NHL Picks: Anaheim Ducks at Dallas Stars

The Stars have some weapons and various players are having great seasons in order to keep them in the hunt. That said, they’ve fallen off completely of late and the Anaheim Ducks are turning a corner. Anaheim has won four of five while the Stars have lost five straight.

The Ducks are an elite team in the NHL this season. On a winning streak, they’re one of the more difficult teams to face in hockey. They’ve rested up for this road trip and should be prepared for the Stars. I don’t think Dallas can ...

NHL Picks: Nashville Predators at Buffalo Sabres

The Preds are coming off a tough loss to a weak team and the road trip continues, making this an interesting game given the sharp line. That said, the Nashville Predators are quite simply the better team here and I don’t see how the Buffalo Sabres will keep pace.

I see some parlay value here and expect a money line win from the Predators, but I won’t be investing aggressively here. The line is very sharp, the Predators are tired, the backup is in net, they’re on the road, and the Sabres aren’t ...

NHL Picks: Minnesota Wild at Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers are playing good hockey by their standards. Realistically, even with the Boston Bruins hurting the way they are right now, that was still an impressive win. That said, the Minnesota Wild are playing much better hockey than Boston right now, and I don’t see them letting this one slip away.

Quite simply, if you got in early enough, there’s value here. -160 was my opening line, and even early this morning we had -170. The movement continues to rise, which is a sign of Vegas fearing public money. I like ...

NHL Picks: Dallas Stars at New York Rangers

The Dallas Stars are coming off a bad loss and both teams are exhausted following back to backs. The Stars, however, are on the road in a very tough place to play. I think that gives the New York Rangers enough of an edge to justify the -150 line here and I’m jumping in.

New York is the stronger team overall and Dallas has been very streaky. The Stars are inconsistent, but go on long stretches of poor play and long stretches of good play. New York has been strong for most of ...

NHL Picks: Minnesota Wild at Edmonton Oilers

NHL Picks: Minnesota Wild at Edmonton Oilers This is a juicy line. It’s probably a trap. The Minnesota Wild have been stumbling, so the gap here is not as large as it might have seemed a month ago. The Oilers finished the first half strong.

That said, this is still a team with a lot of holes. While the Edmonton Oilers are learning, and possibly even improving, they are still that same team that crumbled through the first half of the year on lengthy losing streaks of epic proportion.

The Minnesota Wild are underachieving. This has not been the season they ...

NHL All Star Break: Free NHL Picks Contest ($100) – Standings Update

NHL All-Star Break: Free NHL Picks Contest Standings Update ($100 Prize)We had a -180 ML in our last game between the Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning, but somehow still had a pretty even split. The heavy favorite was dominant, as the line suggested, and those who took the “easy money” were fortunate enough to win. Here’s where our standings are coming into the NHL All Star Break. Halfway through the NHL season, we’re halfway through our free NHL Picks contest with a free $100 prize to the first person to reach ten wins.

Five Wins

Robert Wilson

Mike Galanti

Four Wins

Duane Atkinson ...

NHL Picks: Chicago Blackhawks at Pittsburgh Penguins

NHL Picks: Chicago Blackhawks at Pittsburgh Penguins Again we find ourselves betting into home ice advantage and the right to last change, but again, I like the matchup and have high confidence in the Blackhawks. Chicago is one of the best teams in hockey. The Penguins are stumbling and lost in overtime just one night ago to their intra-state rivals.

I don’t see the Penguins bouncing back so easily. They’re sloppy defensively and without Letang here, while the Blackhawks have one of the deepest rosters in hockey and have for some time. Chicago had a travel day to prepare for ...

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 ...