Hockey At Glatt’s (-2.0 Goals) (-120)
Pink Panthers (+2.0 Goals) (-120)
Over 8.5 Goals (-145)
Under 8.5 Goals (EVEN)
Notes: Rain, heat, smoke…all in a days work for D5 as my work on box scores and these previews has been completely derailed yet again, this time not by lax bros but by three separate environmental events that threaten to destroy tonights games. But we shall press on, even if the players in this game might actually melt in 97 degree heat. Goalies will get unlimited water breaks but this looks to be a difficult game to both play-in and to project. Glatt’s obviously has to be favored, even if they’re unusually low in the standings as of now and might be a bit tired from playing a doubleheader in only slightly more tolerable heat last night. Pink has looked both as good as they did in their Fall championship game run and as poor defensively as they did all of last season depending on the night this season. Which squad will show up tonight? Bettors are predictably all over Glatt’s including Brooke Gary who has apparently forged an alliance with the man who paid Teemu Selanne to slander her. She’s got Glatt’s to win and Tony to score. Will he disappoint her yet again? Probably in some ways, including the upcoming lawyer power rankings, but probably not in this one very specific way. Glatt’s to win, Tony to score. Boosted to +150.
Shake ‘n Bake (-1.0 Goals) (-230)
Hockey At Glatt’s (+1.0 Goals) (+150)
Over 8.5 Goals (-145)
Under 8.5 Goals (EVEN)
Notes: The first time these teams met it was an absolutely bonkers 8-7 win for navy in the final seconds of the game after Glatt’s led by multiple goals multiple times. Since then they’ve gone on to prove the resurgence is for real as they’re 2nd in the standings with Ryan not only leading the scoring race but also on pace to shatter league records for goals and points in a season. Can they keep up the momentum against a Glatt’s team that kind of needs to start putting up standings points to avoid having to win multiple games on the first playoff night? Amit is out tonight but I think navy’s superior depth (and brown potentially being exhausted in their 4th game in 24 hours) should be enough to get them through. Shake ‘n Bake to win.
Red Day (-2.0 Goals) (-145)
Attack Of The Pie Pie (+2.0 Goals) (EVEN)
Over 8.0 Goals (-120)
Under 8.0 Goals (-120)
Notes: Red suffered their first loss in several weeks last night and will look to rebound after a weird game where they went back and forth on goalie sub situations all day only to see Carl show up half an hour early and shut them out. Orange, meanwhile, had lost three tight one goal decisions going into last night before obliterating black by a score of 8-2. Is it two teams going in different directions or was last night just a fluke for both squads? I think the truth is somewhere in the middle as the Jefferies guys have looked more comfortable every week and look to be on the upswing, but against a team that oozes structure and experience I think it’s a brutal matchup. Jeff Green is the biggest wildcard in this game as he’s one of the few goalies that seems to be immune to this type of heat and he’s going to have to be in vintage form to deliver orange the win. Under for me.
Pink Panthers (-1.5 Goals) (-200)
Attack Of The Pie Pie (+1.5 Goals) (+140)
Over 8.0 Goals (-145)
Under 8.0 Goals (EVEN)
Notes: Unlike the previous matchup, I think this one is likely to go over. True, their previous matchup was a tight 3-2 win for pink but both teams have shown more offensive prowess as the summer’s rolled on and both goalies should be a bit tired after having earlier games. The question is whether the forwards on both teams will be super tired as well or whether the heat affects the goalies and defenders more. Assuming its equal, my baseline for this game is somewhat high scoring and while orange has looked better lately and has a full lineup tonight to minimize the effects of fatigue, I do think pink has earned the right to be favored here. But whether they’ll actually follow through on it is another story entirely. Empty netters make betting +1.5s in hockey a bit less enticing than in other sports, but at +140 it might be worth a nibble for Jeff Green backers around the globe.
Red Day (-165)
The Royal Sampler (+120)
Over 8.0 Goals (-145)
Under 8.0 Goals (EVEN)
Notes: The final game of the night between two teams that have alternated between bottom of the top and top of the middle status all season. Purple won’t have Oskar, Pigozzi and Sanchick but red won’t have LaPorte and possibly Kevin who is in for game one but a GTD here. With him, the line would’ve probably been a -1.0 goal spread. The uncertainty around his status makes this much closer, particularly with Carl’s ability to steal any game he’s in, but I just think that’s too much depth out of the lineup for a purple team that’s generally built around depth. Red Day to win and possibly reclaim their place in the top two in the standings by the end of the night. Pray for no rain.