Sportsbook employees have extremely busy weekends ahead, don’t they? We’ve got the Pacquiao Cotto odds, UFC 105, the NBA, the NFL…and that still leaves the NHL! Let’s make some hockey picks for Saturday night.
Washington Capitals @ New Jersey Devils
Saturday, November 14, 7:00 p.m. ET
Think bringing Jacques Lemaire back to New Jersey was a good idea? Sheesh. 9-0 on the road? Check. NHL-low 2.03 goals against average? Check. Seven straight wins? Check. Wins in 10 of 11? Check. Lemaire has the Devils looking like their dominant selves of 10 years ago.
The Capitals have won three straight games even though Alex Ovechkin is watching from the press box due to an upper-body injury. They’re getting offensive contributions from Mike Green and the likes of Tomas Fleischmann, who has stepped up his play in Ovie’s absence. The problem is that the Caps’ three consecutive victories came against Islanders and Panthers twice. Those aren’t exactly challenging opponents. Battling the league’s hottest team is a tough task. Since the Devils are so superb defensively, the Caps will feel the Ovechkin void more than normal. Pick the Devils.
Pick: Devils
Saturday, November 14,
Did anyone see the Sabres coming this year? Most of us thought they’d trend the way of
The Flyers, riding a five-game win streak, are a brutal matchup for the Sabres. Power forwards like Jeff Carter and Scott Hartnell make the Flyers bruising on the forecheck; Chris Pronger and Braydon Coburn are physical blueline presences. The Sabres are just too small to handle the Flyers’ aggression. They also play
Pick: Flyers