Wednesday's best NHL bets
Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks (-175, 5.5)
The Sharks appeared to be showing their teeth the last two weeks, with five wins in six games. But heading into Wednesday night, San Jose has dropped two games at home, scoring just three total goals in losses to St. Louis and Calgary.
Head coach Todd McLellan is pointing to his team?s power play inside HP Pavilion. The Sharks are 1-for-17 on the man advantage in the last four games at home, dropping to just under 12 percent for the season.
McLellan put his players through the paces this week, putting in extra time on special teams during practice.
"We aren't really inventing the wheel," McLellan told the San Jose Mercury News, "just trying to polish it up a little bit and do it the way we're supposed to do it."
That anemic attack has led to back-to-back under paydays for total bettors. And with Los Angeles making the trip down the coast, that trend will continue Wednesday night. The Kings and Sharks battled in San Jose back in late October, with L.A. taking a 2-1 shootout victory that finished well below the 6-goal total.
Pick: Under
Edmonton Oilers at Tampa Bay Lightning (-120, 5.5)
It?s supposed to be near freezing with snow and rain showers in Edmonton Wednesday night. No wonder the Oilers are loving life on their current six-game road trip. The team is especially happy to be at Tampa Bay ? and not just for the sun and surf.
Edmonton has started this road swing with a bang, winning three of the first four games including a 3-2 shootout victory over the Florida Panthers Monday night. The Lightning, on the other hand, have just one win in their last six games and are coming off a 3-0 shutout loss to the Washington Capitals.
"You have to ride these highs as long as you can, you have to get as many points as you can," Oilers forward Shawn Horcoff told reporters. "We feel like we've been playing pretty well. If we can string together some games, we feel like we can put ourselves back in the playoff picture."
Edmonton?s offense is scoring just over three goals per game during this streak and is getting solid goaltending from Jeff Deslauriers. The rookie netminder, who played 12 games in 2008-09, has faced an average of 33 shots in these three games, allowing only five total goals and coming up big in back-to-back shootout victories.
Pick: Edmonton
Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks (-175, 5.5)
The Sharks appeared to be showing their teeth the last two weeks, with five wins in six games. But heading into Wednesday night, San Jose has dropped two games at home, scoring just three total goals in losses to St. Louis and Calgary.
Head coach Todd McLellan is pointing to his team?s power play inside HP Pavilion. The Sharks are 1-for-17 on the man advantage in the last four games at home, dropping to just under 12 percent for the season.
McLellan put his players through the paces this week, putting in extra time on special teams during practice.
"We aren't really inventing the wheel," McLellan told the San Jose Mercury News, "just trying to polish it up a little bit and do it the way we're supposed to do it."
That anemic attack has led to back-to-back under paydays for total bettors. And with Los Angeles making the trip down the coast, that trend will continue Wednesday night. The Kings and Sharks battled in San Jose back in late October, with L.A. taking a 2-1 shootout victory that finished well below the 6-goal total.
Pick: Under
Edmonton Oilers at Tampa Bay Lightning (-120, 5.5)
It?s supposed to be near freezing with snow and rain showers in Edmonton Wednesday night. No wonder the Oilers are loving life on their current six-game road trip. The team is especially happy to be at Tampa Bay ? and not just for the sun and surf.
Edmonton has started this road swing with a bang, winning three of the first four games including a 3-2 shootout victory over the Florida Panthers Monday night. The Lightning, on the other hand, have just one win in their last six games and are coming off a 3-0 shutout loss to the Washington Capitals.
"You have to ride these highs as long as you can, you have to get as many points as you can," Oilers forward Shawn Horcoff told reporters. "We feel like we've been playing pretty well. If we can string together some games, we feel like we can put ourselves back in the playoff picture."
Edmonton?s offense is scoring just over three goals per game during this streak and is getting solid goaltending from Jeff Deslauriers. The rookie netminder, who played 12 games in 2008-09, has faced an average of 33 shots in these three games, allowing only five total goals and coming up big in back-to-back shootout victories.
Pick: Edmonton
