A Bevy of games to choose from in the N.H.L for Thursday, February 1, 2018
Almost too many games to choose from but I’ve selected some pretty interesting ones to key in on for daily fantasy purposes and to see who could have an edge on either side.
A matchup that could be really fun features the Colorado Avalanche(27-18-4) at the Edmonton Oilers(22-24-3). Colorado comes into this one struggling a bit as they have lost three straight after that amazing run. Colorado is only 1pt. away from a wild card birth, and have played way above expectations. They have to love the way things have gone for them compared to that disastrous season last year. Some good and bad news, first the bad, and it could be really bad, but Nathan Mackinnon will be out and is day to day, this is a big void, he currently sits second in league scoring. The good news though is Tyson Barrie is back, he is the Avs go-to on defense alongside Eric Johnson. Bernier gets the nod in nets for Colorado. A name of note for you DFSers out there could be Alexander Kerfoot, he was slotted on the top line in their previous game to fill in for Mackinnon, I would say he would be a great cheap option if he’s a go-to play first line minutes. Coupled with the fact that the Avs have lost three in a row, and are on their 5th game of a 6 game road trip, this could be the continuation of a rough patch for Colorado. Edmonton has been up and down all season, very unpredictable. We could see lots of goals tonight, but I always tend to think that way whenever Connor McDavid is involved, he alone, much like Mackinnon is worth the price of admission. Look for Mike Cammalleri to play alongside McDavid on the first line. Pop him in your lineup for sure, should be a nice cheap option. New backup Al Montoya gets the nod, in limited action with the Oilers he has looked good, with outall relief appearances, this is his first start with the Oil.
Bean Town contiwithoutall star Brad Marchand, as The Boston Bruins(29-11-8)host the St.Louis Blues(31-18-3). Another team that’s coming off a really hot stretch is the Bruins. I give the edge to St.Louis here, they seem to be really rallying around “perhaps” new number one goalie, Carter Hutton. Absolutely on fire of late, he has 8 wins in his last 10, during that stretch-1.72 goals against, .942 save percentage. Just as a complete aside I am a huge fan of Jake Allen-shout out to Fredericton- Non the less, take a look at Barbashev who is to play on the wing on a top line that feature Vladimir Tarasenko-5pts in his last 5 games. This is the first meeting for these two squads, but of note the Blues are 8-1 in there last 9 trips to Boston. I dare say make it 4 in a row for the Blues!
Ah yes let us not forget the lowly Ottawa Senators, they are in action(15-24-9), hosting the Anaheim Ducks(25-17-9). I hate to pick on poor teams, but sometimes you have to, 6 straight loses going into this one. I find these guys to be almost as surprising as the Golden Knights(if you check the odds they are actually favored to win the West!!)To me they have a great roster, pretty similar to last season, and they were dynamite last year, no one knows what happened other then maybe poor goaltending and perhaps poor coaching, but they are crappy and out of contention. In comes the Ducks, winners of three straight. Don’t fret if you see Ryan Miller suit up in this one, number one starter Gibson is day-to-day and questionable. Another possible option to plug in at a reduced rate, he is more than capable of grabbing a w here. Also of note, Adam Henrique has been very good of late, he is ridding a season long 6 game point streak.
Glancing at the futures quickly, as I stated earlier, the freaking Golden Knights are favoured to win the west according to Bovada/Bodog. +325! these guys gotta cool off at some point don’t they?? I have to give my nod to the Nashville Predators, these guys are hungry, they want to go back to the Cup Final, also they are more experienced and know what it takes to get there+650, sign me up!
 Getting great value with the Penguins, almost long shots at +800, keep an eye on them, they could be headed for a big run going forward.Â
 A safer bet would be to place a wager on divisional winners. Predators at +150 is nice, also Tampa should be able to stave off the Bruins -350 provided that Victor Hedman returns.
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