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Each of the four games between Dornbrin and Innsbruck this season has gone over this margin, or over any margin for that matter, as they are very offensively minded teams. Both DEC and Innsbruck have great attacks and disastrous defense while Dornbirn have actually improved theirs lately, but there is no team that can stop Innsbruck from scoring a goal or two. I expect a goal-scoring rhapsody here as was the case so far, as Dornbirn have so far beaten Innsbruck by 6-2 and 4-3 in overtime, while the Sharks have beaten the Bulldogs at home by 5-2 and 7-4. In addition, Dornbirn have won their last game by 8-1 and Innsbruck have lost the last 5, and 6 out of 10 games with a handicap, going over this margin four times, while Dornbirn have gone over in last 4 out of 5, 8 in 10 and I expect them to crush Innsbruck here and cause their 8th consecutive defeat, but I also expect Innsbruck to get a goal or two which should cover this over. Details

Graz and Alba are only a point apart going into this match and they want to win this one and get a good start of this part of the season. Graz are a typical "under" team and even though they're better than Alba, it's hard to expect them to score. Not only is their attack poor, they have been ravaged by injuries and are without their best forward Kinasewich, one of the best offensive back players Scalza and only Greg Day and Rolan Kaspitz can score goals for this team. In addition, the 99ers will have Sabourin on goal, the second best goalie of the league and they will probably be focused on defense to beat Alba, who are good in away games and have already beaten Graz three times this season. On the other hand, Alba are also in poor form lately, they are having problems with their offense and has no outstanding player besides Yellow. But their defense is good, especially when lead by the third best goalie in the league - Hetenyji. And since this is a very important game for both teams, I don't think the Hungarians will rush anywhere to win, especially not against Graz's great defense. Their last two games ended in 3-1, while the first two games cannot be taken as a measure as Graz had a different coach and different, more offensive style. It is important to mention that both teams concede and score about 2.5-3 goals per game. Considering the importance of this game, it's hard to see this one going beyond 6, especially as Graz are a team of unders with 6 unders for this margin in last 10 games, 3 in 5, while Alba have 4 consecutive unders and 7 in 10. Details

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Even though I'm convinced the 5,5 under will work here, I pick a 6,5 with overtime, to make sure, because this is a match between an under and over team, not two under teams. However, all the things that need to align for this game to be under, are here. Graz are an under team, their defense is better than their offense, but they're decimated now - Kinasewich, Woger, the back Scalzo, and the substitute goalie Stefanszin are missing, and that guarantees that the best goalie of the league, Danny Sabouring, will take the goal again.
This is a very important match for both teams, Graz want to get to the seventh position, or at least stay at the eighth, to secure the play-offs more easily, while Znojmo, on the sixth position, will go for the win to get the bonus points, and maybe skip the fifth VSV. Graz really need this win because of numerous disappointments and defeats they had lately. Graz have three unders in the last five games, with a 5,5 margin, and Znojmo, usually going over, have four consecutive unders with a 6,5 margin. Also, Znojmo are really tired because of their hectic schedule lately, playing the fourth match in six days. The best offensive players of the team are injured, the experienced Blatny and the captain Beroun, and Graz will definitively play defensively because they lack quality in the offense.
Matches between these two teams ended 3-2 with penalty kicks, 4-1, 3-2, all under. Also, the stats say that Graz score 2,5 goals per game, concede three, and Znojmo score a bit over 3 per game, and concede just as many, so even the numbers work for this under. Details

This is a b2b game for both teams and the third one if 4 days. This rhythm is very tiring in any sport, let alone hockey. In addition, this is is a clash between a typical "under" team Bozen and an "over" team Znojmo, who have reinforced their defense lately and have not had too many overs lately. In addition, Znojmo are in a worse state as they are the visitors here and are coming to South Tirol from distant Villach after several long-distance away games. Bozen are also quite tired which they showed yesterday when they beat the decimated and much weaker Graz by only 2-1 after the penalties while they also had another difficult game in Klagenfurt a while ago. This game is very important for them as they could regain the first spot with a win here despite being fourth at the moment. This game is also quite important for the sixth-placed Znojmo who could jump over VSV whom they beat by 3-1 yesterday. Bozen have 5 and Znojmo have 4 wins in a row and both teams have no intention of ending their run so we should expect a tough game with few goals. All the more so as the stats say that Bozen have 6 unders in a row for the margin of 5.5 goals while they have 8 unders in last 10 games for the margin in this bet. The "over" team Znojmo have 2 unders in a row and 4 in 5 for the margin of 5.5 goals while they have 7 unders in last 10 games. Head-to-heads between these two teams paint a similar picture- in their only game in Ital so far it was 3-2 for the home team and then Znojmo won by 5-2 at home when Bozen had major injury problems and were in a crisis while the last game, played 2 weeks ago in the Czech Republic ended 2-1. Considering the current form, H2H, and the importance of this game I believe every under is worth taking but I will got for 6.5 margin with overtime just to be safe. Details

Although in this match anything in favor of Bozen except a timed over on goals is a good bet in, for me the best play is under on the game on a 5.5 margin. Simply put, both the teams stats and the form of both teams in their recent games, and their score in mutual games speak for the under. Bozen have been scoring 3 goals per game on average, both at home and in general, while Graz score barely over 2.5 and exactly two on average in away games, as one of the worst away teams in the league. Furthermore, in the past five games Bozen had only unders to this margin and seven of theri last ten games were also unders. Graz on the other hand have two unders in their last five games, but those two were in last three as well. Graz is a complete outsider here as well, for several reasons: tenth best in away games in the league, bad form (four of last five lost), and missing seven players for this match, five of which are important members of starting lineups - forwards Woger, Kinasewich and Lefebvre, back Scalzo and second goalie Stefaniszin. More or less all of those are players who can and do score, and are rare commodities on Graz's roster, as that team is known to play a lot of under, with defense being their forte. Along with all that their last two games, those relevant for this match, as the first one played in September isn't (Graz had a different coach and style, winning 5-2), both ended under, 4-1 for Bozen and 3-2 for Graz after penalty shootouts. This is also an important game for both teams, as Bozen want to get to the top and Graz need to keep their seventh spot. This means the 99ers will most likely focus on defense, being decimated, and they will have Sabourin, the best goalie of the league, on the post (Stefaniszin suspended), while Bozen are not a killing team. Due to all of the above, along with Bozen winning, any under, and particularly the one on the game and under for Graz at 2.5 are fully acceptable. Details

KAC and Alba are two teams on a par that are involved in a massive play-off battle as they are the 10th and 9th team in the league and are only a point away from the 7th spot with their 42 points, while the decimated Graz are visiting the resurrected Bozen team. This is a very important game for both teams and they will both go for the win, despite the fact that KAC are the hosts as they usually do better in away games, as does Alba. In addition, KAC have three unders in last 5 games for this margin, 2 in last 3. Alba have an identical score in last 5 games and they're missing their forward Sikorcin, their most efficient forward lately. KAC are complete but they have been relying on their goalie Swette the most, while Alba have the fourth best goalie in the EBEL League in Hetenyji who arrived from the SM League. Therefore, these are the teams with great goalies facing an important game who usually play a rough "under" game, especially lately. In terms of their recent games, the last one ended 3-2 for KAC in Hunary as did the first and the only game in Klagenfurt so far, while KAC won one game by 5-2 in Szekesfehervar in mid-season. But, it cannot be compared to the situation today. Statistically speaking, KAC score 2.5 goals, 3 at home, while Alba score 2.5 overall and away. Everything above, and most of all the importance of the game, I expect an under here, even team under for both teams. If someone wins this one, it will be KAC, in my opinion. Details

Dornbirn have been doing surprisingly well at home lately and now they are in a pretty good form and brimming with confidence after getting two consecutive wins against Olimpija. The 8-1 win against Olimpija yesterday was particularly impressive, and more importantly for the Bulldogs, it was a game in which they generally toyed with their opposition and they didn't get too tired. On the other hand, they are now facing Vienna, the best and the leading team in the league, but a mitigating circumstance for DEC is the fact that it is a b2b game which means 20-30% less intensity, especially for the away team. After win in Innsbruck, the Vienna team have traveled to Dornbirn and even though it is not a long journey, the fact that it's a back-to-back game makes it more difficult than the first one. In addition, Dornbirn are a tricky team few teams like to play against, Vienna least of all. Th Caps have a 2-1 score against Dornbirn this season and they've only beaten them once in an away game - 3-2 in overtime. They won the game at home by 5-3 but DEC got their only win against the Capitals in Vienna (4-3) which is the proof they don't suit the Vienna team. All in all, considering that's a b2b game in that is not too important for either team and considering they won't rush things before the play-offs that each team has already made a strategy for, and considering the venue for this game and their recent games - the odds at 2-2.10 are simply too high for this double chance. Details

A festival of goals is expected in this game because that's what happened in the last three games between Linz and Villach so far, ending 7-0 for Wings in Linz, 5-2 and 7-3 in the last game, both in Villach. Besides, VSV have the best offense of the league, the best power play, a few offensive lines, while Linz are the best host of the league, having the second best offense at home. Linz score over four goals per game at home, and 3,5 per game. VSV score almost four goals per game this season, as well as in the away game. Both teams secured the play-offs long time ago, and this is a game of prestige. Linz are mixing the back pairs, giving more ice time to the younger players and those who haven't played a lot, which made them get into a bad shape. VSV invest everything in the offense, outplaying, and an attractive game.
As for the goalies, Westlund went from Linz to Medvescak, so they're left with Ouzas who recovered from an injury, or his disastrous alternative, Hirn. Whether Ouzas will be goaltending will be decided on the day of the game, and even if he does, it works for this over because even though he's the second best goalie of the league, he didn't recover enough, and with the broken defense and the best offense of the league fighting in front of him, he can't do much. Hoeneckl will save for VSV, since they're resting Lamoureux for between the rounds and the play-offs. Hoeneckl is a goalie who was tending the last time in Linz, and conceded seven goals. Besides, VSV have injury issues, Mario Altmann, the best back, being one. Also, Linz didn't go under this margin in the last seven games (three of those home games, two big overs), they had four overs and three voids. VSV were a bit more conservative because of the play-offs and playing against weaker opponents.
Anyway, because of a possible tie, I think this is worth taking as over 6,5 for 1,83 on bet365 bookmakers, and also a clear win for Linz, which also has big odds. Details

This is one of the biggest unders I've seen this season. It's the end of the season, four or five games left until the end of the elementary part of the EBEL, and the league splitting to top and bottom six, and KAC are fighting for the top half from the eighth position. They want it because of the position, easier play-offs, and the fame. Bozen secured all that already, and now they want to be as close to the top of the league as possible. This is a crucial game for KAC, who simply have to win. Bozen won't be relaxed in Klagenfurt because they want to get the leading position, so they'll be after the points and the win.
Even more importantly, KAC had this under in the last five games, and eight times in the last ten games. Two games ended 4-3 out of the last five, but only after the penalty shots, where KAC almost always decide their games. On the other hand, Bozen covered this under in the last four games, with the results being 2-1, 1-0, 3-2, 3-1. They only had one over in the last ten games. Besides, both teams are complete and identical to the ones that played these unders in the last ten games. Both teams have really good goalies, and this is a crucial game for both teams, a real play-off game regardless of not being one officially.
Every under is worth it here, in my opinion, even 5.5 for the braver ones, with a lower stake, of course. However, I think that the option with the overtime is the best and the most secure one. Plus, looking at their matches so far (3-2 after penalty shots, 7-4 and 2-1 in the last match), there was only one over, an exception to the rule, I think. So, I really can't find a counter argument for this bet. Details

Bozen and Villach are both in top form and in the upper part of the EBEL table. However, in this game, there are too many things that tip the scales in Bozen's favor. First of all, they have the whole team at their disposal, while VSV will have to do without their best defender and one of the best (top-six) forwards. Besides, Bozen's motivation is extremely high, they need only one point to reach the play off, and the top six position. The win could get them past Villach who are currently holding position four, and back to the top of the league, which is, apparently, where they want to get again. They, therefore, have more then one reason to be motivated, and the win could be very significant, while VSV, judging by what they're saying, don't really have to win because they already have secured a position within top six, what remains now is only to decide which one of those six will be their final one. Even resting the team for the play off is more important than that. Besides, Bozen's record against VSV this season is good. They won the last two games, an easy 4-2 away and 4-1 home. They were defeated only once at the start of the season 4-2 in Villach. VSV have two defeats in the last three road games. Both teams are, on the whole, in fine form. They both have 4 wins in the last five games, the only difference being the fact Bozen have two and VSV three consecutive wins. Every streak has to end, and it seems like VSV is closer to ending theirs - they beat Olimpija home in the last game with much difficulty 3-2, after being behind for the most part of the game. Details

The game is very important for the both teams, but extremely important for the Graz 99ers, who proved to be one of the most reliable 'under' teams in EBEL. They are now in a situation which is just perfect for an under game. They played three games against Linz this season, two of which were significantly under (2-0, 3-1), while the last one went over by just one goal (4-3 for Linz after the penalty shootout). But, that was also in the period when Linz played brilliantly home and have been winning the games very efficiently, which is no longer the case in the few last ones. As for Graz, everything is laid out just perfectly. Their substitute goalie Stefanszin, who is one of the best goalies in the league, is suspended, which means that the best goalie of the league Danny Sabourin (92,5% of saves on average) will have to be on the goal. Furthermore, the most talented forward in the team, and probably the only one who can score from virtually nothing is injured (Ryan Kinasewich). Woger, the best defender, and Mario Scalzo are out as well. Besides, Graz still have one of the worse offenses and best defenses (they score just over two goals on average, and concede just over 2,5). Only Olimpija's offense is worse than theirs, while Innsbruck's remains at the same level. Their defense is sixth best in the league. On the other hand, Linz are on a slightly higher margin in both those categories - at around three goals, but they are struggling with form, they lost the last game, and have two defeats away in the two last games. That is why, in this game, which is one of the most important ones for Graz this season, they are in no way the favorite for the win. Because of all that, and because Linz definitely don't want to lose their third position, while the win could get them to the second one, possibly even the first one, which will be extremely motivating, I don't see how six or more goals can be scored in this game. Details

LA Kings are one of the teams in the best form in the league. They have 3 wins in a row and 9 in last 10 games, and they are much stronger at home than away. They are currently the third team in the West and are only 2 points behind Chicago (2nd place) and 3 behind Anaheim (1st place). In addition, the Kings have the best defense in the league, while their offense is also not too bad since it scores 3 goals per game on average. They have no injury problems, they're playing great, they're very strong in the defense and have their most beautiful hockey this season. Dallas, on the other hand, are not a bad team and are playing well but they have many problems with defensive injuries while offense hasn't been doing too well lately either. The stars need four wingers, two from top-four, and two top-six defenders. Because of this, they only have Golioski and Dillon as their first choice wingers while they had to call up two players from the AHL just for this game. The Stars have no positive runs at the moment and have won last 5 out of 10 and are currently the 10th placed team in the West. But, even though the Kings are better in every segment of the game, this bet should be based on the injuries for the Stars that are irreplaceable for me and I don't see a way for Dalas to even get a draw in LA. Especially since these two teams have already played with full squads this season and the Kings won that game by 5-2. Details

Nashville and Boston are two teams with completely different situation, form and position. The Predators are at the bottom of the West, they're losing everything and things aren't going their way. Their offense is poor, their defense is on the verge of cracking up and they have been without their first-choice keeper Pekke Rinne for months. Until he returns, they will be inconsistent and will not be able to get a long winning streak. Apart from Rinne their important winger Seth Jones is also injured, while goalies Mazanec and Hutton are no longer in form since the Preds have lost three last games and 7 out of last 10, 5 in regular tie. This Nashville is facing the second best defense in the league and the best defense in the East. In addition, Boston have a run of 7 wins in last 10, they are the second-laced team and their system will perform well against the crippled and soft Predators. Even though Boston are missing a few players, none of them are their top players. All top-six forwards are in as are their wingers lead by Char while Rask is between the sticks. They should also get some top players like Dougie Hamilton, Daniel Paille, and Adam McQuaid in this game. Details

These are two under teams. LA Kings have been playing great lately, they're better at home. Colorado are in a bit weaker shape, but they're stronger when away, and they did defeat Kings already this season. So, the game is a tie, just like the first one, and the only one between these two teams, was. It ended 0-0 after 60 minutes, and then Colorado scored and celebrated 1-0 in the overtime. Kings have three unders with this margin in the last five games, and also one void and one over, but that was against Ottawa, who are one of the most over teams of the league. In the last ten games, Kings had six unders with this margin, and two voids, and they're also the best defensive team of the league who concede a bit less than two goals per game. Colorado's defense, on the other hand, are second best of the West, right behind the Kings' defense, and on the league level, Avs share the third position of the best defense of the league with Penguins, conceding a big less than 2.5 goals per game. Besides, in the last ten games, Colorado have four unders and two voids with this margin, while overs happened mainly against teams that Avs declassified, or were declassified themself. That simply can't be the case in this game because of the even strengths. So, any under on this game is worth it, because neither of the teams are that strong offensively lately, and their defenses are definitely really good. Details

I'm taking this bet as the odds on X2 for Znojmo are too high, especially in a league where a win is two points regardless of regular or overtime, and tie is one. The odds are such because Linz are the best home team in the league, with seven wins in a row. However, Znojmo are right behind Linz and Vienna, with four wins in five games. They are better away than at home, as usual this season, with three wins in the last five away games. The last away win for Znojmo was particularly memorable as it was a big 6-4 vs Red Bull Salzburg. Znojmo did much better than the result suggests in that game, winning all three periods. We have only praise for Linz, but this game depends more on Znojmo, the only EBEL league team that does not sit well with the Wings. Znojmo already beat them twice this season, both at home 5-2 and away 5-4. Since Znojmo entered the EBEL, Linz won only two of the five games they played. Adding to that is the fact that the Czechs play fast, modern hockey with younger and quicker players, which does not suit the more rigid and defensive Austrian team. Despite the phenomenal series Linz are on, they are by no means as much of a favorite as the bookmakers say, if they even are a favorite. Due to the importance of this game for ranking (direct duel for 4th spot), I expect a hard, tough game won by a goal, and I don't think Linz can win in regular time. Those braver among you can try any over too, as their games so far ended with seven and nine goals; or with a total for Znojmo, which also offers good odds. Details

The Winnipeg Jets are doing quite badly lately - tho whole team. They were never that good offense vise, but besides Slater, their best player and forward Kane got injured as well. The Jets have been struggling with injuries for a while already, but defense vise, things are good - young Trouba is back, and goalkeepers Pavelec and Montoya are finally in form. The problem now is they have no one to score, even veteran Olli Jokinen had to make sure they won in the last few games. Winnipeg had four unders in the last five games, but in the last five home games as well. Some of them were even under 5,5 goals. On the other hand, Colorado recorded four unders in the last five road games, and both the Avs and the Jets have two consecutive unders in two recent games. Colorado have four very low unders in the last five road games, which is what, beside the fact their defense is the best one in the league, have made them a genuine under team. They are not struggling with injuries, and their defense is better than their offense thanks to the good goalkeepers. Whenever two team whose defenses are better than offenses meet, the game usually ends up under - just like their only head to head game this season which Colorado won 3-2 in Denver. Colorado are scoring 2,8 goals, and conceding 2,3 goals, while Winnipeg score 2,4, and concede 2,7 goals. Details

There are several ways to bet on this game. In my opinion, the best thing would be to go bravely for St Louis handicap for a slightly smaller stake. You can also go for their clean win or an under for the away team. I chose the handicap because they've won last 4 out of 5 home games, all 4 with a handicap. So, when they win at home, it's a convincing win while their away games are somewhat weaker. In addition, they're a team that doesn't stop when they're on a roll and that's why they win convincingly. They have 12 out of 16 home wins and only 2 regular time defeats, and they have better stats than Toronto. In addition, they are in form and have won 7 out of last 10 games (5 with a handicap) and Toronto have seven defeats in the same period (5 regular time defeats). The Blues generally lose against stronger or better-placed teams (Anaheim, LA Kings, San Jose) while Toronto lose almost every game. In addition, the Leafs allow the most goals in NHL, an average of almost 37 and this is another important factor for the home team. Unlike the Blues, the Leafs have injury problems as they are without several important forwards(Orr, Bolland, Bozak), and their captain and best defender Dion Phaneuf is also injured and their defense is much weaker without him. The Blues score 3.34 goals per game while the Leafs allow 2.75 goals. Finally, this is back-to-back game for Toronto after their home game against the LA Kings, a team with a similar system to the Blues, and the LA team beat them by 3-1 in Toronto. The Leafs will come to Missouri even more tired as their last 4 games have been home-away-home-away and they've lost 3 out of last 5 games with a handicap, two in a row, and in their last 10 games they've lost all 5 regular time defeats with big handicaps. Details