NHL

NHL Picks: Philadelphia Flyers at Carolina Hurricanes ($100 Contest)

NHL Picks and Predictions: Free $100 Contest Game, Round One – Philadelphia Flyers at Carolina Hurricanes

Simply comment on our Facebook post for the contest with who you think will win the game to be eligible. Here is my game preview.

Can we pick ’em or what? When we singled this one out I thought it would be a tough game to pick but I didn’t think it would be this tough. It’s a coin flip game according to the algorithm. Both sides of the line are equally valuable according to the value parameter. Las Vegas says both teams are  ... 

NHL Picks Contest: Free $100 Facebook Hockey Contest

NHL Picks: Start of Our Free $100 Contest, Round One

— Philadelphia Flyers at Carolina Hurricanes, Tuesday Nov. 5th

The Carolina Hurricanes have been a perfect representation of mediocrity since their Stanley Cup win, but goaltending injuries have them really struggling. The Flyers are in some sort of a half-hearted rebuild effort. A slow start has them at the bottom of one of the weakest divisions in hockey. In a battle of mediocrity, who will win?

Post your money line winner on our Facebook page to be eligible for our free $100 contest.   Second place will get $50. First to ten wins takes the prize.

https://www.facebook.com/ZcodeNHLpicks/posts/545468162204505?comment_id=3535836&offset=0&total_comments=29&notif_t=feed_comment

NHL Picks 10/30: Toronto Maple Leafs at Calgary Flames

NHL Picks 10/30: Toronto Maple Leafs at Calgary Flames

The Leafs have started the year at a good pace. Even without top free-agent signing David Clarkson, Toronto has been scoring. Their 44 goals lead the East, and they’ve climbed to the top of their division.

Balancing their attack, the goaltending tandem they’ve established has led them to a +14 goal differential. If only Brian Burke could see this team now.

The Calgary Flames have fallen off dramatically. They’ve lost two of three and four of their last six. Back home, they are playing considerably better. They’re also very well rested.  ... 

NHL Picks: Free $100 Facebook Contest Announced

NHL Picks: Free $100 Contest Announced!

Our highly successful MLB Facebook contest came down to the wire, requiring a tiebreaker round that continued all the way to an incredibly exciting Game Four of the World Series. Now that we’ve finished with our baseball contest, it’s time to announce another round of our free contests, the 2013 NHL edition.

As with our baseball contest, we’ll be posting a featured game just about every week. Simply comment on that game, which will usually be a challenging game to predict, with who you think will win. This is a moneyline only competition. The first contestant to correctly predict the outcome of ten specially selected games will win the $100 prize. You do not need to be a VIP member to participate (though it does seem to help – our winners through the years are very often members)!

Keep your eyes peeled for Facebook posts designated for the competition. We’ll have our first post later  ... 

NHL Picks 10/25: Vancouver Canucks at St. Louis Blues

NHL Picks and Predictions, 10/25: Vancouver Canucks at St. Louis Blues

Z-Code and I have wildly different lines here. My book has +180, Z-Code has +150 or so. I think that makes some difference.

The Vancouver Canucks are too good a team to be this big of an underdog. I say this aware that they’re on the road and in a back to back. Normally, I would never touch a game like this. At this line, however, I think it’s worth a small wager on the Canucks.

The Blues are a consistent team, but they don’t strike me as dominant.  ... 

NHL Picks: Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers

NHL Picks and Predictions: Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers

Okay, maybe it’s crazy to follow me when my heart is involved. I don’t know how the Devils won the last game we featured, but I’ll take a 4-0 romp out of those New York jerks any day. Sorry, just had to relish that moment one more time before getting into this pick:

Z-Code and I love the BLackhawks. They’re consistent, they’re fundamentally sound, they’re well coached, they’re deep, and they win.

I do fear the upset on the road against the Florida Panthers. This is a decent team, not far  ... 

NHL Picks 10/19: New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils

NHL Picks and Predictions: New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils

Have there been two more disappointing teams this season than the Rangers and Devils? The whole Metropolitan Division is a mess, and these teams are no different.

I think it’s hard to deny the value on the Rangers here, even as a die-hard Devils fan. Henrik Lundqvist is a tough guy to bet against, though he seems distracted by his contract issues. The Rangers look like they’re having trouble adjusting to a new system, and they haven’t started well.

The Devils can’t score. They have injuries and lack top-end talent  ... 

NHL Picks and Predictions 10/16: Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks

NHL Picks and Predictions 10/16: Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks

The Calgary Flames have opened the season hot as anyone, but the Anaheim Ducks are a legitimate power in the west. Can the Flames keep this going, or will they inevitably regress to the mean?

Z-Code seems slightly unsure. The moneyline odds for the Ducks is at 69%, but there is a conflicted signal on the value stars. With only two stars of certainty, the computer algorithm is clearly conflicted.

For me, I feel like the money to be made on the early season lines is in guessing correctly about  ... 

NHL Picks and Predictions 10/12: New York Rangers at St. Louis Blues

NHL Picks and Predictions 10/12: New York Rangers at St. Louis Blues

It’s a college football day, but there’s some really great hockey to watch as well. From the bunch, we like this one with a good deal of confidence as our play of the day.

The St. Louis Blues are a good team in a great system. They have an excellent coach, and their goaltending tandem may be among the best in hockey again this year. Defensively they’re very deep, and they’re starting to put together some chemistry-driven lines that get the job done.

Against a backup goaltender and  ... 

NHL Picks and Predictions 10/9: Ottawa Senators at LA Kings

NHL Picks and Predictions 10/9: Ottawa Senators Vs LA Kings

Not much to choose from tonight, so we’re reaching a little bit with a low confidence, non-system play. These are too sloppy teams right now, but both are immensely talented and anchored by skilled goaltending. This should be a fun one to watch.

Z-Code is torn. They recognize a high probability for an extremely tight game. With a 75% chance of +1.5 hitting, and an overtime friendly matchup, this should be close.

For me, Quick Vs Anderson sounds like under 5.5. Neither team is scoring much, which could put this one  ... 

NHL Picks and Predictions 10/5: Washington Capitals at Dallas Stars

NHL Picks and Predictions 10/5: Washington Capitals at Dallas Stars

Not an easy pick, but another game with good value and a low confidence wager that I really like today.

I don’t think the Stars are a good team. We bet against them with the Florida Panthers in the VIP Club in the opener, and I see value here again. The Washington Capitals should be contending for a playoff spot. I don’t think the Stars will do the same.

Washington is the better team. They’re coming off a competitive game against a contender, and I think they ride the momentum  ... 

NHL Picks and Predictions 10/4: New Jersey Devils Vs New York Islanders

NHL Picks and Predictions 10/4: New York Islanders at New Jersey Devils

These aren’t the New York Islanders of old. Nor are they the New York Islanders of the 80s. The New York Islanders are somewhere very much in between – no longer terrible but still not a legitimate contender.

The New Jersey Devils aren’t the Devils of old either. Gone are the days of reasonable Stanley Cup expectations, and here are a bunch of long-shot underdogs in the final days of a living legend in net. They already had one magical Stanley Cup run… maybe this group has a run  ... 

2013-14 NHL Predictions, Pacific Preview: Vancouver Canucks Still on Top?

Pacific Division 2013-14 NHL Preview and Predictions

1. Vancouver Canucks: New coach could signal a new era, but the departure of Cory Schneider should leave this goaltending unit a bit weaker than it’s been over the last few years. Even if Luongo isn’t the guy, however, there’s too much depth in Vancouver. The twins are playing for a contract, the defensive unit is great as always, and they have two legitimate scoring lines. I think that’s enough for one of the most consistent franchises in hockey to continue being consistent.

2. Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks lost Bobby Ryan  ... 

NHL Predictions 2013-14, Metropolitan Division: New York Rangers or Pittsburgh Penguins?

NHL PREDICTIONS, 2013-14 SEASON PREVIEW: Metropolitan Division

The NHL season returns to us this week, so we thought we’d throw some season previews  and predictions your way. My favorite division after the shuffle is definitely the Metropolitan Division. It’s comprised of eight teams that could conceivably be playoff contenders, that now must battle through each other to try to make the postseason.

As a Devils fan, I hate the new system and hate this new division. It’s absolutely loaded. Nevertheless, this is definitely the most fun division for me to break down. Might as well start out the season having  ...