The sports betting websites are having a hard time keeping up with all of the coaching changes in the NHL. Bruce Boudreau gets fired from Washington and four days later is coaching the Anaheim Ducks. Dale Hunter takes over in Washington and losses his first game. Then there is Kirk Muller in Carolina who still has not won a game as a head coach. Is the coach carousel done? Probably not, but let’s look at how the current new coaches will fare in the coming week.
Washington Capitals @ Florida Panthers
Monday, 7:30 PM ET
New Washington head coach Dale Hunter may remember the good ol’ days when the Florida Panthers were the doormat of the NHL. But the Panthers are one of the top teams in the NHL and not exactly the kind of team that a struggling coach wants to face. The Panthers play a tight game where scoring is at a premium, which could favor Washington. But Hunter needs to get his two big stars, captain Alex Ovechkin and goaltender Tomas Vokoun, hitting on all cylinders if this team wants to win. The online sports book experts are not so sure that a game against a team like Florida is going to help those players’ confidence.
NHL Betting Pick: Florida Panthers
Carolina Hurricanes @ Calgary Flames
Tuesday, 9:00 PM ET
If new Hurricanes’ head coach Kirk Muller hasn’t grabbed his first win by this time, then this game will be a breath of fresh air for him. Nothing cures a losing streak like a trip to Calgary to play the Flames. The Calgary Flames are getting good goaltending but just cannot score goals. That is the same problem that the Hurricanes are having. But the Hurricanes have a fairly mobile defense that can help move the puck against a stagnant Calgary team. The online wagering crowd usually bets against the Flames when the opposition is desperate. There is no more desperate team in the NHL that the Carolina Hurricanes.
NHL Betting Pick: Carolina Hurricanes
Anaheim Ducks @ St. Louis Blues
Thursday, 8:00 PM ET
Earlier this season, this game would have received no attention from hockey fans outside of St. Louis and Anaheim. But with new Blues’ head coach Ken Hitchcock stepping in and curing the Blues’ ills and Bruce Boudreau stepping in with the Ducks and having an immediate positive effect, this game suddenly takes on new meaning for all hockey fans. The honeymoon with Boudreau will end soon. Players take the firing of their coach personally, and the Ducks are responding to the firing more than they are responding to Boudreau’s coaching. The Ducks need a lot of help on the ice, and it will start showing through. The Blues, on the other hand, are a quality team then needed a coach that knows how to utilize talent. That is what Hitchcock does.
NHL Betting Pick: St. Louis Blues