NHL: Tuesday Hurricanes blow high wins with Blue Jackets and Isles

Devils (18-20-7) +170 @ Blue Jackets -200 (27-15-3) 7 pm
Pick: Blue Jackets money line

The Devils beat the Blackhawks last night in one of the most exciting games of the season. They put up 8 goals and had 12+ players record a point. However, F Miles Wood sustained an undisclosed injury and will not make the trip to Columbus tonight for the tail end of their back-to-back. It is also important to note that they are without F Taylor Hall as well (although that didn’t seem to matter yesterday). Historically over the past few seasons, the Blue Jackets have been New Jersey’s kryptonite and we foresee that to continue to be the trend tonight in Columbus.

The Blue Jackets have been in the news recently with Head Coach John Tortorella making headlines regarding their starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who hasn’t been having the season many expected. Don’t look for that to affect the team’s play as they always bring their A-game when facing the Devils. A rested Columbus team on a 3-game win streak is nothing to take lightly. We think the Devils will be chasing their tails tonight.

Blues (20-20-4) +135 @ Islanders -160 (25-15-4) 7 pm
Pick: Islanders money line

The Islanders upset the Lightning on Sunday in incredible fashion by putting up 5 goals on the league’s best team. The Lightning had gone 12-0-0 against Metropolitan Division teams this season up until that point. Kudos to them. We think New York will take that momentum and bring it straight to the Blues tonight.

The Blues have been struggling this year but are finally starting to figure things out. They’ve won 6 of their last 10 and are currently on a 3-game winning streak. This is due in part to great goaltending. In their past 5 games they’ve only let in more than one goal one time. It is also important to note that the Blues are traveling from D.C. and will play the second half of a back-to-back tonight. We think the Islanders, who seem to have caught lightning in a bottle this year, no pun intended, will prevail in this one.

Hurricanes (22-18-5) -140 @ Rangers (18-20-7) +120 7 pm
Pick: Hurricanes money line

The Hurricanes have to be feeling pretty pleased with themselves coming out of a 6-3 win against the Predators on Saturday. The Rangers on the other hand lost a close one to the Blue Jackets on the road on Sunday. Carolina has come alive again and has won 7 of their last 10. They have also won their last two and have been scoring goals in bunches. Aside from the Lightning game on Jan. 10, they’ve scored 3+ goals in 7 out of their 8 last games.

The Rangers are trending in the opposite direction and have only won 3 of their last 10. They are also sporting a -31 goal differential compared to Carolina’s tolerable -7. This New York team is in the midst of a pretty big rebuild which will leave them out of Cup contention for the next few years. We think it will also leave them out of contention in this game. Take the Hurricanes tonight.

Penguins (25-14-6) +125 @ Sharks (27-13-7) -145
No Pick

This matchup pits the Penguins against the Sharks. Two top tier teams in this league, two teams that can’t seem to do any wrong as of late. That’s why we want to advise everyone to steer clear of it.

The Sharks have won their last 6 games and the Penguins have won 8 of their last 10. Both teams have been absolute juggernauts since the start of the New Year and this one is too close to call. It may be worth it to take the Penguins on the road because of the odds, but its a risky move. There’s plenty of other action tonight. You’ll be okay skipping this one.