NHL best bets and expert picks
It’s been a great past few days as I am 6-2 Wednesday night, feeling great heading into a big Saturday slate in the NHL.
NHL Odds | NHL Betting Splits | NHL Matchups | More NHL Picks
New Jersey at Calgary (+105, 6)
The New Jersey Devils have had a strong start to their Western Canada road trip. This will be the Devils’ third game of a four-game road trip and the first of a back-to-back. They’re 2-0 on the road trip thus far, as they have defeated the Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken.
The Calgary Flames have had an inconsistent start to the season, but they’re coming off a come-from-behind win against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flames haven’t been that dominant of a home team, 6-5-1 in their own barn, but the Devils have been much better on the road, as they have an 8-4-0 record as the away team.
The Devils have won five of their last six games dating back to November 25th. In that frame, they have the second-highest scoring offense, averaging 4.50 goals per game while skating to a 29.4% success rate on their man-advantage. Jack Hughes has been playing in savage mode this season. He leads the team with 33 points in 19 games, but during the win streak he has tallied 11 points (four goals, seven assists) over the course of the six games.
Calgary’s offense has been nowhere near as productive during this stretch. The Flames are scoring 2.50 goals per game while their power play has struggled, only converting at 10%.
I don’t think either team has the edge in between the pipes. Simply put, I think the Devils’ offense is too much for Calgary, and they’re finally starting to gain some consistency. I think the Devils will keep rolling.
Bet: New Jersey Devils ML -115 (play to -125)
Ottawa at Detroit (-130, 6.5)
The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings have been in plenty of high-scoring games as of late.
The Red Wings are coming off of one of the most wild games I have ever seen, especially from a gambling perspective. After a scoreless first period against the San Jose Sharks, both teams combined for eight goals (four each) in the second period to hit the over.
Detroit has now scored five goals in four straight games, and despite Patrick Kane not having any points in his debut with the team, he had a solid game and was able to create a ton of scoring opportunities. As good as Detroit has been offensively, they’ve been struggling in their own end. The Red Wings have been allowing 3.50 goals per game throughout their last four games, and their penalty kill is only at a 73.3% success rate.
The Senators are coming off back-to-back solid offensive performances, scoring nine goals in their last two games combined. They’re averaging 3.25 goals per game in their last four contests.
Brady Tkachuk, Claude Giroux, and Vladimir Tarasenko have been playing extremely well in the team’s last five games. These three have combined for eight goals and a total of 12 points in that span.
Robbi Fabbri and Dylan Larkin each have four goals in the Red Wings’ last five games.
I think we’ll see a lot of scoring in this contest. I like the over.
Bet: Over 6.5 -142 (play to -155)
Los Angeles at NY Islanders (+124, 6)
The Los Angeles Kings have a chance to set an NHL record tonight on Long Island. They have tied the record for most consecutive road wins to start a season (11), as they’re 11-0-0 as the away team thus far. Tonight, they take on a New York Islanders team that has been strong but has also had many moments of weakness.
The Kings enter tonight’s contest having won eight of their last nine games dating back to November 16th, and a large part of their success is due to how well they’ve been playing defensively. In this span, the Kings are leading the NHL in goals against, only allowing 1.22 goals against per game, and their penalty kill has been excellent, converting at 92%, which is the league’s fourth-best.
The New York Islanders have been playing great hockey as of late. Their offense has been clicking on all cylinders as they’re scoring 3.90 goals per game since November 16th, which is the league’s third-highest, and believe it or not, their power play has been the best in the league since, at 34.5%.
That said, the Kings have dominated the Islanders as of late. Los Angeles has won the last four meetings, outscoring the Islanders by a combined score of 16-8.
Neither team has confirmed their starting net-minder, and since the Kings are playing their first game of a back-to-back, it could be either Cam Talbot or Pheonix Copley. Both have been excellent as of late. Talbot is 5-2-0 in his last seven appearances, boasting a .938 save percentage and a 1.58 goals-against average. Copley has been just as good, if not better. He is 3-0-0 in his last three appearances with a .949 save percentage and a 1.33 goals-against average.
Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov have been strong for the Islanders, but not as good as the Kings tandem. Los Angeles is playing for an NHL record, and I will back them on that all day.
Bet: Los Angeles Kings to win in regulation -105 (-play to -115)
