Providence co-captain Max Crozier was named Hockey East co-defender of the week on Monday for the second time this season (photo: Lydia Vigneau).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe pain of finding value is a valiant effort of every sports gambler out there.<\/p>\n
And then we look at Maine playing at Boston College on Friday night, a game where the odds send mixed messages.<\/p>\n
The Black Bears are the second-best team in Hockey East since December 1. But they’re still an underdog against a struggling Boston College team. There has to be a reason.<\/p>\n
Well, Maine is six games under .500 on the road this season as the Black Bears begin a four-game road trip in Hockey East play.<\/p>\n
It’s a strange dichotomy of a betting line but proves that the longer the season goes on, the more the sports books seem to be paying attention to key aspects that influence the lines.<\/p>\n
All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:<\/em><\/p>\nMaine (+105) at Boston College (-135); o\/u 6<\/strong><\/p>\nMaine really needs to be a heavier favorite in this game. The Black Bears are 9-5-1 since December 1, a stark comparison to Boston College’s 4-6-3 record over the same stretch.<\/p>\n
But, typically, the bookmakers look for a trend and Maine’s 3-9-1 road record influences this line. That said, The Black Bears have found plenty of great wins of late, including a weekend sweep of Providence.<\/p>\n
Boston College probably feels “due” to many bettors, but that is typically the worst reason to pick a favorite. Best said, bet this one carefully.<\/p>\n
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Michigan (-175) at Michigan State (+140); o\/u 6.5<\/strong><\/p>\nA rivalry game where the home team is a +140 underdog. That’s often solid value.<\/p>\n
But the Spartans, aside from last weekend’s home sweep of Notre Dame, have struggled. Michigan has been explosive offensively of late and deserve the -175 juice.<\/p>\n
But value is value. And right now Michigan State could possibly be laying that value.<\/p>\n
If you really want value, though, isn’t 6.5 as an over\/under line where it is at? This feels like a 6-5 game no matter what. Though the higher scoring the game, the more it favors Michigan.<\/p>\n
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Northeastern (-110) at Providence (-120); o\/u 5<\/strong><\/p>\nYou can bet against Northeastern, if you’d like. But the Huskies are probably the hottest team in the country with the way Devon Levi is playing.<\/p>\n
So where. might you find a value for Providence? The Friars did beat Northeastern in October on the road. The score of that game was 2-1, which would be an expected possibility for this game.<\/p>\n
But we can’t advocate against strong trends. Providence is 1-5-0 in it last six. Northeastern is an inverse, 1-5-0, over the same stretch.<\/p>\n
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North Dakota (+165) at Denver (-205); o\/u 6.5<\/strong><\/p>\nthe last few years, this was a rivalry game in the NCHC. And this probably feels that way, but North Dakota’s recent struggles make it difficult to favor the Fighting Hawks.<\/p>\n
3-3-0 in the last six isn’t back for North Dakota, particularly 3-1-0 in the last four. But the wins have come against Miami and Minnesota Duluth, both teams in the league.<\/p>\n
Denver is not a bottom-tier team. Especially at home. The Pioneers are 14-3-0 at home this year, and while North Dakota will pose an awesome challenge, this game feels like Denver all the way.<\/p>\n
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Chris<\/div>\n
Jack<\/div>\n
Matt<\/div>\n
Paula<\/div>\n
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Ohio State (-110) at Notre Dame (-120); o\/u 5.5<\/strong><\/p>\nWill Notre Dame’s desperation outshine Ohio State’s decent record?<\/p>\n
Sure the Buckeyes lost three of their last five, but their six-game winning streak prior still has some level of credibility.<\/p>\n
The question is whether the Irish, a team that has split almost every single series this season, can find a way to grab a win or two or if the two losses to Michigan State last weekend continue to trend.<\/p>\n
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Jim<\/div>\n
Ed<\/div>\n
John<\/div>\n
Dan<\/div>\n
Chris<\/div>\n
Jack<\/div>\n
Matt<\/div>\n
Paula<\/div>\n
Nat'l<\/div>\n
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HEA<\/div>\n
ECAC<\/div>\n
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The pain of finding value is a valiant effort of every sports gambler out there. And then we look at Maine playing at Boston College on Friday night, a game where the odds send mixed messages. The Black Bears are the second-best team in Hockey East since December 1. But they’re still an underdog against […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":138726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1670,812],"coauthors":[800],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
USCHO Edge: Late in the season, it seems sometimes the books are catching up with proper odds - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n