NHL Tuesday 2 Game Parlay

Tuesday’s NHL schedule is full of very important games as far as the Eastern Conference standings go. While some teams will be looking to make up some ground, some will be playing to maintain their positions as playoff bound teams.

Boston Bruins (30-25-12) @ Carolina Hurricanes (28-32-8)
7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 16, 2010
RBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
On: XM Satellite Radio Channel 205

•    The Carolina Hurricanes rank 10th on offense, and average 2.7 goals per game. The Hurricanes are 17.7% on the power play and have 50 power play goals.
•    The Boston Bruins rank 30th on offense, and average 2.4 goals per game. The Bruins are 18.3% on the power play and have 40 power play goals.
•    The Hurricanes average 3.0 goals per game at home, and give up 2.9 goals against on defense.
•    The Bruins average 2.3 goals per game on the road, and give up 2.4 goals against on defense.

Boston Bruins: +110

The Boston Bruins have somehow held on to a playoff spot despite an eleven game losing streak earlier in the years and despite having the worst offense in the NHL. The bad offense was not on display on Monday night. Even though Boston only scored two goals, they were able to generate 38 shots against the stingiest defense in the NHL, New Jersey. Monday’s loss makes it two in a row and four losses in the last five games.

Boston is struggling for sure and the loss of fourth leading scorer Marc Savard doesn’t help matters. An offensively starved team, they need every talented body to perform at or beyond their potential or their playoff position could slip away. The Bruins, even when they play well sometimes cannot generate the goals necessary to win games.

Carolina Hurricanes: -130

The Carolina Hurricanes have surprisingly been one of the hottest teams in the NHL in the last 15 games or so. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and are 4-2-1 since returning from the Olympic break. Tuesday will be the third game of six straight home games for the Canes if they somehow think that they can make up the eight points that they are back in the Eastern Conference, the time is now.

The Canes have been getting contributions from nearly everybody in their lineup, even in goal, despite the back injur to Can Ward. Eric Staal and Ray Whitney have been solid, but so have the likes of Jussi Jokinen and Tuomo Ruutu. Carolina is 8-1 in their last 9 home games and I like them to continue that trend on Tuesday night.

Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -130

Buffalo Sabres (36-21-10) # Atlanta Thrashers (28-29-11)
7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
On: XM Satellite Radio Channel 206

•    The Atlanta Thrashers rank 9th on offense, and average 2.9 goals per game. The Thrashers are 16.9% on the power play and have 45 power play goals.
•    The Buffalo Sabres rank 15th on offense, and average 2.7 goals per game. The Sabres are 16.6% on the power play and have 43 power play goals.
•    The Thrashers average 3.0 goals per game at home, and give up 3.1 goals against on defense.
•    The Sabres average 2.6 goals per game on the road, and give up 2.7 goals against on defense.

Buffalo Sabres: -145

The Buffalo Sabres continue to be the most successful of the lunch bucket teams in the NHL. If the playoffs were to start right now, they would be the third seed in the Eastern Conference. They have struggled lately going 4-3-3 in their last 10 games.

Thomas Vanek is starting to heat up for the offensively challenged Sabres, and Ryan Miller is playing his typical brand of stellar hockey. Buffalo has been terrible on the road lately only winning one of their last 10, and they are only 2-6 in their last 8 meetings against Atlanta. The trends do not support the Sabres winning Tuesday’s game but I do. Atlanta, after a pre-Olympic push has fallen back to earth and appears to have given up on the 2009-2010 season.

Atlanta Thrashers: +125 

The Atlanta Thrashers were looking pretty good only a week and a half ago. They moved as high as ninth place in the Eastern Conference but have gone a dismal 0-5-1 in their last six games. The goal scorers have disappeared – Maxim Afinigenov and Bryan Little have a combined one assist in their last five games while Nik Antropov has only four goals in his last 11 games. They are a bad team playing a good team on Tuesday night. The winless streak continues!

Pick: Buffalo Sabres -145