Monday 1-15-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc

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NHL

Monday, January 15

Trend Report

DALLAS @ BOSTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Dallas's last 8 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Boston is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games

ANAHEIM @ COLORADO
Anaheim is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Anaheim is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Colorado is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Colorado is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

SAN JOSE @ LOS ANGELES
San Jose is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
San Jose is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Los Angeles's last 13 games at home

NY ISLANDERS @ MONTREAL
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Islanders's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of NY Islanders's last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Montreal's last 9 games
Montreal is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing NY Islanders

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NHL Betting Cheat Sheet and Odds: An Avalanche of goals piling up in Denver
Monty Andrews

The Avalanche have played themselves into the periphery of the Western Conference playoff race thanks in large part to an electrifying offense that has produced 26 goals over its previous six games.

An Avalanche of Goals

The goals are piling up in the Mile High City as the Colorado Avalanche look to extend their winning streak to seven games Monday afternoon against the visiting Anaheim Ducks. The Avalanche have played themselves into the periphery of the Western Conference playoff race thanks in large part to an electrifying offense that has produced 26 goals over its previous six games. But Colorado still has plenty of work to do, sitting at the bottom of the Central Division despite riding the longest active winning streak in the league. The Ducks have also been playing some solid hockey, going 6-2-1 in their last nine games.

Vengeance vs. Vegas?

More than a few teams would like to gain their revenge on the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights - and the defending conference-champion Nashville Predators get next crack as the two teams do battle Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators are holding down second place in the incredibly competitive Central Division, three points back of the Winnipeg Jets. And they'd love nothing more than to improve their 13-4-2 home mark against a Golden Knights team that blanked them 3-0 in their previous encounter Jan. 2. Vegas has points in 16 of its last 17 games dating back to the beginning of December.

Original Six Rematch

The next chapter in one of the NHL's most storied rivalries goes Wednesday night at the Bell Centre as the Montreal Canadiens duel with the host Boston Bruins. The Canadiens hit the road for the first time in 2018 - and they'll be looking to make up for a lackluster showing in their last trek away from Montreal, when they went 2-5-0 while scoring fewer than two goal in all five of their losses. They also have revenge on their minds after dropping a 4-3 shootout decision to the Bruins on Saturday night - and if they don't atone Wednesday, they'll get another crack at the Bruins when they meet again this Saturday in Montreal.

Injury Updates

* The Lightning - and their fans - are regrouping after learning that defenseman Victor Hedman will miss the next three-to-six weeks with a knee injury. That timetable will prevent Hedman from playing in front of the home crowd at the All-Star Game.

* Jaromir Jagr's NHL career might be winding down. The 45-year-old has been placed on injured reserve by the Calgary Flames with a groin injury; Jagr has just one goal and six assists in 22 games, with the Flames going 5-1-0 SU when Jagr records a point.

* The Avalanche will be without the services of netminder Semyon Varlamov for another two weeks as he continues to recover from a groin ailment. But Colorado hasn't missed a beat with Jonathan Bernier in goal, winning each of his previous five starts.

Player News

* There's a new name atop the rookie scoring table, after New York Islanders forward Matthew Barzal roasted the rival Rangers for five points in a 7-2 victory. That puts Barzal at 44 points through 44 games, ranking inside the top 20 among league scorers.

* The Penguins' legendary 1-2 center duo has been lighting up the scoreboard in recent games. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have combined for 21 points through six games in January - a major reason why Pittsburgh is 5-1-0 SU so far this month.

* Oliver Ekman-Larsson's nightmare season continues. The star defenseman carries a minus-8 rating through the first four games of January, and is already an incredible minus-40 on the season - far and away the worst rating in the league.

Stanley Cup Futures

* The defending Stanley Cup finalists still have decent odds of a repeat appearance in the NHL championship. The Predators are installed at +1,300 on Bet365 - the fifth-best odds in the league - while the Penguins aren't far back at +2,200.

* The Islanders' recent tailspin has driven their Stanley Cup odds down to true longshot range. The Isles are now +2,500 to win their first championship since 1983; only five Eastern Conference teams have worse odds.

Over/Under Trends

* Losing their defensive anchor in Hedman might make the Lightning a target for over bettors. Tampa Bay has already been one of the stronger over plays this season, going 26-18 O/U so far - including 15 overs through its first 22 home games.

* St. Louis spent the majority of the season as a top-flight under option - but recent lapses in defense and goaltending might have bettors thinking otherwise. The Blues come into the week having played three straight overs, allowing 17 goals in that span.