NHL Picks: Tampa Bay Lightning at Philadelphia Flyers

NHL Picks: Tampa Bay Lightning at Philadelphia Flyers The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the better teams in hockey. They have an anchor in net in Ben Bishop and one of the most effective, explosive, exciting offenses in hockey. The Philadelphia Flyers have all the promise Claude Giroux once held, a backup goalie, and the aftermath of a roster that collapsed once Chris Pronger’s head injury prematurely ended his career.

The Lightning matchup well here and the Flyers are stumbling through this season. I think they’ll put up a bunch of goals on this weak defense and unknown goalie.

The computer agrees, expecting the Tampa Bay Lightning to take this one. The Score Predictor predicts a 4-1 victory, while the computer algorithm says there is a 67% chance of victory with five stars of value in the line.

All systems go here.

Lightning 3 – Flyers 2

NHL Picks: Winnipeg Jets at Anaheim Ducks

NHL Picks: Winnipeg Jets at Anaheim Ducks The line is a little sharp here, but it seems worthwhile. The Anaheim Ducks are one of the top teams in the west, while the Winnipeg Jets are wildly inconsistent. Throw in some fatigue from a team like the Jets that lacks some depth and I think the explosive offense of the Ducks will shine through here – especially against a weak goalie.

The Jets are tired and coming off a big win, but are traveling all the way to southern California and should be suffering some fatigue. They’re also the inferior team here ...

NHL Picks: St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks

NHL Picks: St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a tremendous team on home ice. The Shark Tank is intimidating and the high-powered scorers that the roster is built around enjoy the right to last change on face offs.

The St. Louis Blues are on the road, on a back to back, in a long slump, and all parameters of the system fit. The only hesitation here comes from how sloppy the Sharks have been of late, so we temper our wager and expectations accordingly.

The computer sees a 60% chance of victory for the San Jose Sharks with 3.5 stars of value in the line. I think this is a high-value play, and were the Sharks playing better hockey we’d be all over this one. Instead, we go in with caution for a small wager with low confidence here.

Sharks 4 – Blues 2

NHL Picks Contest: LA Kings vs New York Rangers

NHL Picks Contest Round Four: New York Rangers at LA Kings

Thursday, January 8th

I know we just featured the LA Kings, but with a Stanley Cup rematch on the line here I can’t think of a better game. Both teams have been pretty hot, both teams are anchored in goaltending, and this looks like a fun match up. As always, simply comment on this post pinned to the top of our NHL Picks Facebook page to participate in the contest. First to ten wins gets the $100 prize. Here are our standings so far:

Three Wins

Tommy Lemieux

Mike Galanti ...

NHL Picks: LA Kings at Calgary Flames

NHL Picks: LA Kings at Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames have been putting up a fight this year. Fresh off another lengthy skid, they seem to have corrected things with two wins in a row. The offense clicks at home, and the Flames have found a goalie to replace Kipper. They’re not the team we picked on the last couple seasons, and 9-6-2 record at home is worth noting – as is their 19-15-3 record overall. This is a decent team.

That said, the LA Kings, on paper, are the much better team. They’re on the road here, but I trust their ...

NHL Picks: Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings

NHL Picks: Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings The line is a little rough, but the Detroit Red Wings have slumped long enough. It’s hard to believe that they have gone on losing like this. They jumped out to one of the best records in the league before this skid.

The score predictor thinks the Sabres can win, but there’s an 81% chance of victory for the Red Wings according to the algorithm. I don’t think the Sabres defense or goaltending is strong enough to shut down the Red Wings and in Detroit they’re a different team.

This is a tough ...

NHL Picks: Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers

NHL Picks: Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers Only one play in the system for NHL picks today. The Edmonton Oilers are on an epic slide this month, and seem poised to never win another game again. On home ice, they look to snap their streak against a Dallas Stars team that is heating up.

I’m nervous about this one because the line seems to be baiting us into a wager on the Stars and I feel like the Oilers can’t lose forever. Dallas is a mediocre team on a nice run, but I’m not sure they’re completely reliable.

Still, when the ...

NHL Picks Contest ($100 Prize): New York Rangers at Vancouver Canucks

NHL Picks: New York Rangers at Vancouver Canucks

Today is the NHL Picks Contest’s second round with a $100 prize. As usual, I don’t really have a lean for you. Heck, that’s why we make it a contest game. The computer seems to find underdog value in the New York Rangers, with a 77% chance that they keep it within a goal or win the game outright. I agree that it will be a close game, but I certainly won’t have money on this one.

What I will do is play along in the NHL Picks Contest. It’s free to ...

NHL Picks Contest ($100 Prize): New York Rangers at Vancouver Canucks

NHL Picks Contest Round Two ($100 Prize): Rangers at Canucks

Saturday, December 13th

I liked this little rivalry after the coach swap, but now that John Tortorella is finally out of the NHL, this is just fun on its own. The New York Rangers have battled injuries and lost a little bit of depth this year, but the Canucks didn’t appear to be much deeper to begin the season. Adding veteran goaltender Ryan Miler seems to have made all the difference in Vancouver. That, and finally getting rid of Torts.

So, in our second round of a first-to-ten competition, who ya got? The Rangers are across the country, but I think they’re the better team. It’s also the front half of a back to back, but the back end is the Edmonton Oilers so I doubt that will have much of an impact here. This should be a nice defensive battle.

As always simply comment on this post pinned to ...

NHL Picks: Anaheim Ducks at Minnesota Wild

NHL Picks: Anaheim Ducks at Minnesota Wild I want to be clear from the start. I’ve got no plays in my system. I also want to bring your attention to our free contest – the first game is tomorrow and the winner gets $100. No risk, might as well participate! Comment on the post pinned to the top of our Facebook page to participate.

So, with no system plays, I almost pulled the trigger on this one, but I couldn’t do it. I lean to the Anaheim Ducks, but I don’t have money on it. That said, it looks like the strongest ...