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: Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers

NHL Picks: Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers First, let me draw your attention to our NHL Picks contest. Pinned to the top of our Facebook page, a $100 contest game is posted. Simply comment along to participate. It’s always a lot of fun, but it’s more fun when more people join in the action.

Now, let me draw your attention to my only play tonight. My system won on the Canucks last night, and now we roll into tonight’s game with a little money to play with for the week. I like the Pittsburgh Penguins, even on the road, in this battle ...

NHL Picks: Calgary Flames at San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks have been stumbling through this season. They’ve looked old, sloppy, thin defensively, and you can probably even question their goaltending. The once “sure thing” of a San Jose Sharks home win against weak teams is now squarely in question at just 11-9 against the spread this season. That said, the Sharks have won four of six and finally look sharp again.

The line is a little sharp but there’s value here. The Calgary Flames are just four points behind the Sharks, but they’re the inferior team. This ...

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: 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 ...