Posted on 3/6/2008 5:44:44 PM

NHL Odds - Furious Free Picks

By Tim Furious

Toronto Maple Leafs (29-29-10) vs. Boston Bruins (35-24-7)

Thursday, March 6th --- TD Banknorth Garden, Boston --- 7:00pm EST

NHL Betting Line: Boston -150

The line in this game is moving away from Boston and somewhat expectantly towards the Leafs. Nobody thought that the Bruins could keep up their ridiculous pace, and if their last two games has proven anything, it’s that they are tumbling out of the playoff picture in a damn hurry. They have been outscored 11-2 in the past two games after an absurd six-game winning streak. Are they ready to return to the realm of mediocrity?

If the Leafs have anything to say about it, the answer is invariably “yes”. Toronto is 4-2 SU in their past 6 games but was demoralized by the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. And “demoralized” is a nice way of saying they got their cans handed to them in embarrassing fashion. In 2008, these two teams have met twice, with Toronto edging out one-goal wins in each meeting. Perhaps the only saving grace in the embarrassing fashion they lost to the Devils is the fact that Leafs pelted Brodeur with 42 shots on goal.

All the Leafs have to do is continue to dominate the shots-on-goal category against the Bruins. And that will be a tough task against a Bruins team that inexplicably has the best home defense in the league. They give up 2.2 goals against in the TD Banknorth Garden, while the Leafs road scoring ranks 23rd in the NHL with 2.5 goals for. Tim Thomas starts in net for the Bruins, but he has been absolutely horrific lately. The Bruins have done a nice job of protecting him, but it will be difficult task against the Leafs who unload shots on the opposition like it’s going out of style.

Brodeur can certainly handle the truckload of pucks sent his way, but Thomas is not a high-caliber goalie. When the Leafs dominate the offensive end of this game, Thomas will find himself easily flustered as he let’s down the Boston betting faithful and sends Boston to their third straight loss. Toronto is 4-2 SU in their past 6 games on the road and are aggressively trying to get in to the playoffs. Their chances against top-tier teams are slim, but against a pretender like Boston, I love them as an underdog on the moneyline.

NHL Betting Free Pick: Toronto +130 (UNDER)

New York Rangers (34-24-9) vs. New York Islanders (32-29-7)

Thursday, March 6th --- Nassau Coliseum, NY --- 7:00pm EST

NHL Betting Line: NYR -150

If anything’s for certain, New York will walk away the winner. Ok, I’m kidding. The Islanders toppled their Manhatten rivals by a score of 4-3 in a hotly contested victory. The loss snapped a four-game wining streak for Jagr and company. Can the Rangers return the favor on the road this team?

Surprisingly the Rangers are much tougher road team than they are at home. They are 6-2 SU in their past 8 road games, pushing the score in to the OVER in 4 of their last 6 games. They’ve also enjoyed a 17-7-1 SU record when playing in Nassau Coliseum in the past 25 visits. Couple all that with the Isles paltry 4-10 SU record in their last 14 home games and you have the betting trends pointing in the favor of the favorite.

The Islanders have a decent team that has frankly been all over the map. Aside from the lucky win they pulled on Tuesday, they traditionally lose to teams with better records. I know that sounds like a ridiculous thing to say, but the Isle simply aren’t an elite team. They are stuck right in the middle with Buffalo. They beat up on losers and get pounded by stronger teams. The Rangers are a strong playoff choice and are beginning to pull things together. With Jagr, Drury, Gomez, Avery and Shanny, it’s tough imagining this team not going far in the postseason.

It’s also hard to imagine them letting a loss to their in-city rivals go by without a well stated response. Bet on the Rangers tonight as they storm Nassau Coliseum and walk away with a cakewalk victory over a team that is struggling to stay in the playoff race.

NHL Betting Free Pick: New York Rangers -150 (OVER)

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