Category: Hockey

Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Columbus Blue Jackets (25-16-8) meet up with the New York Rangers (23-19-4) Sunday at Madison Square Garden for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Blue Jackets-Rangers sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Blue Jackets at Rangers: Projected starting goalies

Elvis Merzlikins vs. Igor Shesterkin

Merzlikins enters Sunday’s game with a rare advantage in NHL experience. The 25-year-old rookie is on a personal four-game winning streak and is now 8-6-4 on the season with a .928 save percentage and 2.36 goals against average through 20 games (18 starts).

Shesterkin, 24, is making his third NHL start after winning each of his first two. He has stopped 75 of 81 shots faced.

Make this game more interesting by getting some action on it, or other NHL matchups, with a hockey bet at BetMGM.

Blue Jackets at Rangers: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 10:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Blue Jackets 3, Rangers 2

Moneyline (ML)

Back the visiting BLUE JACKETS (+105) at plus-money as road underdogs. Shesterkin has been solid in the early going of his NHL career, but he gave up three goals in each outing and the Rangers (-129) shouldn’t be moderate favorites with him between the pipes at this point. The Jackets lead the Rangers by 8 points in the Metropolitan Division.

Columbus is on a four-game winning streak, including a 5-0 rout of the New Jersey Devils Saturday. They are 8-2-0 across their last 10 games and 10-7-6 on the road for the season. New York is 6-4-0 across its last 10 games and 13-8-2 at home for the campaign. NY has won two straight games, sweeping a home-and-home set against the rival New York Islanders Monday (6-2) and Thursday (3-2).

Take the value on the superior Blue Jackets.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

AVOID the puck line. The Blue Jackets are unlikely to win by multiple goals in the second half of their back-to-back, but there’s no value in their line of +1.5 (-250). There’s even less value in backing the Rangers (+1.5, -357) on the alternate line to lose by just one.

Both teams are strong against the spread. The Jackets are 28-21 ATS overall and 17-6 on the road. The Rangers are 31-15 ATS overall and 16-7 at home.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the UNDER 5.5 (+110) as the more profitable side of the projected goal total. Merzlikins, even on the second half of a back-to-back, has been very strong of late. The Rangers enter well-rested and Shesterkin has looked the part of an NHL goaltender. We’re unlikely to see more than five total goals scored at MSG Sunday.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 176-164

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Winnipeg Jets at Chicago Blackhawks odds, picks and best bets

Previewing day’s Winnipeg Jets at Chicago Blackhawks sports betting odds, with NHL matchup analysis and picks.

The Winnipeg Jets (25-19-4) visit the Chicago Blackhawks (23-20-6) in a 7 p.m. ET tilt at the United Center. We analyze the Jets-Blackhawks odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips around this matchup.

Jets at Blackhawks: Projected starting goalies

Connor Hellebuyck vs. Robin Lehner

Hellebuyck is putting up similar numbers to those that earned him a runner-up vote for the Vezina Trophy two years ago. The fifth-year NHL’er owns a 2.67 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in 40 games. Hellebuyck’s best outings this season were early on. He has struggled his way to an .896 SV% over his last 16 games.

Lehner returns to the Chicago cage after two straight Corey Crawford starts. The 28-year-old Swede owns a 2.85 GAA and .923 SV% this season. He has been terrific at home (.928 SV%) and has been sharp in both of Chicago’s games against Winnipeg (.943 GAA). An overly robust .934 SV in penalty-killing situations is a signal of likely downward regression. But lately the ‘Hawks have not spent much time in the penalty box; perhaps that regression comes due later in the second half.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Jets at Blackhawks: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Sunday at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Chicago 4, Winnipeg 3

Moneyline (ML)

On the road, Winnipeg is 14-10 with a league-best 42.2% return on investment. At home, Chicago is 11-14 (-18% ROI). The Central Division foes have split a pair of games this season. Over those games and the two that preceded them, the road team is 4-0. But the Jets are just 2-4 in the opening game of a multi-game trip; the Blackhawks are 4-2 in return-to-home games after such trips.

Will lay off the near-pick-em moneyline (CHICAGO -115/WINNIPEG -106). Expect the line to move toward the ‘Hawks. A Jets +105 would be worthy of a look if enough action went toward Chicago.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Winnipeg is 18-6 (18.5% ROI) against the number on the road. But recent Jets’ performances have been off the mark. There are some underlying peripherals that have made Chicago a frequent fade during their 14-4 surge. There are enough cross signals to avoid the CHICAGO -1.5 +230/ WINNIPEG +1.5 -295 proposition.

Over/Under (O/U)

The over is 36-17-1 in Chicago’s last 54 games when their opponent scores two goals or less in their previous game. Winnipeg went into mid-December toting a GAA well under 3.0. The Jets have since allowed a 3.6 GAA in 16 games. In that 16-game span, puck-possession indicators have trended the wrong way and Winnipeg has allowed a 31.8% power play conversion rate.

WILL TAKE THE OVER 5.5 -139.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Boston Bruins (28-9-12) visit the Pittsburgh Penguins (30-13-5) Sunday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena for a 12:30 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Bruins-Penguins sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Bruins at Penguins: Projected starting goalies

Jaroslav Halak vs. Matt Murray

Halak is coming off a win over these Penguins Thursday in which he stopped 29 of 30 shots at home. He is 11-5-6 for the season with a .921 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average.

Murray has won four straight games acting as the Penguins’ No. 2 netminder behind the red-hot Tristan Jarry. He is 14-6-4 for the season with a .899 SV% and 2.84 GAA.

Make this game more interesting by getting some action on it, or other NHL matchups, with a hockey bet at BetMGM.

Bruins at Penguins: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 3 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Bruins 4, Penguins 3

Moneyline (ML)

The Penguins (-129) followed up the 4-1 loss to the Bruins with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings Friday. They’re 17-5-3 at home for the season, 7-2-1 across their last 10 games overall and in second place in the Metropolitan Division. The BRUINS (+105) are worth a play at plus-money following Thursday’s convincing win. They’re 12-7-3 on the road this season and atop the Atlantic Division.

The Bruins also claimed a 6-4 home win over the Pens in the season’s first head-to-head meeting Nov. 4. Back the better-rested Boston side as the Pens wrap up a set of three games in four days.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

I’ll AVOID the spread with the Bruins (+1.5, -250) laying too much chalk. The Bruins are 22-27 against the spread overall, but an adequate 11-11 on the road, while the Pens are 24-24 overall and just 11-14 ATS at home. I like the Bruins to win by a single goal, but there’s no value here or in the alternate line of Penguins +1.5 (-358).

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Bruins to either lose by 1 goal or win outright returns a profit of just $4.

Over/Under (O/U)

Back the OVER 5.5 (-134). The tired Penguins were already short-handed on defense and the busy schedule will further weaken their defensive play. Halak, filling in for the injured Tuukka Rask, is likely to make four consecutive starts for the first time all season, and could show some fatigue, as well.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 175-159

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Notre Dame Hockey: Irish Frustrated vs. Buckeyes

No. 18 Notre Dame’s ranking is in serious jeopardy after losing to No. 9 Ohio State, 2-1, on Saturday night. Despite a 29-16 advantage in shots on goal, it was the third loss for the Irish (10-10-4, 5-6-3-2) in their past four games, while the …

No. 18 Notre Dame’s ranking is in serious jeopardy after losing to No. 9 Ohio State, 2-1, on Saturday night. Despite a 29-16 advantage in shots on goal, it was the third loss for the Irish (10-10-4, 5-6-3-2) in their past four games, while the Buckeyes (15-6-3, 8-4-2-0) now have won three of five.

The Irish got their first and only goal midway through the first period from Matt Steeves on a wrist shot from the high slot. That made the score 1-0, which lasted all of four minutes because Quinn Preston shot the puck low from the slot past Cale Morris to tie it. Early in the second period, Gustaf Westlund gave the Buckeyes the lead for good on a power play, which was made possible on a tough interference against Colin Theisen.

The rest of the game gave Notre Dame plenty of chances for the equalizer, but Ryan Snowden gave the Buckeyes all the stops they needed to secure the victory for the Columbus crowd.

Ohio State men’s hockey wins second game of series against Notre Dame, takes over first place in Big Ten

The Ohio State men’s hockey team got a big win over Notre Dame Saturday. The win gave it sole-possession of 1st place in the Big Ten

The Ohio State men’s hockey team got a big win against Notre Dame Saturday. The result gave the Buckeyes three out of four total points on the weekend. It was a good finish to a series that began with a shootout Big Ten point after a regulation tie for the Irish on Friday night.

Notre Dame got the scoring going first with a goal with 8:29 left in the 1st period, but Quinn Preston answered a few minutes later to tie the score at 1-1 at the end of the first twenty minutes.

It didn’t take long for the Buckeyes to take the lead for good early in the 2nd period when Gustaf Westlund hit the back of the net just 1:43 into the period. From there, the Irish pressed and pressed but couldn’t get the equalizer through the almost 40 final minutes thanks to a whopping 28 saves by OSU goaltender Ryan Snowden.

With the win, coupled by a Penn State tie, the Buckeyes take over sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. OSU and Penn State have both played 14 games, but Ohio State has 26 points on the season to the Nittany Lions 25.

The Buckeyes now have a big two-game series against Minnesota next weekend on the road. It’ll need some good results to remain in first place in the conference.

 

Los Angeles Kings at Philadelphia Flyers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Los Angeles Kings at Philadelphia Flyers sports betting odds, with NHL matchup analysis, picks and best bets.

The Los Angeles Kings (18-26-5) visit the City of Brotherly Love to face off against the Philadelphia Flyers (25-17-6) for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Kings-Flyers odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips around this matchup.

Kings at Flyers: Projected starting goalies

Jonathan Quick vs. Brian Elliott

Quick has struggled recently, losing six of his last seven games, including a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning Jan. 14. He now sits at 11-17-3 with a .896 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average on the season.

Elliott picked up a 4-3 overtime victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions St. Louis Blues Wednesday. He stopped 30 of 33 shot attempts. The win pushed Elliott to 10-5-3 with a .897 SV% and 3.14 GAA.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Kings at Flyers: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Kings 3, Flyers 1

Moneyline (ML)

Neither team has played well recently—the Kings are 3-7 straight up in their last 10 games and the Flyers are 4-6—but we have to back the KINGS (+150) here because their best players show out in Philadelphia. Captain Anze Kopitar is 11-0 with eight goals scored when playing in Philly. Quick should be excited to play in Philadelphia as the Kings have earned a point in every game he’s started there, winning six out of seven, with only one OT loss in 2014.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The Kings have a 26-15 against the spread record while the Flyers are just 7-13 when laying 1.5 goals. While the Kings are ranked 27th in goals scored, they do a good job creating chances—ranked eight in scoring chances for—and should be able to capitalize against a team they’ve owned recently. Also, the Kings have a clear edge in 5-on-5 play; the Kings are ranked fourth in Corsi For percentage (percent of all shot attempts), while the Flyers rank 11th.

It’s wise to take KINGS (+1.5, -182) for a little insurance on our puck line wager.

Over/Under (O/U)

Trends point to UNDER 5.5 (+105) in the Kings-Flyers game. The Under is 13-4-3 in the last 20 meetings and 9-1-3 in the last 13 games in Philadelphia. Furthermore, both teams are below average in goals scored per game—the Flyers rank 16th and the Kings rank 25th.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Chicago Blackhawks at Toronto Maple Leafs odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Chicago Blackhawks at Toronto Maple Leafs sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Chicago Blackhawks (22-20-6) close out a Canada road trip Saturday with a 7 p.m. ET game against the Toronto Maple Leafs (25-16-7) at Scotiabank Arena. We analyze the Blackhawks-Maple Leafs odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips around this matchup.

Blackhawks at Maple Leafs: Projected starting goalies

Corey Crawford vs. Frederik Andersen

Crawford owns a 3.00 goals against average and .908 save percentage. He stopped 32 of 33 against the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday and has logged a .933 SV% over his last three starts.

Andersen owns a 2.80 GAA and .912 SV% through 38 games. He has logged a 3.73 GAA and .893 SV% in six January games, but he yielded just one goal on 32 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames Thursday. The veteran netminder has been undone a bit on the penalty kill, were he has sported a .854 SV%. Andersen is the last line of defense for a Toronto team giving up more shots of late and allowing a 25% power-play conversion rate over the team’s last 11 games.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Blackhawks at Maple Leafs: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 12 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Toronto 5, Chicago 4

Moneyline (ML)

Chicago is thus far 2-0 on its three-city Canadian tour (Ottawa-Montreal-Toronto). Overall, the Blackhawks have won three straight and nine of its last 14 games. Over those 13 games, the ‘Hawks allowed 3.0 goals per game and that’s on the heels of yielding 4.1 GPG from Nov. 29-Dec. 18 (11 games). Possession and shot-quality analytics are not in support of Chicago’s recent surge and those same peripherals are bullish on Toronto despite the Maple Leafs going just 1-4 over their last five games.

Saturday’s game marks the front end of a back-to-back for the ‘Hawks, who have struggled in such situations. Chicago is 3-6 in front-end games. In this scenario, there could also be some look-ahead letdown. After the Toronto game, the ‘Hawks go home for two ahead of next week’s all-star break and then their bye week. Make a small-to-moderate-confidence play on TORONTO (-209).

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Away from home, the Blackhawks are 15-8 against the puck line. And the Leafs have a near-mirror image of that with a 9-15 mark at home.

Again, there are some underlying peripherals making Chicago (+1.5, -149) a fade. AVOID.

Over/Under (O/U)

Both teams have leaned toward the Over in recent games, and there are a slew of trends pointing the same way. The Over is 4-1 across the last five games in the Chicago-Toronto series. There is excellent leverage in the OVER 6.5 (-106).

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Dallas Stars at Minnesota Wild odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Dallas Stars at Minnesota Wild sports betting odds and lines, with NHL matchup analysis, picks and tips.

The Dallas Stars (27-16-4) and Minnesota Wild (21-20-6) tangle at the Xcel Energy Center at 9 p.m. ET. We analyze the Stars-Wild sports betting odds and lines, with NHL matchup analysis, picks and tips.

Stars at Wild: Projected starting goalies

Ben Bishop vs. Devan Dubnyk

Bishop leads his Stars into the Twin Cities with an impressive 16-10-3 record, 2.22 goals against average and .929 save percentage in his 31 starts so far. He stopped eight of the 10 shots he faced against Wild in the Metroplex back on Oct. 29, but he was pulled after one period in favor of Anton Khudobin by then-coach Jim Montgomery, who felt Bishop wasn’t at the top of his game. Bishop faced the Wild on Dec. 1 in this very building, falling 3-2 in a shootout.

Dubnyk was an All-Star last season, but he limps in with an 8-12-2 record, 3.35 GAA and .892 SV%. He has yet to face the Stars this season. Alex Stalock is 1-1-0 with a 3.38 GAA and .891 SV% in two starts against the Stars this season, and he has a 10-7-3 record, 2.96 GAA and .903 save percentage. He would be the better choice if the Wild elect to go with Stalock.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Stars at Wild: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 9:45 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Stars 3, Wild 2

Moneyline (ML)

The STARS (-134) are 4-1 in their past five road games, and 7-2 in the past nine games overall. They’ve been rolling along, playing solid defense with timely goaltending lately. The Wild (+110), meh, not so much. They’re mired in a 1-4 tailspin, while going 2-5 in the past seven against winning sides. They’re also just 2-6 in the past eight as a home underdog.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The STARS (-1.5, +220) just don’t pile up the offense, and everything is a grind when they’re involved. The Wild (+1.5, -278) can’t be trusted, either, as a late empty-net goal always crushes bettors taking the goal and a half. At nearly three times your return, you can’t afford to roll those dice. AVOID.

Over/Under (O/U)

The UNDER 5.5 (-150) carries quite a bit of juice, which helps you glean a little bit about what the lean of the oddsmakers is. You can play the alternate line of UNDER 4.5 (+135) if you really like to roll the dice, and come out ahead. If Stalock was the projected netminder, and not the sieve that is Dubnyk, I’d feel a lot more confident about the alternate line.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Ohio State men’s hockey rallies in third period to tie Notre Dame

The Ohio State men’s hockey team used a three-goal 3rd period to gain a valuable point against Big Ten foe Notre Dame.

It looked awfully bleak for awhile.

Ohio State fell down big to Notre Dame, but had one heck of a three-goal third-period rally to snatch a tie away from the jaws of defeat.

The Fighting Irish got the scoring started at 4:02 of the first period, then added two more goals in the second to go up 3-0. The Buckeyes got on the board finally with 7:38 left in the 3rd period when Gordi Meyer lit the lamp. Austin Pooley added another Ohio State goal just over a minute later to make it a one-goal lead.

But then Notre Dame struck again with 3:43 left and it looked like the Buckeyes would go home without a point. But not tonight. OSU rallied to score two more when OSU emptied the net and Quinn Preston scored on a 6×4 Power Play with 1:37 left. Then, a few seconds later OSU remarkably tied it up at 4-4 when Gustaf Westland put one into the back of the net.

And just like that, Ohio State salvaged a point in a big matchup between ranked teams. The Irish got the extra Big Ten point when it scored with the sixth shooter in the shootout after a scoreless overtime period.

The two will be back at it again tomorrow.