(6-7  +3.15 units)

 

Wild +1.5  -116  1*

I was about to shoot for the stars on this one and go forward with the moneyline, but I think it may be a good idea to allow the Overtime to be an option for a win here. However, I would not advise against going for a half unit play on the moneyline as well.

What I see here is a motivated Minnesota team that may be buzzing of their first win, and still warm from it yesterday. The 2-0 win in Ottawa was not a finesse victory by any means, but Head Coach Bruce Boudreau did mention that the Wild will have to win these type of low scoring games more often than not in order to be successful. Luckily for him, Minnesota is constructed of former All Star veterans who are still very effective and adaptable. I expect another responsible game around Dubnyk today, with a lot of emphasis on stopping the firepower of Toronto.

This line will give Toronto some very natural favor, as not only are the Leafs the signature franchise of the NHL, but they are also expected to do very well this year. So far in reality however, Toronto has been inconsistent and have been a step behind the opponent one way or another at home. While many people will expect Toronto’s struggles to sort itself out at home, I think many observers have also assumed a little too highly of this Maple Leafs offense. With Minnesota veterans knowing exactly what they are getting into here, I don’t think it is going to get any easier for this Leafs team that has not played since Saturday. Look for Minnesota to contain Toronto the best that they can.

 

Lightning moneyline -126  1*

Though going the underdog route has worked well for us so far this season, I am switching gears on a couple of plays specifically for today.

Why not start with the best regular season team since 2018?

Let’s face it. Tampa is going through a little bit rust to start the 2019-20 season, but we know that likely won’t last. Losing to the Senators this year is probably not a good look on the team, and the Lightning will try to shake off that loss after two full days of rest. Because Tampa is off to a 2-3 betting start and coming into the an Original Six and arguably the league’s loudest regular season arena, the sportsbooks are giving them some value in what can be seen as quite a perceived mismatch.

Montreal, in my opinion, will be a middle of the pack caliber team for the most part this season. Everything is situational, but I would have to say that Montreal is at a disadvantage here facing an angry Lightning team that will be looking to make very few mistakes after being embarrassed by the team many people expect to be the worst in hockey this season.

 

Jets moneyline -125  1*

Along the same line of thought as Tampa, the Winnipeg Jets are simply a better team than the Arizona Coyotes despite having a large part of their blue line gutted.

Though Arizona is on the rise and did make significant offseason moves for the better, they are a team built in a similar style to Winnipeg but just a few years behind. It will take a little while for the Coyotes to be an established speedy team like the Jets currently are.

On top of that, the Coyotes will be coming to a very hostile and history related environment. The crowd may be added motivation for Winnipeg. This line would normally be heavily in Winnipeg’s favor, but injuries have allowed for some value on the Jets.

 

Red Wings moneyline +141  1*

This play will be more of what we are used to this season.

The Detroit Red Wings have been a dismissed franchise over the past couple of years, and are not getting many looks despite their impressive start so far particularly from their top line of young guns. In reality, the team is in the same boat as the Vancouver Canucks, but them being on the road and coming off a loss which probably hurt their advanced statistics makes for a very favorable line for Vancouver.

What I see here are two young and inexperienced teams looking to get the best of the early season before the more established teams start figuring things out. Detroit has been able to use their speed and early chemistry to their advantage. They have also had a couple days to settle into the Pacific time zone. Vancouver also has young talent and speed, but are not a fully established concept yet in terms of the big picture. Look for Detroit to exposes some of the weaknesses on Vancouver today. It should be a bit of a run and gun game, but I will ride with the value on this one.