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.

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.

Montreal 2.50 vs Los Angeles and Under 5 at 1.87

As the lines have dropped on both the other picks I am going to offer another pick. This is more of a value pick but I am taking Montreal at a 2.50 money line. They have absolutely dominated Los Angeles in past history besides the last game being embarrassed 6-0 on home ice. I look for them to have revenge in mind and pay LA back the favor as they have won the previous seven meetings between the teams. Also I am taking the chance that Price may play having travelled with the team and no starting goaltender being announced as of yet. That also makes me look towards the under 5.0 at 1.87 with two olympic starting goalies going head to head. Take Montreal for the pick at a good value even on the road in California.

**Update**
It looks like Budaj will indeed get the start again so I am going to back off the over/under bet but still support Montreal to win. They play well on the road and as a dog and although I believe LA is getting back to its ways I look for a small set back with a cohesive Montreal team. I believe this is also a game where the public heavily favors LA which is giving us value in the line and smart bettors are taking the plus money rather than buying the LA ML.

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.