NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Winnipeg Jets at Tampa Bay Lightning
Winnipeg (+190) at Tampa Bay (-235) – Total 6 (-110)
7 p.m. ET
The Jets enter tonight’s contest having lost six straight and scored two goals or fewer in each of the last five games. They have just one win in their last eight games, and that coincides with losing their best defenseman, Josh Morrissey, to injury. Winnipeg has kept most of their losses close, losing by just one goal in six of their eight setbacks this season.
The Lightning have been off since Saturday, when they gave up two goals in the final six minutes to Utah before losing to the Mammoth, 5-4 in overtime and will look to snap a two-game losing streak. This is a good spot for the Bolts to end the streak against a Jets team that just can’t score. Five of Tampa’s seven wins this season have seen them score 4+ goals and cover the puck line (-1.5 goals). It looks like Stuart Skinner will get the start tonight for the Jets, who play again tomorrow against the Florida Panthers. He has struggled against Tampa in his career, giving up four or more goals (5,4,1,5,5) in four of his last five appearances. Nikita Kucherov has four goals in five games against Skinner.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Tampa Bay Lightning Team Total Over 3.5 (-135) – 1 unit
Nikita Kucherov anytime goal (+145) – ¼ unit
Point/Goncalves point parlay (+168) – ¼ unit
Utah Mammoth at Pittsburgh Penguins
Utah (-130) at Pittsburgh (+110) – Total 6.5 (-138)
7 p.m. ET
It’s the second meeting of the season for the Mammoth and Penguins. Utah defeated Pittsburgh, 5-4 just 10 days ago in Utah. Five of the last six meetings between these two teams (including when Utah was in Arizona) have had a combined seven goals or more. The Mammoth are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and have traded wins and losses over their past six games. Utah has yet to lose back-to-back games this season, going 4-0 after a loss, and has scored 4+ goals in all eight wins. The Pens are on a two-game winning streak after losing their previous four games, giving up 4+ goals in each. Utah’s Dylan Guenther has five goals in his last four games versus the Penguins.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Utah Mammoth Team Total Over 3.5 (-118) – 1 unit
Dylan Guenther anytime goal (+160) – ¼ unit
Columbus Blue Jackets at Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus (+195) at Carolina (-235) – Total 6 (Over, -120)
7 p.m. ET
The Blue Jackets come into Carolina feeling good after two overtime wins over the Golden Knights and Flyers, though they squandered a 3-0 lead against Philly on Tuesday before Kent Johnson scored the OT winner. But now they come into Carolina, where they have dropped each of their last eight games at the Lenovo Center, and in six of the last seven losses have been by 2+ goals, and they have given up four goals or more in four straight losses to the Canes.
The Canes are coming off a pair of wins as well, outscoring their two opponents (St. Louis and Boston) by a combined score of 6-1. The story in goal this season for Carolina is not Brandon Bussi but Pyotr Kochetkov, who is 8-0-0 with a 1.62 goals against average.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 goals (+115) – 1 unit
Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings
Chicago (+145) at Detroit (-180) – Total 6 (-115)
7:30 p.m. ET
NOTE: Late-breaking news out of Detroit. Dylan Larkin will not play tonight as trade talks intensify
The Blackhawks put an end to a three-game losing streak on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, while the Detroit Red Wings rallied with a late goal from Dylan Larkin to force overtime before defeating the Edmonton Oilers in a shootout, 4-3. Rookie goalie Michal Postava earned his first career NHL win in his first NHL start.
The Wings have owned this series lately, winning six of the last seven head-to-head meetings and scoring 4+ goals in five of their previous six wins against the Hawks. I don’t trust Detroit as a (-180) favorite, and there is the potential for a letdown coming off a big win over Edmonton and this being their first game back after playing four games in seven days on the road. Chicago is (0-4) on the road. They have given up four or more goals in seven of their eight losses this season, so I will lean on the team total and take Detroit to score at least four goals tonight. Former Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat has five goals in his last four games against Chicago. With the news of Dylan Larkin being held out of the lineup, Emmitt Finnie slots into the role of number one center.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Alex DeBrincat anytime goal (+140) – ½ unit
Emmitt Finnie anytime goal (+250) – ½ unit
Emmitt Finnie 1+ assist (+200) – ½ unit
Montreal Canadiens at Dallas Stars
Montreal (+135) at Dallas (-165) – Total 6 (-110)
8 p.m. ET
Tonight is the final stop on the Canadiens’ four-game road trip that has seen them win the first three games. They outscored their opponents 8-2, thanks in large part to some excellent goaltending from rookie Jacob Fowler, who stopped all 46 shots against the Blues on Tuesday, including 24 in the third period (Habs outshot 24-3) in a 2-0 Canadiens win. Tonight, it will be Jakub Dobes between the pipes for Montreal, who is making his first start since October 20 (4-3 overtime loss to San Jose). Dobes has lost his last four starts, giving up 4+ goals (4,5,5,6) in each of the losses.
The Dallas Stars are coming off a 5-1 loss to the Devils on Tuesday and made life easy for Connor Hellebuyck, who was making his New Jersey and season debut, mustering just 17 shots on goal. I am anticipating a much better performance from the Stars tonight. I will lean on two of their best players, Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, to lead the Stars to victory. Robertson has 11 points in his last eight games versus Montreal and has three goals in the two games (on nine shots) he has faced Dobes. Johnston has points (4) in three consecutive games and five of the last seven versus the Habs.
I am also going to come back and play the first period “draw” as I did with Montreal on Tuesday. Ten of Montreal’s 12 games this season have been tied after the opening 20 minutes, but instead of playing both (1-1) and (0-0), I will split a half unit between (1-1) exact score and just the game to be tied after 20 minutes. Four of Dobes’ five starts ended in a first period draw, but none of them ended with a 0-0 score.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Jason Robertson anytime goal (+150) – ½ unit
Robertson 1+ point/Johnston 1+ point/Stars Money Line (+143) – 1.5 units
1st period Draw (+175) – ¼ unit
1st period, exact score, 1-1 (+600) – ¼ unit
Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues
Boston (-105) at St. Louis (-115) – Total 6 (Under, -118)
8 p.m. ET
The Bruins are coming off a disappointing 2-1 loss at Carolina on Tuesday in a game they scored first, 91 seconds into the contest. They were blanked the rest of the way as the Canes did what they do best: smothering the Bruins, giving up just 16 shots on goal for the game. The B’s have lost consecutive games just once this season and, in their two wins following a loss, put up six goals against both Utah and Nashville. History is on the Bruins’ side to get back to their winning ways. They have won back-to-back, three of four and seven of the last nine meetings versus St. Louis and five straight at St. Louis. Three of the five games between the two teams in St. Louis have gone past regulation.
David Pastrnak has had 3+ shots on goal in eight consecutive games against the Blues and 4+ shots on goal in five of the last seven head-to-head meetings. Give me Pasta for 3+ shots, and I will parlay him with “Mr. Automatic” Ryan Leonard of the Capitals for 2+ shots. With Leonard cashing his 2+ shots on goal prop last night against the Flyers, he’s now done so in 11 straight games this season and 21 consecutive regular-season games dating back to last season.
The Blues have struggled lately as the “O” in offense has disappeared. St. Louis has been blanked in each of their last two games and has not scored a goal over the last 123:55, when Dylan Holloway scored with 3:55 left in the third period of the Blues’ 6-2 win over Vegas seven days ago. One Blues prop I like is a Robert Thomas anytime goal. He has just one goal this season, but he has four goals in five games against B’s starting goalie, Jeremy Swayman.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Boston Bruins Money Line (-105) – 1 unit
Pastrnak 3+ shots/Leonard 2+ shots (+127) – 1 unit
Robert Thomas anytime goal (+280) – ¼ unit
Regulation Draw (+310) – ¼ unit
New York Islanders at Minnesota Wild
New York Islanders (+155) at Minnesota (-190) – Total 5.5 (-120)
8 p.m. ET
The Islanders come off a 4-3 shootout win over Nashville on Tuesday and make their final stop on a three-game road trip. The Wild are returning home from a four-game road trip (three wins, one loss) but then head out after tonight for two road games. For me, this is a bad spot for the Wild, as I refer to a game like tonight as an “island game” (ironically vs. the Islanders) when you return home from an extended road trip for just one home game and then immediately head back out on the road.
The Wild have won eight of the last ten head-to-head meetings with the Islanders, but New York has won two of the past three. Isles goalie Ilya Sorokin has won his last two starts against Minnesota. Though I do believe Minny is the better team, the Islanders in this spot are worth a small bet, and we are getting a good price on the road team.
A couple of player props for me in this game. Kirill Kaprizov has goals in eight of his last 10 games and leads the NHL this season with 14. He has goals in five of his last seven games against the Islanders and has had 4+ shots on goal against New York in six of his last eight meetings. This will be former Isles player Max Shabonov’s first game against his former team.