Ducks are being served on a platter

Hope that Pasta for lunch yesterday didn't slow you down, as he easily delivered us a monster game to get our afternoon going! Tack on a push in Florida and we did OK for ourselves yesterday. NBA remains on break, so why don't you join us for some more action on the ice? We've found a few of our favorites.

Tampa should pluck the Ducks

We have a very similar scenario to yesterday on our hands here as the Ducks head to Tampa Bay for their second game in as many days. While Florida only found four goals against Anaheim on Monday, they peppered them to the tune of 55 shots, a reasonable expectation given the massive disparity between offense and defense.

The Lightning aren't that far behind from the Panthers, third in the NHL in shots per game at home over their last 10 games and second in home scoring. As such, it's worth loading up a few looks on the Tampa Bay end, as it would be a mild surprise for them to not dominate this game.

Brandon Hagel goal (+190 FanDuel)

Brandon Hagel, a member of the Lightning's top line, has been shooting like crazy of late. He tops the entire team in attempts over his past five games, and has been rock-solid at home as well. We initially were hoping to bet his shots, but the price is no good. Out of protest, we pivot to his goal.

The Lightning are averaging 4.1 goals per game in their last 10 at home while Anaheim is letting up 3.8 per game on the road, so naturally we need a goal-scorer bet in this one anyway.

Given Hagel's awesome volume, he seems as good of a bet as anyone to find the back of the net. He scored twice in his last home game and has had the Ducks number, scoring a goal in three of four meetings. We love this price for Hagel.
 
Nikita Kucherov over 3.5 SOG (-120 DraftKings)

Nikita Kucherov is far too good to keep going under as frequently as he has been of late. He's over 3.5 shots just once in his last nine games, so we understand if that scares you off. However, the shot volume is there! He's averaging 6.6 attempts per game over his past five, volume that should be getting us more SOG hits than it is. Anaheim is the ideal target to take a chance on positive regression as they're allowing north of 40 shots per game right now.

Kucherov has gone over in two of his past three against the Ducks. 

Toronto-Buffalo should be a fun one

Over 6.5 goals (-130 DK) When we initially took in the numbers for this game, goals seemed promising. The Leafs have been finding themselves in some high-scoring road games of late, scoring 3.4 and allowing 3.5 goals per game over their last 10. 

Buffalo is an ideal dance partner for averages like that, as they're allowing 4.1 and scoring 3.0 goals per game at home. We like to see a clear intersection of averages all at three or higher, because on paper that would suggest each team gets three goals. If the game is ever at 3-3, you cash an over 6.5 as a game cannot end in a tie.

Anyway, those averages got this game on our radar, and a quick look at recent history confirmed it's an over we want to load up. The over has covered in six of their last seven meetings and 13 of their past 17 dating back the past five seasons.

That is most definitely a hit-rate we'd like to follow, and rather than pick and choose who it is that's involved, we're just going to root on some goals.

Enjoy the day!

In the news ...

Champions League resumes today — Champions League action is back on the pitch with four games this week, and the action kicks off today at 3 p.m. ET between Liverpool and Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Napoli. For a full betting breakdown of the star-studded affair that is Liverpool and Real Madrid, we have you covered. This match houses some of the best players on the planet, and given that Liverpool is playing in front of their raucous home faithful, we prefer their side today.

Russell Westbrook signs with Clippers — When Russell Westbrook was traded to Utah two weeks ago, it was understood that a buyout was likely coming. That has now been finalized, and Westbrook will be joining the Los Angeles Clippers. Westbrook will be back playing with Paul George after the two played for the Thunder for two seasons, both years seeing postseason berths. The Clippers are currently fourth in the West and have the third-best odds to win the conference at +450.

Giannis Antetokounmpo set to miss time — After a hard fall last Thursday, Giannis Antetokounmpo has a confirmed wrist injury that will keep off the court for a bit. The extent of the injury is unknown at this time, but no surgery is required and no timetable has been set. Milwaukee's futures odds have not been affected by the news, so the injury isn't being taken too seriously by the betting market. The Bucks currently sit at +220 to win the East, behind Boston at +115.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll