Two Wednesday Night Showdowns in the NHL
It's rare to see two better matchups on the NHL schedule than the two showdowns happening Wednesday night. Florida skates into Carolina in the early contest, while Colorado will face Las Vegas in the later game. So, we're in for a great night of hockey.
Top of the East at Stake When Panthers face Carolina
A challenging three-game road trip to start the second half of the season begins Wednesday in Raleigh, with first place on the line in the Eastern Conference.
The Panthers (32-10-5) hold a slim two-point edge on the Hurricanes (32-11-3). It will be a marquee meeting at PNC Arena and showcase for two of the league’s most exciting young teams. Last year, the Hurricanes were the only team to regularly give Florida trouble. In fact, the Panthers lost 6 of 8 games to Carolina — the only team Florida had a losing record against in the regular season.
Note that Spreads.ca has several attractive odds and props on the early feature game and showdown in the Eastern Conference, starting at 7:35 pm ET.
OPINION (courtesy of Pointspreads.ca)
We're supposed to have opinions so we can bet these games. But this is an exciting contest that we'd rather just watch and enjoy behind the glass.
Can the Golden Knights Stop the Crush of the Avalanche?
The Western Conference's two division leaders will face off Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights (28-17-3) will be put to the ultimate test against the team with the NHL's best record. Colorado (34-8-4) will be at a clear disadvantage in this contest. This will be the Avs third game in four nights. They'll face a Las Vegas team that's had the unusual scheduling quirk of a 7-day layoff.
The puck drops at 7 pm PT.
OPINION (courtesy of Pointspreads.ca)
The Golden Knights have been restless during their layoff from the ice, especially since their last game was an embarrassing 6-0 ass-kicking to Calgary. The Las Vegas crew should be up for this game, especially versus a rival team that has become the benchmark as a measuring stick of excellence.
However--since Jan. 1st, Colorado has suffered just two defeats, both by one goal.
Update: In last night's game, the Avs lost 4-1 to Dallas.
So given all these factors, we'll take the underdog Golden Knights on the puckline at -223. In a close contest, with the rested home team, the +1.5 is an attractive wager.
