You know what's great? I could lose both of these bets and still be up 4 units from this week's slate of articles. And if you took my bets, you could be too. So either way, we're winners this week, and if both of these cash - as I expect them to - we'll be even bigger winners. And that's to add to my near 60% hit rate in 2023 so far. Yabadaba-freaking-doo y'all!
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NHL Expert Picks Tonight
Senators vs Penguins
It's been tough sledding for the Penguins in 2023 so far. They're 3-5-2 in their last 10, with their most recent loss coming at the hands of the Senators. They return to Pittsburgh for a grudge match tonight. The Sens managed to steal a win from the Penguins on Wednesday in overtime to notch just their 2nd win in their last 6 contests. They're not a particularly confident road team and come into this one with 2 wins in their previous 8 games away from home. The Penguins need a bounce-back win and they needed it yesterday. Or Wednesday against this same team. They have the chance to redeem themselves tonight, and I like their chances to do so. Unless they commit 9 minor penalties and let the Senators convert on 4 power-plays as they did on Wednesday. In which case, this is a bad beat.
Penguins ML -155
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Avalanche vs Canucks
On paper, the Canucks are a better team than their 18-23-3 record says. But this team right now, unfortunately, is so much more than meets the eye. And all you've got to do is check Vancouver hockey press to realize that. They've basically admitted that it's all but guaranteed that head coach Bruce Boudreau - who I and many believe is one of the best personalities in hockey, on top of being an excellent coach - will be replaced at some point in the not-too-distant future. They're mishandling injuries. Players are yelling at other players. It's just awkward there. They're 2-8 in their last 10 games and much of this off-ice drama may be to blame. Somehow though one of those wins was against the Avalanche. That 4-2 tilt in Vancouver on January 5th was the Avs' 5th straight loss at the time. What have they done since? They've won 4 of 6 and 3 straight. Nathan MacKinnon is absolutely on fire right now and Mikko Rantanen continues to produce at an elite level. Ultimately, I could've made this a much easier write-up for this game too. The Canucks took the first two bouts in this season series. I don't like their chances to sweep all three games against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Avalanche ML -165
