NHL Predictions – Expert Picks on Sunday, February 2:
Here are today’s NHL predictions:
Columbus Blue Jackets at Dallas Stars (-270, 5.5)
6 p.m. ET
These two teams have been trending to the Under lately. The Jackets are on a 9-1 run to the full game going Under, and the Stars games have gone Under in eight of their last 12 games. I also like the regulation draw in this game. Columbus has gone to overtime in three straight.
NHL Predictions: Columbus Blue Jackets/Dallas Stars Under 6 (-130) – 1 unit
Regulation Draw (+380) – ¼ unit
NY Islanders at Florida Panthers (-230, 5.5)
6 p.m. ET
The New York Islanders extended their win streak to seven on Saturday night as Tony DeAngelo scored the OT winner just 33 seconds into the extra session for a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have little time to enjoy the win as they are in Sunrise, Florida today to face the defending Stanley Cup champion, Florida Panthers. With this being a back-to-back, the Islanders will turn to fourth-string goalie Jakub Skarek, who makes his first NHL start and his first NHL appearance. There are questions surrounding the status of Islanders forward Mathew Barzal. Barzlal left last night’s game in the third period. The Islanders are (3-3) this season on the second half of back-to-backs.
It’s also the second half of a back-to-back for the Florida Panthers, who dominated the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. After surrendering the opening goal just seven seconds into the game, Florida scored five unanswered goals for a 5-1 win. Florida not only outshot Chicago 44-25, including 22-4 in the opening twenty minutes, they out-chanced them 88-45. The Panthers have won two straight and six of their last nine games.
Spencer Knight is expected to get the start in goal today for Florida. He is on a run of six straight first period Unders in games that he has started (five of them ending 0-0).
Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk has goals in back-to-back games and nine goals in 15 career games against the Islanders. New York’s Anders Lee has two goals in two games versus Panthers goalie Spencer Knight. Kyle Palmieri, who scored one of the three Islanders goals on Knight in the only meeting this season, has scored goals in each of the last two games after going 14 games without a goal.
NHL Predictions: 1st Period Under 1.5 (-105) – 1 unit
Matthew Tkachuk anytime goal (+160) – ¼ unit
Anders Lee anytime goal (+240) – ¼ unit
Kyle Palmieri anytime goal (+360) – ¼ unit
Vegas Golden Knights (-135, 6.5) at NY Rangers
6 p.m. ET
The Golden Knights must be one of the happiest teams to see the calendar flip from January to February. It is the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Knights have had a sub-500 January. Vegas closed out the month by losing seven of their last nine games and were 6-9 overall for the month.
Tonight, they face a Rangers team on the second half of a back-to-back and will likely face former teammate Jonathan Quick, with Igor Shesterkin starting Saturday against the Boston Bruins. The Blueshirts have just two wins in six tries on the back end of back-to-backs. It’s been rough times for Quick, who has given up five goals or more in each of his last three starts.
Vegas has won three of the last four meetings at MSG and six of 10 overall, scoring four goals or more in five of the six wins.
The Rangers have lost three straight, giving up four goals or more in all three losses (15 total). They have given up 20 goals in their past five defeats.
Tomas Hertl of the Golden Knights is on a goal-scoring heater, with nine goals in his last 11 games (goals in back-to-back). The Rangers Chris Kreider has six goals in 11 games against the Golden Knights and three goals in six games against the Knights goalie Adin Hill.
NHL Predictions: Vegas Golden Knights TT over 3.5 (+105) – 1 unit
Tomas Hertl anytime goal (+230) – ¼ unit
Chris Kreider anytime goal (+240) – ¼ unit
Ivan Barbashev Over ½ assist (+220) – ¼ unit
St. Louis Blues at Utah HC (-130, 5.5)
7 p.m. ET
The Blues are coming off a 5-0 loss at Colorado on Friday and enter our system play where we jump on a goal in the first ten minutes and the first period Over 1.5 goals. This is the second time this season that the Blues are in the system play. They cashed both the goal in the first ten and first period Over in a 5-2 loss to Vancouver on January 27. St. Louis games have had a goal in the first 10 minutes in eight straight and 14 of the last 16 games. They have also cashed the first period Over 1.5 in nine of their last 11 games.
Both the Blues and the Utah HC are struggling to win. St. Louis has lost four straight and five of their last six games, while the Utah HC is hoping to snap a four-game losing streak of their own. For those reasons, I am staying away from playing either side.
There are some prop plays on my radar. Regardless of who the Blues start in goal, I do like Utah’s Michael Carcone to score a goal today. He has scored a pair of goals in two games against Jordan Binnington and two goals in five games against Joel Hofer.
NHL Predictions: Goal in the 1st 10 (-140) – 2 units
1st Period Over 1.5 (-115) – 2 units
Michael Carcone anytime goal (+650) – ¼ unit
Detroit Red Wings at Vancouver Canucks (-166, 5.5)
8 p.m. ET
The Canucks are playing their first home game since the trade of J.T. Miller to the NY Rangers on Friday. Vancouver dropped their first game without Miller, a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Friday night. The Canucks host a Detroit team that is riding high on a five-game winning streak, giving up two or fewer goals in each of their wins. For Detroit to up the win streak to six, they are going to do something they haven’t done all season: win a game on the second half of a back-to-back. Detroit is 0-5 in this spot, but that was the same record they had going into Saturday’s game at Calgary when playing the front end of a back-to-back, and the Wings came away with a 3-1 win.
Early goals have been cashing in Red Wings games. Twelve of their last fifteen Detroit road games have featured a goal scored in the first ten minutes, and 15 of their 24 road games have had at least two goals in the opening 20 minutes.
The timing is perfect for one of the newest Canucks, Drew O’Connor, who was acquired on Friday from Pittsburgh, as he gets to face one of his favorite goalies, Alex Lyon of the Red Wings. O’Connor has four goals in four games against the Red Wings netminder, including a pair of goals this season back in December. Quinn Hughes has been doing his best to carry the Canucks on his back, with 12 points in his last eight games. He has had multi-point games in three of his last four overall and four of his last six at home.
NHL Predictions: Goal 1st 10 minutes (-140) – 1 unit
1st Period Over 1.5 goals (-120) – 1 unit
Drew O’Connor anytime goal (+475) – ¼ unit
Quinn Hughes Over 1.5 points (+230) – ¼ unit
Calgary Flames at Seattle Kraken (-155, 5.5)
9 p.m. ET
The Flames come into Seattle fresh off a 3-1 loss on home ice Saturday at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. They face the Seattle Kraken on the second half of a back-to-back. Calgary is (1-5) on the back end of back-to-backs this season, scoring two goals or less in each of the five losses. The Flames have also been held to less than three goals in each of their last six losses. With Dustin Wolf starting last night, it is likely that Dan Vladar gets the start in goal for tonight’s contest at Seattle. Vladar has lost his last six decisions and five of those losses have come in regulation. The Kraken won the last three meetings, including a 2-1 overtime win in Seattle back in October with Vladar taking the loss, just his second loss in seven decisions against the Kraken. Seattle’s Eeli Tolvanen has goals in four consecutive games and is the only current Kraken player with more than one career goal (2) against Vladar.
Quick-strike goals have been the theme for both the Flames and Kraken. Eight of the last 10 Seattle home games and 14 of the last 17 overall have had a goal scored in the first 10 minutes of the game. Eight of the last 11 Calgary games, including last night’s game against Detroit, have had a goal scored in the first 10 minutes. Four of Dan Vladar’s last six games that he has started have had an early goal as well.
Calgary is (5-12) as a road underdog and (4-1) as a road favorite.
NHL Predictions: Goal in the 1st 10 minutes/Yes (-145) – 2 units
Seattle Kraken ML (-155) – 1 unit
Eeli Tolvanen anytime goal (+400) – ¼ unit
