NHL Best Bets for March 28, 2016
Eight games on the board for Monday. Our ‘best bets’ are in the three West Coast games:
ANAHEIM DUCKS AT EDMONTON OILERS:
The Edmonton Oilers have only three games remaining after tonight but they’ll be hard pressed to get a victory here. In a matchup like this the ‘best case scenario’ for the weaker team is to catch their opponent unmotivated but that’s not a possibility as Anaheim still has a chance to run down the Los Angeles Kings for the Pacific Division title. Just the fact that they’re even in a position to challenge for the Pacific crown is phenomenal after their miserable 1-9-1 start to the season. Another good situation for the weaker team is catching their opponent in a ‘lookahead’ spot but that’s not at play here either. The Ducks have two ‘big games’ left on their schedule–at home against Dallas on April 3 and at Los Angeles on April 7. But they’ve got nothing on the immediate horizon except for home games against Calgary and Vancouver.
The Oilers have given a decent account of themselves down the stretch and Cam Talbot has looked decent in goal despite getting no help from the miserable Edmonton defense. The Ducks have dominated head to head play against the Oilers in recent years winning 10 of the last 13 meetings overall and 4 of the last 6 in Edmonton. The Oilers won the first meeting this year at Anaheim when the Ducks were just starting to come out of their early season slump. Anaheim has won the next three meetings. Ryan Kesler is listed as ‘questionable’ here for a personal matter but the most recent updates suggest that he’ll play–he said that he ‘had to go home and take care of some things‘.
Overall, just don’t see any reason to fade a superior Ducks team here.
BET ANAHEIM DUCKS -150 OVER EDMONTON OILERS
CALGARY FLAMES AT ARIZONA COYOTES:
Pretty simple handicap here–one team has quit on the season, one team hasn’t. The Calgary Flames are one of the biggest disappointments in the NHL this season. There was great optimism at the start of the year based on last season’s playoff run and a core nucleus of young talent. Instead, the Flames are trying to avoid finishing with the worst record in the Western Conference–if not the league. They’re not quite as DOA as hapless Vancouver but given their higher expectations it’s been an ugly year. Head coach Bob Hartley is hoping to infuse the team with some energy via a mass callup of a half dozen or so players from their AHL affiliate in Stockton. It’s not the worst idea but unless they find some NHL level goaltending along the way it’s doubtful that energy alone will cure what ails this team. Arizona is showing some moxie down the stretch (6-3-1 L10) and hard to see them losing to a Calgary team that has the worst road record in the NHL at 11-22-3.
BET ARIZONA COYOTES -130 OVER CALGARY FLAMES
LOS ANGELES KINGS AT SAN JOSE SHARKS:
Kings are three points up on the Anaheim Ducks at the start of tonight’s action but would love to pick up two more. They’ve got an excellent chance to do it at the Shark Tank in San Jose where the home team has been inexplicably weak this season. San Jose has been excellent on the road (25-10-3) but have a losing record at home (16-18-3). The Kings at one point were a ‘play on’ at home and an automatic ‘go against’ on the road but they’ve balanced things out this year and are 21-14-3 away from the Staples Center. Sharks are trying to avoid their fourth straight home loss but they’ve picked the wrong opponent.
BET LOS ANGELES KINGS +100 OVER SAN JOSE SHARKS