oddsnark | Snarks On Ice: The NHL Roundup

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Snarks On Ice: The NHL Roundup

By oddJoe ⋅ January 14, 2006 ⋅ Post a comment

Predators 4, Hurricanes 5, OT
In the penalty box: Nashville’s Scott Hartnell, for tossing his stick along the ice to slow up Carolina’s Frantisek Kaberle. The boneheaded play in overtime gave Kaberlea a penalty shot, which turned out to the be the game winner.

Blues 0, Thrashers 2
In the penalty box: anyone who cares anymore about the St. Louis Blues, who have strung together five straight losses for the second time this season.

Canucks 0, Devils 3
In the penalty box: whoever convinced Lou Lamoriello to give up coaching for the front office. New Jersey is on a five-game winning streak with three shutouts and back in the hunt for a playoff berth.

Blue Jackets 2, Lightning 4
In the penalty box: Columbus goal tender Marc Denis, for his Bill Callahaneske comments after the game, such as “I don’t remember us playing a dumber period than the one we played in the third . . . I don’t know how the switch in our brain went off. It’s just the wrong way to play this game.”

Penguins 1, Blackhawks 4
In the penalty box: spotting your opponent a 3-0 lead, like Pittsburgh did in this one.

Capitals 3, Mighty Ducks 2, OT
In the penalty box: getting beaten single-handed. Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin got the hat trick, scoring all three goals for the Caps.

On Tap Tonight
Stars (29-12-2) at Bruins (16-21-6) 2:00 PM EST
Avalanche (25-17-3) at Flyers (28-10-6) 2:00 PM EST
Rangers (25-12-7) at Red Wings (29-12-3) 2:00 PM EST
Coyotes (21-21-2) at Maple Leafs (24-16-3) 7:00 PM EST
Sharks (20-16-5) at Canadiens (19-16-6) 7:00 PM EST
Canucks (24-15-5) at Islanders (19-22-2) 7:00 PM EST
Kings (28-16-2) at Sabres (27-13-3) 7:30 PM EST
Blue Jackets (14-28-2) at Panthers (18-22-6) 7:30 PM EST
Flames (25-14-5) at Wild (20-19-4) 8:00 PM EST
Senators (29-10-3) at Oilers (24-15-5) 10:00 PM EST

oddJoe’s hockey picks
Good news for hockey fans in the US who don’t have the scratch for NHL pay-per-view and are sick of OLN’s bullshit hockey coverage: NBC kicks off its NHL schedule today with games starting at 2pm EST. Hockey, football, football. It’s going to be a great day. Regional coverage includes Rangers at Red Wings, Avalanche at Flyers, and Stars at Bruins.

In the Philadelphia vs. Colorado tilt, the Flyers return home after an 11-game road trip, during which they went 8-2-1 and moved into first place in the Atlantic Division. No doubt about it, Philly is playing some great hockey, but I think the return home will be marred a bit by fatigue from their extended working vacation. The Avs have won six straight and should keep their streak alive. Best line: Colorado +165 at Oasis.

Too bad NBC won’t be showing the Buffalo vs. Los Angeles match tonight. Both these teams are running second in their respective divisions and desperately need a win to get on track as the playoff races really start to heat up. The Kings are closing a four-game road trip that opened with losses to San Jose and Anaheim, but LA is coming off a 6-0 smackdown in Boston. The Sabres have lost three of five home games and need to win tonight to even their mark before setting off on a six-game excursion. Best line: Buffalo -135 at Bodog.