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.

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.