NHL
Thursday, January 8
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Ice picks: Thursday's best NHL bets
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New York Islanders at Calgary Flames (-284, 5.5)
Could this be the year the Flames win the Cup? The way they’ve been playing lately, fans have a good reason to be optimistic.
They came out firing Tuesday night against the league-leading Sharks in what was considered a statement game by the Flames who suffered an embarrassing loss in San Jose back in November. They outshot San Jose 16-4 in the first period and left the ice for the first intermission with a commanding 3-0 lead on their way to a 5-2 victory.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” Daymond Langkow told reporters after the game. “We were skating well and just making smart plays. Taking the puck to the net and getting bodies in front of Nabokov. It paid off for us.”
Meanwhile, the Islanders haven’t managed to turn things around. They have lost eight of their last 10 games and with rumors flying about Weight and Guérin getting traded, things may only be getting worse.
Pick: Flames -284
Pittsburgh Penguins at Nashville Predators (-107, 5.5)
The Penguins got a much needed victory Tuesday night against the Atlanta Thrashers, ending a five-game losing streak.
Pittsburgh scored two goals on the power play after going 0-for-32 in its previous seven games. It might not be much to brag about though, considering the Thrashers have the worst penalty kill in the league. Regardless of the opponent, the win was a confidence booster for the team.
The Penguins will have the opportunity to build on this victory tonight in Nashville when they face another struggling team. The Predators are winless in their last five games and have only managed to score seven goals during that stretch. Their offense sits last in the Western Conference with just 94 goals.
Pick: Penguins -103
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Thursday, January 8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Thursday's best NHL bets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York Islanders at Calgary Flames (-284, 5.5)
Could this be the year the Flames win the Cup? The way they’ve been playing lately, fans have a good reason to be optimistic.
They came out firing Tuesday night against the league-leading Sharks in what was considered a statement game by the Flames who suffered an embarrassing loss in San Jose back in November. They outshot San Jose 16-4 in the first period and left the ice for the first intermission with a commanding 3-0 lead on their way to a 5-2 victory.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” Daymond Langkow told reporters after the game. “We were skating well and just making smart plays. Taking the puck to the net and getting bodies in front of Nabokov. It paid off for us.”
Meanwhile, the Islanders haven’t managed to turn things around. They have lost eight of their last 10 games and with rumors flying about Weight and Guérin getting traded, things may only be getting worse.
Pick: Flames -284
Pittsburgh Penguins at Nashville Predators (-107, 5.5)
The Penguins got a much needed victory Tuesday night against the Atlanta Thrashers, ending a five-game losing streak.
Pittsburgh scored two goals on the power play after going 0-for-32 in its previous seven games. It might not be much to brag about though, considering the Thrashers have the worst penalty kill in the league. Regardless of the opponent, the win was a confidence booster for the team.
The Penguins will have the opportunity to build on this victory tonight in Nashville when they face another struggling team. The Predators are winless in their last five games and have only managed to score seven goals during that stretch. Their offense sits last in the Western Conference with just 94 goals.
Pick: Penguins -103
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