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NHL
Thursday, December 30
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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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Philadelphia Flyers at Los Angeles Kings (-120, 5.5)
The Kings are staking their claim as California’s top team.
Heading into Wednesday’s game with Phoenix, L.A. has won four straight outings, including a dominant 4-0 shutout over the San Jose Sharks Monday and a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks Sunday.
"You can't really say enough about the way the team played," goaltender Jonathan Quick, who stopped all 24 shots Tuesday, told reporters. "San Jose is one of the top teams in the league and really we brought our A-game. We played well and we didn't give them much defensively and we scored some big goals.”
Los Angeles has netted a total of 16 goals during this four-game winning streak while giving up only three goals against. The Kings have managed to strike first in three of those contests and have poured it on with the lead.
"That's where you step on their throat and put them right away. That's what good teams do -not taking any chances of them coming back,” forward Dustin Brown, who has five goals during this hot run, told the media.
Philadelphia is 3-1 in the past four meeting with Los Angeles but has scored an average of just 2.25 goals per game in those contests. The Flyers are struggling to find the back of the net in recent games, dropping back-to-back losses while recording only two goals in that skid.
Pick: Los Angeles
San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks (-135, 5.5)
The defending Stanley Cup champs must continue on without a huge piece of their puzzle.
Star forward and team captain Jonathan Toews left in the first period of Chicago’s 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues Tuesday, suffering what appeared to be a shoulder injury after getting hit into the boards by St. Louis’ Matt D'Agostini.
The Blackhawks were hoping to have all their studs back in the lineup after returning Patrick Kane Tuesday night and Marian Hossa this past weekend. However, Toews could miss the next few games with what the team is calling an upper-body injury.
“More than anything, it’s frustrating to get a full lineup back, and it seems like guys drop the next game,” Kane told the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s tough. I don’t know what the extent of the injury is or what it’s going to be. But hopefully it’s not too bad.”
Chicago’s loss to the Blues snapped a four-game winning streak. The Blackhawks are 9-3 in their last 12 meetings with the Sharks. However, San Jose has won the last two head-to-head contests this season, outscoring Chicago 7-3 in those victories.
Pick: San Jose
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Thursday, December 30
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philadelphia Flyers at Los Angeles Kings (-120, 5.5)
The Kings are staking their claim as California’s top team.
Heading into Wednesday’s game with Phoenix, L.A. has won four straight outings, including a dominant 4-0 shutout over the San Jose Sharks Monday and a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks Sunday.
"You can't really say enough about the way the team played," goaltender Jonathan Quick, who stopped all 24 shots Tuesday, told reporters. "San Jose is one of the top teams in the league and really we brought our A-game. We played well and we didn't give them much defensively and we scored some big goals.”
Los Angeles has netted a total of 16 goals during this four-game winning streak while giving up only three goals against. The Kings have managed to strike first in three of those contests and have poured it on with the lead.
"That's where you step on their throat and put them right away. That's what good teams do -not taking any chances of them coming back,” forward Dustin Brown, who has five goals during this hot run, told the media.
Philadelphia is 3-1 in the past four meeting with Los Angeles but has scored an average of just 2.25 goals per game in those contests. The Flyers are struggling to find the back of the net in recent games, dropping back-to-back losses while recording only two goals in that skid.
Pick: Los Angeles
San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks (-135, 5.5)
The defending Stanley Cup champs must continue on without a huge piece of their puzzle.
Star forward and team captain Jonathan Toews left in the first period of Chicago’s 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues Tuesday, suffering what appeared to be a shoulder injury after getting hit into the boards by St. Louis’ Matt D'Agostini.
The Blackhawks were hoping to have all their studs back in the lineup after returning Patrick Kane Tuesday night and Marian Hossa this past weekend. However, Toews could miss the next few games with what the team is calling an upper-body injury.
“More than anything, it’s frustrating to get a full lineup back, and it seems like guys drop the next game,” Kane told the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s tough. I don’t know what the extent of the injury is or what it’s going to be. But hopefully it’s not too bad.”
Chicago’s loss to the Blues snapped a four-game winning streak. The Blackhawks are 9-3 in their last 12 meetings with the Sharks. However, San Jose has won the last two head-to-head contests this season, outscoring Chicago 7-3 in those victories.
Pick: San Jose
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