Morning Coffee: Will The Gr8 Chase end with Ovechkin breaking Gretzky’s record tonight?

Alex Ovechkin will break the NHL’s all-time goals record.

How motivated is he to get to 895 career goals in fewer games than Wayne Gretzky needed to get to 894?

That’s an important question to consider this morning.

The Washington Capitals are an overwhelming favourite to beat the Chicago Blackhawks on home ice tonight.

Ovechkin needs three goals to end The Gr8 Chase.

What are the odds that he gets there with a hat-trick on home ice against an inferior opponent tonight?

This is the Morning Coffee for Friday April 4th, 2025.

Will The Gr8 Chase End With Ovechkin Breaking Gretzky’s Record Tonight?

Ovechkin to record a hat-trick against the Blackhawks could be found at +2000 at FanDuel this morning.

That number implies a 4.8 per cent probability that Ovechkin breaks the record tonight.

After rolling over my winnings on Ovechkin to score in three straight games, I’m willing to roll the dice on him to break the record tonight at the current price.

I locked in Ovechkin anytime goal late last night.

I also jumped on Ovechkin to score a hat-trick at +2000.

If you’re shopping around for Ovechkin goal props, I can tell you that FanDuel has the best prices this morning.

You might have been reminded that Ovechkin scored a hat-trick in December of 2022 to reach 800 career points.

Right now, I’m looking at a couple of interesting factors behind my wagers on tonight’s game.

Ovechkin has heated up of late with a goal in three straight games, and he’s registered three or more shots on goal in six of his previous seven.

The Blackhawks have allowed four or more goals in five of their last six and eight of their previous nine overall.

Chicago also has just one win in its previous 12 road games – a 6-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on February 27th – and I’m banking on their struggles away from home continuing against one of the league’s best teams.

Washington’s goal total has climbed to over/under 4.5.

Although it’s juiced to the under at -152, nobody will be shocked if the Capitals score five or more goals tonight.

I’m also betting that Ovechkin wants to break the record on home ice with his family and friends in attendance.

The 39-year-old has played his entire NHL career in Washington since he broke into the league in 2004.

Now he gets an opportunity to reach a historic milestone in front of a packed crowd that should create an electric atmosphere at Capital One Arena. 

Gretzky, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Capitals chairman Ted Leonsis, and Ovechkin’s family and friends are all expected to be in attendance tonight.

Finally, Ovechkin has scored 892 goals in 1485 games.

Gretzky’s all-time record is 894 goals in 1487 games.

How important is it to Ovechkin to beat Gretzky’s record in fewer games played?

If Ovechkin is motivated to score more goals in fewer games than Gretzky, he’ll be fired up to break the record with a hat-trick on home ice tonight.

I’ll lock in Ovechkin anytime goal as a FanDuel Best Bet.

I’ll also roll the dice on Ovechkin 3+ goals at +2000.

Hopefully, “The Gr8 Race” concludes with Ovechkin scoring his 895th career NHL goal in his 1485th career NHL game tonight in Washington.

Will UCONN, South Carolina Cruise In Final Four?

Anybody who follows me on X or is a regular reader of this column understands why I’ve referred to this year’s NCAA tournaments as Chalk Madness.

On the men’s side, the favourites have won 14 straight tournament games dating back to the second round.

The top four choices to win the title pre-tournament at FanDuel will compete in the Final Four on Saturday.

It’s been a similar story on the women’s side, where UCONN and South Carolina have cruised to the Final Four.

The Huskies are a 7.5-point favourite against UCLA.

The Gamecocks are -4.5 versus Texas.

While the Bruins and Longhorns are both very capable of the upset, I plugged in a two-team moneyline parlay with UCONN and South Carolina to advance at -123.

I also locked in a two-team moneyline parlay with Duke and Florida to advance at +141 in Monday morning’s column.

A couple of weeks ago, I pencilled in Duke over Florida in the championship game of my March Madness bracket.

Nothing that I’ve seen since has changed my mind.

Hopefully, the Chalk Madness continues this weekend. 

Dodgers, Padres Aim To Extend Perfect Starts

The Los Angeles Dodgers have lived up to expectations as the obvious World Series favourite with an 8-0 start.

The San Diego Padres are right behind them at 7-0.

It’s the fifth time in MLB history that multiple teams have started a season 7-0 or better and the first time that’s happened since 2003.

The fact that the teams play in the same division – and state – is an interesting coincidence.

Which NL West team loses first?

The Dodgers have rewarded my faith in them early this season and I’m on them again today at -138 to beat the Philadelphia Phillies.

I don’t love laying 40 cents in a baseball game, but with Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting the start in the opener, I went ahead and played LA to win.

I also bet the Dodgers to be the last team to get shutout this season at FanDuel at +600.

Meanwhile, I’m not as bullish on the Padres, which are +138 to win their series opener against the Chicago Cubs and -188 to make the playoffs after a 7-0 start.

I did place a bet on the Atlanta Braves -1.5 against the Miami Marlins at -110.

Atlanta opened the season as the third choice to win the World Series behind the Dodgers and New York Yankees but are off to a brutal start after getting swept by LA and San Diego.

I’ll bank on the Braves getting back on track in their home opener tonight.

Will Raptors Slide Continue Versus Pistons?

With several NBA teams competing for position and several teams freefalling in the standings, there’s a unique opportunity to take advantage in betting markets.

The old five-team chalk parlay with the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons to all win outright tonight pays nearly even-money at -109 tonight.

Which favourite ruins the parlay?

The Pistons are an 11-point road favourite against the Toronto Raptors, which are coming off back-to-back losses to the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers.

I’ll lock in a builder SGP with Pistons centre Jalen Duren to record 10+ points, 8+ rebounds, and Detroit to win outright at -110 odds.

Duren has hit those milestones in three straight games and in six of his previous seven games overall.

Shout out to my good friend Aaron Bronsteter for the heads up on the Duren props.

Hopefully, we can sweep the FanDuel Best Bets in this column and enter the weekend on a high note.

Have a great weekend, everyone!