NHL daily picks: What could go wrong?

One of the NHL's longest-running dramas came to a close last night when Matt Duchene was traded to Ottawa in the middle of Colorado's game against the Islanders. The trade, which saw the Senators trade Kyle Turris to Nashville, netted each team what they needed. The Senators upgraded up front, the Preds got even stronger down the middle, and the Avalanche obtained a lot of future assets to help them continue their rebuild.

Last night's action: It is never good to be betting on a team that trades one of its best forwards in the middle of a game. Things started out well for us as Detroit upset Edmonton as a big dog. We fell to 1-1 after the Avs lost to the Islanders, meaning we needed the Blackhawks to beat Montreal and their third-string goaltender to end up with a positive night. Instead, Charlie Lindgren pitched a 38-save shutout at the United Center to send us home in the red.

Tonight's slate:

It will be tough sledding for the Arizona Coyotes as they look to extend their season-high one-game winning streak to two games on the road against the Capitals. The job becomes even tougher with Scott Wedgewood in goal. As hard as it is to swallow this one, I can't get to this number, and the edge is on the Coyotes tonight. So yeah, keep that bleach nearby.

The Boston Bruins will be without Brad Marchand when they host the Minnesota Wild on Monday night, and that isn't good. Still, this number confuses the heck out of me. Even without Marchand, the B's should be favored and win this game more often than they lose it. The Wild are still missing Charlie Coyle and Zach Parise, and even though Nino Niederreiter is back in the lineup, this price is startling. So we'll have some of Boston as a home underdog.

After halting their franchise-record three-game losing streak with a win in Ottawa on Saturday, the Vegas Golden Knights travel to Toronto for a tilt with the suddenly off-center Toronto Maple Leafs. Yes, Vegas will still be starting fourth-string goaltender Maxime Lagace against the Leafs, but his job may have got a little bit easier as Toronto may be without Auston Matthews tonight. Even with Matthews in the lineup, the current price puts the value with Vegas.

The Red Wings finish off a back-to-back with a trip to Vancouver to take on the Canucks. Vancouver is certainly right to be favored in this spot, but this game is much closer to a coin flip than this price suggests. Add Detroit to the list of underdogs we'll have on tap for what should be a nice, relaxing Monday night of puck.

Picks: Arizona +190, Boston +103, Vegas +171, Detroit +142

Season to date: 33-38, -0.59u

[Photo: Matt Kartozian, USA Today]

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