What Bettors Need to Know: Hockey Night in Canada
By ARI BAUM-COHEN
New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs (+110, 6)
The basics
This game looks like it will be a lopsided affair.
The New York Rangers are 6-1-0 and have won six in a row. The Toronto Maple Leafs are 0-5-1 and have lost five straight in regulation. The Rangers embarrassed the Maple Leafs 7-2 earlier this week at Madison Square Garden.
Toronto GM Brian Burke summed up the Maple Leafs’ struggles after Toronto’s most recent loss.
“There's four main components and we're not executing in any of them: our defensive-zone play, our scoring, our special teams, our goaltending," said Burke.
New faces
Much of the Blueshirts’ early success can be linked to the influence of Coach John Tortorella and the contributions of free agents Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal.
Tortorella has changed the way the Rangers play hockey. According to New York defenseman Dan Girardi "our main thing is we are still defensive, but it's getting in their face in the neutral zone and shutting them down there instead of backing up and playing in our zone."
Gaborik and Prospal lead New York with 10 points in seven games.
Newly acquired Maple Leaf Jonas Gustavsson has seen limited action and Phil Kessel is still weeks away from his debut.
Free agent acquisitions Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek headline a Toronto defense that has allowed the most goals in the league.
The King and the Pauper(s)
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is having a great start to the season. King Henrik is 5-1-0 with a 2.34 GAA and was the first star in New York’s last win.
The Maple Leafs have allowed the most goals in the league and have already started three goaltenders. With Vesa Toskala (knee) and Jonas Gustavsson (groin) out, Toronto is relying on perennial back-up Joey MacDonald and rookie James Reimer. MacDonald gave up four goals in his only start this season and Reimer is nowhere near NHL ready.
Penalty killed
The Blueshirts have played very well on special teams, with their PP and PK both above the league average at 26.5 percent and 86.1 percent respectively.
The Maple Leafs, while they have been effective on the power play (27.8 percent), are killing off penalties an astounding 58.3 percent of the time. The early struggles of the PK unit is not an encouraging sign for a group that finished last in the NHL in this category in 2008-2009.
Minnesota Wild at Vancouver Canucks (-175, 5.5)
The basics
The late night HNIC matchup features two struggling, injury-plagued teams.
Minnesota is last in the conference, with only one win in their first five games. The Canucks are only two points ahead of the Wild and sport a 2-3-0 record.
Not A-groin
Both the Wild and Canucks are suffering from injuries to key players. Minnesota will probably be without Martin Havlat and Petr Sykora due to groin injuries. Pierre-Marc Bouchard has played in only one game this year and is suffering from concussion-like symptoms.
The Canucks are missing their best scorer in Daniel Sedin, out until mid-to-late November with a broken foot. Oft-injured defenseman Sami Salo will miss 4-6 weeks with a sprained MCL.
Goals, anyone
Under new coach Todd Richards Minnesota is supposed to be a higher scoring team than previous years but so far have only managed twelve goals in five games.
"It is a big adjustment – 90 percent of the team is used to playing a sit-back style and when you come in and totally change it, there is going to be an adjustment period," said Wild forward Kyle Brodziak.
The Canucks not only have to contend with the loss of Daniel Sedin, but Henrik Sedin has to play without his brother for an extended period of time – the first time as professionals this has happened to the twins.
“We’re going to need help from the total group,” head coach Alain Vigneault said. “You don’t replace a guy like Danny.”
Last team skating
Both teams will struggle to play a full 60 minutes. Saturday will be the final game of the Wild’s grueling five-game road trip and their third game in four nights.
The Canucks have been idle since a Sunday shootout victory against Dallas, but have to go into the Saddledome Friday night and play against an angry Flames squad returning from a disappointing road trip.
Saturday's Best NHL Bets
By Covers.com
Dallas Stars at Chicago Blackhawks (-175, 5.5)
The Stars are averaging 33 shots per game. That number figures to drop after a meeting with the Blackhawks, who have relied on their defense to win four in a row.
Chicago is allowing a league-low 20.1 shots per game, including just 13 in Thursday's 3-1 win at Nashville. Goaltender Cristobal Huet said the defense has been so good in preventing shots that he has found it tough to keep his edge.
"Games like this are challenging mentally, but they are good, too," Huet told reporters after the game. "That means the team is playing hard in front of you."
The Blackhawks also have won the last four meetings with the Stars with overall edges of 134-106 in shots and 20-8 in goals. Huet has been in net for the last two of those wins, giving up three goals on 49 shots.
The Stars will be playing on consecutive nights for the first time this season.
Pick: Chicago -175
Nashville Predators at Washington Capitals (-230, 6)
A line tweak by Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau turned Alex Ovechkin into Allen Iverson.
The Caps had been winless in four games with Ovechkin playing with Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin. Boudreau inserted Brooks Laich for Ovechkin, whom he put on a line with Mike Knuble and center Brendan Morrison.
Ovechkin got off a staggering 13 shots and found the net for the first time since Oct. 6, scoring twice in 28 seconds of the middle period of a 4-1 win over San Jose.
Semin scored the game's first goal for the Capitals, who have won the last three meetings with the Predators. In those contests, Semin has two goals and two assists and Ovechkin has two and three despite missing a match.
Pick: Washington -230
ATLANTA vs. BUFFALO
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Buffalo
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Buffalo
Buffalo is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Buffalo is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
CAROLINA vs. NEW JERSEY
Carolina is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
Carolina is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing New Jersey
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Jersey's last 6 games when playing at home against Carolina
New Jersey is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Carolina
COLORADO vs. DETROIT
Colorado is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Colorado's last 10 games on the road
Detroit is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Detroit's last 8 games when playing Colorado
LOS ANGELES vs. COLUMBUS
Los Angeles is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 8 games
Columbus is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Columbus's last 6 games when playing at home against Los Angeles
NASHVILLE vs. WASHINGTON
Nashville is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Nashville's last 6 games
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Nashville
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Nashville
NY RANGERS vs. TORONTO
NY Rangers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing at home against NY Rangers
Toronto is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home
OTTAWA vs. MONTREAL
Ottawa is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Montreal
Ottawa is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games
Montreal is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
SAN JOSE vs. NY ISLANDERS
San Jose is 4-1-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games when playing on the road against NY Islanders
NY Islanders are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games at home
NY Islanders are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games
TAMPA BAY vs. PITTSBURGH
Tampa Bay is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 10 games
DALLAS vs. CHICAGO
Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games at home
BOSTON vs. PHOENIX
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Boston is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Phoenix
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
Phoenix is 3-4-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Boston
MINNESOTA vs. VANCOUVER
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
Vancouver is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
Vancouver is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games at home
ST. LOUIS vs. ANAHEIM
St. Louis is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing Anaheim
Anaheim is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Anaheim's last 5 games at home
CAROLINA (2-3-0-1, 5 pts.) at NEW JERSEY (3-3-0-0, 6 pts.)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.
Head-to-Head Series History
CAROLINA is 8-7 (+1.7 Units) against the spread versus NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
CAROLINA is 8-7-0 straight up against NEW JERSEY over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.2 Units)
ATLANTA (3-1-0-0, 6 pts.) at BUFFALO (4-1-0-0, 8 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 108-120 ATS (+269.3 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more since 1996.
BUFFALO is 6-10 ATS (-6.3 Units) in a home game where where the total is 6 or more over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 6-2 (+6.6 Units) against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 6-2-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+3.0 Units)
SAN JOSE (3-3-0-1, 7 pts.) at NY ISLANDERS (0-3-0-2, 2 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
NY ISLANDERS are 80-128 ATS (+241.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
NY ISLANDERS is 1-1 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
NY ISLANDERS is 1-1-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)
NASHVILLE (2-4-0-0, 4 pts.) at WASHINGTON (3-3-0-1, 7 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 17-4 ATS (+10.4 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NASHVILLE is 126-85 ATS (+27.4 Units) on Saturday games since 1996.
NASHVILLE is 58-56 ATS (+132.9 Units) in road games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game since 1996.
WASHINGTON is 91-135 ATS (-45.9 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 3-0 (+3.2 Units) against the spread versus NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
WASHINGTON is 3-0-0 straight up against NASHVILLE over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.0 Units)
COLORADO (5-1-0-1, 11 pts.) at DETROIT (3-3-0-0, 6 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 0-10 ATS (+12.5 Units) in road games after a 3 game unbeaten streak over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 32-6 ATS (+18.1 Units) in home games after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 20-2 ATS (+15.2 Units) in home games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 67-49 ATS (+16.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 6 or more since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 9-3 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 9-3-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.2 Units)
LOS ANGELES (4-3-0-0, 8 pts.) at COLUMBUS (4-1-0-0, 8 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
COLUMBUS is 25-21 ATS (+46.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
COLUMBUS is 14-10 ATS (+27.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 53-55 ATS (+130.5 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
COLUMBUS is 5-3 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
COLUMBUS is 5-3-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.5 Units)
NY RANGERS (6-1-0-0, 12 pts.) at TORONTO (0-6-0-0, 0 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 0-7 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games after playing 3 consecutive home games over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 255-244 ATS (+524.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
TORONTO is 14-26 ATS (-14.5 Units) in home games first half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
TORONTO is 22-34 ATS (-27.1 Units) in home games when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1996.
TORONTO is 48-60 ATS (-53.8 Units) in home games after a non-conference game since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 5-4 (+3.0 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
TORONTO is 5-4-0 straight up against NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+0.6 Units)
OTTAWA (4-2-0-0, 8 pts.) at MONTREAL (2-4-0-0, 4 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
OTTAWA is 83-91 ATS (-34.2 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 2-11 ATS (-9.8 Units) in road games on Saturday games over the last 2 seasons.
OTTAWA is 38-43 ATS (-30.5 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
OTTAWA is 8-14 ATS (-15.4 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 43-49 ATS (-38.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 23-29 ATS (-14.9 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 17-20 ATS (-16.1 Units) in home games on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
OTTAWA is 7-7 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 7-7-0 straight up against OTTAWA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.7 Units)
TAMPA BAY (2-2-0-2, 6 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (6-1-0-0, 12 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 26-60 ATS (+100.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 12-28 ATS (+40.8 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 14-32 ATS (+46.2 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 16-42 ATS (+74.1 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 3-16 ATS (+24.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 16-6 ATS (+8.7 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 6-2 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 6-2-0 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.7 Units)
DALLAS (2-1-0-3, 7 pts.) at CHICAGO (5-1-0-1, 11 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 23-14 ATS (+7.6 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 13-5 ATS (+7.8 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 133-78 ATS (+31.9 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game since 1996.
DALLAS is 47-38 ATS (+92.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 13-6 ATS (+20.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 190-232 ATS (-48.8 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record since 1996.
CHICAGO is 97-121 ATS (-53.7 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 6-2 (+5.0 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 6-2-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.3 Units)
BOSTON (3-3-0-0, 6 pts.) at PHOENIX (4-2-0-0, 8 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 40-27 ATS (+69.1 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 31-12 ATS (+17.6 Units) first half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 33-10 ATS (+18.3 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 9-24 ATS (-16.4 Units) in home games on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 1-1 (+1.4 Units) against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 1-1-0 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.0 Units)
MINNESOTA (1-5-0-0, 2 pts.) at VANCOUVER (2-4-0-0, 4 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 69-90 ATS (-76.3 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1996.
VANCOUVER is 98-105 ATS (-62.3 Units) when playing against a team with a losing record in the first half of the season since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
VANCOUVER is 8-5 (+3.4 Units) against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
VANCOUVER is 8-6-0 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.2 Units)
ST LOUIS (2-2-0-1, 5 pts.) at ANAHEIM (3-3-0-0, 6 pts.)
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 9-4 ATS (+3.8 Units) on Saturday games over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 83-63 ATS (+13.3 Units) after 3 or more consecutive unders since 1996.
Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 5-3 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 5-3-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.9 Units)
CAROLINA at NEW JERSEY
CAROLINA: 22-10 SU after a loss by 1 goal in their previous game
NEW JERSEY: 9-12 SU off a home loss by 2 goals or more
ATLANTA at BUFFALO
ATLANTA: 6-3 SU when playing 5 or less games in 14 days
BUFFALO: 6-10 SU at home when the total is 6+
SAN JOSE at NY ISLANDERS
SAN JOSE: 3-3 SU as a road favorite of -200 to -300
NY ISLANDERS: 6-0 SU at home after playing a game where 9+ total goals
NASHVILLE at WASHINGTON
NASHVILLE: 27-16 SU off a home loss against a division rival
WASHINGTON: 84-131 SU in non-conference games
COLORADO at DETROIT
COLORADO: 0-10 SU after a 3 game unbeaten streak
DETROIT: 25-3 SU at home after one or more consecutive overs
LOS ANGELES at COLUMBUS
LOS ANGELES: 9-3 SU after allowing 5+ goals
COLUMBUS: 32-37 SU as a favorite
NY RANGERS at TORONTO
NY RANGERS: 6-1 SU this season
TORONTO: 34-52 SU at home
OTTAWA at MONTREAL
OTTAWA: 2-11 SU AWAY on Saturday
MONTREAL: 47-22 SU at home after losing 4 of their last 5
TAMPA BAY at PITTSBURGH
TAMPA BAY: 2-13 SU after allowing 5+ goals
PITTSBURGH: 16-6 SU when playing with 2 days rest
DALLAS at CHICAGO
DALLAS: 13-5 SU after a non-conference game
CHICAGO: 3-9 SU at home when playing 6+ games in 10 days
BOSTON at PHOENIX
BOSTON: 26-8 SU after a win by 3 goals
PHOENIX: 2-12 SU after a 2 game unbeaten streak
MINNESOTA at VANCOUVER
MINNESOTA: 63-50 SU after allowing 2+ goals in the third period
VANCOUVER: 1-6 SU at home after allowing 5+ goals
ST LOUIS at ANAHEIM
ST LOUIS: 8-2 SU after losing their previous game in overtime
ANAHEIM: 3-9 SU at home off a home win
FYI - LA Kings have lots of players sick with the flu for tonight's game against Columbus.