Backs against the wall, Friday sets up as an exhilarating slate full of eliminators in the NHL Qualifiers. All six games today, starting with Florida-New York at 11 am (CST) in Toronto, could result in an elimination. Let’s make some extra spending cash heading into the weekend.
*all game times listed Central Standard Time
**all lines as of 8/7 from Bovada Sportsbook
Islanders (-130) vs. Panthers (+110) | u5.5 | NYI leads, 2-1
11 am, NBCSN (Toronto)
- It’s Barry Trotz’s series and Joel Quenneville’s just coaching in it.
- Sergei Bobrovsky appears lost in the blue paint.
Patty’s Pick: I like New York to finish things off pretty soundly this morning. Take the Islanders (-130) and a somewhat unexpected over 5.5.
Predators (-140) vs. Coyotes (+120) | u5.5 | ARI leads, 2-1
1:30 pm, NHL Network (Edmonton)
- Darcy Kuemper stood on his head in the second half of a back-to-back on Wednesday, playing the role of difference-maker, and lifting the Yotes to the brink of a playoff berth.
- John Chayka… *insert sad clown horn noises*
Patty’s Pick: Two games, two series clinchers for Friday’s slate. Kuemper’s got the hot glove, Arizona (+120) advances in a lower scoring affair, similar to Game 1’s 2-1 final. That said, STAY AWAY from picking totals here.
Penguins (-165) vs. Canadiens (+145) | u5.5 | MTL leads, 2-1
3 pm, NBCSN (Toronto)
- Canadiens might be the #24 seed in the NHL Qualifiers, but they’re scrappy and playing a difficult game to slow down.
- Where is Evgeni Malkin? Posting ONE assist in the first three games is abysmal for one of Pittsburgh’s main “guys”.
- Carey Price vs. Matt Murray is an all-time lopsided matchup, no matter how Murray looked in Pittsburgh’s previous Cup runs.
Patty’s Pick: It’s tough, and I’m personally staying away from this game, but if you’re feeling it, I wouldn’t bet against Carey Price, even if they are the lowest seed playing right now. Cautiously choose the Canadiens (+145) and maybe consider over 5.5 goals.
Oilers (-135) vs. Blackhawks (+115) | u6.5 | CHI leads, 2-1
5:30 pm, NBCSN (Edmonton)
- If you love a good old fashioned momentum shift, this is the series for you. Down one, third period, the Blackhawks looked uninspired, sloppy and slow. Under six minutes to play, that changed and so did the score.
- Connor McDavid keeps scoring, Oilers keep losing. Why?
- Kirby Dach led Chicago forwards in ice time on Wednesday night. Pretty impressive and trustworthy for a 19 year old.
- Corey Crawford still looks unorganized, but choppy ice and redirects are the name of the game in Edmonton.
- Oilers might play on their home ice, but the Blackhawks hold control of the luxurious home locker room for Game Four.
- Blackhawks defense… technically counts as defense.
Patty’s Pick: I can’t consciously pick against the Blackhawks. On Wednesday night, we witnessed the return of the Heart Attack Hawks. Maybe on Friday afternoon, we’re present for the return of the Stanley Cup Playoff Chicago Blackhawks. My heart loves the Blackhawks (+115) and another Friday over 6.5 goals. Not too many of those in the NHL Qualifiers thus far, but we’ve got a few coming today.
Maple Leafs (-130) vs. Blue Jackets (+110) | u5.5 | CBJ leads, 2-1
7 pm, NHL Network (Toronto)
- I suppose the Maple Leafs “Maple Leafs-ed” on Thursday just about as much as they possibly could. Up 3-0 to down 4-3 in the snap of the fingers. Pierre-Luc Dubois isn’t a rising star in this league anymore; he is a full on supergiant at this point.
- The Auston Matthews line remains beastly, but they’re in dire need of some help.
- I’d assume Elvis Merzlikins gets the starting nod for Game 4 after stopping all twenty-one shots faced in relief for Joonas Korpisalo on Thursday night.
Patty’s Pick: You simply cannot give up three goal leads and expect to win. Trent Dilfer helped me with that terrific analysis, but it’s absolutely true. Toronto sealed their fate when they allowed Pierre-Luc Dubois to complete his hat trick in overtime. I L-O-V-E LOVE LOVE LOVE the value on the Blue Jackets (+130), but I’m not touching the totals.
Canucks (+100) vs. Wild (-120) | u5.5 | VAN leads, 2-1
9:30 pm, NBCSN (Edmonton)
- Vancouver sneakily dominant in goal thus far. Jacob Markstrom sports a .946 saves percentage and a 1.68 goals against average in the NHL Qualifiers.
- Minnesota is a better team than a couple of years ago, but generally still plays a slow game that doesn’t match up with the Canucks well.
- Canucks OWN the momentum right now. When Antoine Roussel is putting pucks in the net, it’s probably time for the opponent to throw in the towel.
Patty’s Pick: Unless the Wild get some much needed output from Kevin Fiala, Minnesota is toast. Minnesota had high aspirations heading into the bubble, but their stay appears short-lived. I’ll take Vancouver (+100) to end the series and advance to the playoffs, and I’ll put down one unit on the standard under 5.5 goals.
BET SLIP
Do not, and I cannot stress this enough, take every single pick on the board. Stay within your comfort zone. Choose three or four you like and stick to your guns. Use this as reaffirmation when your confidence is dipping ahead of the first puck drop in the morning.
Of all six games and every ML pick I’ve suggested, here are my favorites:
- Arizona Coyotes ML (+120)
- New York Islanders ML (-130)
- Columbus Blue Jackets ML (+110)
- Vancouver Canucks ML (+100)
- Vancouver-Minnesota u5.5
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Check out The Campus Cover’s latest episode, discussing our weekend slate and hockey picks, available wherever you download and subscribe to podcasts.