LAS VEGAS — The good thing you can take away from the type of losing skid I’m on, is at any given time you can fade my picks and probably make as much money as you can when I’m on a winning run.
We’re nearing the 4 Nations Faceoff, with one or two games left for the 32 teams. There are nine games on the card, with plenty of storylines running rampant.
For me, I’m finding the best value in tonight’s clash from Tampa, a return engagement for the Ottawa Senators in Tampa against the Lightning. The two just met a couple of nights back with the Bolts coming away with a one-goal win.
Now it’s time for the rematch.
Let’s do a deep dive into this one:
WHY OTTAWA: Despite the loss on Tuesday, the Senators are still one of the hottest teams in the league, having won five straight before the loss. And two of those wins came against Eastern powers Washington and Toronto. With this game and Saturday’s against the Panthers, the Senators know they don’t want to head to Sunrise on a two-game skid, making tonight even more motivational.
WHY TAMPA BAY: After a rough 6-8-2 stretch since the end of December, the Lightning have won of the last three, including Tuesday’s win against the Senators. The Bolts have two road games after this one, to close out before the break, in Detroit and Montreal. So same thing as Ottawa, they’re not going to want to hit the road off a loss.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
THE PICK: SENATORS +140 — Ottawa has won six of the last eight meetings, so confidence to bounce back should accompany the Senators onto the ice. In addition to their recent five-game win streak, the Senators are 10-3-1 since Jan. 11 and have outscored the competition, 42-28. In that span, the Sens rank No. 1 in the league with 21 points, and are tied at No. 3 in the NHL in allowing just 2.00 goals per game. Revenge for the Sens tonight.
(Season Record: 14-23-1, Net: -1120$, based on 100$ units)
