NHL Picks: LA Kings at Arizona Coyotes

NHL Picks: LA Kings at Arizona Coyotes The NHL seems like a foreign place right now. In fact, the only constant seems to be that we’re off to another great start to the hockey season. Martin Brodeur makes his first start with the St. Louis Blues, the Buffalo Sabres are on a three-game winning streak even though Ryan Miller is a Canuck… and the Phoenix Coyotes adopted their state name to try to fill a desert ice oasis with fans that will presumably be more tied to the team across the state… I guess?

Either way, this is a fun rivalry. ...

NHL Picks: Vancouver Canucks at Washington Capitals

I’m beginning to think the Caps just aren’t a good team. They seem to have an abundance of talent, or at least enough talent to keep them in the hunt, but they aren’t putting together wins, 10-13 ML on the year. They’re 5-4-3 at home and on a bit of a skid at the moment. Somehow, still, they’re fourth in the East and giving away some serious value on lines lately, as we continue to bet against them to some decent profits.

Vancouver, on the other hand, has been a cash cow ...

NHL Picks Contest ($100 Prize): Devils Caps Kick Off Free Facebook Competition

NHL Picks Contest ($100 Prize): Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils Saturday, December 6thWe’re proud to announce another FREE Facebook picks competition with $100 prize for first place. The first person to correctly guess ten winners in our contest picks will take home $100 cash, just for participating and being one of our Facebook friends. Z-Code does these fairly often, and your continued participation and the fun we have following along is what keeps them going. Congratulations to Pat O’Rielley and all our competitors in the NFL/MLB picks contest that just finished up. Now let’s see what we can do with hockey!

My Devils are off to a slow start. They’re flirting with .500, but the team looks slow and the goaltending looks fatigued. Maybe we shouldn’t have been so fast to cast Marty aside. That said, the Caps aren’t doing much better. In a battle of playoff-hopeful, mediocre teams in the East, who do you have winning this one in ...

NHL Picks: Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars

NHL Picks: Edmonton Oilers at Dallas StarsThis line is a little sharp for my taste, but I’m on it because it fits the system everywhere except the line. I usually go with more modest favorites, but this looks good on all fronts. Let’s take a look:

Z-Code offers 4.5 stars of value in the line despite it being a little sharp, while suggesting a 62% chance of victory. I agree with this assessment.

The Dallas Stars seem to have turned a corner, while the Oilers are fresh off a FIVE GAME HOMESTAND where they lost all five games. The ...

NHL Predictions: Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers

NHL Picks: Pittsburgh Penguins at New York RangersMy hesitation here stems from betting on the road team in MSG in a divisional rivalry, but all other parameters fit my system and there remains some value in the line. As such, even though this is the New York Rangers at the Garden, and even though I sometimes hate the Pittsburgh Penguins, we move forward.

That said, -135 here looks beautiful. The New York Rangers have been sloppy and are dealing quite poorly with a few injuries. The goaltending has been suspect and they’ve lost four of five. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins ...

NHL Picks: Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks

The Vancouver Canucks have been a pleasant surprise this year. The addition of Ryan Miller has them back to a team anchored in goaltending that we’re used to seeing from the days of the Luongo-Schneider platoon. The offense is still fairly mediocre, but the chemistry is undeniably there. The defense has been serviceable, and the Canucks are beating teams they’re supposed to be beating, which isn’t always how NHL hockey goes. It’s been a good run for the Canucks.

The San Jose Sharks are also heating up, winning three of four against ...

NHL Picks: Chicago Blackhawks at Montreal Canadiens

I love these Original Six rivalries. Both teams are on two losses in a row, and with the Habs climbing back into relevance this is a battle of two of the top teams in hockey.

The Habs at home are a very difficult team to play against. They have a raucous crowd, a shutdown defense that matches up well with a top-heavy offense like Chicago, and it appears Carey Price is finally feeding on the energy of the Bell Centre. This should be a very interesting game.

Corey Crawford is back in net and should be able to stop some of the bleeding for the Blackhawks. I think they’re the better team, and as far as two-way depth goes I think they have enough talent to get by a solid Habs team.

I think this will be close, but I think there’s value in the line for the Blackhawks. Z-Code disagrees, viewing this ...

NHL Picks: Buffalo Sabres at Anaheim Ducks

The line is a little sharp, but this is one of those games you don’t want to overthink. Let’s break this down in terms of every parameter in my system.

The Buffalo Sabres might be the worst team in hockey. The Anaheim Ducks are one of the best.

The Buffalo Sabres are on the road across the country. The Anaheim Ducks are in the middle of a comfortable home stand.

The Buffalo Sabres have lost two in a row, both at home, where they haven’t scored a single goal. The Anaheim Ducks ...

2014 NHL Predictions: Ducks, Kings, Sharks in Pacific Division Preview

2014 NHL Predictions: Pacific Division Preview – Ducks, Kings, Sharks

The 2014-15 season starts tomorrow, so we’ll post our final division preview before getting into game picks tomorrow. The Pacific division had three teams with a positive goal differential, which, not so coincidentally, meant three playoff teams last year. The LA Kings, who ultimately won another Stanley Cup, the top-seeded Anaheim Ducks, and the perennial postseason let downs, the San Jose Sharks. Does 2014 have anything new in store, or will this division play out exactly how it did last season? Can the newly renamed “Arizona Coyotes” squeak back into the playoffs?

San Jose Sharks (110 points) – Same team, same results. The San Jose Sharks are the most consistent team in the Pacific, which may be enough for a top seed as the rest of this division tinkers with their rosters. In any event, the mediocrity of this division will see the Sharks to another playoff spot where they ...

2014 NHL Predictions: Chicago Blackhawks Return to Central Division Glory

2014 NHL Predictions: Central Division Preview – Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues

One of the dumbest things about the realignment the NHL did last year is that two of the divisions only have seven teams in them. Though their road to the playoffs is comparatively easier with one less team to leap frog, their travel considerations and the talent of these divisions seem to balance things out. The Minnesota Wild spent a lot of money getting back into the playoffs, the Dallas Stars snuck in as the other wild card, and the Colorado Avalanche rose to the top of the division. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks continued their winning ways and the St. Louis Blues’ defensive system continued to win, getting better after the addition of Ryan Miller (now with the Canucks). With the Preds adding James Neal and getting Pekka Rinne healthy, they should be much improved too. Simply put, the Central Division is loaded.

1. Chicago ...