In this column, I go through the night’s NHL games and give my reads solely based on lines, odds, betting trends, and how I perceive others perceive the game. It’s the reading of all lines, and I try to keep a free-flowing, train-of-thought approach. The purpose of these reads is to find an edge either in DFS, actual picks, or both. Sometimes, no edge exists — or simply can’t be found. I make it a point to note that, as well. As always, please do your own research and due diligence and play responsibly.
FLA/TB – A slow-and-steady move toward the under from the odds has me looking for a low-scoring game, so I will set the maximum goals at six, even though I expect it to be fewer than that. There’s also a nice move with the odds for the game in the favor of TB, and I will trust that as well. It does look like this has a better chance of being a close game, though, so I will lean on 3-2 TB, even though 2-1 is a possibility. Because of that, I’d only look for offense from the Lightning, and I’d limit exposure there.
CHI/DET – A similar move to the under that we just saw in FLA/TB, so I’m going with the same approach here as well. There is, however, no movement in the odds, so do we trust the initial read?