Busy Tuesday Night For Half Of NHL's Canadian Teams

Tough Couple Of Days For The Ottawa Senators

Ottawa wraps up a disastrous seven-game road trip in Buffalo tonight as the Senators have dropped five of six already on this trip and just can't break free of this post-Sweden slump. Since the Senators swept Colorado in the NHL Global Games over in Sweden back in mid-November, Ottawa is an abysmal 1-11 SU overall and have only scored 3 or more goals twice in that span. This is a team that's searching anywhere and everywhere for answers right now and they aren't one I'm willing to back at the moment.

Three of Ottawa's last four losses have come via the shutout as the offensive attack for the Senators is nowhere to be seen. Thankfully for Sens fans, Ottawa does visit a Buffalo team that is 2-8 SU in thier last 10 games overall and were shutout in three of those losses too. But end of long road trips are always hard, and when you add on the fact that Ottawa has to play on Wednesday too as they host the Rangers, continuing to fade this Senators team for the next few days may be best for your bankroll. 

Edmonton's The Biggest Canadian Underdog On The Board Tonight

I don't think there would have been many people at the beginning of the year who would have believed the statement that in mid-December with four Canadian teams all playing on the road that the Edmonton Oilers would be the least likely to win according to oddsmakers. Remember, it was the Oilers who were basically co-favorites with Pittsburgh to hoist the Stanley Cup by year's end, and while there is a long way to go still for that, the fact remains that Edmonton is the biggest Canadian underdog on the board tonight. 

Edmonton is looking to bounce back from a 1-0 loss in Toronto on Sunday night as this Oilers team has been playing better overall, but they still lack a bit of consistency in their play. The last six Oilers games have seen the team alternate wins with losses (good news for tonight), and while the offense has picked it up overall, there are still long dry spells like we saw in Toronto. That being said, I do believe there is a lot of value in backing Edmonton on the ML tonight at +145 or so as they look to head home on a high note.

Calgary May Be Worth A Look As Well

The Calgary Flames are the other listed underdog on the board tonight as they are in Minnesota to take on the Wild. Minnesota is coming off a three-game stretch out in California where they won two of three, and have now won four of five overall. However, three of those four victories have come in OT, so it's not like they are playing that dominant of hockey right now and the Flames have won two in a row themselves.

WIth the Flames being in the +115 price range right now and having an extra day's rest, I've got no problem putting a unit wager down on them to win tonight. Calgary is 4-1 SU in their last five games vs Minnesota and are 12-2 SU when playing after getting exactly two days off. With the Wild struggling at home against quality competition (1-5 SU at home vs team with winning record on the road), I'm backing the Flames tonight. 

Category : NHL

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