Here are todays picks

I will update my record I promise.

Washington Capitals -1 at 2.15 vs Vancouver Canucks

I look for the Capitals to get a desperate win and Ovechkin will likely see the scoreboard at least a couple times as they cruise past a beat up Canucks team that has not played well either. Ryan Kesler will be a big energy loss and they won't be able to match Washington's on home ice needing a win.

Dallas Stars to win in regulation vs Calgary Flames and Over 5 goals parlay for 2.56 odds

Dallas needs to win this game, plain and simple, if they deserve to be in the playoffs which I believe they do they will win and rather easily I might add, Calgary somehow puts up some goals though and with Thomas as the starter I look for it to easily reach 5 goals and likely cash at 6.

New York Rangers 1.91 at Winnipeg Jets

I am not a huge fan of this pick and I argued for a moment whether to include it or not but here we are taking the Rangers, I think they are the better team, although both goalies can play at a high level I have more faith in Lundquist. As the Rangers search for another win and as Winnipeg continues to struggle I have to lean off Winnipeg even at home.

Value Picks

Edmonton Oilers 2.95 at Detroit Red Wings

Are you kidding me, I know the Oilers are bad but the Red Wings are missing half their roster and I love Edmonton to take a win on the road here. Tonight will prove me right or wrong but I have no clue why the public would jump on Detroit.

Florida Panthers 2.40 vs New Jersey Devils

Luongo vs Schnieder is the bigger headline, both the former Vancouver Canucks are likely glad to be fitting into their new jerseys. I see Luongo proving once again that he is the better goalie and besides that I like Florida's offense compared to New Jersey and getting such a dog at home is a steal, take it.

I am in a bit of a rush today but made time for the picks.

Here they are

Minnesota Wild 1.91 vs New York Rangers

Both teams have struggled a bit of late and with two fairly even teams and Lundquist will not be starting I will side with the home team to take a close one.

Boston Bruins vs Phoenix Coyotes and Under 5.5 for 1.74

I see the Bruins to continue winning especially back at home but I think coming back from Montreal will result in a defensive game which is exactly the style suited to Mike Smith and the Coyotes and the under is much more valuable than buying the Bruins for 1.51 as in a low scoring game I am not confident enough to pick a side with these two teams playing so well.

Carolina Hurricanes -1 at 1.83 vs Buffalo Sabres

I see Carolina getting another win here at home against a lost Sabres club that will need years before they will compete again. Carolina is not great, but are much better off than Buffalo especially given the home ice advantage. Lets go Canes.

Value Picks


Florida Panthers 3.15 at Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay has just been a mess, and they should get a win tonight, but in a rivalry game the odds have ran with the public and the value is certainly with Florida with five straight losses by Tampa Bay. Maybe the impact of St. Louis leaving was a little more devastating than management thought it would be.

Edmonton Oilers +1.5 at 1.91 at St Louis Blues

The Blues are very good but this is the NHL and any team can win of a given night and to get a chance to lose by a goal for almost even odds is far to good to give up in my mind. St Louis has dominated this series but Edmonton is used to being at the bottom without playoff hope so look for them to compete and upsets like this are just what they want to build on. St Louis in general plays fairly close games while still winning so although I still give the odds to win, I will take the chance plus a goal that it will be more competitive than the public thinks.

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.

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.