Articles by Cappers Picks related to online NHL hockey betting, and handicapping live NHL matchups.
Chara-less Bruins Head to St. Louis Thursday Night
The Hot Boston Bruins travel to St. Louis Thursday night in a battle of the NHL Heavyweights. While both teams have been fixture in the top 10 in the NHLs overall standings virtually all year, the bigger story may be the fact that Boston will play without Zdeno Chara who has been given two games to get to Sochi early and bask in the glory of being Slovakia`s flag bearer for the Opening Ceremonies.
This is the last week of NHL action before the best of the best head to Sochi to take part in the Olympics. There isn’t a whole lot of change at the top of the Rankings after two weeks – the top dogs just keeping it done and in the case of the Blackhawks – they keep getting to OT but are having issues getting the two point.
Penguins and Kings Meet For First Time In Two Years Thursday Night
A Heavyweight clash highlights a busy night in the NHL Thursday when the Pittsburgh Penguins head to Los Angeles to take on the Kings.
The Montreal Canadiens will make the trek down to TD Garden on Thursday for a date with Atlantic Division rival the Boston Bruins. The Bruins enter in fine form, winning each of their last four contests, while the Canadiens aren’t enjoying the same kind of success, dropping four of their last five.
Heated, Hated Rivals Do Battle in Vancouver – Scuffling Blackhawks Play Visit
If you have been backing the Chicago Blackhawks lately – I, like you am at a loss. A loss last night in Calgary of all places has officially dropped the Hawks out of first place in the Central Division – they are 0-2-2 in their last four games and 4-3-6 in their last 13 overall.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will make the trip north of the border to the Air Canada Centre for a date with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
Hawks Hope The Road Will Cure Their Woes – Visit Flames Tuesday Night
The defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks are in some sort of funk – three straight losses and a 4-3-5 record in their last 12 games. On Tuesday they take their show on the road to visit a Calgary team that rides a tidy two game win streak into Tuesday’s clash.
Canucks Look to Extend Dominance Over Oilers Monday Night
It is a short turnaround for both the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks but both teams will meet Monday night looking to build off impressive wins from Sunday night.
The Los Angeles Kings make the trip over to the SAP Center on Monday for a date with an instate rival, the San Jose Sharks. The teams enter heading in very different directions as San Jose has won six in a row, while Los Angeles has dropped each of their last five games.
Bruins Face Recent Cup Winner For the Second Afternoon in a Row – Host Kings Monday
The Boston Bruins get back on the ice Monday afternoon after dropping a 3-2 decision in a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Final against Chicago. On Monday, the Bruins have the honor of hosting the team that won the Cup a year earlier – the LA Kings in the teams’ second meeting in 11 days. The Kings won the first meeting 4-2 and enter this game having lost two straight games in a shootout.
Los Angeles (29-14-2-4) at Boston (30-15-0-3)
When: 3:00 PM ET, Monday, January 20, 2014
Where: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Broadcast: NHLN-US, NHLN-CA, FS-W, NESN
Kings vs. Bruins Betting Lines from betonline.com
Los Angeles Kings +1½ -310 +102 Ov 5 +114 Ov 2½ +110 Un 2½ -140
Boston Bruins -1½ +260 -113 Un 5 -126 Ov 2½ +110 Un 2½ -140
The Los Angeles Kings were perhaps unlucky to lose in Detroit but the team has little time to think about it – the mighty Bruins are next on tap. The Kings have been playing much more consistent hockey of late and it coincides with the return of Jonathan Quick to the lineup after a groin injury. Quick has been sensational – he has gone 4-1-2 with a terrific 1.40 GAA since returning. He is once again giving the Kings a chance to win every night – all by himself. Quick has posted a 2.17 GAA while winning six of eight career starts against Boston.
Offensively, the Kings are still struggling to score goals – something that might haunt them against Boston. The team averages an OK 2.45 goals per game but they have had a difficult time as of late finding the back of the net. Jeff Carter has goals in consecutive games for the Kings and a three-game point streak overall – he has 19 points in 18 games while Slava Voynov has three points in two games and Drew Doughty has two points in his last two games. The Kings’ old nemesis – goal scoring may be an issue Monday – unless Quick can weave his magic once again.
The Boston Bruins have lost four of six and two of its last four have been decided by one goal – they are in every game but not getting the results. Boston is just 4-5-1 in their last 10 games overall but are playing better than that record indicates.
The Bruins are playing well defensively to nobody’s surprise – just 2.17 goals per game allowed and they are also getting it done offensively this year – scoring 2.85 goals per game.
Patrice Bergeron has two goals and three assists during a three-game point streak for the Bruins – including two goals yesterday, Brad Marchand has five points in three games, Milan Lucic has two points in two games and Riley Smith has three points in three games. Some veterans on this team are struggling however – Loui Eriksson is pointless in three games and Jarome Iginla hasn’t hit the score sheet in five games.
Tuukka Rask was pulled in the first meeting between the two clubs and could get a rest Monday after making 35 stops against Chicago Sunday. That would leave Chad Johnson who is 1-1-0 with a 1.78 GAA and .942 save percentage in his last three games to start between the pipes.
Betting Prediction: A few trends to consider:
• Under is 18-6-12 in LA last 36 road games.
• LA are 9-3 in their last 12 vs. Eastern Conference.
• LA are 20-7 in their last 27 Mon. games.
• Over is 8-2-4 in BOS last 14 overall.
• Over is 6-2-3 in BOS last 11 Mon. games.
• BOS are 8-3 in their last 11 vs. Pacific.
• LA are 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.
It looks as though the LA Kings may have caught the Boston Bruins at precisely the right time. For some reason good play isn’t translating to victories for Boston. After an emotional hard-fought game yesterday, look for the Bruins to come out a tad flat Monday and for the Kings to take full advantage.
Pick: LA Kings +102
Jets Look to Make a Genius Put of New Coach – Travel to Calgary Thursday Night
It took something drastic to wake the Winnipeg Jets up and that came in the form of a firing. One day after replacing Coach Claude Noel with Paul Maurice, the Jets finally showed up, played a complete game and beat the Phoenix Coyotes to snap an ugly five game losing streak. On Thursday night the Jets will be tasked with travelling to Calgary to take on a Flames team that has their own issues losing six straight in regulation on home ice getting outscored 17-2 over that span.
The Montreal Canadiens will make the short trip down to the Canadian Tire Centre to take on the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. The Senators have turned things around in a big way after a rough start to the season, winning six of their last seven games, while Montreal has been stuck in a rut of late, alternating wins and losses in their last seven games.
Western Conference Heavyweights Do Battle Thursday – Kings Visit Blues
Two of the favorites to challenge for the Western Conference title throw down on Thursday night when the Los Angeles Kings travel to St. Louis to take on a Blues team that has been scorching of late. Both teams are coming off low scoring wins but only one team has played like a serious contender lately. The Blues are 10-1-1 in their last 12 games while the Kings are just 3-6-1 in their last 10.
Canucks Try for the Near-Impossible – A Win in Anaheim
Perhaps the biggest story in the NHL so far this season has been the play of the #1 overall team the Anaheim Ducks who hope to move into third on the league’s all-time list with a 22 game point streak at home to start the season.
Central Division Clash – Avs Look to Make Up Some Ground on Blackhawks
Two of the better teams in the NHL take to the ice on Tuesday night when the Colorado Avalanche, 5-2-3 in their last 10 games take on the Chicago Blackhawks who have been gaining points lately but not winning on the heels of a 5-1-4 streak. The teams have split their two games this season but it was Chicago that posted the easy victory last time these teams faced each other – 7-2 back on December 27.
Surging Sabres Look to Kick Flyers When They Are Down
The Buffalo Sabres, a team that was the NHL doormat for the better part of the first half of the season looks to keep their strong recent play going when they host the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday night. Buffalo has been formidable at home as of late while the Flyers will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak in which they were outscored 10-4.
