Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) defends his net against the Minnesota Wild during the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Photo Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn ImagesLAS VEGAS -- The Boston Bruins haven't had the type of season many expected from them, and yet they're still in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, sitting two points from the second slot of the wild-card teams.
Tonight they play host to another team experiencing an unexpected down year, as the offseason acquisitions Nashville brought in haven't amounted to much for the Predators.
Two perennial threats in their respective conferences, a Bruins-Predators showdown this late in the season might normally be labeled as a Stanley Cup Final preview.
Such is not the case this season, but there's still a Best Bet to be found in tonight's game.
Let's do a deep dive into this one:
WHY NASHVILLE: The Predators close out their Metropolitan trip after losing 7-4 in Long Island and 4-0 in Manhattan. Since a 13-22-7 start to the season, they're 8-10-0 since Jan. 14. Not a winning record, but they've shown the will to win at times, and could be due for an offensive burst after being blanked by the Rangers on Sunday.
WHY BOSTON: As mentioned, the Bruins are two games off the playoff race, which is impressive when you consider this team has lost six of its last seven - including four in Boston. The losing skid at home can't last, especially if they want to make a run at a playoff berth, so wins against teams like the Predators are a must.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
THE PICK: BRUINS -130 -- This comes down to value, as we're being offered a very cheap price because of the way the Bruins have been playing. Turn a couple of those losses into wins during the 1-6 stretch, and this number is easily -175. Instead, we're getting off cheap by playing the home team here. The Bruins have won seven of the last 10 meetings, but lost 4-0 to the Predators earlier this season, in Nashville on Oct. 22. Play Boston in this one.
(Season Record: 17-28-1, Net: -1320$, based on 100$ units)