Ryan Hodges
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What Wednesday’s NHL slate lacks in number of games, it makes up for in intrigue. The Penguins, Islanders, Avalanche and Flames are all grinding to move up in the standings to secure a playoff spot come spring. Things look pretty good for the Bruins and Stars these days, but they do not want to lose any ground and also are a lot of fun to watch. With some great games on national TV and valuable points up for grabs on Wednesday, this slate is a great bridge to the second half of the week.
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Colorado Avalanche vs Calgary Flames under 6 (-110)
Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+140)
Dallas Stars -1.5 (+150)
Parlay odds: +1045
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Colorado Avalanche vs Calgary Flames under 6 (-110)
The under has been trending for the Avalanche and Flames both all season and recently. The total has gone under in 13 of Colorado’s last 19 games and in 5 of their last 6 on the road. The total has also gone under in 8 of Calgary’s last 11 games including their last 3 at home. Their combined over/under record is 36-49-2 including 16-24-1 combining Flames home games with Avs road games. In their respective last 10 games, Flames home games combined with Avalanche road games have gone under in 6 of 7 games. Both teams are in the bottom half of the NHL in scoring, which is far from their pre-season expectations. While Colorado is getting healthier and Calgary is continuing to figure things out, their totals are going under in the meantime.
Although both teams have wildly underachieved this season, albeit for different reasons, they are firmly in playoff contention. The Flames are clinging to the final wild-card spot just 4 points above the Avalanche who have 3 games in hand on Calgary. Even with plenty of hockey left to play, these are 2 valuable points up for grabs on Wednesday. Neither team will play as loose and offensively as they did last year when they were clicking on all cylinders. With a slim margin of error and both teams playing to not make a mistake, the under has a great chance to continue trending for both the Avs and Flames.
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Dallas Stars -1.5 over San Jose Sharks (+150)
The Stars have just kept the status quo from the first drop of the puck this season. They continue to roll and further solidify their position near the top of the Western Conference. Dallas is 7-3-1 in their last 11 games, including a 5-2 win over San Jose a couple of weeks ago. They rank top 7 in the NHL in both goals scored and allowed per game, in special teams, face-off percentage, and save percentage. They have significant advantages over the Sharks in those categories along with goal differential and shot differential. The Sharks have made for a favorable matchup for most opponents this season. Dallas is a very good team in very good form and has a good chance to repeat the results as their last matchup against San Jose.
The Sharks are not a good team that is also not in good form. They have 1 win in their last 6 games and 3 wins in their last 14. They are 11-12 against the spread at home this season to the Stars’ 15-10 road record against the spread. In the Sharks’ last 10 losses, they have lost by an average of 2.60 goals per game. When San Jose loses, they do not typically keep it close. This is a lopsided matchup no matter how you slice it in favor of the Stars. If they were playing bad or the Sharks were playing well, this may look different. But recent results reinforce the favorable matchup for Dallas on Wednesday.
Check out our full Dallas Stars vs San Jose Sharks predictions
Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 over Vancouver Canucks (+140)
There have been better days to be a Canucks fans. They have been out of sorts since training camp without really any reprieve. It has been surprising considering the hot run they went on last season after hiring Bruce Boudreau. Now Boudreau has become a lame-duck coach halfway through the season, arguably to no fault of his own. There are also multiple Canucks players that appear to be on the way out as trade deadline sell-offs, since they are in the final year of their contracts. Canucks players are showing up to the facility every day not knowing who their coach is going to be or which of their teammates’ equipment will be in the stall next to them. Aside from pure competitive drive and pride, there is not much for these players to show up to right now.
With all that said, it is no surprise that Vancouver has lost 4 out of their last 5 and 7 out of their last 9 games. The Canucks’ issues both on and off the ice make for a favorable matchup against this Lightning team that is 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. Tampa beat Vancouver last week by a score of 5-4. Familiarity and strong form look good for the Lightning to have similar results and then some. In those 8 wins, Tampa won by an average of 2.25 goals. Too much is going right for Tampa and wrong for Vancouver to not love this plus money value for the Lightning to cover.
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