Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Friday 1/18/19
NHL – TRENDS OF THE DAY
There are 14 teams that will take to the ice on Friday, January 18. This includes the Pittsburgh Penguins traveling to Arizona to take on the Coyotes. In other action, the Montréal Canadiens battle the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings take on the Calgary Flames.
Featured Game
Pittsburgh Penguins (-150) vs. Arizona Coyotes (+130)
Pittsburgh is in fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 56 points (25-15-6). They are 12-7-4 on the road this season and are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. Arizona is in seventh in the Pacific Division with 45 points (21-22-3). They are 9-12-2 at home this season and are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games.
Goaltending Matchup:
Matt Murray will start in goal for Pittsburgh. Murray is 13-6-1 this season with a 2.91 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. He lost his most recent start, allowing four goals on 28 shots to San Jose on January 15, but had won his previous nine decisions.
Darcy Kuemper will be in goal for Arizona. Kuemper is 9-11-3 with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. The Arizona goaltender has won his last four starts, including defeating San Jose on January 16 when he stopped 26 of 29 shots he faced.
Hot Trends:
The Pittsburgh Penguins are…
10-3 in their last 13 games.
6-2 in their last eight games on the road.
0-5 in their last five games on the road against teams with a winning percentage at home of less than .400.
The Arizona Coyotes are…
4-1 in their last five games.
4-11 in their last 15 games at home.
2-9 in their last 11 games against Eastern Conference teams.
Stat Pack:
Penguins:
Goals For: 3.5
Goals Against: 3.0
Power-Play: 25.4%
Penalty Killing: 85%
Coyotes:
Goals For: 2.7
Goals Against: 2.9
Power-Play: 18.4%
Penalty Killing: 88.2%
Prediction
The Penguins have won five of the last six games between these two teams, but the home team is 7-1 in the last eight meetings. Normally, we would give Arizona quite a good chance in this game, especially considering that their penalty killing unit has been deadly this season. The trouble is that Pittsburgh is playing so good right now and Arizona has been mediocre at home. It’s hard to go against the Penguins.
The total is set at 6.0, and we see the over in this game. Pittsburgh has gone over in each of their last four games on the road and have gone over in four of their last five overall. Arizona has gone over in five of their last six games against teams with a winning road record and these two teams have combined to go slightly over six goals per game. We take Pittsburgh to win, 4-3.
Two Games to Watch
Detroit Red Wings (+210) vs. Calgary Flames (-250)
Detroit is in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with 43 points (18-23-7). They are 8-11-3 on the road and are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. Calgary is in first place in the Pacific Division with 65 points (30-13-5). They are 15-4-5 at home this season and are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games.
Why Detroit Wins:
Red Wings are 4-1 in their last five games against Pacific Division teams.
Flames are 4-10 in their last 14 games on Friday.
Jimmy Howard has won his last two games, allowing three total goals.
Why Calgary Wins:
Flames are 5-1 in their last six games.
Flames are 4-1 in their last five games at home.
Red Wings are 13-39 in their last 52 games against teams with a winning record.
Flames are 4-1 it last five meetings.
Flames are 5-2 in last seven meetings in Calgary.
Mike Smith allowed one goal in his last start.
What About the Total?
Go under 6.5, because…
Total has gone under in 15 of the last 25 games in Calgary.
Red Wings have gone under in four of their last five.
Flames have gone under in four of their last five against teams with a winning percentage below .400.
Montréal Canadiens (+140) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (-160)
Montreal is in fourth in the Atlantic with 57 points (26-17-5). They are 13-8-3 on the road this season and are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, including winning their last three. Columbus is in first in the Metropolitan Division with 59 points (28-15-3). They are 14-8-2 at home this season and are 7-3-0 in their last 10, including winning their last four.
Why Montréal Wins:
Canadiens are 4-1 in their last five games.
Canadians are 6-2 in their last eight games on the road.
Blue Jackets are 3-9 in their last 12 games on Friday.
Carey Price has won his last two starts, allowing two total goals.
Sergei Bobrovsky allowed nine total goals in his last two starts.
Why Columbus Wins:
Blue Jackets are 4-0 in their last four games.
Blue Jackets are 4-0 in their last four games at home.
Home team has won five of the last six meetings.
Blue Jackets are 4-0 in last four meetings in Columbus.
Blue Jackets are 6-2 in last eight meetings.
What About the Total?
Go under 6.0, because…
Total has gone under in four of the last five meetings.
Price has allowed two total goals in his last two starts.
Columbus has gone under in six of their last seven games against teams with a winning record.
Montréal has gone under in nine straight games.
Montréal has gone under in each of their last four road games.
In the Crease - Week 17
January 17, 2019
By Joe Williams
Toothless Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are fading fast, going 0-8-4 across the past 12 games. Despite the ugly skid they're still just two points behind the Edmonton Oilers for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference with plenty of time to turn things around. In the past they're slide and 47 points through 47 games might be a death knell, but the last few playoff spots in the West this season might go to teams with point totals slightly lower than we've seen in recent seasons. The road trip continues at Minnesota on Thursday, at New Jersey on Saturday and at N.Y. Islanders on Sunday before returning home Wednesday against St. Louis to finish up before the All-Star break. If they don't break the skid then, they'll have to wait all the way until Feb. 2 due to the All-Star break, when they embark on another five-game road trip.
Calgary...On Fire
The Calgary Flames have fired to the top of the Pacific Division with an 8-1-2 mark across the past 11 outings, although they certainly haven't done it with a lot of attention. The Flames have posted a 15-4-5 mark at home this season, but they're a respectable 15-9-0 in 24 outings away from home to lead the Western Conference in road victories. Their plus-39 goal differential is also good for second in the NHL behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning (plus-58). The Flames face the Detroit Red Wings at home on Friday, and have a quick turnaround in Edmonton on Saturday night. Head coach Bill Peters will also face his former employer, the Carolina Hurricanes, in a pair of games on Tuesday, Jan. 22 in Calgary, and Sunday, Feb. 3 in Raleigh.
Looking Ahead
Thursday, Jan. 17
Toronto-Tampa Bay: The Maple Leafs hit the road for the Sunshine State stretch against the Lightning and Florida Panthers. The public is investing heavily in the home side despite the fact the Maple Leafs are an impressive 15-6 in the past 21 road games while going 10-1 in their past 11 while playing on two or more days of rest. The Lightning will be playing in their fourth game in six days, and they're 23-6 in the past 29 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation. The public is likely backing the Lightning heavily, either straight-up or on the puck line, because of Toronto's woes in this series recently. The Leafs are 2-8 in their past 10 trips to Tampa, and 1-5 in the past six meetings overall. The 'under' is also 8-3 in the past 11 metings in this series.
Winnipeg-Nashville: The Jets roll into the Music City with five victories in the past six games overall, and they're 7-2 in the past nine attempts against a team with a winning overall record. In addition, Winnipeg has posted an 8-3 record across the past 11 on the road. The Predators are equally hot, going 4-0 in their past four against teams with a winning percentage over .600. Total bettors might be slapping the 'over', which is 4-0 in Smashville's past four overall and 5-2 in the past seven against the Western Conference. While the over is 8-1-2 in the past 11 road games by a team with a home winning percentage over .600, the under is 7-3-1 in the past 11 overall and 3-1-1 in the past five against winning teams. The over is 7-3 in the past 10 meetings in Nashville, and the road team has claimed four of the past five.
Los Angeles-Dallas: The Kings are Stars are both struggling, so something's gotta give in this one. The Kings are 2-5 in the past seven overall, while they're just 7-19 in the past 26 games away from home. For Dallas, they have dropped four of the past five overall, although they're a solid 11-4 in the past 15 against Pacific Division foes. The Kings are just 1-5 in the past six against the Stars, although the road team is 4-1 in the past five. While the under has been the play for both teams lately, going 8-2 in L.A.'s past 10, and 5-0-1 in the past six for Dallas, the 'over' is 7-3-4 in the past 14 meetings in this series.
Friday, Jan. 18
N.Y. Islanders-Washington: It might be rather overlooked, but the Capitals will welcome Stanley Cup champion head coach Barry Trotz to town on Friday night. It will be his first visit to D.C. since leaving after last season's title, failing to agree to terms on a new deal after the franchise's first championship. Washington greeted him rudely on the Island in the first meeting on Nov. 26, winning 4-1 behind Braden Holtby. He has been on the shelf with an injury, so it's likely Pheonix Copley gets the starting nod. The Capitals are 0-2-1 over Copley's past three starts, getting outscored 13-4 in the process.
Buffalo-Vancouver: The Sabres continue their road trip against the Canucks in the Pacific Northwest, and the home side is a slight favorite over the skidding side from Buffalo. The Sabres picked up a much-needed win, and a rather impressive one, in Calgary on Wednesday. Buffalo posted a 4-3 win in overtime thanks to superstar Jack Eichel just 70 seconds into the extra session. Vancouver is looking to bounce back after a 3-2 setback against the Edmonton Oilers in a shootout on Wednesday. They're looking for revenge after losing a 4-3 shootout in Buffalo on Nov. 10 earlier in the season, too. The Canucks are 5-2-2 over their past nine at home.
Saturday, Jan. 19
Anaheim-New Jersey: The Ducks and Devils will drop the puck at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday in Newark, or 10:00 a.m. PT, the local clock of the Ducks. It could be a sluggish start for a team not playing all that way lately. Anaheim enters 0-5-2 in their past seven against Eastern Conference teams, last winning in Pittsburgh of all places on Dec. 17 by a 4-2 count. They also were able to beat the Devils in a shootout by a 6-5 count back on Dec. 9, as John Gibson outdueled Cory Schneider. The Ducks lost 5-3 last season in Newark on Dec. 18, and they haven't won in New Jersey since Dec. 19, 2015.
Philadelphia-Montreal: The Flyers and Canadiens do battle for the first time this season, and they're set to meet three times between now and March 19. Philly might be showing signs of snapping out of their funk, winning back-to-back games Monday and Wednesday. It's the first time the Fly Guys had consecutive wins in regulation since Dec. 18-20. Their season high, accomplished once, was a three-game run from Nov. 5-10, sweeping a home-and-home with Arizona before blanking Chicago. All-Star goaltender Carey Price is back, posting a solid 18-13-4 mark with a 2.65 goals-against average and .912 save percentage as of Thursday AM. He also has three shutouts to his credit.
Pittsburgh-Vegas: The Golden Knights welcome the Penguins to town, and Marc-Andre Fleury will likely be in the crease for this one. Malcolm Subban started the first meeting the Steel City back on Oct. 11, as the Pens posted a 4-2 victory behind Casey DeSmith. Matt Murray will likely be holding down the fort in this one. In the only previous meeting in Sin City last season, Fleury bested Murray, his former understudy, by a 2-1 margin on Dec. 14, 2017. The 'under' is 7-2-1 across the past 10 outings heading into Saturday's showdown. On the flip side, the Pens have a 4-0 'over' mark across their past four road games heading into Friday's battle in Arizona. They have the difficult task of back-to-back desert games, while Vegas enters well rested and off since Tuesday.
NHL Spot Plays 1/18/2019
Date 18th Jan 2019
Allen Moody
nhl picks a 2-1 day in the NHL on Thursday, which was really about all we were hoping for, as we layed a little extra juice on all three of the under plays. So no complaints there and seven games on the slate for Friday.
Toronto at Florida: The Maple Leafs opened -160 and the line is down to Toronto -145 and the total is 6.5-over (-120) in what appears to be a definite letdown situation for the Leafs, but teams who knocked off the Lightning their previous game have gone 9-2 their following game and 1-10 in totals. Toronto is 18-10 after a win and 14-12-2 in totals, while the Panthers have gone 10-17 after a loss and 14-10-3 in totals. The Panthers are 9-7 in totals when the number is 6.5 and Toronto is 11-12.
Montreal at Columbus: The Blue Jackets opened -165 and the line is now Columbus -150 with Montreal getting 60% of the early wagers. Both teams are a little below .500 after a win and show slight under tendencies, with the Habs going 12-13 in totals and Columbus is 9-15-3. Would normally look at the under, but Bobrovsky not playing well lately with all of the trade talk.
Ottawa at Carolina: The Hurricanes opened -230 and the line is still there, while the total has held at 6.5. The Sens are just 6-11 after a win, although the ‘Canes are 11-12 after a loss. Carolina is 7-16 in totals after a loss, although Ottawa is 10-7 in totals after a win.
NY Islanders at Washington: The Caps came out at -185 earlier this morning with a total of 6 and Washington is 10-8 after a loss and 10-7-1 in totals, although the Islanders are 15-11 and 9-16-1 in totals after a win.
Pittsburgh at Arizona: The Pens are -150 with a total of 6-over (-120) and both teams are 10-10 in their respective situations, with conflicing totals trends.
Detroit at Calgary: The Flames opened -250 and are holding pretty steady, while we’ve seen a slight shift in the total from 6.5 to 6.5-under (-115). Detroit is 8-9 after a win and 7-10 in totals, while the Flames are 12-5 after a loss and 7-9-1 in totals, but the Flames are 9-2 in totals when the number is 6.5.
Buffalo at Vancouver: The Cancucks are -125 with a total of 5.5-over (-115) and Buffalo is 13-10 after a win and 12-11 in totals, while the Canucks are 12-14 after a loss and 12-11-3 in totals. The Sabres are 11-9 with a total of 5.5 and Vancouver is 10-7, so will take the over 5.5 (-115) here.