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Ice picks: Thursday's best NHL bets
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Pittsburgh at Florida (-105, 5.5)
Sidney Crosby looked OK by Sid the Kid standards in his first game back after recovering from a high ankle sprain. He played about 22 minutes and assisted on the winning goal against Tampa Bay, but he's only going to get better.
"As the game went on, I got a little bit more tired," Crosby told reporters. "I'm still not there."
Not yet, anyway, but he doesn't have to be in top form to make a difference. Crosby's puck possession in all zones makes life a lot easier for every other Penguin on the ice and he never gets enough credit for all the little things he does.
If Crosby needs a few more games to get his legs back under him, Pittsburgh shouldn't suffer. MVP dark horse Evgeni Malkin doesn't mind shouldering the load.
Pick: Penguins
Anaheim at Colorado (-125, 5.5)
Colorado has the Chicago Blackhawks to blame if an especially feisty Ducks team takes the ice tonight.
Anaheim was blanked 3-0 by the Blackhawks last night in a game that saw a number of Blackhawks (namely tough guy Ben Eager) get after Chris Pronger, who's just back from a broken jaw.
"It's pretty classless to go after a guy when he's hurt like that," George Parros said of Eager. "You have to expect something back. . . . There were a few guys taking advantage of his injury.
"There's a code of conduct out there to some extent. You finish your check and then you don't ease up on him. Throwing a couple of extra shots with hands to the face is pretty low."
Not a good idea to ruffle these Ducks' feathers. It's a nice price for arguably the best team in the league.
Pick: Ducks
Minnesota at Carolina (+105, 5.5)
There's no point getting off the gravy train until it stops. Carolina has won five of its last six games and hasn't missed a beat without the services of captain Rod Brind'Amour.
At all seems to stem from a team meeting on Feb. 10, following a blowout loss to the New Jersey Devils.
"We kind of aired out some issues that we needed to do, voicing our opinions and kind of cleared the air," Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley told the News and Observer. "A lot of positive things came out of that. From that point, we've realized we have underachieved."
And since then the Canes are 7-2-1.
Pick: Hurricanes
Hot Lines
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Thursday's best NHL bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh at Florida (-105, 5.5)
Sidney Crosby looked OK by Sid the Kid standards in his first game back after recovering from a high ankle sprain. He played about 22 minutes and assisted on the winning goal against Tampa Bay, but he's only going to get better.
"As the game went on, I got a little bit more tired," Crosby told reporters. "I'm still not there."
Not yet, anyway, but he doesn't have to be in top form to make a difference. Crosby's puck possession in all zones makes life a lot easier for every other Penguin on the ice and he never gets enough credit for all the little things he does.
If Crosby needs a few more games to get his legs back under him, Pittsburgh shouldn't suffer. MVP dark horse Evgeni Malkin doesn't mind shouldering the load.
Pick: Penguins
Anaheim at Colorado (-125, 5.5)
Colorado has the Chicago Blackhawks to blame if an especially feisty Ducks team takes the ice tonight.
Anaheim was blanked 3-0 by the Blackhawks last night in a game that saw a number of Blackhawks (namely tough guy Ben Eager) get after Chris Pronger, who's just back from a broken jaw.
"It's pretty classless to go after a guy when he's hurt like that," George Parros said of Eager. "You have to expect something back. . . . There were a few guys taking advantage of his injury.
"There's a code of conduct out there to some extent. You finish your check and then you don't ease up on him. Throwing a couple of extra shots with hands to the face is pretty low."
Not a good idea to ruffle these Ducks' feathers. It's a nice price for arguably the best team in the league.
Pick: Ducks
Minnesota at Carolina (+105, 5.5)
There's no point getting off the gravy train until it stops. Carolina has won five of its last six games and hasn't missed a beat without the services of captain Rod Brind'Amour.
At all seems to stem from a team meeting on Feb. 10, following a blowout loss to the New Jersey Devils.
"We kind of aired out some issues that we needed to do, voicing our opinions and kind of cleared the air," Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley told the News and Observer. "A lot of positive things came out of that. From that point, we've realized we have underachieved."
And since then the Canes are 7-2-1.
Pick: Hurricanes
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