Subway Series NHL Style on Wednesday
The New York Mets and New York Yankees have had plenty of great battles in Yankee Stadium over the years. They’ve been playing inter league regular season games since the mid 1990s and the two also met in a memorable 2000 World Series. Tonight the two NHL teams from the same areas, the New York Islanders and New York Rangers will meet in Yankee Stadium. It will be the second time in four days the rangers have played in the baseball grounds that replaced the “House That Ruth Built” a few years back. They whipped the New Jersey Devils there on Sunday afternoon in a snowstorm 7-3. The Islanders beat the Rangers last Tuesday at Madison Square Garden 5-3, but have lost three straight since.
The Rangers come into the contest with a record of 28-23-3, good for second place in the Metropolitan Division while the Isles are dead last at 21-26-8. Their three losses were all at home, to the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-4, the St. Louis Blues 4-3 and the Boston Bruins on Monday night 6-3.
Outdoor hockey seems to be the latest fad in the sports world. Much like inter-league baseball, it appears to be a fan favorite and is likely here to stay. While the game is learned outdoors in freezing weather, the NHL works a lot better indoors in smaller arenas. The league loves when over 100,000 fans show up to a football stadium to watch hockey, but the fans can’t be very comfortable or have a very good view. Too many outdoor games will get old very quickly.
Also, if the league is going to hold outdoor games, then all the teams should have to play them. The league doesn’t need a situation where a team can claim they lost a playoff spot because of the weather. Since the league is playing games at Dodger Stadium, then freezing temperatures don’t seem to be required, so why not hold games at the Miami Dolphins in Miami, or the Carolina Panthers Stadium in Charlotte or the Tennessee Titans Stadium in Nashville?
BetOnline has the odds on tonight’s game:
The Rangers are -1.5 +195 and the Islanders are +1.5 -225 ATS. Moneyline is Rangers -140 and Islanders +127. Over/Under is 5.5 with over +123 and under -135. We like the Rangers in this one since they have been outdoors already and they also owe the Isles some payback. We’ll take the Rangers -1.5 +195 and the over +123.
In other NHL action on Wednesday the San Jose Sharks will visit the Edmonton Oilers and the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Vancouver Canucks.
The Sharks are -1.5 +165 and the Oilers are +1.5 -190 ATS. Moneyline is Sharks -175 and Oilers +159. O/U is 5.5 with over +105 and under -116. We will take the Sharks -175 and the under -116.
The Blackhawks are -1.5 +230 and the Canucks are +1.5 -275. Moneyline is Blackhawks -133 and the Canucks +121. O/U is 5.5 with over +123 and under -115. We will take Chicago -133 and the over +123.
