In the Crease – Week 16

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

Vegas, Baby
If you want to make some bread, slam the Golden Knights and the 'under'. Vegas has won seven in a row, with the 'under' hitting at a solid 5-1-1 clip during the span. Both of those streaks will be put to the test in a key Western Conference showdown when the San Jose Sharks invade the Strip. The Sharks enter on their own four-game winning streak, and they have picked up victories in five of their past six outings. They're also 5-1 in the past six inside the Western Conference. The Golden Knights have won an impressive 50 of their past 70 home games, however, and that includes a 5-1 mark in their past six home meetings against San Jose.

Fade the Leafs?
The Toronto Maple Leafs were able to bury the Vancouver Canucks by a 5-0 count on Saturday night at ScotiaBank Arena, but they was a rare victory lately. They're just 1-3-0 across the past four, and right now they're working with goaltender Michael Hutchinson, an import from the Florida Panthers, with the top two netminders in the organization, Frederik Andersen and Garret Sparks, nursing injuries. Toronto goaltenders have allowed at least four goals in three of the past four, and for some reason the offense has had a power outage lately, too, when it matters most. The Leafs have been blanked in two of the past four outings.


Looking Ahead

Thursday, Jan. 10

Nashville-Columbus: It's battle between the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets in the 'Heart of it all', with both hockey clubs playing well lately. The Preds skate in with victories in five of the past six overall, and they're 4-1 in their past five. Nashville has also been victorious in 16 of their past 21 against the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets are no slouch, going 7-3 over the past 10 while cashing in four straight against Central Division foes. And C-Bus has the luxury of a day or rest, while the Preds just played last night. Of course, Smashville is 11-4 in their past 15 in the second end of a back-to-back.

In Nashville-Columbus, total bettors might want to seriously consider the 'under'. The under is 5-0 in the past five in the third game of a 3-in-4 situation (three games in four games) for the Predators, while going 5-1 in the past six when they're playing in the second end of a back-to-back situation. For The Jackets, the under is 7-1 in the past eight at home, 9-4-1 in the past 14 overall and 5-0 in the past five against winning teams. The under is also 9-1-1 in their past 11 tries against Western Conference clubs.

Washington-Boston: The Capitals have won six consecutive trips to Boston, while winning 22 of their past 28 meetings against the Bruins. The 'under' is also 21-6 in the past 27 meetings in Beantown. However, the B's enter on a heater, winning five in a row and 38 of their past 51 at home. Of course, the Caps are 28-11 in the past 39 on the road, and they're 19-7 in the past 26 overall.

Winnipeg-Minnesota: The Jets head to the Twin Cities with victories in eight of the past 10 games on the road, and they're 14-5 across their past 19 contests overall. They'll be facing a Wild team which has come up short in four consecutive home games while registering just one win in the past seven against Western Conference foes. However, the home team has cashed in seven of the past nine in this series, with the Jets just 2-5 in the past seven trips to St. Paul.

Friday, Jan. 11

Buffalo-Carolina: The Sabres travel to battle the Hurricanes at PNC Arena in Raleigh. Buffalo will be rested, and they're 6-2 in the past eight working on two or more days of rest. However, they're also just 3-10 in the past 13 tries against Eastern Conference squads. Carolina will be playing their third game in four days, and they're just 5-15 in the past 20 in the third game of a 3-in-4. The Sabres have won just two of their past 10 in Raleigh, however, and they have dropped six straight in this series. Perhaps they'll snap that as Jeff Skinner returns to North Carolina for the first time since his offseason trade. The 'over' is also 8-1-1 in the past 10 meetings in Raleigh, and 9-3-4 in the past 16 overall in this series.

Pittsburgh-Anaheim: The Penguins have gobbled up two points in five consecutive road games, and they're 9-1 in the past 10 games overall. They've been picking off the dregs of the league, winning eight of the past nine against teams with a losing overall record. The Pens have been hot against the West, too, cashing in 10 of the past 12 against Pacific Division teams and 20-6 in the past 26 against Western Conference foes. The 'over' is 3-1-2 in the past six battles in this series.

Saturday, Jan. 12

Boston-Toronto: The Maple Leafs will be looking to return the favor of a 6-3 beatdown in Beantown on Dec. 8 in the most recent meeting in this series. Toronto won the last battle in Ontario on Nov. 26, but in each of those games they had Andersen in the crease. When each of those games took place, Hutchinson was still a member of the Florida Panthers organization. In the only game this season against the B's, Sparks took it on the chin 5-1 back on Nov. 10 in Boston.

St. Louis-Dallas: The studs for the Stars, particularly Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, might not have cared for the profanity-laced tirade from CEO Jim Lites, but it appears to have lit a fire under the dynamic duo and the team as a whole. Since returning from the holiday break the Stars are an impressive 5-1-1 in the past seven heading into play on Thursday. They'll host the Blues on Saturday night, a team they just pushed aside 3-1 in the Lou on Tuesday night. That was the first meeting of the season, and these teams will see each other again Feb. 21 in Dallas and March 2 in St. Louis.

Arizona-Edmonton: The Oilers offense has been rather erratic lately, prompting bench boss Ken Hitchcock to shake up his lines. And boy aren't Edmonton fans pleased to see superstar Connor McDavid skating alongside the likes of Zack Kassian and Jujhar Khaira. Anyway, the previous lines worked Jan. 2 in the desert against the Coyotes, as the Oilers came away with a 3-1 win behind Mikko Koskinen. The Oil won both meetings last season in Edmonton in overtime, and they have won four straight at home vs. Arizona dating back to Nov. 27, 2016.

VegasInsider Staff

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