Xam’s Daily Gems:
Stars Money Line -146
The Stars are one of the best teams in the Western Conference largely on the back of their offense. They have scored 169 goals this year, good for 3rd in the entire league. They are averaging 3.8 goals per game in their last 10 games. Stars goalie Jake Oettinger has stepped up for the team this year, and has been even better on the road. This season, he’s giving up just 2.61 goals per game on average. We all know about their offensive capabilities, but it’s the goalie play that is giving Stars fans reasons for optimism and dreaming ahead of the playoffs. Oettinger has given up 2 or less goals in 3 of his last 5 games. If Oettinger can keep up his good play, his offensive “Stars” should be able to find some room and score tonight. Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson, and Roope Hintz are all capable of going off.
Wild Money Line -160
Minnesota’s offense has struggled for much of the year, but over their last 4 games, they’ve really picked it up. They have scored 19 goals over their last 4 games. That’s the type of offense they need if they want to get back over .500 and get back into the playoff race. They’re facing a Capitals team tonight that has struggled all year to score. They only have 106 goals on the year, which is 3rd worst in the entire league. Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper has had a nice season, but he’s had his struggles on the road. He’s giving up 3.64 goals on average on the road this year. He’s also given up 3 or more goals in 4 of his last 5 games overall. The Capitals also aren’t a very good road team, coming into this game at 9-9-2. If the Wild can contain the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Max Pacioretty, and T.J. Oshie, Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and their friends should be able to do enough to get Minnesota back to .500.
Flames Money Line -162
The Flames are coming into this game on the edge of playoff positioning. They have lost two straight, which is emblematic of their entire season thus far. However, one issue they haven’t had is goalie Jacob Markstrom. In January, he’s giving up just 2.02 goals per game on average. At home overall, he’s giving up just 2.70 goals per game on average. The Flames are also coming into this game well rested, as they have only played one game since the 18th. Blues goalie Jordan Binnington hasn’t been very good on the road. He’s giving up 3.31 goals per game on average. Combine this with St. Louis’s 8-12-1 record on the road, and this points in the direction of a Flames win.