A great night on the ice saw us go one for two on our NHL picks as we cashed in on the large underdog LA Kings (@ +165) who went on the road and beat the Vancouver Cancucks at Rogers Arena. We had the Leafs last night as well, but after jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, the Sens eventually came back and won the game on a third period goal by newcomer Kyle Turris. Just 4 games on the slate tonight, but still enough action that we can spot a winner. Oh, and I am going to admit that I am absolutely hooked to Bet365 mobile for my betting. I used to use my laptop for all my betting, but with how easy it is on my cell phone I’ve started to use it a lot more.
NHL Pick for January 18th
Phoenix @ Anaheim
It has taken a while, but the Ducks have finally caught fire since they terminated Randy Carlyle on November 30th. The Ducks went on a 1-6-1 run in December to have some shaking their heads at the sudden hiring of Bruce Boudreau, however they have come to life in January and are currently on a 5-0-1 run that started with a come from behind win on Long Island on January 6th. The Ducks have averaged 4.2 goals per game on their current hot streak. Phoenix on the other hand has been able to hang around the Western Conference playoff picture for most of the season, but have slipped down the standings thanks to a 2-2-3 record in 2012 and a 0-1-2 road trip before they beat Colorado at home on Monday afternoon. Like usual, the Anaheim Ducks will go as far as their top players can take them. Corey Perry has 7 points in his last 6 games, Ryan Getzlaf has 4 points in his last 2 games, Bobby Ryan with 3 points in his last 2 games, and the Finish Flash Teemu Selanne remains the Ducks’ top scorer and has potted 6 points in his last 5 games played. Even Jonas Hiller has found his game again as of late. The Swiss netminder is an impressive 2-0-0 with a 1.00 goals against average and a .964 save percentage in his last 2 games played. The Ducks are ranked 21st in the NHL in goals for per game on the season averaging just 2.6 goals per contest, but that number improves to 3.0 on home ice, good for 11th in the NHL. Also, the Ducks are killing penalties at an 83.72% clip on the season, but that number also improves at home as they kill penalties at an 87% rate on home ice which is good for 4th in the league. The Ducks have also received some secondary scoring lately, something they were not getting at the start of the year. Jason Blake has come back from a series arm laceration to bag 4 points in his last 2 games, and Saku Koivu has been very consistent as of late with 14 points in his last 11 games. The Coyotes are 0-5 in their last 5 road games, while the Ducks are 17-8 in their last 25 games at home against Phoenix. Take the home team tonight to keep rolling and potentially climb back into the Western Conference playoff picture.
My Pick – DUCKS (-135) (bet it at www.5dimes.com and get $520 FREE)