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NHL
Friday, November 12
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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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Colorado Avalanche at Columbus Blue Jackets
Injuries are demolishing the Colorado Avalanche for the second year in a row.
After being ravaged by emerging young talent getting unlucky breaks a year ago, the team is suffering through the same hardships as it fights to stay among the top teams of the Northwest Division. In the second period of a 4-2 loss to Calgary in which the team blew a late lead, both top-line left wing TJ Galiardi (broken wrist) and fourth-line winger David Van Der Gulik (torn MCL) were lost to injuries.
But they will have plenty of company on injured reserve. Craig Anderson (knee), Kyle Cumiskey (concussion), David Koci (broken jaw), Peter Mueller (concussion), Adam Foote (concussion) and Kyle Quincey (concussion) all are out indefinitely with a host of ailments. Overall the team has 10 injured players.
The lack of cohesion from the depleted roster is a big reason the squad ranks 27th in defense (3.3 goals per game) and 29th in penalty killing (71.9 percent).
And don’t look for it to get easier against the Blue Jackets.
Columbus is led by the stellar play of goalie Mathieu Garcon, who has a 1.28 goals-against average and a sparkling .951 save percentage. He should be just as stingy against the Avs.
Pick: Blue Jackets
Minnesota Wild at Florida Panthers
This one has snoozefest written all over it.
The Wild are among the stingiest teams in the game, giving up a mere 2.2 goals per game, the fourth-lowest mark in the league. But don’t expect the Panthers to make things easy on the visitors. Florida gives up just 2.5 goals per game, the 10th-best mark in the league. Both teams also excel at killing penalties, with the Panthers fighting off man advantages at a 90.2 percent clip and the Wild at an 86.4 percent pace.
Overall the teams have a combined 10-16 mark against the total this year, with the Wild seeing the under hit in six straight and the Panthers in three of their past five.
History also says to play the under. The under has hit in six of the Wild’s past eight games, while the under is a perfect, 8-0 in the Panthers’ past eight against the Northwest Division.
"Our margin for error in games is really, really small," Minnesota coach Todd Richards said. "We have to be on top of our game. We aren't a team that's going to go out and explode for six goals in a period or five goals in a period."
Pick: Under
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Friday, November 12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colorado Avalanche at Columbus Blue Jackets
Injuries are demolishing the Colorado Avalanche for the second year in a row.
After being ravaged by emerging young talent getting unlucky breaks a year ago, the team is suffering through the same hardships as it fights to stay among the top teams of the Northwest Division. In the second period of a 4-2 loss to Calgary in which the team blew a late lead, both top-line left wing TJ Galiardi (broken wrist) and fourth-line winger David Van Der Gulik (torn MCL) were lost to injuries.
But they will have plenty of company on injured reserve. Craig Anderson (knee), Kyle Cumiskey (concussion), David Koci (broken jaw), Peter Mueller (concussion), Adam Foote (concussion) and Kyle Quincey (concussion) all are out indefinitely with a host of ailments. Overall the team has 10 injured players.
The lack of cohesion from the depleted roster is a big reason the squad ranks 27th in defense (3.3 goals per game) and 29th in penalty killing (71.9 percent).
And don’t look for it to get easier against the Blue Jackets.
Columbus is led by the stellar play of goalie Mathieu Garcon, who has a 1.28 goals-against average and a sparkling .951 save percentage. He should be just as stingy against the Avs.
Pick: Blue Jackets
Minnesota Wild at Florida Panthers
This one has snoozefest written all over it.
The Wild are among the stingiest teams in the game, giving up a mere 2.2 goals per game, the fourth-lowest mark in the league. But don’t expect the Panthers to make things easy on the visitors. Florida gives up just 2.5 goals per game, the 10th-best mark in the league. Both teams also excel at killing penalties, with the Panthers fighting off man advantages at a 90.2 percent clip and the Wild at an 86.4 percent pace.
Overall the teams have a combined 10-16 mark against the total this year, with the Wild seeing the under hit in six straight and the Panthers in three of their past five.
History also says to play the under. The under has hit in six of the Wild’s past eight games, while the under is a perfect, 8-0 in the Panthers’ past eight against the Northwest Division.
"Our margin for error in games is really, really small," Minnesota coach Todd Richards said. "We have to be on top of our game. We aren't a team that's going to go out and explode for six goals in a period or five goals in a period."
Pick: Under
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