| Range | W | L | P | +/- (Units) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday | 3 | 1 | 0.00 | +5.00 |
| Last 30 Days | 14 | 18 | 0.00 | -2.96 |
| Season to Date | 14 | 18 | 0.00 | -2.96 |
Boston is for 2 units. Detroit is 2.04 units to win 2
Detroit -102 over CALGARY
OT included. After the Oilers defeated Detroit on Wednesday night, the TSN panel talked about the difference between this year’s Oilers and last year’s edition. The all had something to say. They talked about Edmonton being more responsible defensively and they talked about Connor McDavid’s impact. That’s not all they said and they showed examples on the screen of what they were talking about. After every loss last season, that same panel talked about the Oilers sloppy habits. It’s all fluff. The difference is goaltending. Period. Had Ben Scrivens been in net again for Edmonton this season, the Oilers would have likely been down a couple of goals and been chasing each game just like were last year. Poor goaltending impacts everyone. It impacts the coach, the offense, the defense and the collective state of mind of the entire group. Edmonton is winning games because they’re getting great goaltending from Cam Talbot. It gives everyone a boost and it also gives them confidence. Had the Oilers stuck with Scrivens and Viktor Fasth this year, that same panel would be talking about the Oilers sloppy habits.
Last year Jeremy Roenick suggested on an NBC telecast that Wild Coach Mike Yeo should be fired. He went on to say that it’s time for the team and Yeo to part ways after Minnesota was losing almost every night. The Wild subsequently picked up Devan Dubnyk and Mike Yeo instantly turned into a great coach again. The point is that you cannot win in this league with wretched goaltending and that’s the problem with Calgary. It’s not coaching, nor is it a lack of offense or anything else. It’s weak goaltending that affects every player on the team. It’s demoralizing to see those soft goals go in every single game. Last year, the Flames were able to overcome it because they had a slew of late rallies and they were scoring on a high percentage of their shots. This year they are not doing either and that means they’re fighting an uphill battle every night. Baseball lines are set based on the starting pitchers due to the impact the starter has on the outcome. Hockey does not employ that same criterion to starting goalies because so many of them are about equal and none of them throw a curve ball or heater. However, when an inferior set of goalies that do not belong at this level and are playing every night for a certain team, we can take advantage of the oddsmakers not considering it when posting the line. Jonas Hiller is inadequate and he is worse than backup Karri Ramo, who was put on waivers this week but was not picked up. Until Calgary addresses this, we are attacking them when the price allows us to. The price allows us to here.
Boston +155 over N.Y. ISLANDERS
OT included. After losing their first two games of the year, both to Chicago, the Islanders have reeled off four straight wins while outscoring the opposition 18-8 over that span. As a result, the Islanders stock is moving up but we’re not buying any. You see, the Islanders dead last (tied with Ottawa) for the most shots allowed per game. That means a lot of running around in its own end. When the Islanders defeated the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, they were outshot by Columbus, 39-27. In the Isles recent 4-3 victory over Nashville, they were outshot 47-28. In their six games so far, the Islanders have had one dominant performance, which occurred against Winnipeg. No question that the Islanders can score goals. They roll out two dangerous scoring lines, a third line that is not as prolific but can still contribute regularly and a fourth line that is widely considered to be the best in the game. However, they are still vulnerable to falling behind and having to rally. That’s risky business when spotting prices like this.
The Bruins are 2-4. They have allowed five goals or more in three of those six games. We’re not sure why Tuukka Rask is struggling so much but it probably has something to do with a lack of confidence right now. It’s not going to deter us from playing the B’s because Rask could get hot at any time and Boston is undervalued. We have watched the Bruins dominate more games than the Islanders. In three of its last four games, Boston has held the opposition to 23 shots on goal or less. That includes Tampa Bay and Colorado. The Bruins have played one poor game this year out of six. The only reason they are not 4-2 or 5-1 is because of the unexplainable struggles of Rask. Boston is playing much better than their record indicates. All they need is one of the best goaltenders in the league over the previous three years to snap out of it. We’re willing to take that gamble when being offered a tag.
