Handicappers Picks

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Los Angeles Kings
Free NHL Pick: Los Angeles (March 8th 2010 – Nick Parsons)
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The Kings are hoping to make it to the “promised land” (Playoffs) this season, but have dropped two in a row; for a number of different reasons I believe LA on the “puck line” is the prudent wager in this circumstance: Columbus (25-19-11) has lost two of its last three visits to visits to LA and is 0-2-2 since winning three in a row; the Blue Jackets lost 6-2 in the last matchup on Oct 25th. Columbus is coming off a disheartening 2-1 loss to the Sharks on Saturday, which was the beginning of a tough three-game California road-swing. Keep in mind that Columbus is just 1-4 its last five overall and a disturbing 4-19 its last 23 on the road. On the other side of the ice: Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick made 21 saves Saturday but lost for the second straight start. He has beaten Columbus two straight times and is 2-1-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average versus the Blue Jackets this season. Los Angeles remains on a long-term 11-4 overall run; 5-2 at in front of the home town faithful.

Bottom line: The Kings have no mercy on “lesser opponents” as evident by their 18-7 (+6.2 units) mark against teams with a “losing record”. LA is also 12-6 (+3.7 units) after allowing 4 goals or more in its previous contest (lost 4-2 to the Habs on Sat.); which means of course that after a “sub-par” performance, this team responds with a much more concerted effort on both ends of the ice. I believe this is a very bad spot for Columbus as it catches a hungry home team in the middle game of a challenging road trip; lay the 1 1/2 here.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres
Free NHL Pick: Over 5.5 (March 5th 2010 – Jimmy the Moose)
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The Philadelphia Flyers have played over the total in their last 3 games. The total combined score in all of their last 3 games was at least 8. The over is 17-8 in the Flyers last 25 games vs. a team from the Northeast Division. Philadelphia failed to get a goalie at the trade deadling so look for Leighton to carry the load between the pipes and he’s yet to prove he’s a legitimate number one goalie. Tonight’s game will be Buffalo’s 3rd game in 4 nights and in the last 5 times they have been in this situation the over is 4-1. The over is 5-2-2 in the Sabres last 9 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. The over is 5-2 in the Flyers last 7 trips to Buffalo. In the last 21 meetings between the clubs the over is 15-5-1. Play the over.

Colorado Avalance vs. Phoenix Coyotes
Free NHL Pick: Phoenix Coyotes (March 4th 2010 – Ben Burns)
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The Avalanche have won both meetings in this series so far this season. This should be a good spot for the Coyotes to get some payback though. While Phoenix had last night off, Colorado is coming off a late win at Anaheim. The Avs are now playing their third game in the past four nights. Note that the Avs are 12-18 (-4.4) the last 30 times that they played the second of back to back games.

Yes, the Avs won both earlier meetings. However, they both came at Colorado. Considering that the Coyotes have the third most home wins (22) in the Western Conference, winning here at Phoenix figures to be considerably more difficult. Note that the Coyotes were 2-0 as a host of the Avs last season. Also, note that they’ve gone 11-5 the last 16 times that they were coming off a loss by two or more goals. Consider Phoenix

New Jersey Devils vs. San Jose Sharks
Free NHL Pick: San Jose -150 (March 2nd 2010 – Nick Parsons)
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San Jose (40-13-9) and New Jersey (37-21-3), who could potentially meet in the Stanley Cup finals, had a combined 13 players make the trip to Vancouver; for a number of different reasons I believe the home team offers decent value in this position: The Devils got a chance to rest and clear their heads after stumbling into the break, going 5-10-2 despite acquiring Ilya Kovalchuk in a trade with Atlanta on Feb. 4. However, Martin Brodeur was showing signs of tiring, going 3-4-1 with a 3.20 GAA in his last eight games. Also keep in mind that New Jersey is just 5-7 (-3.7 units) in non-conference games. On the other side of the rink: The Sharks are eager to play again after losing 3-1 to Buffalo on Feb. 13 in their last game before the break. San Jose is 21-9 (+8.2 units) when playing against a team with a winning record; meaning the Sharks tend to play at their best when faced with stiff competition. Bottom line: Home ice advantage can’t be overlooked in this case; consider a play on the decently valued SHARKS.

Sunday afternoon will mark the culmination of what has been a very eventful Men’s Olympic Hockey tournament. It is being played by two teams that have a little revenge on their minds – the US wanting to avenge a Gold Medal final loss eight years ago in Salt Lake City and the Canadians wanting to avenge a 5-3 loss to the Americans during the Round Robin portion of the tournament.

Moneyline Odds: Canada: -210 : USA: +160
Sunday 3pm EST on NBC
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Team Canada had been on quite a rollercoaster ride during the 2010 Olympics. They started somewhat slowly against Norway, had a “hiccup game” against the Swiss and then fell flat against the USA in the Round Robin. Canada was relegated to the Qualification Round to the chagrin of most Canadians. Who could have predicted that an extra game and a little humble pie was what Team Canada needed to find their groove and to reach their potential? Canada dismantled Team Germany and defeated a stubborn Slovakia to earn a spot in Sunday’s Gold Medal final.

For Team Canada, it is not the veterans that have been getting it done in these Olympics. Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger have had flashes in this tournament but have also disappeared at times. It is the youngsters that have been leading the way. Shea Webber and Drew Doughty on Defense and Ryan Getzlaf, Correy Perry and Jonathan Toews on offense have really carried Team Canada to this point. The veteran presence of Martin Brodeur in goal for Canada was an experiment that largely failed, handing Canada’s International Hockey reigns to Roberto Luongo who has played good, mistake-free hockey thus far.

The youth movement is on for Canada’s International Hockey program and it is a good thing. Canada is going to need every bit of their youthful energy to slow down the high flying Americans on Sunday.

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Team USA has been on quite a roll during this Olympic tournament. They are 5-0 and show no signs of letting up. The Americans have fed off of their underdog roll so far but have emerged on everyone’s radar now. General Manager Brian Burke built this team to be difficult to play against. He picked players with speed, grit and a physical element and it has worked wonders. They have developed a tremendous chemistry and they enjoy a surprisingly balanced attack with a different player stepping up seemingly every game.

Team USA is not the collection of established Superstars that Team Canada is, they are a group of young , budding stars that we will be hearing from for a long time. The future of USA Hockey has developed quicker that most imagined – here they are in the Gold Medal Final of the Olympic Games. The youthful Patrick Kane, Zach Parise and Paul Statsny have been excellent for the American squad, they young defense that includes Jack and Erik Johnson and Brian Rafalski have been stellar and goaltender Ryan Miller is demonstrating to the world why he is regarded as the beast goalie on the planet right now.

Sunday’s Gold Medal final is one that not many predicted but is one that is deserved. Like it or not, the Canada-US rivalry has supplanted the Canada-Russia rivalry that dominated the International Hockey world for the past 40 or so years. Canada will battle nerves but I think that they learned enough from their 5-3 loss to the Americans during the Round Robin to improve and defeat Team USA for Gold on Home Ice. “Oh Canada” will be sung by every Canadian with a voice on Sunday afternoon!

USA vs. Canada Pick: Team Canada in a 5-4 thriller! (The Total currently sits at 5 ½ goals – it is something to ponder as well when making your Gold Medal bets) – Courtesy of Dave Bond: Betus.com News Feed: Featured on Handicapperspicks.com

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Dallas Stars
Free Pick: Columbus +131 (Wunderdog Sports)
What happened to the Blue Jackets? They were sailing along and now have had just two of their last 15 end on the right side. Those numbers could be so different if not for the fact they have five shootout losses in the stretch, so it’s not as bad as it appears. Dallas hasn’t been pretty lately either as they have allowed 47 goals in their last 13 games, or 3.6 per contest. There is certainly room for Columbus to find a way to get healthy here as they are 5-1 in their last six vs. a team with a losing home record. The Stars aren’t shinning in the home-favorite role from -110 to -150, at just 3-9 in their last 12. There is added value by the Jackets’ success in Dallas winning five of the last seven. I’ll go with Columbus here.

Atlanta Thrashers vs. Boston Bruins
Free Pick: Boston -148 (John Ryan)
Ai Simulator 3* graded play on Boston as they host Atlanta in NHL action set to start at 7:00 EST. Supporting this graded play is a system that has produced a record of 44-16 making 30.8 units since 2004. Play against any team against the money line revenging a same season loss vs opponent and is off 2 consecutive close home losses by 1 goal. Here is a 2nd system that has gone 69-44 making 26 units since 2004. Play against any team against the money line extremely tired team playing 8 or more games in 14 days and winning between 51% and 60% of their games on the season in the first half of the season. Boston is a solid 31-15 against the money line (+14.6 Units) against explosive offensive teams that are scoring 3+ goals/game over the last 2 seasons. Take Boston.