Posted on 1/24/2008 5:16:41 PM

NHL Betting Free Picks – Week 17 Thursday Edition, Part 1

By Tim Furious

Pittsburgh Penguins (27-17-4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (26-16-5)

Thursday, January 24th --- Wachovia Center, Philadelphia --- 7:00pm EST

NHL Money Line: Philadelphia -190

Pittsburgh may be 10-3 SU in their past 13 games, but they face a stiff test when they battle the Philadelphia Flyers in their own building. Both teams are coming off losses, but Philadelphia’s devastating 7-3 loss to the Devils has a lot of people scratching their heads. At least Pittsburgh can somewhat justify losing to Ovechkin and the Capitals 6-5 on Monday.

The last time these two teams met was in early December and the Flyers thoroughly dismantled the Penguins in an 8-2 blowout. The Penguins are one of the best road scoring teams, averaging 2.9 goals per game in foreign territory. But the Flyers have the second best home offense, scoring a mind blowing 3.6 goals per game at home. Much of that is because they have the best power-play when playing on home ice, rocking a 26.3 percent average.

Pittsburgh’s defense and goal tending are superb, but the Flyers are coming off an embarrassing loss to New Jersey, that will drive them to get back on the horse by pummeling Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins. The Flyers are only 13-12 SU as favorites, but much of that had to do with early season stumbling as a new roster adjusted to itself. Now that they are flying high, your betting dollars are safe with Philadelphia for now.

NHL Free Picks: Philadelphia -190

Toronto Maple Leafs (20-22-8) vs. Washington Capitals (22-22-5)

Thursday, January 24th --- Verizon Center, Washington --- 7:00pm EST

NHL Money Line: Washington -165

I don’t know what’s more surprising. The fact that both teams are 4-1 SU in their past five games, or that Mats Sundin was able to punish the Capitals with three points in their previous meeting last night. The Leafs won on Wednesday 3-2 behind Sundin’s monumental play making, including a dazzling lamp lighter that put the game on ice with thirty seconds remaining.

The Capitals typical culprits were at work last night, with Semin and Ovechkin blowing past the lumbering big men of Toronto’s blue line. Washington rifled off 32 shots, but Vesa Toskala remained a force between the steel posts, only allowing two goals, one of which wasn’t really his fault. Toskala buckled down in the third period, were he batted away 9-of-10 shots by a surging Caps offense.

The Leafs are a momentum team and will pull out another surprise victory in this back-to-back mini-series. For those of you that profited off of last night’s betting action, take the Leafs again. Toronto gets off an enormous amount of pucks on net, and Olaf “Godzilla” Kolzig is not the kind of net minder that can withstand such a barrage on back-to-back nights.

NHL Free Picks: Toronto +145

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