Tag: NHL wager

Boston Bruins at Philadelphia Flyers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Bruins at Flyers NHL matchup, with NHL betting odds, picks and best bets

The Boston Bruins (43-14-12) visit the Philadelphia Flyers (41-20-7) for a Tuesday-night (7 p.m. ET) tilt as a couple Eastern Conference elites get together at the Wells Fargo Center. We analyze the Boston-Philadelphia odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips around this matchup.

Bruins at Flyers: Projected starting goalies

Tuukka Rask vs. Carter Hart

Rask has played in 40 games this season and owns a sparkling 2.18 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. His .940 even-strength SV% is best in the league among netminders who’ve logged more than 35 games. Rask backs a Boston defense yielding just 27.2 shots per contest since Feb.5. He’s only faced Philadelphia once over the last two seasons (Jan. 31, 2019), and has carded three shaky starts over his last five this season (combined .882 SV).

Hart has registered a 2.43 GAA and .913 SV% in 42 games. He’s been tremendous at home (1.16 GAA, .944 SV%) and has fared well of late (.947 SV% in three March games). He hasn’t solved the Bruins this season, however. Hart has faced Boston twice: he’s allowed seven goals while notching an .881 SV%.

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

Bruins 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 Tuesday at 1:50 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Philadelphia 3, Boston 2

Moneyline (ML)

Boston is 9-3 over its last 12; Philadelphia has won nine in a row. The Flyers don’t have great puck-possession numbers during the win streak, but they have been getting to the high-danger areas. Philly is getting mid-to-low-slot shots on offense and preventing them on defense. The Flyers are also the better play when figuring goals and goals against versus won-loss record. There is more upside, more of a chance of the public being a bit low in their assessment of the Flyers. And Philly is a league-best 25-5-4 on home ice.

Will back PHILADELPHIA -106.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Flyers to win outright returns a profit of $9.43.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The puck line for this game — Philadelphia +1.5 (-295) / Boston -1.5 (+230) — is loaded with 65 points-worth of juice.

PASS.

Over/Under (O/U)

This one (O/U 5.5) has a lot of clashing over and under trends.

PASS.

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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Boston Bruins at Calgary Flames odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Friday’s Bruins vs. Flames NHL sports betting odds, with NHL matchup analysis and picks.

The Boston Bruins (38-11-12) visit the Calgary Flames (31-24-6) for a Friday night (9 p.m. ET) tussle on the ice at the Saddledome. We analyze the Bruins-Flames odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips around this matchup.

Bruins at Flames: Projected starting goalies

Tuukka Rask vs. David Rittich

Rask is the projected starter for what would be his sixth effort in Boston’s last seven games. The veteran netminder owns a 2.04 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage — the latter on pace for a career-best mark. Rask has put up monster numbers in January and February (8-1-1 record, .954 SV). He hasn’t allowed so much as three goals in a game since Dec. 23. Boston’s last game was Wednesday at Edmonton (a 2-1 overtime win); Rask stopped 28-of-29 shots.

Rittich owns a 2.93 GAA and .908 in 43 games this season. His numbers at home have been a couple clicks worse than those figures, and that’s part of a multi-year trend. Rittich’s February has been a dismal one; the 27-year-old has logged a 4.15 GAA and .872 SV. He was pulled in his last start (Saturday versus Chicago) after allowing four goals on 15 shots in 26 minutes.

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

Bruins at Flames: 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 Friday at 1 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Boston 4, Calgary 1

Moneyline (ML)

Boston (-154) has won four straight games and 10 of its last 11. Over that stretch, the goaltending has been superior and puck-possession numbers have been strong. The shot percentages — for and against — aren’t sustainable in the long run, and the Bruins overall are a tad too far out over their Pythagorean skis (their record is better than their goals and goals allowed would figure). But this is a top-shelf team with a good goalie going strong. Going against Boston would be unwise.

The straight-up price, however, doesn’t offer enough value and thus I’ll PASS ON THE MONEYLINE and look to the spread.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the Bruins to win would return a profit of $6.49.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

During their 10-of-11 run, the Bruins have won six games by multiple goals. Boston is in a fight for home ice throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs, and a letdown seems unlikely. A club that is 5-1 over its last six games in a different time zone facing a Calgary squad that’s gone 1-4-1 over its last six at home is worth a puck-line play if we can get more than +165 in return.

BOSTON -1.5 (+180) is a solid play.

Over/Under (O/U)

Calgary has played in six straight overs; Boston has played in five consecutive unders. The under is a slight lean here, but the Under 5.5 (+100) has the risk/reward factor well blanketed. PASS.

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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Midseason 2019-20 Western Conference future odds, picks and best bets

Analyzing the NHL future odds to win the 2019-20 Western Conference, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

With the NHL All-Star weekend and bye weeks in the rear-view mirror and the league’s Feb. 24 trade deadline nearing, it’s a good time to check in on the NHL futures market. Let’s check in on a couple favorites and a couple longshots on the board for winning the Western Conference.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Monday at 11 p.m. ET.

2019-20 Western Conference favorites

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington. (Photo Credit: James Carey Lauder – USA TODAY Sports)

St. Louis Blues (+360)

The defending Stanley Cup champions don’t need a miraculous second-half turnaround to vault into spring-time bracket play this year. St. Louis is leading the tough Central Division and should be in position for a slew of home games on the Western Conference side of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Blues are a deep team, and with D Alex Pietrangelo leading the way, the St. Louis power play has been clicking along at a 24.4% success rate. The wild card with the Blues is star RW Vladimir Tarasenko. The steady winger has been out since having shoulder surgery in late October. He could return late in the regular season or just in time for the playoffs. That could effectively make him the best acquisition any contender could be making for the stretch run.

Colorado Avalanche (+400)

Nathan MacKinnon and company are leading the Western Conference with 3.64 goals per game. Over the last couple months, Colorado has overtaken St. Louis on the analytics side – the puck-possession and shot-position numbers underpinning goals for, goals against, wins and losses.

The Avs’ power play would figure to have some upside. Colorado ranks 22nd in the NHL with an 18.9% conversion rate. Something close to the 22% (seventh) the team posted last season would be tremendously impactful.

Of all the contenders, the Avalanche have the most available salary cap space, too. That could mean a significant add at the trade deadline. Some veteran blue-line help would make sense. Of the top four or five favorites in the West, Colorado’s +400 price has the best value.

Place a sports bet on the 2019-20 Stanley Cup winner or other NHL games at BetMGM.

2019-20 Western Conference longshots

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom. (Photo credit: Neville E. Guard – USA TODAY Sports)

Vancouver Canucks (+1100)

The Canucks are solidly in the playoff picture, and they’re a couple clicks south of their Pythagorean expectation (comparing goals against goals allowed to predict a won-loss record).

Goaltender Jacob Markstrom has been sharp for long stretches and can be a sneaky-good weapon come playoff time. Despite having a lot of young players in key slots, the team as a whole fits that same M.O. If Vancouver can put it all together more consistently, the makings of a team that can make a run are there. GM Jim Benning may not have many attractive draft picks to play with when it comes to trade talks, so the current squad might not get much of a boost from the outside.

Chicago Blackhawks (+2200)

The Chicago Blackhawks are a fun bad-defense-good-goaltending mix of youth and seasoned vets which is surging offensively (3.70 GPG since Dec. 18).  Playing in a balanced, less top-heavy conference, the ‘Hawks could turn out to be a fun bag of mystery fireworks at their current outsider-looking-in price.

Want some action in this one? 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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