Matt's Picks (2 Live)
Matt's Past Picks
Jake Allen is the New Jersey No. 1 goalie for a while with Jacob Markstrom out, and Allen runs super hot and cold. He feels about as likely to give up two on Monday as five. The Devils also might be without arguably their best two-way player in former No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier (24G, 19A, +11) after he left Saturday's game injured. NJ is 2-7 in its past nine away. The Flyers have won three straight at home, and Samuel Ersson allowed one goal in a win at New Jersey on Jan. 18.
Calgary on Sunday is in the same spot Utah was on Friday when we faded the HC (and cashed): Off a surprise win at Minnesota and playing 24 hours later at Winnipeg. Just an extremely tough B2B. At least one Flames player -- blueliner Kevin Bahl (2G, 12A) -- left tonight injured. And it'll be backup Dan Vladar (3.03 GAA) in net. He has lost five straight outings.
Only a half unit simply as this is a "get me to the football" bridge wager, but Colorado is in the second of a B2B, struggling offensively and maybe that locker room still isn't right in the wake of the stunning Mikko Rantanen trade. The Rangers are healthy, well rested and Igor Shesterkin has allowed only four total goals in a personal four-game winning streak.
The books run on computers just like the rest of us. So, yeah, LA might be -170 better in the Matrix. But the Blue Jackets have nearly bought me a hot tub this season at home: NHL-best 17-7 ATS on familiar ice. We won't win them all, but I think we will play them all when Columbus is a home dog.
So we are getting a team +1.5 at home that has been largely rolling of late against a struggling club that has to use its No. 2 goaltender -- Jacob Markstrom is out multiple weeks due to injury suffered last time out -- at basically the same price as road ML? Alright Hamilton!
I've never been an NHL GM and pretty good chances at this point I never will be unless Jeff Bezos is my uncle that I'm unaware of (Jeff, I am willing to sell nephew-ship for six figures). But what are the Avalanche doing? They traded second-leading scorer Mikko Rantanen on Friday in a three-way deal to Carolina -- which imo makes the Canes the team to beat for the Stanley Cup. I guess the Avs will be deeper after the deal (but definitely not here) and Rantanen was to be a free agent, but wow when you are contending. I cannot imagine this goes over well in the locker room, so be my guest playing Bruins ML.
Was hoping for -1, but it's not being offered by SugarHouse so we'll risk it as I'm not playing -1.5. Utah is playing as we speak at an excellent Minnesota team, and it's sure hard to see any team potentially win there (HC is up 2-0 as write this) and then at even-better Winnipeg in the span of 24 hours. Plus, the HC might have to Iditarod there late tonight with the weather. Utah just beat Vezina candidate Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets in Salt Lake City on Monday, 5-2. That was one of Hellebuyck's worst games of the season. I expect a major bounce-back effort. The Jets are 18-5-3 at home. I'd play the regulation line if we had that option (soon hopefully).
These clubs played a wildly entertaining game in Nashville on Tuesday with the Preds rallying for a 7-5 win. Not easy to sweep these home-and-home sets (not like we need a win) and the Sharks welcome back top-six forward Tyler Toffoli (17G, 13A) after missing the past three. Nashville has won four straight but all at home. It is 5-14-4 away.
This probably goes up a fair amount tomorrow when it becomes widely known that Wild leading scorer and former Hart Trophy favorite Kirill Kaprizov as well as captain and top blueliner Jared Spurgeon will both return from multi-game injury absences. Utah plays its first road game since Jan. 4 and it's also the front of a B2B. Top defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (30 points) is in doubt after missing the past two.
Former Vezina winner Igor Shesterkin struggled some early this year but the Russian is rolling right now with back-to-back shutouts -- his streak of 164:03 without a goal allowed is just shy of his career high. The Rangers are also fully healthy and have snapped out of their team-wide doldrums of late (6-0-3 in past nine). The Flyers have won three straight all with Samuel Ersson in net, but he hasn't started four in a row all season and the Flyers play again Friday so I'd think we get one of their backups here -- although I'm fine with it either way (would like it certainly more if not Ersson).
Why on earth is Ottawa this big of a road favorite? Yeah, the Bruins are in the second of a back-to-back but it's not like they are on the road again. Ottawa is without top-six forward Josh Norris (17G, 10A) and arguably the team's most talented forward, Brady Tkachuk, is on an eight-game points drought. Goaltender Anton Forsberg has won once in his last five appearances with a 3.25 GAA and an .873 SV. Boston's Joonas Korpisalo -- he did have to play in relief last night but not for very long, so I'm not too worried about that -- is 5-1-2 with a 2.20 GAA at home. B's forward Trent Frederic (7G, 7A) will play after missing last night.
So rare for me to play an Over in the NHL and we have to very good goaltenders here in Connor Hellebuyck and Mackenzie Blackwood, who has been reborn since a trade to Colorado from San Jose. But these teams usually play free-flowing, high-scoring games -- the Over is 7-3 in the past 10, and I assure you those totals weren't set at 5.5.
The Devils are in a bit of a funk -- the goaltending has been pretty good of late but the offense has stalled. But perhaps a sense of urgency on Wednesday with four of the next five away. Coach Sheldon Keefe also shook up the lines at practice on Tuesday. Boston is pretty banged up on the blueline with Hampus Lindholm and Charlie Coyle out. The B's are 3-7 in their past 10 overall and 1-7 in their past eight away.