Nhl Hockey Picks - January 05, 2008

We suffered our first losing day in the last seven yesterday and look to bounce back today...

WUNDERDOG 2008 RESULTS ($100/bet)
SPORT	WINS-LOSSES	%	NET
NFL	15-11 last 26 picks	58%	+$1940
CBB	26-13 last 39 picks	67%	+$2370
NBA	8-2 last 10 picks	80%	+$1480
NHL	13-6 last 19 picks	68%	+$2330
TOTAL			+$8120

Today's NHL Hockey Picks:

Game: Detroit at Dallas (2:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on Game Total OVER 5 -130 (risk 4 to win 3.1)

Detroit is kicking butt and taking name sthis season. They are amazingly consistent, scoring in the mid 3's on offense and allowing low 2's on defense both on the road and at home. While better at home, they are great on the road as well. Dallas is much better at home. They score 3.3 per game here while allowing 2.4. But, their defense has been pretty bad lately and everyone has a bad game against Detroit. The Stars have allowed 4+ goals in three of their last four games, giving up 15 goals in those games. Detroit has scored 4+ in eight of their last ten games! So the Red Wings will get theirs tonight and Dallas should be able to contribute enough to get this one OVER the total. Detroit is 10-2 OVER this season when playing only their 2nd game in five days. They are also 8-1 OVER after wiining 3+ of their last 4 games. Dallas is 19-8 OVER the past three seasons after allowing 5+ goals last game. They are also 9-1 OVER the past two seasons after losing their last game by 2+ goals. This one goes OVER.

New Jersey has won eight of the last ten matchups between these clubs including four of the last five here in Boston. They are hot right now having won five of their lsat six games thanks to great defense. In the five wins they have allowed a total of four goals! Their offense is stagnant but in this matchup, a lot of offense is not required. Boston averages just 2.4 goals per game at home and should really struggle to find the net in this one. The Bruins are allowing 2.6 goals per game ont he year and 3.0 over their last five so we like New Jersey's chances here. This is a great matchup for the Devils. They are 11-2 this sesaon vs. teams that allow 17.5%+ power play conversion and 16-4 vs. teams that allow 29.5+ shots per game. They are 9-1 vs. teams averaging under 27 shots per game.

Marian Gaborik is coming on strong. He's tallied 11 points in his last ten games including a 5-goal performance vs. the Rangers last month. He's already scored 21 goals and recorded 39 pints. Minnesota has had success here, winnign seven of the last ten games vs. the Predators including three of the last five here in Nashville. We like the Wild's offense here to overpower Nashville's. Rookie Dan Ellis has done well in the crease but in this game he will have his hands full. The Wild have scored 5+ four times in their last ten games and are averaging 3.6 goals per game over that span. Look for Minnesota to take this one.

NHL Hockey Picks Resources:

• View our 2007 NHL prior pick results here.
• View our updated NHL ATS records.
• Hop over to our free hockey predictions here.
• Don't forget to read our NHL Game-of-Day Analysis here.
• Check out our updated NHL spreads.
• Here we show our hockey handicapping philosophy.
• Check out our updated NHL picks blog.
• Take a look at our sports betting NHL here.

Check out the last five NHL Hockey Picks Newsletters:

NHL-Hockey-Picks-January-04-2008
Buffalo has lost four straight games so... it's time to back them. Those losses were not easy games, and they allowed just 2 goals in the last three. Compare that to Ottawa's two game losing s...

NHL-Hockey-Picks-January-03-2008
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...

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...