Posted on
3/6/2008 5:49:03 PM
NHL Furious Free Picks – Thursday Late Night Hockey Betting
By Tim Furious
Anaheim Ducks (38-24-7) vs. Colorado Avalanche (35-26-6)
Thursday, March 6th --- Pepsi Center, Denver --- 9:00pm EST
NHL Betting Line: Colorado -125
Anaheim was a juggernaut heading in to their tilt against Chicago last night. Then they got blanked in a 3-0 shutout loss to the upstarts from Chi-town. Now they have to deal with a reunited top-line of Hejduk-Sakic-Forsberg from Denver. Both teams have 5-1 SU records in their past 6 games. The Ducks will be happy to have Chris Pronger back in the lineup after suffering a broken jaw, but will he be enough for the reunited scoring line of the Avalanche?
Colorado has been on a scoring spree lately, while playing brilliant two-way hockey. They have been notching 3.0 goals per game, while only allowing 2.0. Jose Theodore has been stalwart in net, allowing only 2.43 pucks past him this season. With Foote and Liles protecting the blue-line, the punchy Avs will be a tough team to snowball the score against. But it will be considerably difficult for the Avs to deal with the mighty presence of Todd Bertuzzi parking his big frame in the crease. Theodore has always played poorly when a big body like Bertuzzi is able to establish dominance in front of him.
Also leaning the tilt in the favor of these Ducks is that they are 4-1 SU in the past 5 games against Colorado. They were due for a hiccup like the loss to Chicago eventually, and there’s no reason for their betting faithful to panic. While I won’t be surprised when Colorado matches their offensive output, I still like Anaheim in this one because of their added depth, solid team chemistry and more skillful blue-line. The Avalanche betting faithful might want to swing the other way in this one, but that doesn’t mean they should worry. If anything, this game will be a measuring stick in proving just how solid the Avs are. Keep your eyes on this game in terms of our Stanley Cup futures.
NHL Betting Free Picks: Anaheim +105 (OVER)
Montreal Canadiens (36-22-9) vs. Phoenix Coyotes (34-28-5)
Thursday, March 6th --- Jobing.com Arena, Phoenix --- 9:00pm EST
NHL Betting Line: Montreal -130
Montreal has rallied to become the most prolific scoring team in the league. They rank right behind the Ottawa Senators with 3.2 goals per game, but considering the way the Sens have been playing lately, Montreal clearly has the best twine finding offense in the league. Part of the reason they are favored on the road against the desert dogs is that they are the best road scoring team in the league with 3.2 goals per game away from home.
Phoenix continually gets decimated by the Canadiens. They’re simply a team that has their number. In the days gone by, that number was one that every team in the NHL seemed to have, but the Coyotes have been punchy lately. They are 3-2 SU in their past 5 games and recently notched a victory over the Stars. Carrying that success over against a team like Montreal will prove extremely difficult.
Phoenix allows 30.49 shots on net, and plays decent team defense with 2.64 goals against per game. But their special teams is a huge concern. They are only 18.05 percent with the extra-man, and are 82.78 percent on the penalty kill. Montreal boasts very strong special teams, and that may too much for the Coyotes when the dust settles in the Arizona desert.
Montreal has rewarded its betting faithful by going 7-3 SU in their past 10 games, and remain one of the best teams to bet with heading down the stretch of the regular season. I’m not ready to throw a ton of favor their way in the playoffs just yet, but this just took a loaded San Jose Sharks team to the edge. The Coyotes won’t put up nearly the same fight.
NHL Betting Free Picks: Montreal -130 (UNDER)
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