By: Jacob Abenante | Follow me on Twitter @Jacobabenante
It seems every three to four years as Bruins fans, we are surprised with another outdoor game being added to our schedule. Since 2010 the Bruins have hosted two and, after this weekend, will have played in four of the NHL’s highly marketable outdoor spectacles. As a fan, I love these games both for their viewing experience and their propensity to grow the game. This Sunday, February 21st, we will see the Bruins take it back outside against the team we first met for a winter classic back in 2010, the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers will be going to Tahoe down a great deal of manpower due to being in the center of the NHL’s latest Covid-19 debacle. All is not good on the Bruins side regarding health either, as the team has been bit by the injury bug as of late, making this match even more intriguing to bettors.
The basics
In each article, I will touch on the type of bets I will be highlighting for the week and go over what they mean and how I recommend taking them. Due to this game being what feels more significant than a regular-season game, I will give multiple different plays for Sunday. I will be talking money line bets mostly; remember from previous articles if the odds are positive, you see what your return would be if you bet $100, and if they are negative, you see what you would have to bet to get a return of $100. The other type of betting I will touch on here is the over-under. The over-under is as it sounds; if you take the over the two teams playing’s goal total must be over the shown number. The under is the exact opposite; if you take it to win, both teams’ goal total has to be under the number shown.
Also, you will see me talk about units. Units are whatever you want them to be, and they will be different for every person. One unit should be whatever you are comfortable losing on your average bet. Never bet more they you are comfortable with.
The plays of the day
The first play I have for Sunday’s game in Lake Tahoe is the Bruins on the money line, where I am currently seeing them at -180. This pick’s value is lower than something I would typically take, but I feel it is the smartest and, in turn, safest play due to the circumstances. My thought process on this goes in many different directions. The Bruins have lost their last two games back to back in regulation, a slide they will be determined to stop as soon as possible. Through four previous meetings, the Bruins have yet to be topped by the Flyers, and only one of those games was by a margin larger than one goal. This leads me to think this game will be a close one that should fall in the Bruin’s favor; I am comfortable with two units on this play.
The previous statement leads me to my next pick of the Bruins/Flyers under at 6.5. Even though three of the team’s last four matchups have resulted in an overhit, I feel with the heightened emotions of being outside in the beautiful backdrop of Lake Tahoe; this game will draw much tighter. I am also surprised to see the early odds from oddsshark.com have the over-under so high and would not be surprised to see it fall to around 5.5. Even if the odds shift here, I am still leaning towards the under for around a unit.
Prop bets
Prop bets are a fun way to get a little extra action on games at a very high value. The prop bets I am looking at taking in this one is David Pastrnak to score a goal which should be around +200 to +250. I also like Jake DeBrusk to score a goal, and those odds should be about +350. My thinking behind each is entirely different. Regarding Pastrnak, he has been cold in the form of goals through the last couple of games. I expect Pastrnak to come out and put on an offensive show under the bright lights of Sunday’s outdoor game. I would even say there’s a chance for a multiple-goal game from Pastrnak. With DeBrusk, it’s the opposite. He has been coming on as of the last three games and finally broke through and netted his first goal of the season Thursday night. As a streaky player, we can hope DeBrusk’s recent success will get him back on track to bolster the Bruin’s secondary scoring.
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