Tuesday Night 2 Game NHL Parlay Pick – Good Teams Playing Badly

There seem to be a lot of struggling teams taking to the ice on Tuesday Night. 1 week to go before the Olympic break – it’s time to get back on track for a number of these struggling teams.

Boston Bruins (24-22-11) @ Buffalo Sabres (32-18-7)
7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 9, 2010
HSBC Arena, Buffalo, New York

• The Buffalo Sabres rank 12th on offense, and average 2.7 goals per game. The Sabres are 17.7% on the power play and have 41 power play goals.
• The Boston Bruins rank 30th on offense, and average 2.3 goals per game. The Bruins are 18.1% on the power play and have 35 power play goals.
• The Sabres average 2.8 goals per game at home, and give up 2.2 goals against on defense.
• The Bruins average 2.1 goals per game on the road, and give up 2.4 goals against on defense.
• Buffalo has the best penalty killing in the league, Boston is second.
  
  

Boston Bruins – +125

Before their win at Montreal Sunday, the Bruins had lost ten straight games. When is the last time you could say that about a Bruins team? This one is a total head scratcher. The Bruins are a relatively healthy team but just don’t seem to be getting it done. They are presently out of a playoff position and with nobody stepping up on that team, the Bruins appear to be flat lining. It is hard to like this team at all right now.

Buffalo Sabres – -145

Buffalo has had a rough couple of weeks. Four straight losses with the last two coming at the hands of Carolina and Columbus have many wondering if this team is a contender or pretender. Ryan Miller, after a hot start has cooled off a bit lately as well. But this is a good well-coached team that should turn it around. Why not start with the free-falling Bruins?

Pick: Buffalo Sabres -145

Detroit Red Wings (27-21-10) @ St. Louis Blues (25-24-9)
8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri

• The St. Louis Blues rank 25th on offense, and average 2.5 goals per game. The Blues are 17.1% on the power play and have 36 power play goals.
  
• The Detroit Red Wings rank 24th on offense, and average 2.5 goals per game. The Red Wings are 17.9% on the power play and have 40 power play goals.
  
• The Blues average 2.4 goals per game at home, and give up 3.0 goals against on defense.
  
• The Red Wings average 2.5 goals per game on the road, and give up 2.9 goals against on defense.
  
  

Detroit Red Wings – -130

All of Hockeytown is nervous. The Red Wings are out of a playoff spot right now – a position that Detroit’s fans are not used to. The Wings have battled injuries over the course of the season but have been fairly healthy for a while now. The simply are not getting the results. They are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and outside of a big win against the Sharks, have been playing lackluster hockey. The Wings have to rebound sometime don’t they? It’s the last game of a road trip and I think that the Wings finish up strong.

St. Louis Blues – +110

The St. Louis Blues were a playoff team last year but have failed to live up to expectations this year. They are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and have lost 3 straight games (although they were to San Jose, Chicago and Colorado).  With no real firepower on the roster, and with an average Chris Mason in net, the Blues deserve their place in the lower tier on NHL teams. St. Louis will have a tough time matching the swagger of the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.

Pick:Detroit Red Wings -130