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NHL Betting Cheat Sheet and Odds: Sharks pushing for first in the Pacific
Monty Andrews
The San Jose Sharks enter the week as the hottest team in the league, having won seven consecutive games to move to within six points of the Vegas Golden Knights for top spot in the Pacific division.
You can't fault the Vegas Golden Knights for looking in their rear view mirror a little bit. The streaking San Jose Sharks have won seven consecutive games and will visit Sin City this coming Saturday night. Covers dangles at the hash and goes bar down to give NHL bettors a breakdown of what to watch for this week on the ice.
Sharks Lurking
Don't look now, but the San Jose Sharks have streaked their way into the Pacific Division title picture as they prepare for a pivotal stretch of road games beginning Monday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Sharks enter the week as the hottest team in the league, having won seven consecutive games to move to within six points of the Vegas Golden Knights; both teams have seven games remaining. San Jose will play three games in three different cities over the next four nights - it travels to St. Louis on Tuesday before facing the Predators in Nashville on Thursday. The Sharks are +1,050 to pass the Golden Knights and win the division.
Connor vs. Columbus
The Columbus Blue Jackets saw their 10-game winning streak come to a heartbreaking end over the weekend - and getting back in the win column won't be an easy task as they face scorching-hot Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. McDavid has taken over the league lead in scoring as he seeks his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy despite only turning 21 last January. The Blue Jackets dropped a 2-1 decision to the St. Louis Blues but remain in the hunt for top spot in the Metropolitan Division. But they'll need to watch out for McDavid, who had four points in his previous meeting with Columbus.
Panther Playoff Push
It's a critical week for the Florida Panthers, who are on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. The Panthers enter the week three points back of the New Jersey Devils for the second wild card spot in the East, but have two games in hand - and could do themselves a major solid by using one of those to upend the Maple Leafs, who have all but sewn up third place in the Atlantic Division. It's the last of four regular-season meetings between the teams, with Florida owning a 2-1 advantage; all three games have gone under, and have been settled by one goal.
Player News
* The Calgary Flames will be without star forward Johnny Gaudreau, who has left the team to attend to a family matter and won't be in the lineup Monday vs. Los Angeles. Gaudreau has a team-best 82 points for the Flames, who are +30,000 to win the Cup.
* The Winnipeg Jets have added one of the top U.S. college prospects in the sport, signing Hobey Baker nominee C.J. Suess to an entry-level contract. Suess racked up 22 goals and 21 assists in 40 games with Minnesota State this past season.
* Senators forward Matt Duchene says he will consider signing a contract extension with Ottawa despite missing the playoffs this season. Duchene started slowly following his trade from Colorado but has 25 points in 27 games since the All-Star break.
Injury Updates
* The Boston Bruins finally got some good news on the injury front as forward Patrice Bergeron returned to the lineup Sunday for the first time in a month. The Bruins, who went a red-hot 9-2-2 SU without Bergeron, are still down four key players due to injury.
* Tobias Enstrom's disappointing 2017-18 campaign has gotten even worse, with the Jets ruling the veteran defenseman out for the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury. Enstrom, who has six points in 43 games, might return in the postseason.
* The Blues have lost some depth on the back end following a season-ending ACL injury to veteran defenseman Carl Gunnarson. St. Louis is installed as a +2,800 longshot to win its first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
Stanley Cup Futures
* It remains a two-horse race for the best Stanley Cup odds entering the second-last week of the regular season. The Nashville Predators are the front-runners on Bet365 at +400, with the Tampa Bay Lightning remaining in close pursuit at +440.
* With star center Auston Matthews in the fold, the Maple Leafs will likely be one of the trendier plays at +800, fourth-best behind Nashville, Tampa Bay and Boston. The Winnipeg Jets and expansion Vegas Golden Knights are next in line at +900 each.
* Don't sleep on the Los Angeles Kings, who have proven to be a very difficult out in years past even when squeaking into the postseason. The Kings carry whopping +3,000 odds to win their third Stanley Cup title in the previous seven years.
Betting Trends
* Betting on home favorites might not be the most exciting play, but it has certainly been the most lucrative over the past month's worth of games. Home faves have converted at nearly a 67-percent rate over the 30-day period ending Saturday.
* It appears that the over will prevail in what has been an incredible season-long totals battle. Entering the final two weeks of the season, teams have played 572 overs - good for a 50.6-percent share - compared to 558 overs.
* The battle for "best under play of the year" will likely come down to either the Blues or the Anaheim Ducks; both teams entered Sunday's action with a league-high 45 under conversions. Tampa Bay leads the over charge with 47 games above the total.
Monty Andrews
The San Jose Sharks enter the week as the hottest team in the league, having won seven consecutive games to move to within six points of the Vegas Golden Knights for top spot in the Pacific division.
You can't fault the Vegas Golden Knights for looking in their rear view mirror a little bit. The streaking San Jose Sharks have won seven consecutive games and will visit Sin City this coming Saturday night. Covers dangles at the hash and goes bar down to give NHL bettors a breakdown of what to watch for this week on the ice.
Sharks Lurking
Don't look now, but the San Jose Sharks have streaked their way into the Pacific Division title picture as they prepare for a pivotal stretch of road games beginning Monday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Sharks enter the week as the hottest team in the league, having won seven consecutive games to move to within six points of the Vegas Golden Knights; both teams have seven games remaining. San Jose will play three games in three different cities over the next four nights - it travels to St. Louis on Tuesday before facing the Predators in Nashville on Thursday. The Sharks are +1,050 to pass the Golden Knights and win the division.
Connor vs. Columbus
The Columbus Blue Jackets saw their 10-game winning streak come to a heartbreaking end over the weekend - and getting back in the win column won't be an easy task as they face scorching-hot Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. McDavid has taken over the league lead in scoring as he seeks his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy despite only turning 21 last January. The Blue Jackets dropped a 2-1 decision to the St. Louis Blues but remain in the hunt for top spot in the Metropolitan Division. But they'll need to watch out for McDavid, who had four points in his previous meeting with Columbus.
Panther Playoff Push
It's a critical week for the Florida Panthers, who are on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. The Panthers enter the week three points back of the New Jersey Devils for the second wild card spot in the East, but have two games in hand - and could do themselves a major solid by using one of those to upend the Maple Leafs, who have all but sewn up third place in the Atlantic Division. It's the last of four regular-season meetings between the teams, with Florida owning a 2-1 advantage; all three games have gone under, and have been settled by one goal.
Player News
* The Calgary Flames will be without star forward Johnny Gaudreau, who has left the team to attend to a family matter and won't be in the lineup Monday vs. Los Angeles. Gaudreau has a team-best 82 points for the Flames, who are +30,000 to win the Cup.
* The Winnipeg Jets have added one of the top U.S. college prospects in the sport, signing Hobey Baker nominee C.J. Suess to an entry-level contract. Suess racked up 22 goals and 21 assists in 40 games with Minnesota State this past season.
* Senators forward Matt Duchene says he will consider signing a contract extension with Ottawa despite missing the playoffs this season. Duchene started slowly following his trade from Colorado but has 25 points in 27 games since the All-Star break.
Injury Updates
* The Boston Bruins finally got some good news on the injury front as forward Patrice Bergeron returned to the lineup Sunday for the first time in a month. The Bruins, who went a red-hot 9-2-2 SU without Bergeron, are still down four key players due to injury.
* Tobias Enstrom's disappointing 2017-18 campaign has gotten even worse, with the Jets ruling the veteran defenseman out for the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury. Enstrom, who has six points in 43 games, might return in the postseason.
* The Blues have lost some depth on the back end following a season-ending ACL injury to veteran defenseman Carl Gunnarson. St. Louis is installed as a +2,800 longshot to win its first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
Stanley Cup Futures
* It remains a two-horse race for the best Stanley Cup odds entering the second-last week of the regular season. The Nashville Predators are the front-runners on Bet365 at +400, with the Tampa Bay Lightning remaining in close pursuit at +440.
* With star center Auston Matthews in the fold, the Maple Leafs will likely be one of the trendier plays at +800, fourth-best behind Nashville, Tampa Bay and Boston. The Winnipeg Jets and expansion Vegas Golden Knights are next in line at +900 each.
* Don't sleep on the Los Angeles Kings, who have proven to be a very difficult out in years past even when squeaking into the postseason. The Kings carry whopping +3,000 odds to win their third Stanley Cup title in the previous seven years.
Betting Trends
* Betting on home favorites might not be the most exciting play, but it has certainly been the most lucrative over the past month's worth of games. Home faves have converted at nearly a 67-percent rate over the 30-day period ending Saturday.
* It appears that the over will prevail in what has been an incredible season-long totals battle. Entering the final two weeks of the season, teams have played 572 overs - good for a 50.6-percent share - compared to 558 overs.
* The battle for "best under play of the year" will likely come down to either the Blues or the Anaheim Ducks; both teams entered Sunday's action with a league-high 45 under conversions. Tampa Bay leads the over charge with 47 games above the total.
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