NHL Betting – Red Wings vs. Sharks Preview

With the 2010 Super Bowl Line as the hottest topic of the day, hockey fans remain interested in the NHL playoff race as it heats up including key games Tuesday. Here is a preview of the San Jose Sharks versus Detroit Red Wings game.

Detroit Red Wings @ San Jose Sharks
Tuesday, February 2, 10:30PM (ET)

Western Conference rivals meet Tuesday night in the midst of an intense battle for playoff positioning. Sitting on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, the Detroit Red Wings are desperate for points. After a strong showing against the Pittsburgh Penguins this weekend, the Wings look to be trending up. The San Jose Sharks on the other hand, are fighting for top spot in the league and are one of the Western Conference’s legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.

What Detroit Needs to do to Win
5dimes Review odds: +160

Capitalize on the power play: With key players including Tomas Holmstrom, Jason Williams, and Niclas Kronwall all returning from injury, the Red Wings’ power play should receive a major boost. Typically one of the strongest points for the Red Wings, their power play has struggled this season sitting around the mid-point of the league at 18%. Holmstrom is always a force in front of the oppositions net, while Williams is a solid setup man, and Kronwall has a hard shot from the blueline. If the Red Wings power play can click in this game, their offense might be too much for the Sharks.

Jimmy Howard must stay hot: Playing against the deep offense of the San Jose Sharks, Jimmy Howard will need to stand on his head. In his last two games, Howard has had a .968 save percentage and stole valuable points for the Red Wings. The concern in this game would be that the Red Wings might choose to go with the struggling Chris Osgood, or that Jimmy Howard will begin to hit a wall like many rookies do as the season progresses. Facing the likes of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley, the Red Wings can only hope that Howard continues to build his case for rookie of the year honors. If he does, he could steal a win for the Wings.

What San Jose Needs to do to Win
Online Sports Betting odds: -180

Get traffic in front of the net: Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard has been dynamic lately. Getting traffic in front of the net should allow the Sharks to put the puck in the back of the net. With three of the league’s top 10 scorers in Heatley, Marleau, and Thornton, the Sharks are never hard up for goals; however, Howard presents an almost unknown obstacle for the Sharks. Getting in Howard’s face throughout the game could fluster the young goaltender and allow the floodgates to open for the Sharks’ juggernaut offense.

Stay out of the penalty box: As one of the most penalized teams in the NHL, the Sharks have a bad habit for taking penalties at inopportune moments in games. Tough players including Ryan Clowe, Jody Shelly, and Brad Staubitz can mix it up with the best in the NHL; however, they must keep their emotions in check against the Red Wings. With the Red Wings’ top players now healthy, their power play will be a threat in this game. On the converse, the Red Wings are one of the least penalized teams in the National Hockey League, so when given an opportunity, the dynamic Sharks power play, quarterbacked by defenseman Dan Boyle, must score.

Yetserday was a reminder of the unpredictability of hockey. It was opposite day. I was feeling hot, took too many games thinking it was safe to ride some home favorites, and took a beating. 11/13 road team won last night. That doesn’t happen often. We were having a hell of a run and gave it all back.

That’s the way hockey goes sometimes, it’s very streaky business. I should have limited myself to 3 games. The Blackhawks loss hurt big time. They had a 5-1 loss going into the 3rd period and gave up 4 goals in the 3rd and then lost in a shootout. If they could have held onto that that one, that would have been a +175 win for a swing of 2.75 units, which would have kept us in the green.

Tonight, I hope they rebound as I’ll take a shot on them at home against a poor Ducks team. The line is -1.5 at +110.

Yesterday we hit a bump in the road. I can’t believe the Devils got blanked 3-0 at home and the Sabres only beat the Leads by a score of 3-2. There’s a bunch of hockey games to pick from tonight and I like a whole mess of ‘em. Here is what I like.

1.) Penguins -165 over MAPLE LEAFS (W)

2.) PREDATORS -145 over Ducks (L)

3.) Blackhawks -1.5 (+175) over WILD (L) * Hawks blow 5-1 lead in the 3rd period

4.) COYOTES -200 over Islanders — A steep price for the Coyotes, but I’ve been riding them and they haven’t disappointed me. (L)

5.) CANUCKS -170 over Flames (L)

6.) SHARKS -165 over Red Wings (L)

7.) KINGS -155 over Blues (L)

Opening Profit: 8.65 units

Closing Profit: (2.7 units)

Won back a few units yesterday and I’m going with 3 1-unit plays tonight.

1.) DEVILS -1.5 (+150) over Lightning (L)

2.) SABRES -1.5 (+165) over Maple Leafs (L)

3.) FLAMES -1.5 (+155) over Blue Jackets (L)

Opening Profit: 11.65 units

Closing Profit: 8.65 units.

I wasn’t thrilled with last night’s card and we gave a few units back, but we still got a win thanks to the Rangers. The plays are relatively inexpensive and I don’t want to lay -180 to take the Predators over Hurricanes since sometimes those Canes can surprise you. Again, this is a mediocre card. Nothing that I love. Here’s what I like tonight.

1.) Blackhawks -135 over BRUINS (W)

2.) CAPITALS -1.5 (+150) over Senators (W)

3.) OILERS -125 over Blue Jackets (L)

Opening Profit: 10.4 units

Closing Profit: 11.65 units

Yesterday was a big day. We added 3 units to our yearly profits and are sitting on 12 units of profit going into tonight. I’m not thrilled with tonight’s card, but I have three mediocre plays for tonight.

1.) SHARKS -1.5 (+130) over Blues (L)

2.) AVALANCHE -160 over Islanders (L)

3.) RANGERS -140 over Stars (W)

Opening Profit: 12 units

Closing Profit: 10.4 units

There’s a bunch of hockey games tonight. We’re sitting on 9.1 units of profit and here is how I seek to deploy it tonight.

1.) DEVILS -165 over Stars (W)

2.) CAPITALS -1.5 (+150) over Canadiens (W)

3.) BLACKHAWKS -1.5 (+120) over Wild (W)

4.) NASHVILLE -115 over Flames (L)

5.) CANUCKS -1.5 (+150) over Blue Jackets (W)

5.) Red Wings -120 over ANAHEIM (L)

Opening Profit: 9.1 units

Closing Profit: 12 units

Only two games tonight. I like a play on the Sharks.

1.) SAN JOSE -1.5 (+150) over Anaheim (L)

Opening Profit: 10.1 units

Opening Profit: 9.1 units

Happy New Year! I laid off hockey the last few days since I didn’t want to make any picks for the hell of it and simply did not see any games that I wanted to take. Tonight there are a couple games that I like. I want to continue to try and pound the Blue Jackets, who are 1-7-2 in their last 10 games against a solid Nashville club. I’ve pounded the Blue Jackets in my last 4 series of picks and look to make it 5. Best game tonight to watch is the Devils and Blackhawks and I think you’re getting a favorable line to take a shot at an upset. We’re up 9.1 units on the season, so I’m going to try and take a shot here. I also think it’s worth giving up the 1.5 goals to take Nashville at +190.

1.) Nashville -105 over COLUMBUS (W)

2.) Nashville -1.5 (+190) over COLUMBUS (L)

3.) Vancouver -130 over ST. LOUIS — Last time the Canucks played the Blues in St. Louis, it was ugly, but the Canucks are playing better hockey now while the Blues have fizzled out. I’ll give them another chance on the road. (W)

4.) DALLAS -155 over Anaheim (W)

5.) Devils +170 over BLACKHAWKS — The Blackhawks are legit, but so are the Devils, who are 8-2 in their last 10 games. I think the Devils have a 40% chance of winning this one, so I’ll take the favorable moneyline for a chance to go ahead here. (L)

Opening Profit: 9.1 units

Closing Profit: 10.1 units

We hit 4/4 the last time we played and got back into the black. Betting on hockey is usually about streaks. Sometimes you’re hot, sometimes you’re cold. Sometimes you catch a lot of unlucky breaks like shootout losses and those bite! But right now we’re hot, so let’s hope that holds up. Here’s what I like today.

1.) RED WINGS -165 over Blue Jackets (W)

2.) WILD -130 over Blues (W)

3.) CANUCKS -1.5 (+145) over Oilers (W)

4.) SHARKS -1.5 (+140) over Ducks (W)

5.) COYOTES -140 over Kings (W)

Opening Wins: 3.25 units

Closing Wins: 9.1 units