The Calgary Flames played with a sense of urgency throughout last night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens en route to a dominating 4-1 victory, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets did in fact rebound with a victory over the Ottawa Senators, however an Ottawa goal with a mere 9.4 seconds left on the clock narrowed the final margin to 3-2. This late goal resulted in the Jets not covering the -1.5-puck line, leading to another 1-1 evening on the betting front. Below are two wagers to consider from Thursday night’s slate of games in the National Hockey League.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS at BOSTON BRUINS (Bruins -1.5, -121 ML, o/u 5)
The Boston Bruins have been unable to crack the code against the New York Islanders this season, losing all five of their head-to-head matchups to date. Following a 3-2 overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night, the Bruins will look to string together back-to-back wins to help strengthen their hold on the fourth and final playoff position in the NHL’s East Division. Recent acquisitions of Taylor Hall, Curtis Lazar and Mike Reilly have added much needed depth to Boston’s roster, and the expected return of Tuukka Rask to the starting lineup Thursday night could provide the spark the Bruins need to get their first win of the season against New York. On the flipside of that argument, the absence of Rask for the better part of five weeks could present the potential for rust, a scenario which the Islanders could take advantage of. New York has struggled to put pucks in the back of the net over their last five games (averaging 1.8 goals per game), so catching Rask off the bench could potentially allow the Islanders to regain some of their offensive form. The Isles have been one of the best teams in hockey in 2021, and the opportunities to catch plus-odds on them have been few and far between. Given their current moneyline odds of +100 (implied probability of 50%) on PointsBet, the Islanders constitute an overlay in Thursday night’s game in Boston (odds likely should be closer to 53%, or -113).
Prediction: Islanders 3 – Bruins 2
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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS at PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (Penguins -1.5, -160 ML, o/u 6.5)
The wheels have all but come off for the Philadelphia Flyers, who have been losers of six of their last eight games. Conversely, the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to run hot, picking up victories in eight of their last ten. In a tale of two teams headed in entirely different directions, it seems hard to envision a scenario in which the Flyers right the ship and get things back on track, despite taking on their in-state rivals. According to Edge Finder, the Penguins are 13-3 (+6.15 units) outright as home favorites this season, and while Philadelphia has given them all they can handle this year, Pittsburgh appears primed to add to those stats on Thursday. Expect the Pens to continue to roll along, looking to inch closer to the top in the East Division with a victory over Philadelphia.
Prediction: Penguins 5 – Flyers 3
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THE PLAYS
- New York Islanders ML (+100 on PointsBet)
- Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (+150 on PointsBet)
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