NHL betting trends, odds and predictions for Wednesday, November 15th, 2017 from various handicappers and websites
NHL Knowledge
Calgary won five of its last six games with Detroit; over is 3-1-2 in last six series games. Flames split their last four visits to the Motor City. Calgary won five of its last six games; they scored 13 goals in their last two games. Flames’ last four games went over total- this is their first road game in three weeks. Red Wings lost three of last five games overall, two of last three at home. Under is 8-2 in their last ten games.
Road team won seven of last eight Ranger-Chicago games; under is 6-1-1 in last eight series games. New York won its last four games in the Windy City. Rangers won their last six games, winning their last two road games in OT. Seven of New York’s last eight games went over the total. Blackhawks lost six of their last nine games; four of their last six games stayed under the total. Chicago lost three of its last four home games.
Ducks won their last seven games with Boston; three of last four series games went over total. Bruins lost their last four games in the Pond. Boston lost six of last eight games, with three losses in OT/SO; they’re 1-5 on the road this season. Under is 6-3 in their last nine games. Anaheim lost five of last six games overall, four of last five at home; three of their last four games stayed under the total.
Armadillosports.com
NHL Picks and Betting Tips
By Parker Michaels
Bangthebook.com
MORNING LINE REPORT
It was a mixed bag of emotions last night as games went back and forth all evening and the first three contests of the night required overtime which made for some entertaining hockey. Pittsburgh rallied for a comeback win to help us win the rare moneyline parlay when Edmonton blitzed the Golden Knights later in the night. I guess Gerald Gallant should have spent some time preparing for Connor McDavid after all as the young superstar tallied twice in an all-out dominant performance.
The poor Dallas Stars remained snake-bitten after somehow losing in a shootout to Florida and for once we weren’t on them last night so we avoided that heartache.
It was looking like another disappointing night as Vancouver fell behind 2-0 quickly to the Kings before I was even able to get the game on. Fans had to be proud of the effort for the final 55 minutes though as they grinded out a 3-2 victory to give us a 2-2 split for the day but almost a full unit gained thanks to the big price on the Canucks.
Just a small card tonight with three games and we’ll focus most of our attention on preparing for tomorrow’s massive 12-game slate but we will get involved with one play tonight which I really like.
CALGARY FLAMES @ DETROIT RED WINGS
Projected Goaltenders
Calgary – Eddie Lack (expected)
Detroit – Jimmy Howard (expected)
Injury Report
Calgary – no significant injuries
Detroit – DeKeyser (out), Frk (out), Helm (questionable)
The Calgary Flames wrapped up a very successful 5-2-0 homestand with a convincing 7-4 win over St. Louis on Monday night. The Flames now hit the road for the next six games, tying for the season’s longest trip.
It took just three full games together for Jaromir Jagr’s influence to begin paying off on youngsters Sam Bennett and Mark Jankowski as the line combined for three goals and three assists including Bennett finally getting his first goal of the year. Jankowski had the finest game of his young career with two goals and an assist and has looked more comfortable with every game. It’s a very interesting third line for Calgary and if they can continue to get steady production from this trio they’re going to be very hard for opposing teams to slow down.
It wasn’t all good news for the Flames though as goaltender Mike Smith was evaluated after the first period for an unknown reason and did not return. There was one crash around the net earlier in the period but Calgary hasn’t revealed exactly what happened to him. Smith didn’t travel with the team to begin this trip but as of late last night the Flames hadn’t called up one of their AHL guys. An update is expected on him sometime today.
Eddie Lack took over in net and after receiving boos from the crowd for allowing the Blues to tie the game in the third, the ‘Edd-ie, Edd-ie’ chants broke out after he absolutely robbed Jaskin with a sweet stick save late in the game. It looks like Lack will get the start tonight but we’ll have to wait for an official confirmation.
The Detroit Red Wings started a five game homestand with an excruciating nine-round shootout loss to Columbus on Saturday. The loss snapped an NHL record 12 consecutive shootout victories by Detroit.
There’s a few injury updates for the Wings tonight. Martin Frk left practice after five minutes yesterday as he couldn’t go. He has a groin injury and could miss a week. Frk is tied for second on the Wings with six goals, including three on the powerplay. Frans Nielsen will take his spot on that unit.
Darren Helm missed practice for the second straight day but Blashill is hopeful it’s just a bruise and can play through the pain. Helm will be re-evaluated this morning to see if he can play. And defenseman Danny DeKeyser is getting close to a return. He practiced for the second consecutive day and is aiming for a return this weekend.
Justin Abdelkader will play tonight after missing Saturday’s game but he’ll be wearing a full shield to protect a fractured cheekbone suffered in a fight last week.
This is a good spot for both teams with Calgary kicking off a long road trip and the Wings having a few days of rest so we’ll wait for a line to open on this one and see if we might have an edge either way.
NEW YORK RANGERS @ CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
Projected Goaltenders
NY Rangers – Henrik Lundqvist (expected)
Chicago – Corey Crawford (expected)
Injury Report
NY Rangers – no significant injuries
Chicago – Hossa (out)
The New York Rangers historically poor start has been all but erased after a 4-2 win over Edmonton on Saturday to complete a sweep of their homestand and a sixth straight victory overall. Are the Rangers suddenly back in the race as contenders? I wouldn’t jump that gun as a closer look at some key numbers are pause for concern.
During the Rangers recent six-game run, the team has actually been outscored 14-12 while playing 5-on-5. It’s been the special teams that’s been the main reason for this streak as the red-hot powerplay is an unsustainable 8-for-19 and the penalty-killing unit is 13-for-14. Even in Saturday’s game, the Oilers were probably the better team overall but a pair of quick powerplay goals in the middle frame turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead which they were able to hang onto.
The Chicago Blackhawks blew a commanding 4-1 lead on Sunday and fell 7-5 to New Jersey. Corey Crawford received a harsh dose of regression after leading the league with an unsustainable .942 save percentage last week and gave up six goals before getting the hook, dropping him to a .932 mark.
Crawford is still playing unbelievable though which is amazing considering how porous the defense has been at times but his play isn’t a concern for the Hawks. What should be a concern is how poorly Joel Quenneville is mismanaging this lineup. For the first time all season the Hawks dressed seven defensemen for some reason and decided to bench one of their better options in Cody Franson for Jordan Oesterle. In an equally head-scratching move, Quenneville scratched Ryan Hartman for fourth-liner at best, Tommy Wingels. Say what? Based on Monday’s practice lines it looks like Hartman will be back in the lineup – on the fourth line – and Wingels will center the third line. At least Franson was reinserted on the top pair with Duncan Keith.
The Rangers appear to be rolling and the Hawks look like a big mess but call me crazy because I actually really like Chicago tonight. Unfortunately, this line opened a shade high and the value looks like it’s Rangers or nothing. The line has dropped a bit overnight and early this morning and currently sits about where it should be. We’ll keep an eye on it to see how far it goes and if the Rangers get some more love we might jump in on Chicago later today. I’d like to play the Hawks but not at this price.
BOSTON BRUINS @ ANAHEIM DUCKS
Projected Goaltenders
Boston – Tuukka Rask (expected)
Anaheim – John Gibson (expected)
Injury Report
Boston – Marchand (out), Backes (out), Spooner (out), Bjork (out), McQuaid (out), Krejci (questionable)
Anaheim – Kesler (out), Eaves (out), Getzlaf (out), Kase (out), Fowler (out)
The Boston Bruins were swept in a home-and-home with Toronto over the weekend and have now lost three in a row overall. The Bruins might actually be worse off than the Ducks in the injury department which is quite a feat. Brad Marchand and Anders Bjork have officially been ruled out for both tonight and tomorrow’s games which leaves even more huge holes in the top-six.
Peter Cehlarik skated in Marchand’s spot on the top line in yesterday’s practice. Cehlarik has yet to appear in a game this season. A 26-year old AHL journeyman by the name of Jordan Szwarz is now the number two center. His wingers are rookie Danton Heinen and Frank Vatrano. That’s the Bruins current second line although there’s a chance David Krejci replaces Vatrano tonight. Krejci is a game-time decision. And the bottom-six is almost unrecognizable with a third line of Beleskey-Kuraly-DeBrusk and a fourth line of Schaller-Nash-Agostino.
The Bruins begin a trek through California this week starting with the front-end of a back-to-back tonight. Tuukka Rask is expected to get the start with Khudobin going tomorrow in Los Angeles.
The Anaheim Ducks are failing to capitalize on their current extended homestand as the Ducks lost for the fifth time in six games with Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay. Anaheim has five more games in California to bank some points before heading out on their toughest road trip of the season so this next ten day stretch is going to be very important in determining whether the Ducks are going to still be in the playoff picture after Thanksgiving.
The Ducks are finally getting some scoring from Jakob Silfverberg who now has five goals over his last seven games. He started the season without a goal in his first ten games and said it took him some time to get used to playing with someone other than Ryan Kesler.
Speaking of Kesler, his recovery is going well. He’s begun some light skating and is still on track for a Christmas return. Cam Fowler is hoping to resume skating by the end of this week as he recovers from a knee injury and Ondrej Kase is still unable to practice. Reto Berra is expected to once again backup John Gibson as Ryan Miller is still a couple days away from being able to join the team for practice.
This line opened on the low-end of where it should be and a small overnight drop has created just a touch of value on the Ducks. It’s typically not enough for me to get involved with a play but let’s go with it here. The Bruins are a different team without Marchand and I think even as banged up as the Ducks are, the Bruins are worse right now. I’m not convinced Krejci plays tonight either so that would be another boost to the Ducks side. This is a big spot for Anaheim and I really like them to pick up the two points. We’ll gamble a bit with lesser value, but this is one of my more confident plays of late.
NHL Game of the Day: Rangers at Blackhawks
Covers.com
New York Rangers at Chicago Blackhawks (A: +110, H: -130, 6)
The New York Rangers' dismal start to the season rapidly is fading away in the rear-view mirror as they motor ahead on the NHL's longest active winning streak. The Rangers aim to extend that run to seven straight games on Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks as they vie for their fifth consecutive victory at the United Center.
Captain Ryan McDonagh extended his assist streak to four games on Saturday after setting up his sixth goal in that stretch in a 4-2 victory over Edmonton. The 28-year-old also had an assist in his last visit to the Windy City, setting up fellow defenseman Nick Holden's goal 55 seconds into overtime in a 1-0 victory over the Blackhawks on Dec. 9. While New York has turned its season around by registering at least three goals in 10 of its last 12 games (8-2-2), Chicago owns just a 4-7-1 mark in that stretch to find itself losing ground in the Central Division. The Blackhawks have awoken from an offensive slumber with nine goals in their last two contests after mustering just 19 in their previous 10.
LINE HISTORY: The Blackhawks opened as -130 home favorites and the total hit betting board at 6 - neither number has moved as of Wednesday afternoon. Check out the complete line history here.
INJURY REPORT:
Rangers - No injuries to report.
Blackhawks - RW Jordin Tootoo (Out Indefinitely, Upper Body), RW Marian Hossa (Out For Season, Illness), D Michal Rozsival (Out Indefinitely, Concussion).
ABOUT THE RANGERS (9-7-1-1, 12-6 O/U): Special teams have been key over the last six games for New York, which is 8-for-19 on the power play and 13-for-14 on the penalty kill. "Any skill player will tell you when you're having success on the power play, it will drive the rest of your game," said defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who has collected a point on four of the eight power-play goals. "The ability to just get touches on the puck, positive touches, making passes and having a little time and space out there, it allows you to slow the game down in your mind." Mika Zibanejad, who already has a career-high five power-play goals in 18 games, has recorded 12 of his team-leading 18 points in his last nine contests.
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (8-8-2-0, 9-8 O/U): Alex DeBrincat has adjusted to getting his feet wet by collecting seven points (five goals, two assists) in his last seven games, including three goals and an assist in his last two. "Well, we've been encouraged every single day we've seen him this year," coach Joel Quenneville said of the 19-year-old Michigan native. "... The fact he’s starting to score a little bit more gives us an added sniper. But he does a lot of good things, not just scoring. He complements your team game." Corey Crawford endured a night he'd like to forget in Sunday's 7-5 setback to New Jersey, and will look to erase that memory on Wednesday when he faces the Rangers for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
TRENDS:
* Rangers are 6-0 in their last 6 overall.
* Blackhawks are 8-2 in their last 10 vs. Metropolitan.
* Over is 5-0 in Rangers last 5 vs. a team with a losing record.
* Under is 5-1 in Blackhawks last 6 home games.
* Road team is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings.
CONSENSUS: The public is siding with the home favorite Blackhawks at a rate of 60 percent and the Under is getting 56 of the totals action.