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Boston are the strongest team in its division, the second strongest in the East and their defense is the bets in the East. They take care of their games against average teams without any problems, they've won last five out of six games all in regular time. The Buffalo team are below average, they are by far the worst team of the league with only 19 points. They get a win here and there but in reality, they're a train wreck especially since Vanek left. Boston have already played a game in Buffalo this season and they won by 5-2. I expect the same story today. Details

Levadiakos did not rank particularly well this season, for which their away fumbles take the blame. They've played phenomenally at home, winning their last five championship games without conceding a single goal and with a goal ratio of 8-0 (three times 2-0, twice 1-0). I doubt that Panathinaikos will change much there. They lost vs Atromitos in the last round, with an injury costing them their most important player, Marcus Berg, who scored 8 of the 22 goals Panathinaikos scored this season. Levadiakos will certainly go on the defensive once again, meaning that without Berg PAO will be harmless. Apart from Berg, PAO are also missing the Croatians Pranjić and Schildenfeld, and without those three PAO will be significantly weaker. More than enough for Levadiakos to succeed. Details

This is a clash of two most offensive teams, except Olympiakos that are able to dominate and attack throughout the entire game. The stats for bot teams should actually speak more in favour of an over but it is determined by the games against weaker teams that have to desire to outplay their opponents and such defensively oriented games can hardly have a high goal-scoring average. However, when the team from the top meet, these games are very interesting for the fans. I expect an exciting game with at least 3-4 goals which is a lot, at least in Grek terms. Details

The Panthers have been playing great lately, they've won five out of last six games and they only lost the game against the title defenders Blackhawks away. On the other hand, things don't seem to be going too well for the home team. They've lost four out of last five and they played the last game last night which should definitely be felt today. The Leafs like to play an open game but I doubt they will approach this game in this way as they are bound to be tired from last night. The Panthers definitely prefer a closed type of game and they seem to have every advantage in this game so I don't see a reason for the odds to underestimate them like this. Details

The Panthers and the Caps played the same division last year which means they played each other quite frequently. The Caps were usually winning those games, but I'm taking only the last series of games into consideration here. The Caps won the last eight games, two of them after extra time, and I'm giving them my trust today as well. They're playing great lately, they've finally managed to score against the Rangers after not being able to do it for three games. They've managed to make a comeback after being three goals short in the first 11 minutes in the last game - Ovechkinov scored three goals and they did brilliantly on power play (3/5). The Panthers aren't doing badly either, but it's more than obvious that the Caps don't agree with them - last eight defeats are no coincidence. Details

The Ducks are one of the strongest teams in the league and they are one of the most reliable home teams in the whole NHL. They are facing a team that has lost everything they could lose lately. They currently have a run of 9 defeats and 14 in 16 games. Out of those 14 games that they lost, they only took a point twice and this says enough. They didn't even come close in the last two games as the Blues destroyed them by 5-1 and the Kings by 3-0. They are facing a similar scenario today in Anaheim and I believe the Ducks will handle this with ease. I recommend a -1.5 handicap for the braver punters. Details

The Washington Capitals have a chance to get easy two points here. They are facing the Predators who are in terrible form, having lost four home games in a row. They have no real ambitions for the play-offs while the Caps will need every point which means the motivation will definitely be better on the Caps' side. What's very important and a very important reason for this bet is the fact that the Preds are coming without two of their best players - goalie Pekke Rinne, who is irreplaceable, and one of the best defenders in the world, Shea Webber, who has been gone for 3 games and the consequences are quite visible. Everything but a win for the Caps would be really surprising. Details

I thin the head-to-head score between the two teams tells the whole story. The Pens have won the last 7 games, but the total number of goals is what's important here. The results were 5-4, 6-3, 4-3, 5-3, 8-1, 4-2, 6-3, that is, a total of 57 goals or 8.1 goals on average. I don't see why under 5.5 would be a good option. Stamkos might be missing for the Bolts but they have been playing offensively without him and their games go into overs so I don't see a reason for odds to be so high. Even if that were not the case, the games against the Pens are something special, it's a tradition that these games see lots of goals. Details

I think Anzhi don't have much ambition in Europe this year. They are doing miserably in the championship, and the possible games in the spring would most definitely cause relegation for them. They beat Tromso both times, but Tromso were relegated this year and that's therefore not surprising. Sheriff outplayed them in Norway, but they were out of luck, and I don't doubt they will win home last round if they don't win here today (Anzhi is playing Tottenham away last round). Even if Anzhi cared about Europe, not even their best starting line up could do anything. They've hit rock bottom in Russia, they got 7 points in 17 games. Their offense in virtually non-existent without Traore, and the key midfielder Jucilei is out now as well. The two of them are the only players left from 'the old Anzhi'.
I would rule out the possibility of a draw here - that would not be good for Sheriff. If necessary, they will take initiative and risk, because one point would get Anzhi in the next round. They are interested in the win and the next round only, and I trust in them against Anzhi in this state. They seem like a second division team without the two key players, and Sheriff can do a lot against a team like that. I would personally never set the odds over 3.00 for Sheriff's win, this is almost a 50-50 game. Anzhi is favorite for the win slightly, and this seems like a huge mistake and a small stake could turn into a quite a profit. Details

On Friday, Zenit did not look too well, which was completely expected and we had a tip stating they would struggle against Rostov but today we will go for their win, despite of everything. The reason is simple. Zenit put everything into this game, they "saved" themselves for it against Rostov and we will see a completely different story as this is the game of the season for them. I recall a similar situation last season when Zenit played against Malaga in the fifth round only Malaga had only ensured they would go through, but not the first place. Realistically, they were unlucky in that game as Zenit conceded 2 strange goals in first ten minutes and from that moment on, the game moved to the oppositions's half and Zenit got 2-2 in the end but didn't pass the group in the end. It would be a huge surprise for them to have the same thing happen all over again - to gamble away another match-point against the team with a secured first spot and without their best players, especially if we factor in the cold weather in Russia (below 0 tonight), which definitely doesn't suite the Spaniards. In my opinion, everything above 1.60 has a value and I will go for Zenit winning without any doubt here. Details

When it comes to Moscow derbies or their games with Zenit, it is hard to predict the winner as any team can, not only win, but crush each other by 4-5 goals. This is actually pure speculation, but one can predict a solid number of goals, as these games almost regularly turn into treats for the fans. Both teams are going for the top, they are very offensively minded and usually go into overs, and 6 out of last 7 head to heads went over. The first game of the season ended 3-0 for Spartak and I will go for over as this solution has better odds than both teams to score. Details

Tomsk will have real anti-football conditions. It was terrible against Lokomotiv and now it's even worse. Snow is falling, the temperature is below zero and I'm sure we won't see quality football. The original idea for this tip was under 2.5, the odds are great and this option is still open, even under 2 or under 1.5 for braver punters, but Tomsk not losing has more vale for me. The margin for the handicap is 0.5 but this should be a game without the favorite and even odds should be at +0. Rubin are nothing in particular this season. They have some good individuals but they will probably not make anything noteworthy here. Tom's players are mostly Russians who will adapt to the conditions more easily than the Spaniards and the Africans from Rubin. In addition, Rubin are without their two best strikers - Rondon and Karadeniz (captain) and will be completely harmless up front, which is why I think Tom should get the edge in a tough game ahead. Details

The games between the Pens and the Islanders have been high-scoring affairs lately. It would be logical to go for an over, but I'd rather take a win by the team who I think could prevail a game that goes over this margin. The Pens are looking great and they confirmed it in Washington when they crushed the Caps by 4-0. On the other hand, the Islanders' defense hasn't been looking good for a while. They lost the edge when Visnovsky got injured, Strait is also injured and now first goalie Nabokvo is also missing and I think this will be a shooting practice for the Pens who will get a new win with ease. Details

Zenit are having lots of injury problems. The first 11 look solid, but the defense might be in serious trouble. They were pretty poor in the last game, when they had Lombaerts and Anyukov, and now things could go anywhere. It can't be said that Zenit players actually got a chance to rest during the international break as they all played for their respective national teams and they are facing Atletico on Tuesday which means they should not be at their 100 % today as they will need to save some energy for the clash against the Spaniards. This will be a good chance for Rostov to get a surprising result, and if Zenit win, I doubt it will be very successful. Details

It is generally good to bet against Buffalo this season. The odds on their defeat in regular time this season has been 1.50-1.70 so far, but it is much higher now. Truth be told, the Flyers aren't doing to well either, but they are obviously on the rise. Ahead of the last game, they said their goals were 3 wins in the next 3 games and the efficiency of .500 points and I will trust them this time. Details

I see something highly illogical in the odds for this game. Last season, when PAOK's team was far behind Olympiakos, on the level of Atromitos and Asteras, we had odds like these, which were still good enough to bet something on PAOK. Now that PAOK are on par with Olympiakos, the odds are still the same. There was talk prior to the season that PAOK might tumble Olympiakos from the throne, with the only flaw in that theory being the "small" games, in which Oly do better due to a longer bench. However, PAOK have so far demonstrated that they can deal with that, not to mention the fact that they can give the home team a huge amount of trouble in a direct duel. Oly will win the championship (if they do at all) by beating Levadiakos, Veria and the like, not PAOK. Along with the general situation this season, one must also pay attention to the current state of affairs. Olympiakos played vs Panathinaikos last weekend, and then managed a big win over Benfica. They are definitely physically spent, and emotionally pretty empty as well, as beating Benfica and passing to the second round is a huge success for them. PAOK, on the other hand, played an away game in Israel, rested some of their players, and the game was a simple walk in the park, with the shots statistics proving that best (4-5, in the frame and out of it). There can be no talk of fatigue in the away team then, the trip to Israel was more a team-building trip than a match. I believe we will be seeing a cautious approach from both sides, this is not a game one charges to victory in. PAOK have a much bigger chance in this kind of a game, and I think that Oly would gladly take a tie today after the two victories they scored, just to keep the points difference the same. As for the odds, PAOK are severely underestimated, these are the odds we should be seeing on X2, and there is no way I'm passing this up. Details

Giannina have a new coach, which should be a positive shock to the players, as usual. When we consider that according to many he was also the best coach last season, this means even more. A team with ambitions of playing European matches should be able to beat OFI at home. The away team beat Aris at home last round, but Aris are playing very poorly, and OFI also played with one more player for the full 90 minutes. Even if OFI had a full roster, this could easily be a home win bet, and when we also know that the away team will be missing four players among the standard 11, this is a bet you cannot skip. Details

I don't think any great explanation is necessary here. Rubin are not able to win for a while now, and they played teams which are not better than Wigan. The situation in the group is almost completely clear and it's not really necessary for them to win today. I'm sure Wigan can get point(s) in this away game, but I will still opt for a +1 handicap. Details

After a bad start of the season, the Devils managed to stabilize. They're in a two win series at the moment, defeating Bruins in the away game, and Bolts at home. Now, they're facing a team that played last night. Not only played, but lost 7-0 at home, in a game where they were the favorite. The opponent seems perfect for them to continue the series, and I doubt the Devils would miss out on a chance like that one. The final outcome on New Jersey seems like a good option, but as this is always a war on ice, the guests' under seems an even better choice. Details

As I expected, things haven't changed much for the Rangers on their away tour that lasted for 9 games (they have played all their games away this season). They got 3 wins but it is important that their trip was ended with a in in Detrit and the moods are up ahead of the first home game. Their goalie Henrik Lundqvist is almost certain to come back tonight and they are much stronger with him. On the other hand, Habs have huge problems with absent players, they lost 3 of their last 4 games and Rangers should be able to take advantage of that. Details