Nhl Free Picks - January 03, 2008

After the 2-1 night last night, we have now won five days in a row, collecting +23.5 units. We have four picks tonight...

Today's NHL Hockey Picks:

Game: Washington at Boston (7:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on Boston -120 (moneyline) (risk 3 to win 2.5)

Boston snapped a six-game losing streak by beating Atlanta to close out 2007. We  like them to get their second in a row here. Washington has been on a scoring spree of late but their defense has been horrible. They remain 8-13 on the road. Boston is a winning team at home where they play great defense (2.1 goals per game). The Captials are 6-17 this year vs. teams that convert 19%+ power play opportunities. Boston should take care of business here.

Nashville has taken a huge step backwards this year. After a good 2006 campaign, they are last in their division in 2007. It's not a big surprise given they lost Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg and Tomas Vokoun in the offseason. They have scored more than 2 goals just twice in their last eleven games. Edmonton is a similar team from a statistical perspective. Both teams have poor defenses. Anything can happen here, especially given Nashville's recent scoring troubles. The Oilers are 8-4 this season in the second of back-to-back road games and we like their chances here as we get tremendous value with this line.

Dallas has hit a stumbling block after finishing December on an 8-1 run. They scored 37 goals in those nine games. They have allowed 4+ goals in six of their last seventeen games and 3+ in nine of those games. Minnesota has given up 21 goals in their last five games while scoring 3+ in three of them. This total is set too low and we see the game getting to 6+ goals.

Vancouver has won 9 of the last 12 games between these two teams including four out of five here at home. The Rangers have struggled on the road all season, posting a 7-12 mark. The Canucks defense is as good as it gets, giving up just over 2 goals per game. New York is winless in five non-conference games this year. They are coming off a 3-4 loss at Calgary and the Rangers are 2-9 this season coming off a high scoring (7+ goal) game. Vancouver has had three days to rest and prepare for this game and this team is 17-5 the past two seasons when getting this kind of rest. They are also 9-0 this season afer scoring 2 goals or less in two straight games. We'll take the Canucks on the puck line here.

Results: 3-1

NHL Hockey Picks Resources:

• View our updated 2007 hockey prior pick results.
• Updated today: NHL ATS records.
• Hop over to our NHL pick here.
• View NHL Game-of-Day Analysis here.
• Check out NHL odds and lines here.
• View our hockey sports handicapping philosophy here.
• Check out blog hockey here.
• Hop over to our hockey betting here.

Check out the last five NHL Hockey Picks Newsletters:

NHL-Hockey-Picks-January-02-2008
Carolina is in first place in the Southeast Division but they have some serious problems. Their defense allowes 3.2 goals per game. Their power play defense is horrendous and their offense has escaped...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-January-01-2008
Both of these teams are in need of a win. Toronto has lost six of their last seven while Tampa Bay has dropped seven of their last eight. Tampa has been inept on the road all season and right now...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-December-31-2007
The Oilers are 11-6 OVER on the road this season and despite their low-scoring the past few games, we like this one to go OVER the total. That is in part due to the fact that the Oilers allow 3.2 goal...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-December-30-2007
Florida is coming off a loss but they are playing well having won four of their last six games. Philadelphia has won two in a row but prior to that they dropped six straight, giving up 4.3 goals per g...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-December-29-2007
Colorado is coming off a home loss and remain without their Captain, Joe Sakic who will be out three months with hernia surgery. Colorado won't be up for this game vs. the lowly Kings. It's be...