The NHL was originally scheduled to have 12 games going tonight but, is down to six as of now (late Tuesday night). Given the mess that the NHL is currently in, I don’t even feel comfortable saying that all six of those games will happen. However, we’ll assume they are and try and find some winners!

New Jersey Devils @ Buffalo Sabres

• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• TV Coverage: ESPN+
• New Jersey Devils: 10-15-5, 7th Metropolitan (3-8-2 Away)
• Buffalo Sabres: 10-15-5, 6th Atlantic (6-8-2 Home)

Trends:

• The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey’s last 5 games.
• New Jersey are 0-6 SU in their last 6 games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Buffalo’s last 6 games.
• Buffalo are 1-8 SU in their last 9 games at home.

Preview:

New Jersey Devils

The Devils come into this game on a 6 game skid being outscored by opponents 26 to 12 during that stretch. To make matters worse, the Devils have only won a single game during the month of December.

Head coach Lindy Ruff is certainly on the hot seat and is soon to be looking for a new job soon if his team doesn’t turn it around.

New Jersey has looked lackluster on offense this year averaging only 2.27 Goals For Per 60. The injury to Jack Hughes early this season that kept him out for several games has certainly hurt them. The Devils currently have a -7.49 Goals For Above Expected which is trending in the wrong direction from last year.

Don’t get me wrong, New Jersey, like Buffalo, is a young team but, needs more playmakers up front. The last offensive weapon they had was Taylor Hall back in 2017-2018. I believe Jack Hughes can be that guy for them if Niko Hischier can return to form. Speaking of Hischier, he’s questionable for tonight’s game.

Jesper Bratt leads the team in points with 24 through 29 games played. The Devils will also be without Miles Wood tonight who remains on IR with a lower body injury.

Defensively, the Devils also have some issues. They currently have a 2.44 Goals Against Above Expected with an average of 2.8 Goals Against Per 60. New Jersey has allowed 66 High Danger Shots Against which ranks 3rd worst. If they Devil’s want to be competitive at all, they cannot continue to allow this from happening. They do not have great goaltending and cannot match teams with high powered offenses in a boat race.

Defenseman P.K. Subban will not be available tonight for them as he’s in protocol.

Mackenzie Blackwood is expected to get the start for the Devils as he was upgraded to probably yesterday. He’s currently recovering from a neck injury but, looks like he’ll start given the limited selection in New Jersey. On the year Blackwood has a -1.5 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx).

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres certainly didn’t have high hopes entering this season given their current roster but have exceeded them. By no means was this team competing for a playoff spot but rather looking to build on their season last year under head coach Don Granato. Granato will likely watch the game from afar as he remains in protocols which means Matt Ellis will step in.

The Jack Eichel saga has finally come to an end and two of those pieces they got in return, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, will be making their debuts in Sabre uniforms. In addition to those two, JJ Peterka will also me making his debut.

Buffalo has grabbed at least a point in each of their last four games. However, they haven’t played since the 17th of December as four of their games have been postponed.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who was called up from Rochester has been a welcomed sight. The Sabres have struggled to have a consistent goaltender since the Ryan Miller days but they may have their guy here.

Looking at this team from an offensive prospective, they haven’t been great. They’re currently led up front by 33 year old Kyle Okposo. However, Rasmus Dahlin, their former 1st round pick, has been much better this season at creating scoring chances. The Sabres are currently averaging 2.27 Goals For Per 60. Although, they do have a 3.71 Goals For Above Expected which is encouraging.

The Sabres are going to be without several of their forwards tonight who are in COVID-19 Protocols including; Jeff Skinner, Zemgus Girgensons, Vinnie Hinosroza, Drake Caggiula, and Dylan Cozens. In addition to those forwards, they’ll also be missing Andres Bjork and Tage Thompson.

Defensively, the Sabres haven’t been great either. They have a -7.62 Goals Against Above Expected while averaging 2.74 Goals Against Per 60. In terms of injuries they’ll be without Collin Miller, Will Butcher, and Robert Hagg.

The official starter has yet to be confirmed but I’m expecting it will be Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (UPL). In his five starts this season, he has a +3.2 GSAx, which leads all Buffalo goaltenders.

Pick:

• BUFFALO SABRES (+110)
  • The Sabres are the far more depleted team coming into this matchup but look to be playing great team hockey as of late. They have some great young prospects in Rochester who will get their chance tonight and should impress. New Jersey has not looked good all month and honestly it’s most likely time for a new voice in the locker room. If the Devils go down tonight, Lindy Ruff may lose his job at the hands of the team he played and coached for.
  • Also if UPL does get the start, I also think Buffalo has the advantage in net given Blackwood’s recent performances. New Jersey also struggles on the road and averages significantly more goals against.

Other Plays for Tonight:

• PHILADELPHIA/ SEATTLE OVER 5.5 (-135)
  • I’d like to start of by saying I usually don’t like laying this price on a Total. However, I do want to grab it before/if it moves to 6. Both goalies have struggled on the year and Seattle’s offense has been better at home.

Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.

The NHL was scheduled to have a break around Christmas but, with the ongoing COVID-19 issues, it was extended a bit. However, we’re back with three games today so let’s breakdown those games and try and find some winners!

Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning 

• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• TV Coverage: ESPN+
• Tampa Bay Lightning: 20-6-4, 1st Atlantic (10-3-2 Home)
• Montreal Canadiens: 7-21-3, 8th Atlantic (2-11-2 Away)

Trends:

• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal’s last 5 games.
• Montreal are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games.
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games.
• Tampa Bay are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games.

Preview:

Tampa Bay Lightning 

The Lightning come into this matchup red hot, only dropping one game so far during the month of December. They defeated Vegas on Tuesday night, 4-3, snapping Vegas’ 5 game winning streak.

Tampa will continue to be without head coach, Jon Cooper, who remains in COVID protocol. So, assistant coach Derek Lalonde will remain as the de facto head coach.

The Bolts have definitely been better offensively as of late but, are still without two of their top guys tonight in Point and Kucherov. In addition to those two, Tampa will also be without forwards Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Anthony Cirelli who are in COVID protocols. The Lightning currently average 2.46 Goals For Per 60 with a -3.21 Goals For Above Expected. Like I mentioned before, the loss of Kucherov continues to impact them especially on the Power Play where they rank 18th.

Defensively, Tampa will have to limit scoring chances like they’ve done all season given their situation in net. The Lightning have one of the best Goals Against Above Expected, -13.28, but, Andrei Vasilevskiy has played a major role in that number. Without him tonight, their defense will have to step up without a few key pieces. They’ll be without Mikhail Sergachev and Andrej Sustr as they have been placed in COVID protocols.

In net, Tampa will have Maxime Lagace, as Andrei Vasilevskiy and Brian Elliot are both out due to COVID. Lagace has played all season in Syracuse for Tampa’s AHL affiliate team.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens last game came back on December 16th, where they defeated Philadelphia 3-2 in a Shoot Out. They’ve had four games postponed since then due to an outbreak. Montreal will start a three game road trip tonight where they’ll face several of the NHL’s top team’s with a depleted roster.

This is not even close to the team we saw the Hab’s face off against the Lightning in last year’s Stanley Cup finals. The loss of Carey Price and Shea Weber to start the season were back breaking and with a majority of the team still in COVID protocols, this team will have their work cut out for them tonight.

There’s really not many positives to talk about when it comes to this team. Offensively, they have been awful averaging just 1.8 Goals For Per 60. On the other side of the puck, they have also struggled allowing an average of 2.54 Goals Against Per 60.

Sam Montembeault will get the start in net for Montreal tonight with a -4.8 GSAx on the season in his 8 games played.

Pick:

• TB/ MTL OVER 6.0 (-115)
  • Given the current goalie situations for both teams, I like the Over in his position. The Canadiens will have a roster of young guns looking to prove themselves and trying to earn a permeant spot on the roster. The best way to do that will be to generate offensive for a team that so desperately needs it. While the Lightning are without a few key pieces, they have shown that it hasn’t impacted them much at all. Both teams have been trending towards the under but I think the Bolts continue to roll in a 5-2, 5-3 win tonight.

Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.