Wednesday the 2nd of October marks a big day in the NHL, we have ice hockey previews and tips for the Australian televised Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Islanders as well as a few more interesting games.
Tampa Bay Lighting at New York Islanders (Wed, Nov 2nd at 10.30 am AEST)
On Wednesday morning we turn our attention to the Tampa Bay Lighting, heading north to the Barclay Centre in Brooklyn to take on the New York Islanders. The Islanders have started slow this season, sitting equal last on points until a 5-1 victory over the Maple Leafs. It’s too early to be critical of the Islanders, they did beat a red hot Minnesota Wild with their number one forward John Tavares scoring twice in the 6-3 win.
Tampa Bay have dropped the last three games straight, their last defeat coming against the Rangers. The Lighting started strong this season and they showed why they will be in the mix come finals time against Toronto as they scored seven goals. However, since the injury to play maker Nikita Kucharov, the offence has stopped producing. Kucharov has been put on a day to day injury and should be healthy very soon to the likes of the Tampa Bay crowd.
Tip: Tampa Bay Lighting 60 min line - $2.28 at Sportsbet
St Louis Blues at New York Rangers (Wed, Nov 2nd at 10.00 am AEST)
After a fast start to the season with outstanding wins over Chicago, Minnesota and the Rangers, St.Louis have dropped a few games of late. However, they did rally against the Kings in L.A to come up with the 1-0 win with Justin Schawtz scoring his first goal of the year.
They will have their hands full with a Rangers team who are coming off an impressive 6-1 win over Tampa Bay, which saw acquisition Michael Grabner bringing his offensive game to Madison Square Garden with a hat-trick. New York are 5-1 at home so far and have found their offensive groove early in the season. St Louis will need to get off to a quick start if they can snatch the away win.
Tip: New York Rangers 60 min line - $2.17 at Sportsbet
Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers (Wed Nov 2nd 10.30 am AEST)
Boston fly south for Wednesday morning's game against the Florida Panthers. The Bruins lost three straight last week and gave up 14 total goals, which gave them some concerns at the defensive end. Bruins did get the victory over Detroit on Saturday as Tuukka Rask had 24 saves, which may give them some confidence on the road trip south. The main issue with Boston at the moment is their power plays, they are 2-28 for power play goals, with a list like Boston's they certainly would like to repair that.
The Panthers are suffering injuries to three main forwards at the moment and are 4-4 heading into the Bruins game. Roberto Luongo was rested in Sunday’s game but should be back to take on the Bruins. Luongo enjoys playing against Boston and has an impressive 15-1 record. Expect a low scoring contest with Panthers having injuries and luongo dominating the net.
Tip: Boston Bruins to win - $2.08 at Crownbet
Washington Capitals at Winnipeg Jets (Wed, Nov 2nd at 11.00 am AEST)
Washington visit the Jets as they continue their first road trip of the year. The Caps offence has been struggling early and were equal last in scoring until they re-arranged the lines to beat the Canucks 5-2 on Sunday afternoon. Washington are expected to go deep into the 2016-2017 season, so an early issue with scoring is the least of their worries. Alex Vouching has once again started strong with four goals to his name so far, helping the Caps secure victories in their last two games.
Winnipeg are 2-1 in the last three games and sit mid table in the central standings. Jets forward Patrik Laine has been unbelievable so far in the season already putting six pucks into the back of the net, four of them power play goals.
Tip: Washington Capitals to win- $1.57 at Crownbet
