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(AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
We're back! And this time, with some really exciting news for fan's of the Vegas Golden Knights. Tonight's matchups feature two major Eastern Conference and Western Conference showdowns, four of the best teams in the league going head-to-head. This is a night you surely won't want to miss, with the Florida Panthers taking on the Carolina Hurricanes at 7:30, and then the Colorado Avalanche face off against the Vegas Golden Knights at 10 o'clock. This could very well be the closest showing we'll get to playoff hockey until May.
Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert, in fact, I'm the exact opposite. These are just my personal takes and my personal bets going into tonight's contests. Odds mentioned in this article are subject to change prior to puck drop.
Let's take a look at my record from last week:
Game 1: Florida Panthers @ Carolina Hurricanes
Being two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, there is a very strong possibility that we'll be seeing one of these two teams representing the East in this year's Stanley Cup Final.
The Panthers roster features MVP candidate winger, Jonathan Huberdeau, and one of the top defenseman in the league, Aaron Ekblad. Not to mention key role players such as Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov, Anthony Duclair, and a stacked goalie tandem of the veteran Sergei Bobrovsky and the second year goaltender, Spencer Knight.
Florida currently sits in second place in the whole Eastern Conference with 69 points, just one point behind their intrastate rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The only other team in the league that sits above the Panthers in losses and point percentage is the Colorado Avalanche, but more on them later.
The Carolina Hurricanes are looking to show the hockey world that they won't play Robin to Florida's Batman in the Eastern Conference. In the two prior meetings between these teams this season, Florida has won both contests. Carolina looks to redeem themselves and avoid the season series sweep at home, as the next time these two teams meet could quite possibly be in the playoffs. Getting the last laugh in the regular season will be huge for the Hurricanes.
Carolina features their own stacked roster, with the likes of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Nino Nederreiter, and a Vezina Trophy candidate goaltender in Frederik Andersen. Carolina is in second place in the Metropolitan Division, with 67 points, just three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Carolina currently leads the league in penalty kill percentage, is third in faceoff win percentage and point percentage, and is second in shots against per game.
Like I said earlier, these are two top dogs facing off, with an overwhelming amount of star power on both sides of the puck. I expect tonight to be a very physical shootout. Look for drama and plenty of goals to be scored. You don't want to miss it.
I'll take:
O 6.5
FLA ML
Game 2: Colorado Avalanche @ Vegas Golden Knights
This is the Colorado Avalanche's third time appearing on national television since I started writing these betting guides, I've sung their praises more than enough times this season. We all know they're the best team in the league, we all know they're on the fast track to represent the West in the Stanley Cup Final. To find more on them, check out my betting guide for January 19th and January 26th.
The biggest news to come out of the NHL this week, aside from the Tyler Toffoli to Calgary trade, was the official announcement that Jack Eichel will make his Vegas Golden Knights debut tonight against the Avalanche.
The return of Eichel is something that Vegas fans and hockey fans all around North America have been looking forward to for nearly a year, ever since Eichel injured his neck last March.
Eichel was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights after a lengthy, dramatic saga between him and the team that he played for over the course of six seasons, the Buffalo Sabres.
Over his 375 NHL games, Eichel has 355 points on 216 assists and 139 goals. Eichel is expected to immediately be slotted into Vegas' top six, and be featured on their top power play unit.
The Golden Knights had to find a way to clear up some cap space in order to add Eichel to their active roster, and they did so by sending their captain, Mark Stone, to the team's long time injured reserve. Stone has been dealing with a nagging back injury since last year's playoffs. Hopefully now he'll be able to seek the treatment he needs in order to be back in time for Vegas to make a deep playoff run.
Much like the Florida Panthers/Carolina Hurricanes game tonight, Avs/Knights is must-see TV. Two top dogs in the Western Conference battling it out, as Colorado looks to play spoiler in Jack Eichel's return.
To learn more about the Jack Eichel vs. Buffalo Sabres story, check out my article from November.
I'll take:
O 6.5
COL -1.5
Jack Eichel O 0.5 points
Additional game picks this evening:
MIN Wild ML
ANA Ducks +1.5