Free Hockey Pick - February 19, 2009

Today we are back on the ice with five more NHL premium picks including two 4-unit plays.

Today's NHL Hockey Picks:

Game: Carolina at New York Islanders (7:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on Carolina -150 (moneyline) (risk 4 to win 2.7)

The Islanders are a mess right now. The fans are calling for change, and after giving up a shorthanded goal while skating five-on-three against the Flyers, this team is reaching for the bottom. The ledger shows just a shootout win to show for their last seven games. They are scoring fewer than two goals a game over their last 17, which has been a problem all season long. The Hurricanes have been rolling on the road where they have won five of seven against much bigger obstacles than the Islanders present here. Carolina is now 10-4 as a favorite over their last 14. The Hurricanes have won 14 of the last 20 played here and this one should run that win total to 15. I like Carolina in this one.

The Penguins just can't seem to find the magic that carried them to the Stanley Cup finals a year ago. The offense has been struggling off and on for most of the season, and right now it is off. The Pen's have managed just six goals in their last four games - something they are getting accustomed to in Pittsburgh. It has manifested itself at home as well, leading to six of the last eight played on home ice going UNDER the total. These teams have met twice this season and have failed to top this total. I don't see it happening here either and will go with the UNDER.

The Blackhawks win on the road because they can keep the puck out of the net. Overall, they have allowed two or fewer goals in six of their last eight, running their season tally to 32 games allowing two goals or less. The Panthers are off a big shutout win over the Devils, 4-0 and have been a force on home ice all season. That shutout may foreshadow the events to take place tonight as the Panthers have played UNDER in 11 of the last 12 against the West, and 19 of the last 25 against the Central Division. The Blackhawks are now serving UNDERS as a favorite, as the UNDER is 11-4-1 in their last 16 as the favorite. This series has also been 5-2-1 to the UNDER in the last eight meetings, and I look for a low-scoring UNDER here tonight.

The Blues would be a decent team if they could stay out of the slumps that have plagued them this season. They have had stretches where they dropped five in a row and six in a row and otherwise, are a team that is well above .500 for the season. They have managed to do so since the beginning of the year as they have not dropped more than two in a row. The Predators have become the slumping team as they have managed just a pair of shootout wins to show for their last six games. They are also playing in their fourth game in six nights - a situation that has not served them well as they are 5-11 in their last 16 facing this situation. Another bad omen is that the Predators have stumbled off the big loss losing their last four following a three goal or more loss. I like the Blues to win this one.

The Sharks lost a bit of the home invincibility with a couple losses at the tank, but the fact remains they have only allowed 62 goals there all season. That works out to a touch above two per contest. The Kings are becoming “Kings of the Shutout,” as this team has been shutout eight times this season already. With five shutouts of their own, 13 have ended with one team not scoring. The Kings are now playing in fourth game in six nights, which has produced five UNDERS in their last six in this situation, while the Sharks are playing UNDER in 11 of 16 as big chalk (-200 and up). This series has featured low-scoring games, as eight of the last 10 dropped under the total, and I like this one to do the same. The UNDER gets the nod here.

Results: 3-2

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Check out the last five NHL Hockey Picks Newsletters:

NHL-Hockey-Picks-February-17-2009
The Lightning has been prone to long stretches with few or no wins this season. It is usually due to their trouble putting the puck in the net. That has certainly been a problem for them of late as th...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-February-16-2009
The Rangers are catching a lot of heat and jobs are soon going to be on the line. Yesterday might of been rock bottom as they gave up a goal to the Flyers while skating with a 5-3 advantage. The Range...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-February-15-2009
These teams haven't met in over two years. The Canadiens probably wish it was longer as they haven't beaten the Canucks in 10 straight tries. With the way Montreal is playing, they are looking...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-February-13-2009
The Bruins have carved themselves out a special season, and on the road have lost just five times this season. Credit has to go to tremendous goaltending and a focused defense as they have allowed jus...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-February-12-2009
The Senators have done a good job on home ice, but have not traveled well. There is a big reason why as the Senators have been able to mange just 45 goals in their last 23 on the road, working out to ...