Starting today, I wanted to resume giving picks of the day to everyone. I'll keep my record as we go along. I'll probably regret that by the end of the season. Here's today picks:
Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes (over 5.5, -105)
Most people will stay away from this bet because of well Tim Thomas has played this year and the ability of Cam Ward to play well for the Hurricanes. However, both teams are playing well and players on both sides are red-hot.
Carolina is 10-4-2 in their last 16 games while the Bruins are 7-3-1 in their last 11. Eric Staal has 18 points in his last 16 games, while Tuomo Ruutu and Jeff Skinner combined for 46 points in the month of January. The Bruins also have a hot hand with Patrice Bergeron as he put up 15 points in his last 11.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals (over 5.5, +120)
Despite the fact that Montreal will also revert to a defensive style because of Jacques Martin and the Caps are trying to become more defensive, these two teams usually combine to have an offensive-minded game. Carey Price and Semyon Varlamov have also had their struggles lately after wonderful starts to their campaigns.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (over 5.5, -130)
The last meeting between these two teams saw a wild shootout occur with the final score being 8-7. The one stat that gets to me is that despite the record of the Lightning, the team has actually allowed more goals than scored this year. It certainly speaks about a team that is offense first and defense second.