Nothing to write home about last night as we broke relatively even as the picks went 2-1-0 and the value picks were 0-1-1. Lets try and find some profits tonight so here is what I am looking at for picks.

Record 2-2-1

Boston Bruins 1.74 at Montreal Canadiens 

This always makes for a good match up but on the road or at home Boston is playing much to well to pass up at really great odds in my opinion. I like them on the money line as it could very well be close but I look for the Bruins to once again gain the edge on offense and if that fails, they can always rely on the big edge they have in goal assuming it will be Rask vs Budaj. Go with the Bruins.

Winnipeg Jets 1.71 vs Vancouver Canucks

These teams are both stinking and Vancouver actually looked good... until the third. A seven goal period could very well wake the Canucks up but the Jets are in the same position and Winnipeg is no easy city to play in so ill take Winnipeg at good odds and get the home crowd a much deserved win.

Anaheim Ducks -1 at 1.87 at Calgary Flames

The Ducks are not playing at their best losing their last three games at home but being a good road team as well this should be a great spot for them to get a little pressure off from the home crowd and play a solid game against not only a bad Calgary Flames team but one that is also very banged up. Anaheim should win relatively easy even though Calgary usually does play well at home the Ducks are just much better overall. 

Value Picks

Record 2-1-1

Colorado Avalanche 2.10 vs Chicago Blackhawks

I have three main thoughts into this pick. First is that Colorado has owned Chicago in recent history even while Chicago was playing so hot it was Colorado who would solve them. Secondly I believe that Colorado is currently in a better form than Chicago. Lastly Colorado is at home where they play very well and I am sure they have all been at home waiting for this game. I am definitely siding with Colorado in this one however if you are looking at Chicago take the -1 at 2.65 as they are a 1.77 favourite in the game yet Colorado only pays 2.35 which is a bit odd so jump on that advantage if you take Chicago. 

A great night, our picks of the night went 0-1-1 but the value picks went 2-0 cashing at great odds of roughly 3.7 on each ticket with the Islanders scoring 7 goals in the third... I didn't know that was still possible in the NHL and Toronto controlling a lead all game to win 3-1 in Anaheim. Great picks and if you took all four picks you made a nice profit last night.


On to Tonight's Picks         Record  0-1-1


Columbus 1.69 vs Detroit

They got off early last night and as goes for Dallas I am sure they got a wake up call as is human nature when something such as last night happens. I see Columbus taking care of the beat up Red Wings at home and they will lead off with the first goal as they did the night before. Both teams are in the hunt but home ice should be enough of an edge to get the win.

Nashville 1.83 at Buffalo

Odds like this I will fade Buffalo easily, Nashville is by no means great but got back in the win column against Ottawa and had played some difficult close losses prior to that against top teams (St Louis, Pittsburgh). I look for them to come out and finally be on the winning side of one of those low scoring games they have been playing.

New York Rangers 1.71 or -1 at 2.45 at Carolina

This is one of those games. New York is 10-0-0 against Carolina. I am not going against that especially given the positions of these teams. The over is also worth a look a 7-1-2 and pays a very good 2.30 at over 5.5. I am certainly hoping for a 4-2 Rangers victory!

Value Bets            Record 2-0-0

Dallas -1 at 4.00 at St Louis

I am sorry, St Louis is a very good team and not often do I bet against them however Dallas is in need of every win possible and they could come out flying after last night. Lets look for a big outing from the Stars to get a road win knowing their teammate is okay.

Toronto -1 at 4.15 at San Jose

It won't be easy but they played well last night and may have enough in them to get another win to the streak so at such inflated odds I will side with the value of Toronto.

Okay we are on a roll so lets keep making sharp picks, please comment on any pick if you disagree, agree, or have any opinion on the game.


The picks of today are:

Boston -1 at 2.65 at Tampa Bay

Yes, Tampa Bay may have Stamkos back and they are quite impressive at home but Boston is just such a strong all around team that plays a great system and with history favouring the Bruins I still see Tampa Bay looking to find its rhythm against a Boston team who has already found theirs. I do not want to buy Boston however so I will take them at -1 to win by a couple.

Carolina -1 at 3.4 or +1 at 1.71 at New Jersey

These are two teams both playing back to back games and last night I saw a good fight from Carolina against a strong Rangers teams, while I saw little from the Devils against a banged up Detroit squad. With Carolina playing some tight games and from the previous nights performance I am going to take the much better odds of Carolina pulling out a victory. Play it how you want as each play has value for what it offers in my opinion.

St. Louis 1.87 at Colorado

I really did not want to pick three roads teams to try and go 9-0 but the picks are the picks and thats how they will play. I love Colorado, I think they have a solid group and I think Patrick Roy has quickly proven he can coach at this level. St Louis however I consider perhaps the best team in the league, Colorado being up there but just not on the same level and with that I am going to take the defensive Blues to shutdown the Colorado offense and once again get a close win.

Well, with a few ups and downs the past few days we are still over one thousand dollars, which I am completely satisfied with as this is a marathon and in no way a sprint. Although we all wish it could happen fast the truth is the faster it happens the greater risk you are likely taking that you may end up bankrupt.

Although I will admit I do play a considerable amount of parlays (multiple game bet, which all must win), some say it is better to just lay a single team, and usually it is in the long term. As long as I continue on the winning side I am comfortable expanding my betting profile to include parlays that  although add considerable risk to a bet, can be help introduce profits to your bankroll, but only if you bet within the risk. That means if I am willing to place $50 on a straight bet, do not play $50 on a four team parlay bet just because it pays big, the odds of winning are greatly reduced as multiple outcomes must occur however if you manage your bets and make smaller investments at the greater risk you can make some smart parlay picks.

At the end of the day most games are more equal than assumed and if each team stands a roughly 50% of winning, it is likely that out of two picks one may very well lose based on odds of the event occurring. That means the chance of winning your four or eight team parlay does not stand up very well. If you are playing parlays I would recommend a three team parlay betting strategy of about 20% of the amount you would on a single game pick.

Now with all that said here are some picks.

Colorado 1.91 at Detroit

Detroit has taken care of Colorado in its last four meetings however in each game they were outshot by Colorado. Once again with a banged up lineup I see Detroit suffering from the loss of a couple leaders and finally giving in to a Colorado team that just came off a regulation win in Chicago. At toss up odds take the better team even if both clubs were at full health.

Chicago -1 at 1.87 vs Columbus

Chicago is 10-0-0 vs Columbus. Although Columbus has been playing better and should not be underrated especially with strong goaltending on any given night. These past numbers can not be passed up and although I will take the chance of a two goal win by Chicago I will do so cautiously as the last four games Chicago has only won by a goal.

St Louis 1.65 at Nashville

I am not going too look much into this but I expect this line to keep falling as bets are made on St Louis. You can also try the -1 odds at 2.10 on St Louis.

As you will come to see I am a fan of -1 odds. They were recently not offered but appear to have made there way back. I am a believer that in terms of betting, a push is a win, it is as if the bet was never made. Now on teams such as Chicago or St Louis who are expected to win on most given nights especially at home the money line offers little value at times, while the -1.5 spread means a game must end in regulation by two goals. What a -1 spread means in a NHL game is that as long as your team wins, you win. You win by it either being a push saving you in case of a win in extra time or by greater odds if the team does win in regulation and like I said, empty net goals are huge in NHL Betting, they lead to 4-2 scores over 5.5 and they lead to two goal victories in otherwise one goal games.

That is all for now, many lines have not yet been announced and Stamkos return at home vs Buffalo may be something you want to bet as soon as the line is announced as I don't see the line moving much in Buffalos favor when it is.

I apologize, I promised picks this morning and I failed to deliver. I did have a couple picks I made myself which ended in a small loss on the night. I had taken St. Louis ML at 1.80 and the under at 1.83 and St. Louis made a desperate third period effort to win the game 4-2 scoring in the last two minutes of the game sending this one over. Although I would of preferred that win of $300.00 I did profit on my smaller wager of St Louis -1.5 which luckily came back to win to help cover the damage of the loss.

Anyways lets get into some picks for today.

Dallas 1.71 in Regulation vs Buffalo

Alright in general I am not a huge fan of regulation bets, I believe so many games are much closer than a spread indicates and a hot goalie can make any game close and many needing extra time or even a shootout to decide a winner. Now you may ask why I bet -1.5 if I don't bet regulation as essentially it is the same thing just by two goals. The reason being is I am a complete believer in the empty netter goals and in games I usually believe end in regulation I like the odds of them already being up by a couple or having the wide opportunity of an empty net to give us a two goal profit. As for this Dallas game, I believe Dallas is heating up and lost to Tampa Bay because of a hot goalie in Bishop stopping 40 of 42 shots, Dallas giving up half of that in shots but ultimately losing. Buffalo is in a scramble, they have won every game since the olympic break, traded away star Ryan Miller and one of Buffalos better players in Ott, are looking at trades for Halak and Stewart who have yet to even wear the jersey and it appears Halak never will with Enroth getting the start. He has played well with all this but his team is incredibly weak right now and if Miller struggled Enroth is bound to get back to his losing ways as Buffalo loses its edge on the road and a much stronger and more skilled team takes care of the win on home ice easily. With the -1.5 line being only 2.30, I would rather buy the goal and bet them to just win in case Enroth keeps up his strong play and keep Buffalo close but ultimately still losing in regulation. It is almost like every player in Buffalo is putting on a top performance to try and get interest for a trade out of the city and the current team but I there is no way I see that continuing. If Dallas stands a chance in the Western Conference this game should be a routine victory for Dallas.

Minnesota 1.91 in Regulation vs Calgary

Again... I really don't like the odds of 2.50 on the -1.5 line, I mainly look for a line closer to or above 3.00 for it to be profitable. Much like the other pick Calgary is also at the very bottom of the standings but have also been playing much better of late. Minnesota has also been playing strong and at home I don't doubt they should take care of Calgary in regulation. The ML just has no value for me in this game as I do feel Minnesota should win easily but with the play of Calgary I will once again buy the goal just in case it is closer than I think. As Minnesota is 21-8 as a favourite meaning they win most of the games they are expected to win I feel confident that they can do it as a 21-7-2 home team against a Calgary team most would expect Minnesota to outplay even if it is a low scoring affair. I do however prefer the over 5 goals in this game compared to any of the other games on the night. I think it provides the most value as the last 4 games have reached that or more and as Minnesota is still hunting down a goalie and Calgary always seems to find a way to score a couple I would take my chance with the over, its not the strongest bet and therefore I am not including it as a pick but I do think it has value with it being at 5 and paying out 1.87.      Look at the Toronto vs Columbus game which pays out only 1.80 for over 5.5, yes it could happen, but I am not going to risk my money that it doesn't end up 2-2 in the third for 1.80.

Those will be the picks of the day, if you have any comments or are looking for advice on a certain game feel free to comment and discuss.