How many weeks is it going to take to see that this Clemson team is not the Clemson team that we all know and are used to? 7? 10? 12?
Out of 5 games, the only time that Clemson has has beaten a team by more than 6 points was against FCS South Carolina State!
Clemson has a poor 91st in EPA Margin and only +.88 yards per play counting that awful FCS Blowout.
Syracuse on the other hand found new life with quarterback Garret Schrader leading the way.
Syracuse is a nice +1.31 net yard per play and I think if they had Garret Schrader quarterbacking at the beginning of the year, they would have never dropped that game to rutgers.
Dino Babers has pulled this upset off once and it would not surprise me to see him do it again.
CFB
Michigan St at Indiana Saturday 12 pm
Pick: Michigan St -4 (-115) 2 units
I don’t like road favorites laying more than a FG but I like this Michigan St team and I do not like what I see with Indiana. MSU bye next week before playing Michigan so no look ahead
I just don't see how Indiana wins unless MSU just comes out and lays an egg. Bye week next week so no look ahead to Michigan I don't think. IU can't run or pass against tougher opponents.
Tuttle was backing up Penix for a reason and Penix isn't very good.
MSU averaging 34 ppg last 3 games
MSU Walker avg 7.1 yp
MSU Thorne QB 14 TD/2 INT, 1,576 yards
MSU WR Reed, Nailor both averaging 21 ypr , combined for 11 TD
MSU defense bend but don’t break at times, #94 in yards allowed but #27 in points allowed
MSU Offense #15 int total yards, #23 in ppg
Indiana can’t run or pass the ball effectively it seems against good teams
Indiana run game 3.4 ypc
Hooisers 52.8 Completion %, Tuttle 8 for 18 passing
Hoosiers #107 in Total yards, offense isn’t even in the top 75 in passing or rushing yards
IU averaging 19 ppg last 3 games
*EPL: Leeds vs Southampton BTTS & Over 2.5 Goals (-106)
Probably my favorite play of the weekend. Four out of seven of Leeds’ Premier League games have gone over 2.5 goals. Having watched all but one of their games, Leeds look like they have so many goals in them, Marcelo Bielsa sends his players out to attack at all costs and that shows seeing as they have the third-worst defensive record in the league. So, there are definitely goals in this for Southampton as well. Southampton is yet to pick up a win this season and three of their four points have come in low-scoring games against top-eight teams. They have only played one team at the lower end of the table which ended in a 2-2 draw vs Newcastle. In conclusion… take this pick. When Southampton plays teams at the end of the table they are able to open up tactically and attack a little themselves, this Leeds team will pounce on that opportunity, and will be tough for the Southampton defenders to contain in such an open game. (-106)
*EPL: Leeds Double Chance & BTTS (+140) vs Southampton
Same reasoning as above. I just feel that Leeds has a big chance to take at least a point from this game. Southampton is struggling and still are yet to win, they will be eager and try to play on the front foot at home, but the Leeds counter will be too much for them to handle. (+140)
*EPL: West Ham Double Chance (-182) vs Everton (Sunday)
This pick was one of the easiest choices for me to make. West Ham has become a very consistent team. They don’t have any significant injuries and are coming off a disappointing loss to Brentford last time out, so will be looking to bounce back. Everton has come up with some crucial results as of late thanks to players like Demari gray and Andros Townsend stepping up. But with Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin still sidelined with injuries, I don’t see Everton’s attack being threatening enough to get a win against this tough West Ham side. West Ham will at the least take a point off of Everton here. Easy money. (-182)
*EPL: Aston Villa Double Chance & Under 3.5 Goals (-134) vs Wolverhampton
Wolves don’t have a single Premier League game over 3.5 goals in the seven games played so far, and they are not due. They defend so well and make it difficult for any team to score against them. But, they have also only scored five goals in those seven games. Wolves are known for low-scoring contests and don’t expect different on Saturday. Villa on the other hand do have goals in them. They have scored ten this season and have a lot of creative talent on that end. They also only have had one game go over 3.5 goals in the seven games played, and to top it off, they are still undefeated at home. The last match between these two sides was, of course, a 0-0 draw. I expect another low-scoring contest that Villa may be able to nick. (-134)
*EPL: Leicester vs Manchester United BTTS & Over 2.5 Goals (-106)
Both United and Leicester have only one clean sheet this season. Both sides have also scored in all but one game. All but two of Leicester’s games have hit both teams to score and over 2.5 goals. With Cristiano Ronaldo coming off of an impressive hat-trick for Portugal, Paul Pogba impressive in France’s Nations League win, and Marcus Rashford available again… you CANNOT bet against Manutd scoring goals. Now, Leicester has started the season off slowly by their standards. But Jamie Vardy’s speed is always a constant threat, and with Raphael Varane AND Harry Maguire both out with injuries, Vardy and co. should create many chances against a very weakened United backline. The last three games played between these two have all hit both teams to score and over 2.5 goals… don’t expect this one to go any differently. (-106)
*EPL Parlay: Norwich vs Brighton Under 1.5 First Half Goals + Brentford vs Chelsea Under 1.5 First Half Goals (-116)
The first half under parlay. Brighton has only conceded five goals this season and I don’t see Norwich scoring in the first half against that defensive record. Norwich has only scored two goals in seven games but are coming off a 0-0 draw and are looking a lot better defensively. Only six of Norwich’s 16 conceded have come in the first half of games while Brighton has only scored three first-half goals. I expect a 0-0 first-half result as Norwich will focus on defending and Brighton will struggle to break them down.
To the second-half of the first-half parlay… Chelsea has only conceded one first-half goal all season which was a stoppage-time penalty against Liverpool. Brentford has only conceded two first-half goals this season. Chelsea’s back five makes them a dangerous force on the defensive end and they should certainly keep Brentford out for at least the first 45 minutes. Chelsea has scored 16 goals with seven coming in the first half, and although that stat could be a little worrying, they do tend to start slow in games against teams like Brentford. (-116)
I sent my premium plays for the Week 7 CFB Card out last night, but I made a play in tonight’s ALCS game that I felt worthy of being a premium play. I’ll be back in touch early Sunday morning with my premium NFL card(I’m not as high volume in NFL and I like to see how CFB Saturday plays out before I decide how to allocate my units on Sunday).
*MLB(1u): Red Sox F5 ML(+113) @ Astros–7:07 PM CT
The Red Sox will send Chris Sale to the hill to open up the ALCS. Sale struggled mightily in his 1 ALDS appearance, but he showed enough throughout the regular season and has a great career reputation in addition to postseason experience. The lefty should be able to neutralize the Astros’ lefties(Brantley, Alvarez, Tucker) and always has the potential to dominate a start. Astros SP Framber Valdez struggled mightily with walks this season(3.9 BB/9) and will face a very stout Red Sox lineup stacked with right-handed batters. Valdez is at a disadvantage not having much postseason experience, and he is at risk for a blowup start. I think we’re getting terrific value on the Red Sox early in this game. I wouldn’t bother trusting either of these bullpens late, however.
In addition to these 6 free plays, I have 6 premium plays for this Week 7 card that I sent to my members yesterday. Overall, I’m 45-31-1, +21.86u in CFB this season; my premium plays are hitting at a 66% rate and have netted my members +25.21u. To become a premium member, visit https://theoddsbreakers.com/membership-account/membership-checkout/?level=9
*CFB ML Parlay(1u): Oregon, Florida, Western Kentucky, Oklahoma(+103)–Fri. 9:30 PM CT
Oregon has had nearly 2 weeks to think about their road loss at Stanford. The Ducks will unfortunately be without their lead RB CJ Verdell, but luckily, Travis Dye has proven himself throughout his time in Eugene and should be able to slide into that role nicely. Cal is 1-4 and scored just 6 points against Washington State their last time out. I’m not crazy about laying big numbers with Oregon, but they’re in no real danger of losing this game tonight. Florida will travel to Baton Rouge as 11 point favorites over LSU. The Tigers are toast; they’ve lost each of their starting CB’s and showed little life in a blowout against Kentucky last week. This could very well be Ed Orgeron’s last game as LSU’s head coach, and the fans know this. Tiger Stadium won’t provide the same type of headache it usually does to opposing teams, so I think Florida will take care of business in Death Valley. Western Kentucky might be 1-4, but that doesn’t tell the full story of their season. The Hilltoppers have scored over 40 PPG this season but have simply run into a very tough schedule, losing competitive games to Army, Michigan State, Indiana, and UTSA. Old Dominion is nowhere near the level of any of those aforementioned teams, so I expect the Hilltoppers to start winning some games in convincing fashion given their offensive explosiveness. Oklahoma hosts TCU in primetime on Saturday night and expects to run out freshman Caleb Williams as their starting QB. I know there’s been a lot of drama surrounding the Rattler-Williams battle this week, but I don’t think that drama will have an impact on the Sooners’ play tomorrow given they will have the right QB on the field. While Texas exposed the OU secondary last season, TCU QB Max Duggan doesn’t possess the ability to beat teams deep consistently enough to where I’m worried about OU being in danger tomorrow night.
*CFB(1u): Duke/Virginia OVER 69.5(-110)–Sat. 11 AM CT
I narrowly lost my play on the Duke/Georgia Tech Over last week, but I’m going right back to it this week. I think the Blue Devils’ offense is a lot better than given credit for; RB Mateo Durant is averaging 131 yards/game on the ground this season, and Gunnar Holmberg is completing an uber-efficient 72.5% of his passes. Given that Duke runs their offense at the 8th highest pace in the country and is squaring off against what I would consider a weak Virginia defense, I like Duke’s chances of success offensively. All that being said, Duke is also very weak defensively, and Virginia’s offense has shown lots of life under QB Brennan Armstrong this season. Armstrong is completing 65% of his passes and averaging over 400 yards/game through the air, so the Cavs should have ample opportunity at reaching the end zone back at home. It shouldn’t take anything out of the ordinary for this game to get into the 70’s, so I’ll play the Over.
*CFB(1u): Georgia -21.5(-110) vs Kentucky–Sat. 2:30 PM CT
It’s getting close to the point where Georgia is becoming an “auto-bet” team. The Bulldogs have won each of their 4 conference games by no less than 24 points and are undoubtedly the best team in the country at this point. The offense has stayed afloat even without QB JT Daniels in the mix, but the defense has been insanely dominant, allowing less than 6 PPG this season. Kentucky has found ways to win, but they are in no way a prototypical 6-0 football team. The Wildcats rely heavily on RB Chris Rodriguez, but I have low hopes about Kentucky’s run game facing the best defense in the country. That means the game will fall on the shoulders of QB Will Levis; Levis had a fast start to the season but has thrown for less than 200 yards/game this season and has had some really ugly performances. JT Daniels could be back for this game, but does it really matter? Georgia’s defense is so suffocating that their offense is going to find themselves in favorable positions all game long. I have no issue laying this big of a number with the #1 team in the country.
Texas Tech has had an up-and-down season, picking up nice wins against Houston and West Virginia but also getting blown out by Texas and TCU. The Red Raiders are still without starting QB Tyler Shough, but backup Henry Colombi has proven to be serviceable(64.6% completion, 235 YPG). The Red Raiders like to run the ball with power back Sarodorick Thompson(5.0 career YPC) and open up the deep passing game from there. Considering Kansas is allowing over 50 PPG this season against FBS competition, Tech should be able to get whatever they want offensively. Kansas isn’t horrible offensively, but they are still aren’t very good. Whatever success they’ve had has come when QB Jason Bean uses his legs, but Tech utilizes a pair of really good LB’s that should be able to take that out of the Jayhawks’ arsenal and make Bean(56% completion) beat them through the air. I think Tech comes out and lays the hammer down in the 1st Half.
*CFB(1u): Mississippi State 1H TT UNDER 9.5(-120) vs Alabama–Sat. 6:00 PM CT
Alabama’s defense seemed to match up perfectly with a Texas A&M offense that struggled mightily under QB Zach Calzada. As we all know, the Tide defense was unexpectedly burned for 41 points in a loss at Aggieland. I was high on this Alabama defense before, so I’m not going to panic too much after just 1 game. Mississippi State runs a classic air raid offense that should be much easier for Pete Golding and that defense to prepare for. While MSST QB Will Rogers has good-looking stats, the Bulldogs are averaging just 27.8 PPG this season, and that number has been boosted by some 4th quarter heroics. The flaw of the Air Raid is that it’s very hard to drive the field by throwing short 6-8 yard passes nearly every play. If Alabama can hold Ole Miss scoreless through a half of play, I think they’re plenty capable of showing out strongly against an overrated Mississippi State offense.
*CFB(1u): UCLA/Washington UNDER 55(-110)–Sat. 7:30 PM CT
Washington has been one of the most disappointing teams in the country up to this point. The Huskies were expected to contend with Oregon in the Pac12 North, but those dreams look dire after a 2-3 start. However, coming off a BYE week, I expect Jimmy Lake to have his team ready to roll for this crucial bout with UCLA. UCLA’s offense relies heavily on the run, but the Washington defense is well-coached and should be able to limit the Bruins’ 1-2 punch from running wild. UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been inconsistent through the air this season, and I don’t trust him in passing downs in a tough road environment. Washington QB Dylan Morris has been equally unreliable to start this season, but I think the Huskies’ coaching staff will aid him by running some clock and putting more responsibilities on the RB’s. UCLA’s defense has only been burned by dynamic offenses that have the ability to create chunk plays, though, and I don’t think Washington possesses either of those abilities. Considering the dynamics of this game, 55 seems like too high of a total. I’ll play Under.
The NHL season continues to be eventful… we’re onto a small slate of games today. In yesterday’s article I broke down the line movement on two of the games, so if you’re interested in that check out that. Given the limited selection in games, I only have one play for today.
Chicago Blackhawks (+105) @ New Jersey Devils (-125)
This is the season opener for New Jersey, meanwhile Chicago is coming off a 4-2 loss to Colorado. In that game, Chicago was outshot 18-8 in the first period which led to a 3-1 Avalanche lead early. They would find their footing after that and end the game only being outshot 36-34. This 4-2 loss may be misleading, Chicago had an xG (expected goals) of 3.23 to Colorado’s 3.56. The big issue of this game was Fleury’s play, as he had a -0.44 GSAx which doesn’t match up to his performance last year. He’s expected to start in tonight’s game, so hopefully he can regain his Vezina form for a Hawks team that should be competitive this year.
Looking at New Jersey, they have already been bitten by injury bug losing three starters including their starting goalie, Mackenzie Blackwood. The Devils will again look to their first pick in the 2019 draft, Jack Hughes, for an offensive spark. New Jersey struggled to find the back of the net last season but will get back Nico Hischier who missed most of last season.
The line movement has indicated that Chicago is the side to back, and that’s the play for me. The goalie matchup is the big factor as to why I’m backing the Blackhawks here. With Chicago being + money, I think it has some value, especially given the situation they’re in. I’m not sold on New Jersey’s defense either, especially having Ty Smith and Damon Severson being placed on IR.
PICK: CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (+105)
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
*CFB(1.5u): BYU/Baylor UNDER 50.5(-110)–Sat. 2:30 PM CT
BYU is 3-0 against Power 5 competition this season, but it has little to do with their offensive prowess. The Cougars are averaging just 27 PPG this season, and I have low hopes they’ll eclipse the low 20’s on the road in this matchup given their inability to create explosive plays. Baylor’s defense is well coached with Dave Aranda at the helm. I still am not completely sold on Baylor offensively like most are. QB Gerry Bohanon has relied heavily on the deep ball for his success and still hasn’t proven to me he can make the intermediate throws consistently. For example, when Baylor took on a solid Oklahoma State defense a few weeks ago, Bohanon completed less than half of his passes, and nearly half of his 173 yards through the air came on 2 completions. BYU’s defense has proven to be stout, allowing just over 20 PPG this season. They forced 2 turnovers in a win against Utah and 4 turnovers in a win against Arizona State, so I’d expect the Cougars defense to step up in this matchup and bring Bohanon back down to earth a bit. Lastly, each of these teams deploy some of the slowest-paced offenses in the country. BYU ranks 106th out of 129 qualifying teams in plays/game, while Baylor ranks at 125th. I could see each of these teams struggling to get past the low-20’s, making this Under at 50.5 an easy bet for me.
*CFB(1.5u): Miami/North Carolina UNDER 63–Sat. 2:30 PM CT
Coming into the season, each of these offenses had high expectations considering they featured what were presumed to be 2 of the better QB’s in the country. One team has lost their starting QB for the season, while the other has massively underperformed. D’Eriq King’s absence from this Hurricanes team can’t be understated; the Hurricanes now have to look towards a pair of freshman to replace King’s production. Tyler Van Dyke got the start against Virginia 2 weeks ago and completed just 52% of his passes in the losing effort. The 28 point output was fueled by a second-half surge and can’t be taken at face value; frankly, given how bad Virginia is defensively, it’s simply not an impressive performance. The North Carolina defense can be hit-or-miss, but they have only seemed to struggle against dynamic QB’s this season, something they won’t have to worry about in this matchup. They have the strength up front and talent in the secondary to give this pieced-together Hurricanes offense fits all day. With all that said, it is impossible to ignore just how disappointing the Tar Heels have been offensively this season. QB Sam Howell has seen his completion percentage drop from 69% last season all the way down to 60.5% this season, and through 6 games, Howell has been sacked an astounding 23 times. Miami has a lot of youth in their front 7, but their talent in the secondary should be able to match up well with what’s been a disappointing season for the UNC playmakers. Also, considering Miami allowed 62 points to UNC last year, I’d expect there to be some extra motivation to keep the Tar Heels at bay. Neither of these offenses has proven anything to warrant a total of 63; I’ll play this one Under.
*CFB(1.5u): Arizona State PK(-110) @ Utah–Sat. 9 PM CT
I’ve been really high on Arizona State all season. Aside from a loss at BYU where they shot themselves in the foot with 4 turnovers, the Sun Devils have looked extremely efficient on both sides of the ball. Herm Edwards runs his program like an NFL organization, and it shows on Saturdays. QB Jayden Daniels is completing over 70% of his passes this season, and with a Yards/attempt at 9.3, it’s clear he’s having success in the medium-to-deep passing game. He’s also added 369 yards and 3 TD’s on the ground, forming a lethal ground attack with an already solid 1-2 punch at RB. Utah has serviceable players across their defense, but they don’t have the athletes at this point to beat an athletic offense like Arizona State. Utah QB Cameron Rising has looked good since taking over the starting job a few weeks ago(7 TD vs 0 INT), but this will be his hardest test to date. The Utes have struggled running the ball this season; while RB Tavion Thomas did eclipse the 100 yard mark last week, I’m going to have to see a repeat performance before I change my rating on the Utes’ running game. Coached by Antonio Pierce, the Sun Devils defense looks really sharp at all 3 levels. Given their strengths in the secondary, Utah is going to have a tough time in the medium-to-deep passing game given that their WR’s haven’t developed consistent continuity with Rising at QB. I understand why Utah is being given this much respect by the oddsmakers, but Arizona State already had their wake-up call with BYU. I like the Sun Devils to stay hot and pick up a very impressive road win at Utah.
*CFB(1u): UCF 1H TT UNDER 9.5(-120)–Sat. 11 AM CT
As of this writing this on Thursday evening, Team Totals haven’t been released yet. Given the 1H total, the UCF 1H team total should be around 9-9.5. As long as it opens over 7, I’m going to fire on this. UCF has suffered a pair of brutal injuries to starting QB Dillon Gabriel and experienced RB Isaiah Bowser that has put the offense in the hands of freshman QB Mikey Keene. Under Keene’s watch, the Knights have lost outright against Navy and managed to muster only 20 points against East Carolina last week. Cincinnati has a legitimate shot at a CFP bid this season, but in order to get there, they need to take care of business in games like this. I wouldn’t talk anybody off of laying the points with the Bearcats, but part of me thinks UCF’s defense can get some stops to keep them in the game. What I’m most sure about is that Cincinnati’s defense, which is among the best in the country, is going to come out and totally dominate a lost UCF offense.
*CFB(1u): Ole Miss -2.5(-110) @ Tennessee–Sat. 6:30 PM CT
Each of these teams has proven they can do some pretty special things offensively, so it’s not surprising the total of this game is set at an all-time SEC high of 83! Ole Miss has surpassed the 50 point barrier 3 separate times already in this young season, including last week when they hung 52 on a respectable Arkansas defense. QB Matt Corral gets all the praise, but Ole Miss’s running game is what truly sets the Rebels apart. Last week, Ole Miss had 2 separate RB’s rush for 100+ yards, and that was with their starting RB out with an injury. Tennessee’s defense figures to offer little resistance to what’s been a truly impeccable offense this season. That said, Tennessee has looked equally as dominant since turning the QB job over to Hendon Hooker. The Vols scored 62 at Missouri 2 weeks ago and 45 at home against South Carolina last week. Much like Ole Miss, Tennessee has run the ball extremely effectively with multiple RB’s and will face a defense that is notorious for getting burned. This game would usually be a pass for me given how evenly these teams match up, but the 2.5 was just enough to get me on the Ole Miss side. Lane Kiffin’s program is further along as a whole than Tennessee’s right now under 1st year HC Josh Heupel. More so than that, however, I believe the Rebels are a more battle-tested team entering this game. They’ve already played Alabama and had to scratch and claw to pick up a win against ranked Arkansas last week. Tennessee’s success has come mostly against bad competition, and they’ve lost to each of the two “good” teams they’ve played(Pitt and Florida). Ole Miss has proven they can sustain this level of offensive success, while Tennessee is playing a bit over their heads right now. I’ll take the Rebels to cover the -2.5 in what should be one of the best games of the day.
*3 Team CFB Teaser(1u): Minnesota +10 vs Nebraska, Kansas State +12.5 vs Iowa State, Arizona State +6 @ Utah–Sat. 11 AM CT
Nebraska once again found themselves in the game against a really good team last week before shooting themselves in the foot with a fumble in their own territory and giving the game away. The ‘Huskers sit at 3-4, but they could just as easily be 5-2 or 6-1 at this point. Even so, I think this is a great spot to tease Minnesota up and play them to keep this thing a one-possession game. PJ Fleck has had 2 weeks to prepare for this game and get his team back in check after an up-and-down start to the season. I would expect to see the Gophers rely more on the arm of veteran QB Tanner Morgan and for the Gophers to look a lot more explosive offensively on Saturday. It’s worth noting that Minnesota beat Nebraska outright in Lincoln last year despite missing ⅓ of their roster due to Covid protocols. PJ Fleck is the better coach, and he’ll have his guys competitive in this one.
I actually think Iowa State is a team to look out for in the Big12 race over the back half of this season, but this figures to be a very competitive game. Kansas State has looked very efficient offensively this season when QB Skylar Thompson is healthy. The Wildcats are coming off a BYE week, meaning Thompson will be as healthy as he’ll be the rest of the season. Paired with star RB Deuce Vaughn, I have a lot of trust in that Wildcat backfield. Iowa State has surprisingly shown some cracks defensively this season and could be vulnerable to some chunk plays from K-State’s offense. Iowa State has tons of experience on offense, but they aren’t overly explosive. QB Brock Purdy’s top 2 receiving threats are TE’s, and the Cyclones like to feed Breece Hall in the run game. Having ample time to prepare for this game, I think Kansas State will come out strong defensively. I like Iowa State to win in a close one but for K-State to easily cover the +12.5.
Arizona State explains itself given the pick above.
The NHL season has begun and the storylines are beginning to write themselves. We saw the Tampa Bay Lightning get absolutely demolished on opening night to a Crosby, Guentzel, and Malkinless Pittsburgh Penguin squad. On night two the Winnipeg Jets, a team that was supposed to contend for the Cup, get beaten by the Anaheim Ducks. Also, the Colorado Avalanche look to be back in form after a brutal 4 game losing streak to knock them out of the playoffs last year.
The NHL is a big bounce back league, meaning that the line movements are slightly easier to predict than other major sports (yes hockey is a major sport). Looking ahead at Friday, the Blackhawks, a preseason play for most sharps to win the cup, looked awful against Colorado. They opened against New Jersey, who have yet to play a game at +120, they’re now down to +110. Why? Because of the predicted bounce back against a New Jersey team that’s not all that great.
Another example is the Anaheim Ducks vs Minnesota Wild game on Friday. On Wednesday night, the Ducks upset the Winnipeg Jets 4-1. For their game on Friday, they opened at a +122 underdog to Minnesota. Here’s where the “bounce back” strategy gets reversed, since they had a major upset in their last game, they movement has indicated that they don’t believe they can repeat. The line on the Anaheim Ducks is now +135.
Hopefully, you enjoyed that little breakdown on line movement for the upcoming games. Lets, breakdown some of tonight’s games.
Montreal Canadiens @ Buffalo Sabres
Montreal off a 2-1 loss to Toronto heads to Buffalo, to face well, a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011. The Canadiens will have Samuel Montembeault in net tonight as Carey Price is out dealing with personal issues. In the off-season the Sabres, made Don Granato the permanent head coach after taking over duties from Ralph Kreuger. Jack Eichel is still out for the Sabres as they look to find a trade partner.
This game opened as a pick em’ and has now moved to the Canadiens being -140 favorites. In addition to the moneyline, the total has also shifted from 6.5 to 5.5.
The Sabres plan to play fast this year with all of their young players, while the Canadiens will continue their “blueline trap” style of play. However, given the goalie matchup between Montembeault and Anderson, this game should go over.
PICK: BUFFALO/ MONTREAL OVER 5.5 (-120)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Detroit Red Wings
The Lightning suffered a shocking defeat on opening night losing 6-2 to the Penguins. They’ll look to bounce back against a Red Wings squad that’s been rebuilding for the past few years.
The line opened at -357 for the Lightning but has moved to -220 to -205 on most books. If Andrei Vasilevskiy does start this game, then this bet is a go. If he does not, this is not an advisable bet. Vasilevskiy the best goalie in the league last year and was robbed of the Vezina trophy. In particular, he was great in net after a loss. The goalies for both teams have yet to be confirmed so keep an eye out on the starting goalies before the game. Puck drop is at 7:30 PM ET.
PICK*: TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING -1 1/2 (+110)
*IF ANDREI VASILEVSKIY STARTS
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
