NHL Hockey Free Picks

Back with more NHL betting for Tuesday.  We’ll take a look at tonight’s game between a couple of playoff bound teams in the Western Conference as the Vancouver Canucks head east to play the Colorado Avalanche.  Canucks are currently third in the West while the Avalanche are in 6th but that doesn’t really do justice to how evenly matched these teams are.  Only three points separate the third through sixth teams so obviously this is an important game.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS VS. COLORADO AVALANCHE

Both teams started the season playing very good defense–or in Vancouver’s case getting one insane goaltending performance after another from Roberto Luongo–but somewhere along the way their offenses caught up to the level that they were playing at defensively.  Now both teams can score and keep the other team from scoring, which is a deadly combination in hockey.  Vancouver is ranked third in goals per game, just .02 behind second place Chicago.  The Blackhawks are one of six teams in the NHL averaging more than three goals per game.  Colorado is ninth in goals per game at 2.88.

The wagering board at most sportsbooks will be full of basketball games so it would be easy to miss the NHL betting opportunities that exist for Saturday.  We’ll take a look at the game between the Atlanta Thrashers and Tampa Bay Lightning.  Miraculously, this game actually has playoff implications.  Atlanta is currently in 8th place in the Eastern Conference with a tenuous claim to the final playoff spot.  How tenuous?  They’re actually tied with the 9th and 10th teams (the New York Rangers and Montreal) but hold the tiebreaker.  Tampa Bay is also in the mix–they’re in 11th place but just 3 points behind the aforementioned logjam and 4 points back of the Boston Bruins in seventh.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS. ATLANTA THRASHERS

NHL hockey betting is on the docket at sportsbooks, and we’ve got a nice position in the Western Conference showdown between the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks.  The Blackhawks are 2 points behind the San Jose Sharks for the Western Conference lead and 5 points behind the Washington Capitals for best overall record.  The Canucks are in third place but are 9 points out of second.  Both teams have two games under their belts since the return from the Winter Olympic break, with the Blackhawks winning both and the Canucks splitting their games.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS VS. VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Some interest in Vancouver as a road dog here, but an even stronger play appears to be the total.  The Blackhawks are the #4 scoring teams in the league and the Canucks are #2.  Both teams are top ten ranked defensively as well, but as the season has progressed they’ve become much more offensively oriented.  Weaker teams can compete in a slowdown game, so the best way for both squads to leverage their superior talent is by scoring goals in bunches.

That’s not an homage to former Van Halen frontman/tequila entrepreneur Sammy Hagar who was once known as ‘The Red Rocker’, but rather the name of the Washington Capitals ice girls.  Sportsbooks are offering a big slate of NHL betting opportunities for Thursday and we’ll look at the Caps hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Washington has the best record in the NHL and got their post Olympic stretch run off to a good start with a victory at Buffalo on Wednesday night.  Tampa Bay is trying to get themselves into the playoffs.  They’re currently in 11th place in the Eastern Conference but they trail 8th place Boston by two points and 7th place Montreal by three points.  The Lightning were trounced 7-2 at Philadelphia in their first post Olympic action.

TAMPA BAY VS. WASHINGTON