NHL Best Bets for Tuesday: Montreal Canadiens vs Florida Panthers, Hurricanes vs Lightning, and More
NHL Best Bets for Tuesday: Montreal Canadiens vs Florida Panthers, Hurricanes vs Lightning, and More
What a day yesterday, a clean seven-play sweep on OC plays; we were due for it and the consistency in our approach pays off once again. There is action across the board, and I am ready to get after it. Going to cut back on the narratives/length of each write-up today so I can say a little more about each game but I really see a lot of great spots here tonight.
Let’s dive in.
Montreal Canadiens vs Florida Panthers Prediction
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Tonight the Montreal Canadiens are heading to the sunshine state to take on one of the leading Stanley Cup contenders and an incredibly talented Florida Panthers squad.
This one is all about Florida.
The Panthers are finally back on home Ice after being on the road for nearly the last three weeks. They got whooped by Toronto in their final game of the road trip and are facing a Montreal club that’s season has been a nightmare. I have said only good things about them since Martin St. Louis took over; I love their young guys and think they have something to build on there, but nothing is changing this season, especially tonight against this Panthers squad tonight.
The Habs have actually cashed their team total in eight of their last ten contests on the road; those lines tend to be set at a low o2.5 compared to Florida’s who tend to be around 3.5-4.5 but is still solid offensive production and two-three should be plenty to help us cash the over in this one as I expect the black cats to take care of the rest.
Florida has cashed the total (which tends to be around 6.5-7) in 23/31 home games this season and have a beautiful rate of 8-2 L10 over at home. Montreal has hit a solid 7-3 L10 on the road. Montreal has a 3.94 GAA on the road this season and they are the least offensively productive team in the league. They have shown some improvement since the break and I think they net a couple of goals tonight but not much has changed on the back end as they are still sporting a 3.32 GAA post ASB.
Florida has a league-best 4.02 GF/G this season and a league-best 4.63 GF/G at home. They are 26-5 at home this season; Montreal is 3-7 across their L10 road contest and a league-worst 7-25 this season. This game has a lot of juice so here is how I am playing it.
Montreal Canadiens vs Florida Panthers Pick
Pick: 1 unit - Florida 1st period team total o1.5 (+155) (Bet $100 to Win $155)
Same Game Parlays
- 2 units - Florida/Montreal 1P o1.5/Total o5.5 (-110) (Bet $110 to Win $100)
- 2 units - Florida ML + total o5.5 (-120) (Bet $120 to Win $100)
(If you can’t SGP I know that sucks but so do these lines; I still like straight plays here but I am creating value. I would play o6.5 for 2.5u if that is your best line; otherwise, look to parlay Florida or back something in the 1P1)
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Carolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction
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This one is simple, and the read is not difficult to explain. This game could easily go under and I would not be surprised but I really believe it is going over. The trends of recent play and capabilities that these two teams possess point my compass north on a beautiful line of over 5.5.
When two elite, high-caliber squads face off it tends to go one of two ways. The intensity is there by default so the pace will usually pick up; guys push a bit more on the forecheck and force the issue a bit earlier when the pace is there. They will force the puck into spots a bit more and generate looks both against and for their teams; those looks tend to lead to goals and if they come early the totals are usually in the bag. Other times or teams approach things differently and teams like Carolina and Tampa Bay tend to lock things down early at times.
The thing is I do not care when goals come in this one; I just really believe there will at least be six.
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If the guys are slinging the puck around like they have been the opportunities will become; they are not always just forcing the biscuit down the ice with speed and trying to throw the puck at the net like some squads do the majority of the time. There is a time for that play but it is not the most effective and just as the puck bounces your way at times, on others it will not and that hurts your production and can cause slumps, we see it all the time. The teams that tend to avoid those slumps are teams that are creating the right looks regardless of the situation, pace, or opponent and these two squads play good hockey.
Carolina is on fire and Tampa Bay will defend home ice; I know both netminders are very capable of icing us but I think one of them gives up at least four and that means we need two from the other. The last two contests this season between these squads have gone under; the first one back in October went over and saw thirteen goals.
I think things get going earlier than later here but as long as we have two or three by the halfway point in this game I am going to be happy with our chances. The line of 5.5 is just so valuable in the grand scheme of things and we should have plenty of chances to cash it with the way these two squads have been playing.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Tampa Bay Lightning Pick
Pick: 3 units - Carolina/Tampa Bay o5.5 (-114) (Bet $114 to Win $100)
Colorado Avalanche vs Calgary Flames Prediction
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I saw another NHL sharp on here tap in on this earlier and I agree with him so I am going to keep this short, plus his write-up covers it well if you want to check it out! This one should be tight and both squads are going to show out tonight, but the edge lies with Calgary.
Colorado is down McKinnon, Landeskog, and a few more but those two matter the most. Colorado is a very talented squad; two guys do not make or break the club but in a big game like tonight when two really elite teams clash every little category makes the difference. McKinnon is a facilitator on the ice; a lot of the offense runs through him, and he plays a big role on special teams.
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Other guys will pick them up tonight but it is hard to do that in-game and I think we can see Calgary looking a lot more comfortable with what they are doing early as they send their whole squad out healthy and Colorado will be adjusting initially. Calgary has dominated each time they have played Colorado this season in my opinion and will want to jump on an Avalanche team while they are down tonight and stay hot.
I have more to say here but I do not need to; back Calgary.
Colorado Avalanche vs Calgary Flames Pick
- Pick: 1 unit - Calgary/Colorado o6 (-113) (Bet $113 to Win $100)
- Pick: 2.5 units - Calgary Flames ML (-127) (play up to -140) (Bet $127 to Win $100)
Article Author
Born and raised in St. Louis, JT is a young gun in the industry but has already established himself as one of the sharpest. Some refer to him as the "King of the Ice" as a result of his dominance in the NHL, which has been his claim to fame. However, he also excels in other markets including the NFL, MLB, and NCAAF. You can follow JT on Twitter at @RickyBobbyBets.