Tuesday NHL Opening Odds
(The Spread) – Among the 10 NHL games on Tuesday, none stack up to the matchup between the two teams fighting for the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Philadelphia Flyers became the first team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff spot when they beat the Stars in a shootout on Saturday. They’ll take on a Washington Capitals team that still has their eyes on the top seed in the East, although that looks harder with star player Alex Ovechkin sidelined for the next 7-to-10 days.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Bodog.com have made the Flyers –174 money line favorites against the Capitals on Tuesday night. The over/under total for this game has opened at 5.5 goals.
According to recent NHL trends, the over is 18-7-3 in the last 28 meetings between these two teams in Philadelphia, while the favorite is 5-2 in the last seven meetings. The Capitals are just 7-20-1 in their last 28 trips to Philadelphia, while the road team is also only 2-5 in the last seven games between these two squads.
One other game to keep an eye on is the one between the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins. After a nasty road trip, the Bruins return home for the first of a six-game homestand. Meanwhile, the Devils were hockey’s hottest team for more than two months before suffering back-to-back defeats to the Capitals and Senators to put their playoff hopes in jeopardy.
Oddsmakers have made the Bruins –141 money line favorites over the Devils, who are +130. The under is 4-0 in the last four meetings between these two teams when the game is played in Boston, and 7-1-3 in the last 11 meetings overall.
Tuesday NHL Opening Lines & Totals for March 22, 2011
1 Ottawa Senators +177 (5.5)
2 Carolina Hurricanes –193 (5.5)
3 New Jersey Devils +130 (5)
4 Boston Bruins –141 (5)
5 Florida Panthers +201 (5)
6 New York Rangers –220 (5)
7 Buffalo Sabres +114 (5.5)
8 Montreal Canadiens –123 (5.5)
9 Washington Capitals +160 (5.5)
10 Philadelphia Flyers –174 (5.5)
11 New York Islanders +163 (5.5)
12 Tampa Bay Lightning –177 (5.5)
13 Toronto Maple Leafs +107 (5.5)
14 Minnesota Wild –116 (5.5)
15 Edmonton Oilers +229 (5)
16 Nashville Predators –252 (5)
17 Columbus Blue Jackets –119 (5.5)
18 Colorado Avalanche +110 (5.5)
19 St. Louis Blues +153 (5.5)
20 Phoenix Coyotes –166 (5.5)
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