Xam’s Daily Gems:
Penguins 60 Minute Money Line -150 FanDuel
(For this bet to win, the Penguins must win in regulation. Bet loses even if the Penguins win in OT/Shootout.)
Risk: 7.5 Units
To Win: 5 Units
The Penguins have lost 3 straight games and have consistently been betrayed by a poor offense. They’re giving up just 2.81 goals per game and have given up just 166 goals. However, their offense has been nearly as anemic, as they’ve scored just 174 goals on the year. However, this is a good spot for them tonight. They have a significant rest advantage, as the Blue Jackets played Vegas last night and are playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. In fact, it’ll be their 5th game since February 28th! That’s a lot of hockey in recent days. The Penguins, despite their issues this season, are 15-10-4 at home. Columbus has been bad on the road, with a 10-14-6 road record. They also may be the thing that gets Pittsburgh’s offense on track. Columbus has given up the most goals in the Eastern Conference and tied for the 2nd most given up in the entire league! Giving up 223 goals is a lot. That comes out 3.65 goals per game, and that number creeps up to 3.76 goals per game on the road. If the Penguins can’t take advantage of a tired team at home that’s awful defensively, their may be no hope for them. Look for them to come out aggressively and look to take advantage of an inferior team.
Celtics/Cavaliers Over 215 Points -110 FanDuel
Risk: 5.5 Units
To Win: 5 Units
The Celtics have raced out to an insurmountable lead in the Eastern Conference largely off the back of their dominant offense. They’re scoring an incredible 121 points per game this season. It’s no surprise that this line has gone Over in 14 straight games for the Celtics. The Cavaliers are coming into this game banged up, and this Play will come down entirely to what the Cavs do offensively. Without Donovan Mitchell, they’ll need to grind away against a good defense. The Celtics are giving up less than 110 points per game this season, but that number ticks up to 112 points on the road. Coming off their historically dominant win against the Warriors, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Celtics come out a little flat defensively. The entire key here is if the Cavs can keep this game close. The Celtics should be able to score plenty of points tonight if they want to. The potential for a blowout is there. If Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen can keep this game close, the Celtics should be able to care for the rest of the scoring.
Islanders 60 Minute Money Line -120 FanDuel
(For this bet to win, the Islanders must win in regulation. Bet loses even if the Islanders win in OT/Shootout.)
Risk: 6 Units
To Win: 5 Units
The Blues are coming off a win in a shootout yesterday, and they’re playing their 3rd game in 4 nights. Their struggles on the road have been well documented. They haven’t scored much all year, in fact. The Blues are averaging just 2.88 goals per game this season. On the road, that number ticks down to a putrid 2.45 goals per game on the road. They’ve scored 2 or less goals in 5 straight road games as well. The Islanders have had their own offensive struggles this year. They are averaging exactly 3 goals per game on the year, but in their last 10 games they are averaging 3.4 goals per game. They have also been a quality home team this year, coming into tonight with a 14-8-9 record at UBS Arena this year. The Islanders have won 3 straight games and should be perfectly rested for this game. They haven’t played since the 2nd and have only played one game since the 29th. The Isles are looking to avenge an ugly 4-0 loss to the Blues when they faced off in St. Louis last month. If Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat, and Matthew Barzal can get the offense going, the Isles should be able to beat a tired Blues team in their own building.
Oilers 60 Minute Money Line +120 DraftKings
Risk: 5 Units
To Win: 6 Units
(For this bet to win, the Oilers must win in regulation. Bet loses even if the Oilers win in OT/Shootout.)
The Bruins got a much-needed win and a dominant one at that in Toronto last night. However, they’ve been playing a lot hockey recently. This is their 2nd straight game, their 3rd game in 4 nights, and their 4th game since February 29th. The Oilers have gotten back on track with 4 straight wins. They have risen to 5th in the Western Conference thanks to a dominant offense. They’re averaging 3.59 goals per game. Despite their impressive win yesterday, the Bruins have been getting scored on recently. They’ve surrendered 36 goals in their last 10 games. The key tonight will be Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner. Overall, he’s been great this year. On the year, he’s giving up 2.64 goals per game. He’s been good on the road as well, as he’s giving up just 2.262 goals per game in enemy territory. However, he got rocked for 6 goals against him when the Bruins faced him this year. If Skinner can be his usual self tonight, the Oilers should be able to score enough to win the game against a tired Bruins team.
Predators 60 Minute Money Line -135 DraftKings
Risk: 6.75 Units
To Win: 5 Units
(For this bet to win, the Predators must win in regulation. Bet loses even if the Predators win in OT/Shootout.)
The Predators are the hottest team in the league right now. They have won 8 straight and launched themselves firmly into the wildcard race in the Western Conference. Not only have they been winning, they’ve been winning convincingly. Every win during the winning streak has been by multiple goals, and they won their last 2 games by a combined score of 11-2! They’re also coming into this game well rested, as they haven’t played since the 2nd and only played one game since the 29th. The Canadiens, meanwhile, are a completely different story. They are just 2-6-2 in their last 10 games. Having said that, they have been more competitive recently. In their last 2 games, they lost in shootouts on the road against the Lightning and Panthers. They also recently played the Devils tough on the road. So they deserve some credit for being competitive. However, they’re just not very good. They have scored the 2nd fewest goals in the Eastern Conference and are averaging just 2.83 goals per game. Unfortunately for them, the defense hasn’t been any better. They have given up 219 goals this season. Only the Blue Jackets have given up more in the Eastern Conference. That’s 3.59 goals per game. They’ve given up 37 goals in their last 10 games. The Predators simply have more to play for in this game. They’re in a better headspace and the Canadiens just can’t score consistently. Look for the Predators to be aggressive early against a porous defense.
Jets 60 Minute Money Line -105 DraftKings
Risk: 5.25 Units
To Win: 5 Units
(For this bet to win, the Jets must win in regulation. Bet loses even if the Jets win in OT/Shootout.)
The Jets have been on fire recently, winning 6 of their last 7 games. This will be their 3rd game in 4 nights, but they did have a day off yesterday. The Kraken are also playing their 3rd game in 4 nights, but they played last night, putting them at a rest disadvantage. The Jets have shot up the standings thanks to a stout defense. They have given up just 144 goals on the year. That is an average of just 2.40 goals per game! That number ticks down to 2.30 goals per game at home. This will be a tough matchup for a tired Kraken team. They are only scoring 2.78 goals per game and have been playing a lot of hockey recently. The Jets are a great home team, coming into tonight with a 21-7-3 record at Canada Life Centre this season. The Kraken are a .500 team on the road, coming into tonight with a 13-12-6 record away from Climate Pledge Arena. The Jets have also been much better offensively recently, scoring 36 times in their last 10 games. If they can bring that offense to the stadium tonight, they should be able to beat a tired Kraken team on the last game of a road trip. Look for guys like Sean Monahan, Mark Scheifele, and Kyle Connor to get it going tonight. If they can continue their recent success, they maintain a grip on the 2nd seed in the Western Conference.
Mavericks -2.5 -154 FanDuel
The Mavericks have lost 4 of their last 5 games and simply need a win tonight. They should be well rested coming into this game as they’ve only played one game since March 1st. It’s been a consistent theme for the Mavs this year that they’ve gone as far as their offense takes them. Luka Doncic has been his typical dominant self and likely will get some MVP consideration at the end of the year. However, it’s been well documented that the Mavs have been atrocious defensively this season. They are giving up 118 points per game on average this year and that number is up to over 121 points per game in their last 10 games. They gave up 133 to the Pacers when they played in Indiana in late February. The Pacers have been having their own issues recently, however. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games and are coming off a woeful performance against the lowly Spurs in their last game. They have also been carried by their offense this year. They’re scoring 123 points per game and giving up 122! This is a game that’ll feature a ton of points and opportunities for all sorts of players to beef up their stats. The key tonight is whether the Mavs will play any defense. They have the better offensive players and are in their own building. The Mavs are doing everything they can to get out of the Play-In Tournament. If they can contain Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, they should be able to do whatever they want offensively and get the win in front of their home crowd.
Suns/Nuggets Over 221.5 Points -145 DraftKings
Risk: 7.25 Units
To Win: 5 Units
The Nuggets have been on fire recently, winning 6 straight games and 7 of their last 10 games overall. Their offense has been dominant over their 6 game winning streak, averaging 120 points per game. They haven’t played since the 2nd and have only played one game since the 29th, so they should be fully rested for this pivotal matchup. The Suns are giving up over 117 points per game on the road, so the Nuggets shouldn’t have issues scoring tonight. The key will be what Phoenix can do offensively. They will be without Devin Booker tonight, meaning Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal will have to step up in his absence. Despite having the off day yesterday, this will be Phoenix’s 3rd game in 4 nights. Combine that with Denver’s dominance at home, and this game does have some blowout potential. However, the Suns are still capable of putting up some points and being competitive. Grayson Allen is putting up over 12 points per game and Jusuf Nurkic has put up 14 or more points in 3 of his last 4 games. Denver should do whatever they want offensively, for as long as they want. If Phoenix can keep them interested, we may be in store for a good ole fashioned shootout at Ball Arena tonight!
Jaylen Brown Over 1.5 Made 3s -132 FanDuel
Risk: 6.6 Units
To Win: 5 Units
Jaylen Brown loves shooting from beyond the arc. He has attempted 51 3-point shots over the last 10 games. He’s hit 2 or more 3s in 4 of his last 5 games, and hit 5 of them in the Celtics’ blowout win against the Warriors. He’s a confident shooter and will keep shooting them. In this 5 game stretch, he’s hit over 45% of his shots from deep. The Celtics have so many weapons it’ll be hard for the Cavaliers to cover them all. The Celtics are once again sizable favorites tonight, which means Jaylen Brown will likely have plenty of chances to hit this number once again and keep his recent success going.
Kristaps Porzingis Over 1.5 Made 3s -128 FanDuel
Risk: 6.4 Units
To Win: 5 Units
Porzingis has been on fire from deep recently. He’s shooting 3s at a 48.7% clip coming into tonight. He’s hit this number in 8 of his last 9 games. Coming into this game fully rested, there’s no reason to think he won’t continue shooting. In both games against the Cavs, he attempted 6 3-point shots. With the way he’s been shooting recently, with that volume tonight he has a great shot of going Over this number. Of course, it’ll help if the Cavs can keep this game close and keep the Celtics engaged. If that’s the case, Porzingis should see his usual allotment of minutes. The Cavs don’t have the athleticism to cover someone like Porzingis on the outside.
Tyrese Haliburton Over 33.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists -125 DraftKings
Risk: 6.25 Units
To Win: 5 Units
Simply put, Haliburton has been terrible recently. He hasn’t gone over 17 points in 5 straight games, and even had a woeful 0-7 shooting performance this month! However, this is the perfect breakout game for him. He’s playing a team that hates playing defense in the Dallas Mavericks. The total for this game is hovering just under 250 total points, which indicates that there will be plenty of chances for Haliburton to impact the game in multiple ways. It’s also important to consider that Haliburton is still dishing it to teammates at an elite level. He’s averaging over 10 assists in his last 10 games. In his lone game against Dallas this year, he went for 10 assists as well. He also hasn’t been intimated by playing on the road this year. He’s averaging 21.5 points, just under 12 assists, and over 4 rebounds per game on the road. Simply put, the Pacers need their star to start playing like a star again. He hasn’t scored 20 or more points since February 22nd and hasn’t hit a 3-pointer in 2 straight games. This is the perfect buy low spot on a player who’s still averaging nearly 21 points and over 11 assists on the year. This is the perfect get right game for him. Expect him to come out with a vengeance tonight!