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Today's Free Picks for Oct 22, 2013
Anaheim @ TORONTO
Anaheim -104 over TORONTO
OT included. The Maple Leafs have won six of nine games but that winning percentage is unsustainable for a team this bad. Certainly, Toronto has some goal scorers and no question Randy Carlyle will want to stick it to his former club but until the Leafs do something about their defense, they are going to lose a lot more games than they win. Over its last three games, Toronto has been outshot 115-60. That 3-1 loss to Chicago on Saturday ranks as one of the more flattering finals of the season. An unimpressive group of no-name defenseman (after the overrated Phaneuf) continues to hang both James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier out to dry. Paul Ranger? Seriously? Jake Gardiner is a defensive nightmare and Cody Franzen should be playing for the Eerie Otters. This Leafs’ season started out beautifully but the fall from grace is not going to be pretty, and we’re sorry to say it to all you Leafs fans, but this roster is a mess and the Ducks powerful offense figures to add to Toronto’s defensive shortcomings. Anaheim has won seven in a row. They’ve scored three goals or more in all seven games and four or more in four of those. The Ducks outshot Dallas in their last game 47-36. They fired away 39 shots on the defensive minded Coyotes and 56 on the defensive-minded Senators. Defensively, Anaheim is physical and they have several defensemen that can move the puck out quickly and efficiently. The Ducks are frightening to play against because of all that firepower up front and because of a powerplay that looks like it is going to score on every opportunity. Additionally, the Ducks embark on a seven-game trip beginning here and the first game of such a trip almost always brings out the best in a team in an attempt to set the tone for the remainder of it. Anytime we can get such a high quality caliber team in a good spot against the pathetic defense of Maple Leafs you can pencil us in and we certainly make no exception here.
Our Pick
Anaheim -104 (Risking 2.08 units - To Win: 2.00)
Edmonton @ MONTREAL
Edmonton +201 over MONTREAL
Regulation only. The price on the Oilers here dictates the play. Edmonton is coming off a confidence boosting win in Ottawa on Friday and had the entire weekend off to get ready for this exciting trip to Montreal. The last time the Oilers played in Montreal was back in 2011. For many of these Oilers, it will be their first chance to play at this historic hockey city and you can be sure they will be jacked up and ready to go. Edmonton already has a bunch of key injuries and that’s one of the reasons it is such a big price but they also have the speed and point producers to match the Canadiens. The Habs have gotten off to a good start but in no way do they deserve this billing. Montreal has just as many key injuries as the Oilers. Max Pacioretty, Daniel Briere and sparkplug Brandon Prust are all out. The Canadiens have arguably played the NHL’s easiest schedule to date with just three games against teams over .500 and against that trip they have one win. That lone victory came against the now 5-4 Canucks back when Vancouver was adjusting to a new system and new coaches. Don’t get us wrong. We’re not suggesting for a second that the Canadiens are trash because that’s just not the case. They are quickly becoming extremely tough on defense and Carey Price remains one of the best when he’s on his game. However, they are overvalued here and that’s something we always look for.
Our Pick
Edmonton +201 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 4.02)
Nashville @ MINNESOTA
Nashville +132 over MINNESOTA
OT included. Minnesota has dropped three in a row against Florida, Tampa Bay and Toronto. Over that span the Wild scored one goal in each game for a total of three goals. Prior to that, they defeated the Sabres 2-1. In six of their last seven games, the Wild have scored two goals or less. That should come as no surprise because after Minnesota’s first line, the secondary lines lack everything. Fact is, the loss of reliable veterans like Pierre Marc-Bouchard, Matt Cullen and Cal Clutterbuck hurt Minnesota’s depth. It hurt it a lot and although Minnesota’s defense is solid, they are just not scoring enough to warrant this billing, especially against the most undervalued team in the NHL right now.
We cashed in on the Predators on the weekend with back-to-back wins over Montreal and Winnipeg. Nashville is now 5-3 and they’ve picked up points in five straight games with four wins and one OT loss to Los Angeles. Pekka Rinne is playing outstanding in goal again. The Preds are a relentless group that plays a disciplined, tough brand of hockey. Coach Trotz will focus in on shutting down Minnesota’s only scoring line while relying on the depth of his entire lineup to take care of the rest. Once again we get a sweet tag on the better team with a huge edge in net and a huge edge in current form as well. Sign us up for that.
Our Pick
Nashville +132 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.64)
Today's Free Picks for Oct 22, 2013
Anaheim @ TORONTO Anaheim -104 over TORONTO
OT included. The Maple Leafs have won six of nine games but that winning percentage is unsustainable for a team this bad. Certainly, Toronto has some goal scorers and no question Randy Carlyle will want to stick it to his former club but until the Leafs do something about their defense, they are going to lose a lot more games than they win. Over its last three games, Toronto has been outshot 115-60. That 3-1 loss to Chicago on Saturday ranks as one of the more flattering finals of the season. An unimpressive group of no-name defenseman (after the overrated Phaneuf) continues to hang both James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier out to dry. Paul Ranger? Seriously? Jake Gardiner is a defensive nightmare and Cody Franzen should be playing for the Eerie Otters. This Leafs’ season started out beautifully but the fall from grace is not going to be pretty, and we’re sorry to say it to all you Leafs fans, but this roster is a mess and the Ducks powerful offense figures to add to Toronto’s defensive shortcomings. Anaheim has won seven in a row. They’ve scored three goals or more in all seven games and four or more in four of those. The Ducks outshot Dallas in their last game 47-36. They fired away 39 shots on the defensive minded Coyotes and 56 on the defensive-minded Senators. Defensively, Anaheim is physical and they have several defensemen that can move the puck out quickly and efficiently. The Ducks are frightening to play against because of all that firepower up front and because of a powerplay that looks like it is going to score on every opportunity. Additionally, the Ducks embark on a seven-game trip beginning here and the first game of such a trip almost always brings out the best in a team in an attempt to set the tone for the remainder of it. Anytime we can get such a high quality caliber team in a good spot against the pathetic defense of Maple Leafs you can pencil us in and we certainly make no exception here.
Our Pick
Anaheim -104 (Risking 2.08 units - To Win: 2.00)
Edmonton @ MONTREAL Edmonton +201 over MONTREAL
Regulation only. The price on the Oilers here dictates the play. Edmonton is coming off a confidence boosting win in Ottawa on Friday and had the entire weekend off to get ready for this exciting trip to Montreal. The last time the Oilers played in Montreal was back in 2011. For many of these Oilers, it will be their first chance to play at this historic hockey city and you can be sure they will be jacked up and ready to go. Edmonton already has a bunch of key injuries and that’s one of the reasons it is such a big price but they also have the speed and point producers to match the Canadiens. The Habs have gotten off to a good start but in no way do they deserve this billing. Montreal has just as many key injuries as the Oilers. Max Pacioretty, Daniel Briere and sparkplug Brandon Prust are all out. The Canadiens have arguably played the NHL’s easiest schedule to date with just three games against teams over .500 and against that trip they have one win. That lone victory came against the now 5-4 Canucks back when Vancouver was adjusting to a new system and new coaches. Don’t get us wrong. We’re not suggesting for a second that the Canadiens are trash because that’s just not the case. They are quickly becoming extremely tough on defense and Carey Price remains one of the best when he’s on his game. However, they are overvalued here and that’s something we always look for.
Our Pick
Edmonton +201 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 4.02)
Nashville @ MINNESOTA Nashville +132 over MINNESOTA
OT included. Minnesota has dropped three in a row against Florida, Tampa Bay and Toronto. Over that span the Wild scored one goal in each game for a total of three goals. Prior to that, they defeated the Sabres 2-1. In six of their last seven games, the Wild have scored two goals or less. That should come as no surprise because after Minnesota’s first line, the secondary lines lack everything. Fact is, the loss of reliable veterans like Pierre Marc-Bouchard, Matt Cullen and Cal Clutterbuck hurt Minnesota’s depth. It hurt it a lot and although Minnesota’s defense is solid, they are just not scoring enough to warrant this billing, especially against the most undervalued team in the NHL right now.
We cashed in on the Predators on the weekend with back-to-back wins over Montreal and Winnipeg. Nashville is now 5-3 and they’ve picked up points in five straight games with four wins and one OT loss to Los Angeles. Pekka Rinne is playing outstanding in goal again. The Preds are a relentless group that plays a disciplined, tough brand of hockey. Coach Trotz will focus in on shutting down Minnesota’s only scoring line while relying on the depth of his entire lineup to take care of the rest. Once again we get a sweet tag on the better team with a huge edge in net and a huge edge in current form as well. Sign us up for that.
Our Pick
Nashville +132 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 2.64)
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