NHL Best Bets
It was good to get back on track last night as the Under in the Minnesota Wild vs. Pittsburgh Penguins game wasn’t all that much of a sweat, but today is a beautiful day for hockey, with 13 games across the board. Let’s look for some NHL best bets.
Calgary at NY Islanders (-130, 6.5)
The New York Islanders are coming off a massive feel-good 6-2 win at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Islanders have now won two straight games after the All-Star break, and they’re set to welcome in the Calgary Flames, who have also won two straight games of their own.
If you look at how these teams have played since the All-Star break, it’s pretty identical. Both groups are averaging 4.50 goals per game and allowing 2.00 goals against, so it’s fair to say that they’re each trending in a positive direction. That said, the Islanders are 13-6-7 on home ice, and the Flames are 12-11-4 on the road, so the home-ice advantage is certainly a factor in this game.
Mat Barzal has been playing incredible hockey for the Islanders this season. He has tallied three goals with three assists in the team’s last five games. Barzal is making a strong case to be among the top centers in the NHL. He has 54 points (15 goals, 39 assists) in 50 games played this season.
The Islanders have gotten great goaltending from Ilya Sorokin as well. He is 2-0-0 post-break while skating to a .929 save percentage and a 2.00 goals against average. I like how the Islanders are trending. No discredit to the Flames, but this is their third straight road, so I expect the travel to play a factor in their energy level.
NHL Best Bet: New York Islanders ML -130 (play to -140)
Colorado at Florida (-135, 6.5)
This should be the most exciting matchup of the day. Despite Colorado losing three straight games, they’re still one of the most high-flying offensive teams in the NHL. Since the new year, the Avalanche are leading the league in goals per game, averaging 4.07 per contest, but they’re struggling mightily to keep the puck out of their net as they’re allowing 3.60 goals against per game. In their last three games, the Avalanche have given up 12 goals against.
Since the new year, the Florida Panthers have had the fifth-highest-scoring offense, as they’re putting up 3.67 goals per game while boasting a 32.1% on the power play. Sam Reinhart has 21 goals on the power play alone and 38 total goals this season which is the second-most in the league. Close to him is Nathan MacKinnon, who has 32 goals.
There are a ton of offensively talented players in this game. These two teams met a little over a month ago in a game with 12 goals. It was an absolute shootout, and that is what I expect again tonight with two teams that play a run-and-gun style of hockey.
This one should be a blast, and I expect to see a lot of goal-scoring.
NHL Best Bet: Over 6.5 -120 (play to -135).
February Record: 4-3 (+0.62 units)
2023-24 record: 84
