Our hot run in March continued on Tuesday with the Habs winning easily 6-1 in regulation.
That pushes our record to 10-1 in our last 11.
Obviously, that’s not sustainable, but we’ll hope to keep the good times rolling tonight 🙂
There are 8 games in the NHL today as we draw closer to the conclusion of the regular season.
We breakdown today’s Best Bet in the Habs/Jackets tilt. We have one other pick and one opinion on the remaining games on the board.
Odds below are at the time we made the picks.
Good luck tonight!
We cashed an easy winner on the Canadiens a couple of nights ago in their 6-1 blowout of the Panthers. But as we noted in the writeup that day, much of that handicap was exploiting a struggling and demoralized Florida team playing its 7th game in 11 days. So while we would normally be a bit reluctant to fade an offense that is coming off a six-goal outing, we don’t think the goals come that easily for Montreal on the road against a rested and confident opponent.
A lot was expected from the Blue Jackets after management made the decision to ‘go for it’ at the trade deadline, and the early results weren’t promising. The Jackets started March with four losses in their first six games, and one of those two victories was a shootout win in New Jersey. Since, however, Columbus has gained some traction — particularly at home. Not only have the Blue Jackets won their last four games at home by a combined margin of 18-5, they’ve done it against four likely playoff teams in Pittsburgh, Boston, Carolina and the Islanders. Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky has recorded three shutouts in his last four starts and allowed 1 goal or less in six of his last eight.
Scoring on the road has been a consistent issue for the Habs, who have been held to two goals or less (excluding empty netters) in five straight as the visitor. They’ve gone 12-5-1 to the Under in their last 18 on the road, and tonight is their fourth game in six nights — exacerbated by the fact that they’ve had to travel between each of those games. We think Columbus wins this game, but playing the Canadiens Team Total Under 2.5 instead allows us to take our chances at a shorter price. There’s also the possibility of cashing this wager if Montreal wins a 1-0, 2-1 or 2-0 type of contest.
Other thoughts and opinions:
- Capitals at Hurricanes: If there’s anything in the NHL right now that you can set your watch to, it’s the Capitals scoring at least three goals in a game. They’ve done it in 14 of their last 15 trips to the rink, most recently Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the visiting Hurricanes. Carolina’s desperate for points as it tries to stay ahead of the Blue Jackets and Canadiens in the wild card standings, but the Caps are also playing for something, fending off the Pens and Isles for the lead in the Metro. Washington Team Total Over 2.5 -133 might make our card tonight.
- Blackhawks at Sharks: Chicago’s wild Over run has come to a screeching halt. The Hawks have now gone Under in six straight games, scoring a grand total of eight goals in those half-dozen contests. But while Chicago’s attack has run dry, the Blackhawks have getting some stellar play from Corey Crawford, who’s allowed 12 goals in his last eight starts. The Sharks are in an offensive funk of their own right now, scoring just 14 goals during a six-game losing streak. With frustration high and confidence low in San Jose at the moment, we think it translates into a lower-scoring affair. Assuming Crawford starts, we’ll be on the Under 6.5 +110 here (and will count it towards our record.)
Good luck!