive bad news with the shoulder injury to defenseman Justin Schultz who is questionable tonight for a depleted blue line already missing Kris Letang and Trevor Daley. Say one thing about the Penguins’ roster: while they lack an elite defenseman after losing Letang, general manager Jimmy Rutherford has done a great job in assembling depth. They will likely turn to the 39-year old Mark Streit to replace Schultz who was acquired prior to the trade deadline. Streit was playing 20 minutes per game with the Flyers this season and the lack of physicality in this series will be help the veteran be successful in this season. The injuries on defense which also includes Bryan Rust and also forward Patric Hornqvist being questionable tonight along with this team playing in a hostile arena should ensure the focus of the defending champions. This team plays at their best when facing adversity. And while much of the attention in Game Two regarding the chirping between teammates Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, that helped Sidney Crosby quietly play a great game where he won 67% of the 21 face-offs he took part in. Crosby remains the best player in the world with Malkin firmly still in the top-ten — so the Pens’ injuries are worthy of note certainly not overwhelming. Furthermore, remember that it was Game Three where the Rangers’ learning curve caught up last round and they figured out the Senators’ tricky 1-3-1 trapping zone. As it is, Pittsburgh has won 19 of their last 26 games after scoring two goals or less in their last game. The Penguins have also won 7 of their last 10 games after allowing two goals or less in their last game. And in their last 21 playoff games where they were tied in the series, Pittsburgh has won 15 times. |
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05-16-17 | Ducks v. Predators -146 | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 5 h 27 m | Show | |
At 8:05 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (10) versus the Anaheim Ducks (9). Nashville (50-32-12) blew two leads on Sunday — an early 2-0 lead in the 1st period and then a 3-2 lead midway in the 2nd period — in their 5-3 loss to the Ducks that evened this series at 1-1. Goalie Pekka Rinne was not sharp in that contest by allowing four goals on 26 shots (Anaheim’s last goal was a late empty-netter). But Rinne had allowed just sixteen goals in the previous twelve playoffs games this postseason and entered this series with a .951 save percentage which is the best mark for all net minders in the playoffs. Rinne also sports an impressive .953 save percentage in this postseason with medium danger shots entering this series. He should play better at home where he enjoys a .959 save percentage on the 147 shots he has faced this post ease. The Predators enjoy a significant home ice advantage at home in the raucous Bridgestone Arena where they have won nine straight postseason games including all five in these playoffs. Nashville has won 19 of their last 26 games at home. The Predators have also won 5 of their last 6 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. And in their last 34 opportunities to avenge a loss by two goals to their opponent, Nashville has won 24 of those games. |
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05-14-17 | Predators v. Ducks -117 | Top | 3-5 | Win | 100 | 8 h 2 m | Show |
At 7:35 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (6) versus the Nashville Predators (5). Anaheim (55-26-13) finds themselves in a crucial situation having dropped the opening game of this series on Friday with their 3-2 loss in overtime. The Ducks had to overcome an 0-2 deficit in their previous playoff series with the Oilers — and that took a tense-filled seventh game. Anaheim will also remember losing their first two games at home last season in their opening round series with these Predators — and they ended up losing that series in seven games. These struggles at home in the Honda Center in the playoffs is a bit of a surprise when considering that they were a dominant 29-8-4 at home this season. The Ducks have won 15 of their last 20 home games against teams with a losing record on the road. Look for Anaheim to bounce-back with a big win tonight. They have won 27 of their last 39 games after a loss. The Ducks have also won 26 of their last 42 games when playing with revenge. And in their last 20 home gamers when playing their 3rd game in five days as they are here, they have won 16 of these contests. Furthermore, Anaheim has won 5 of their last 6 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last contest. |
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05-12-17 | Predators +104 v. Ducks | 3-2 | Win | 104 | 7 h 3 m | Show | |
At 9:00 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (3) versus the Anaheim Ducks (4). Anaheim (55-25-13) got a big monkey off their backs on Wednesday when they erased a four-year streak where they lost a Game Seven in the playoffs on their home ice by from a 1-0 deficit to seize a 2-1 victory over Edmonton to advance to the Western Conference Finals. This was a very emotional series for the Ducks after losing the first two games at home and then getting blown out by a 7-1 score in Game Six when having the opportunity to close out that series. Expect a big emotional letdown for this team — especially when playing with only one day of rest. There are some areas of concern for this team moving forward. The injury to winger Patrick Eaves who missed the last four games of that series leaves this team a bit light with their forward lines. Eaves is still listed as questionable with a lower body injury which is the same status of defenseman Kevin Bielska who is dealing with an undisclosed lower body injury. Head coach Randy Carlyle rolls with four defensive lines which speaks to both the team’s lack of superstars on the blue-line as well as their lack of wiggle room regarding depth. Special teams are also a grave concern for this team. They have converted only 5 of their 36 Power Play opportunities for a measly 13.9% success rate. Even worse, the Ducks have allowed 13 goals in the 42 Power Plays they have allowed their opponents to enjoy for a lowly 69% success rate. To compound matters, goalie John Gibson had just an .895 save percentage in that seven-game series with the Oilers. |
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05-10-17 | Oilers v. Ducks -120 | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 9 h 11 m | Show | |
At 10:05 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (10) versus the Edmonton Oilers (9). Anaheim (54-2-513) faces the gauntlet yet once again this season with this being the fifth straight season in which they will be hosting a climactic Game Seven in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on their home ice. The Ducks lost those first four opportunities — and that is one of the reasons that Bruce Boudreau was fired in the offseason and the franchise brought back Randy Carlyle who had previously coached the team for seven seasons which included a successful Stanley Cup run in 2007. Carlyle commented about those past setbacks as completely different because he was not in charge — and while he lacks the analytics that Bourdreau brought to the table, his strength os the mental aspects of the game for situations just like this. And if there was any chance that the Ducks would be overconfident being on their home ice for this game, that was erased on Sunday when the Oilers embarrassed them in Game Six by a 7-1 score. Expect Anaheim to come out very focused tonight. The Ducks have won 12 of their last 15 games after a loss by at least two goals — and they have won 9 of their last 10 games after a loss by at least three goals. Additionally, Anaheim has won 11 of their last 13 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game — and they have won 6 straight games after allowing at least six goals. Furthermore, the Ducks have won 17 of their last 21 games when playing with two days of rest. And in their last 9 home games against teams with a winning record on the road, the Ducks have won 7 of these games. The vast playoff experience of this team — including those four disappointments at home in those previous Game Sevens — give them a big advantage in this contest. |
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05-08-17 | Capitals +105 v. Penguins | 5-2 | Win | 105 | 4 h 8 m | Show | |
At 7:35 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Washington Capitals (1) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (2). Pittsburgh (58-23-6) blew a 2-1 lead on Saturday by surrendering three goals — with the last two occurring in the span of 27 game seconds — to lose by a 4-2 score. Now the Penguins return home with another opportunity to close this series out. But playing at home in these situations can be challenging given the pressure felt in front of their home fans. Pittsburgh is the small money line favorite — but they have lost 16 of their last 27 games when looking to avenge a loss by at least two goals to their opponents. While Sidney Crosby is back on the ice for this team after playing on Saturday, injures are begging to take their toll on this team. Defenseman Trevor Daley has been declared out for this game with a lower body injury — and the Penguins were already playing this postseason without their top defenseman Kris Letang who is dealing with a herniated disc. Daley is probably the team’s best blue line player after Letang — so their absences are a very tough pill to swallow. And remember that this team is also playing without goalie Matt Murray who suffered an injury in the warmups of Pittsburgh’s opening game with Columbus this postseason and has not played a moment in these playoffs. Murray was critical in the team’s Stanley Cup run last season after winning the job from Marc Andre-Fleury who has been between the pipes in these playoffs. |
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05-07-17 | Ducks v. Oilers -125 | Top | 1-7 | Win | 100 | 5 h 0 m | Show |
At 7:05 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Edmonton Oilers (66) versus the Anaheim Ducks (65). Edmonton (53-31-4) suffered a historic collapse on Friday by allowing three goals in the last 3:16 of Game Five of this series to force overtime — and the Ducks scored the winning goal in double overtime to win the game by a 4-3 score and seize a 3-2 lead in this series. The Oilers have now lost three straight games in this series — but there are a few reasons to expect this young Edmonton team show resiliency tonight. Remember, Edmonton bounced-back from a devastating 7-0 blowout loss to San Jose last round before rebounding with a 4-3 victory. And these Oilers showed resolve by withstanding the Anaheim momentum by playing them to a draw in the first extra period of overtime. There is no denying the talent on this team — and they have a veteran head coach in Todd McClellan who can help steer them through this situation. After dealing the pressure of playing in front of their home crowd with huge expectations on their shoulder, the home fans should help pick this team up tonight as they look to force a climactic Game Seven. As it is, Edmonton has won 11 of their last 14 games on their home ice. The Oilers have also won 12 of their last 16 games after losing three of their last four contests. And while Edmonton lost Game Three of this series by a 6-3 score before losing Game Four by a 4-3 result, there are reasons for optimism. The Oilers have then won 20 of their last 31 home games when looking to avenge two straight losses to their opponent where they allowed at least three goals in both games. Edmonton has won 6 of their last 7 home games after allowing at least four goals in two straight games. And in their last 21 games after playing at least two straight Overs, the Oilers have won 16 of these games. |
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05-06-17 | Rangers v. Senators +105 | 4-5 | Win | 105 | 1 h 54 m | Show | |
At 3:05 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Ottawa Senators (60) versus the New York Rangers (59). Ottawa (50-33-6) was thoroughly outplayed for the second straight time in this series on Thursday in their second straight 4-1 loss to the Rangers. Expect the Senators to play one of their best games of the postseason in the face of this adversity. Ottawa has won 13 of their last 19 games after a loss by at least three goals. The Senators have also won 11 of their last 13 games when looking to avenge two straight losses against their opponent who won both those games by more than one goal. Ottawa has also won 7 of their last 8 games after failing to score more than one goal in two straight games. The team did receive some good news with the Erik Karlsson being cleared to play this afternoon after he missed the entire 3rd period on Thursday with his bum left foot. Returning home will certainly help this team as they have won 6 of their last 8 games on home ice — and they have won 9 of their last 12 home games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road. And in their last 8 games played with one day of rest, the Senators have won 6 of these games. |
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05-05-17 | Oilers v. Ducks -129 | 3-4 | Win | 100 | 3 h 18 m | Show | |
At 10:35 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Anaheim Ducks (6) versus the Edmonton Oilers (5). Anaheim (52-25-13) has rallied from being down 0-2 in this series by winning two straight games on the road in Edmonton to even things at 2-2 with their 4-3 win in overtime on Wednesday. Look for the Ducks to build off their momentum as they have won 13 of their last 16 games after a win. Anaheim has also won 24 of their last 34 games after a win on the road where they scored at least four goals. Additionally, the Ducks have won 16 of their last 23 games after a game where at least seven combined goals were scored. Look for Anaheim to step up on their home ice tonight after dropping the first two games of this series at home after finishing the regular season with a sparkling 29-8-4 mark in front of their home fans. The Ducks have also won 12 of their last 16 games at home against teams with a winning record on the road. |
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05-05-17 | Predators v. Blues -110 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 5 h 56 m | Show |
At 8:05 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the St. Louis Blues (4) versus the Nashville Predators (5). St. Louis (50-33-7) outplayed the Predators in most areas in Game Four of this series on Tuesday but still fell short by a 2-1 score to fall behind by a 3-1 margin in this series. The Blues outshot Nashville for the first time in this series by a 33-25 margin while amping up their physical play and winning 53% of the face-offs in a game that remained scoreless entering the 3rd period. Now St. Louis returns home after playing the last two games on the Predators’ home ice — and they have won 20 of their last 26 home games after playing their last two games on the road. The Blues have also won a decisive 69 of their last 99 home games against teams with a losing record on the road. Remember, this was a team that was 21-8-2 in the regular season when Mike Yeo was elevated to head coach for Ken Hitchcock — and that was the best record in the entire league during that span. They easily took care of Minnesota in five games in the opening round of this series. This is a good hockey team. Moving forward, St. Louis has won 39 of their last 58 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. And in their last 25 games after not allowing more than two goals, the Blues have won 17 of these contests. |
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05-01-17 | Capitals -102 v. Penguins | 3-2 | Win | 100 | 1 h 35 m | Show | |
At 7:30 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Washington Capitals (13) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (14). Washington (58-24-8) is in a desperation situation having lost the first two games in this series after a 6-2 loss to the Penguins on Saturday. Expect the Capitals to play their best game in the playoffs tonight. Washington has won 19 of their last 26 games after a loss by at least three goals — and they have won 5 of their last 6 games after a loss at home by at least three goals. The Capitals have also won 11 of their last 12 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Furthermore, Washington has won 20 of their last 25 games after a game where at least eight combined goals were scored. And in their last 28 road games when playing with double-revenge against their opponent, the Capitals have won 20 of these contests. Goalie Braden Holtby should have much to prove in this contest after being pulled in Game Two after allowing three goals on fourteen shots. Holtby had a fantastic regular season and entered this series with a superb .936 save percentage in his career playoff contests so he should bounce-back. Additionally, the Capitals have won 5 of their last 6 games on the road — and they have won 7 of their last 10 home games against teams with a winning record at home. |
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04-30-17 | Ducks +112 v. Oilers | 6-3 | Win | 112 | 0 h 21 m | Show | |
At 7:00 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money line on the Anaheim Ducks (11) versus the Edmonton Oilers (12). Anaheim (50-25-13) will be playing with desperation down 0-2 in this series and being on the road after their 2-1 loss to the Oilers on Friday. The Ducks outshot Edmonton in that game by a 40-23 margin — and they have outshot them in this series by a decisive 76-55 margin. Their sense of urgency along with their vast playoff experience make them the nice value play tonight. Anaheim entered this postseason with 18 wins which was the second most of any team in the Western Conference. The Ducks have rebounded to win 14 of their last 18 road games after a loss by one goal. Anaheim has also won 6 of their last 8 games after failing to score more than two goals. And in their last 5 games after allowing two goals or less, they have won 4 of these games. Moving forward, the Ducks have still won 12 of their last 15 games against teams with a winning record. And in their last 7 games on the road, Anaheim has won 5 of these games. |
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04-30-17 | Blues v. Predators -150 | 1-3 | Win | 100 | 1 h 52 m | Show | |
At 3:05 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money line on the Nashville Predators (10) versus the St. Louis Blues (9). Nashville (50-31-7) had a 2-1 lead in the 3rd period on Friday but allowed two goals late in that game to lose by 3-2 score to lose their first game in the postseason. The Predators have won 4 of their last 5 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. Now Nashville returns home where they scored seven times in their two victories last round in their four-game sweep of the Blackhawks. The Predators have won 7 of their last 9 games at home — and they have won 19 of their last 26 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. This Nashville team has also won 5 of the last 6 games against teams with a winning record. |