Winnipeg Jets at Ottawa Senators
January 19th, 7:00 P.M., Canadian Tire Centre
I am all aboard the Ottawa Senators train.
After resting from their opening weekend series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sens are at home and welcome the Winnipeg Jets. It’s true, the Sens are underdogs entering this game, but I think they have a ton of value to add to this parlay.
Winnipeg will be playing on back-to-back nights, plus they need to travel from Toronto to Ottawa. It’s going to be a quick turnaround for the Jets to prepare for this contest.
With Connor Hellebuyck getting the start for Winnipeg against Toronto, I can’t see the Jets sending him out again Tuesday evening. This means that Laurent Brossoit might get the start against Ottawa. It will be interesting to see if the Jets take the ice on Tuesday for a pre-game skate as well since they will need to make the late-night trek to Ottawa.
As for the Sens, I think they are going to be overlooked by a lot of teams. Their first and second lines are solid right now. While they may run into a depth issue against the Jets, Ottawa’s top dogs have had no trouble creating offense.
Winnipeg allows 26 shots against per game (which is a small sample size this early in the season). With that being said, I expect the Sens to get several opportunities against the Jets.
Breaking it down, the Jets have a number of factors against them that leads me to believe the Sens can pull this game off. They are playing tonight against Toronto, they need to travel to Ottawa late tonight and they most likely will have their backup G in net. This is a recipe for Senators’ success, which is why I am adding Ottawa ML -105 (888Sport) to my parlay slip.
Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers
January 19th, 7:00 P.M., Wells Fargo Center
Tuesday’s contest between Philadelphia and Buffalo is interesting because it will be the second of two games in as many nights.
With that being said, I can’t help but not choose the Flyers in this contest. What scares me, however, is that Carter Hart got the start tonight against Buffalo which means he may not start tomorrow for Philly. Even if Hart doesn’t start for the Flyers, Brian Elliott is a capable goaltender that still gives me confidence in selecting Philadelphia to win.
Buffalo is a team that has great pieces, but I can’t trust their depth. The Flyers statistically have better depth than the majority of the NHL, which means they are going to grind against Buffalo. I know the Sabres have the likes of Taylor Hall and Jack Eichel at the offensive helm, but there isn’t anyone truly scary on the Sabres’ offense after that.
Buffalo may make me eat my own words, but I can’t trust the Sabres against the Flyers. Philadelphia has been stellar on defense this season and should make adjustments if they happen to lose against Buffalo on Monday.
The Sabres have a ton of room for improvement, but with how stacked their division is they won’t have any breathing room for the entire season. I have to trust the Philly offense to capture a victory in this game. I am taking the Flyers’ money line at -164 (888Sport).
Colorado Avalanche at Los Angeles Kings
January 19th, 10:00 P.M., Staples Center
I know there is no such thing as a lock, but with one bold pick (Ottawa) and one pick that could go either way (Philadelphia), I need to stick with a team that is a favorite and facing a weaker opponent.
Other than the fact that Colorado is easily the stronger team in this game, I think several stats makes me confident in choosing the Avalanche on the money line.
The first thing that jumps out to me is that Los Angeles’ defense allows a ton of goals against per game. The Kings allow four goals against per game, which is one of the worst in the NHL. Squaring off against an offense that has Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen won’t be easy for the Kings’ defensive group.
Colorado owns one of the top offenses in the NHL, sorting by goals per game. It’s easy to believe why, but the Avalanche are scoring nearly five goals per game. Coupled with their defense, the Avalanche are rolling to open the season.
Los Angeles’ offense is middle of the pack, but that won’t be enough to cut it against Colorado. Hockey is all about depth and while the Kings have great individual players, as a team they are lacking four lines that can churn out wins.
As I said, no game is a lock but the Avalanche should steamroll the Kings in this contest. I am taking Colorado on the money line at -222 (888Sport).
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