Tweet
NHL
Friday, November 5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres fans heard two words they were dreading this week: Patrick Lalime
When Olympic star Ryan Miller went down with a back injury, Lalime was forced into a starting role. The status of Miller has forced many books to not set an early line for the game. However, it’s not like Miller was a brick wall this year. The former Michigan State standout was 3-5-2 with a mediocre 2.71 goals-against average and a pedestrian .903 save percentage.
But it’s still better than Lalime. The former Penguins standout has been a sieve, going 0-2 with a 3.41 GAA and a .880 save percentage.
Meantime, Montreal has made the most of a modest offense, nothing just 29 goals but touting 11 players with at least three points through the team’s first 12 games. The balance has made the Canadiens consistent.
Something the Sabres can only dream of.
Pick: Canadiens
Calgary Flames at Minnesota Wild (-120, 5)
The Flames couldn’t be much more ice cold. Calgary has dropped three straight games because of a defense that has floundered against good offensive clubs.
Calgary was tagged for six and seven goals respectively against Colorado and Washington, before giving up 33 shots and a pair of second-period goals in a 2-1 loss to Detroit. Overall, the Flames are allowing an average of 3.0 goals per game and yielding nearly 29 shots per night.
"It doesn't seem like we're learning our lesson," Calgary defenseman Robyn Regehr said. "For us, we have to take pride in playing the way we do at the start of the game and just continue on. It's a hard way to play but that's the way we have to do it. When we get away from that, we're no good and we lose games."
The key for the Wild to exploit the Calgary defense will be getting on the power play. Minnesota is converting 26.9 percent of its chances with the man advantage, the second-highest average in the league.
And the Flames? Average nearly 15 penalty minutes per game, the 13th-highest mark in the league.
Pick: Wild
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, November 5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres fans heard two words they were dreading this week: Patrick Lalime
When Olympic star Ryan Miller went down with a back injury, Lalime was forced into a starting role. The status of Miller has forced many books to not set an early line for the game. However, it’s not like Miller was a brick wall this year. The former Michigan State standout was 3-5-2 with a mediocre 2.71 goals-against average and a pedestrian .903 save percentage.
But it’s still better than Lalime. The former Penguins standout has been a sieve, going 0-2 with a 3.41 GAA and a .880 save percentage.
Meantime, Montreal has made the most of a modest offense, nothing just 29 goals but touting 11 players with at least three points through the team’s first 12 games. The balance has made the Canadiens consistent.
Something the Sabres can only dream of.
Pick: Canadiens
Calgary Flames at Minnesota Wild (-120, 5)
The Flames couldn’t be much more ice cold. Calgary has dropped three straight games because of a defense that has floundered against good offensive clubs.
Calgary was tagged for six and seven goals respectively against Colorado and Washington, before giving up 33 shots and a pair of second-period goals in a 2-1 loss to Detroit. Overall, the Flames are allowing an average of 3.0 goals per game and yielding nearly 29 shots per night.
"It doesn't seem like we're learning our lesson," Calgary defenseman Robyn Regehr said. "For us, we have to take pride in playing the way we do at the start of the game and just continue on. It's a hard way to play but that's the way we have to do it. When we get away from that, we're no good and we lose games."
The key for the Wild to exploit the Calgary defense will be getting on the power play. Minnesota is converting 26.9 percent of its chances with the man advantage, the second-highest average in the league.
And the Flames? Average nearly 15 penalty minutes per game, the 13th-highest mark in the league.
Pick: Wild
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment