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. 

NCAA Basketball Picks

Alright so my first two NCAA Basketball Picks have lost and I am looking to even that out with some winners. The games are getting very exciting as selection sunday is very soon and teams on the bubble will be playing desperately.

Syracuse -1 at Florida State

Florida State has been playing very well of late and Syracuse has not. This is very unlike Syracuse who has the talent and coaching to win they just must focus as a group. Although being in Florida State is going to be tough I see the stars of Syracuse rising and locking up a win to build some confidence heading into conference tournament play. I may be wrong, they may continue losing and get stomped on the road but I believe they have too much firepower for Florida State to handle on most given nights.

Florida Gulf Coast -2 vs Mercer

This game will be close but I believe the experience of Florida GC and playing at home will give them the edge to work out a victory in the last minutes of the game.

Maryland vs Virginia - Half time/Full time - Maryland/Virginia at 6.00

Don't bet your life on it but with six ways of winning getting 6-1 odds is good enough for me as Maryland is bound to come and play and I can see them coming out strong in the first half but ultimately getting pushed out of a win by a better Virginia team who has proven they can win road games.

Well our picks once again went well depending how you played them. As the Boston game pushed at -1, Carolina lost by one so if you played the +1 you also pushed or lost playing the -1. St Louis once again got us a win and was the lone profit for us but as I said before a push is a win as its as if you never bet on the game and I am fine taking my money back as long as I am not losing it.

Lets get into todays picks


New York Rangers 1.61 vs Detroit Red Wings

Detroit has done a pretty good job, better than I thought considering the injuries to the team but I think the nationally televised game will provide enough excitement in the New York locker room to get a win. I really want to play the regulation win at 2.00 however with these teams playing close low scorings games in the past I am going to proceed with a bit of caution and buy the money line although I am quite confident in the pick of the Rangers.

Chicago Blackhawks -1 at 1.83 at Buffalo Sabres

These teams ought to be in different leagues as this game should not be close. Although goaltending has stood tall for the Sabres I don't think they will keep tonights shooting gallery within a goal.

Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers - Under 5 at 1.91

These two teams are 0-8-2 in the over/under so it is likely we will see this continue especially with Scrivens looking to prove himself that he can be a starting goaltender against his former team. Edmonton has also played a reasonable defensive game of late but need to do a better job scoring. As long as J. Quick starts for LA this will not be the game to set the offensive into motion so look for Edmonton to compete in a defensive game that Scrivens shines but still is likely to lose.

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.

Once again everybody the picks went 3-0 tonight with New York coming back in the third, Florida easily took care of Buffalo as expected and Calgary also made a desperate third period comeback to get us the win in regulation. The games all turned out very well in our favour covering all the spreads allowing us to win on each of the bets! That makes our picks 6-0 in the last two days, tomorrow is a whole new day though so lets try and come back with some more solid winners and keep the bankroll moving up.

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.