NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are today’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Pittsburgh Penguins (14-7-5) at Dallas Stars (19-5-5)
Betting Line: Penguins (+140) at Stars (-170) – Total 6 (Over, -120)
6 p.m. ET
The Penguins roll into Dallas winners of three straight and four of their last five. They take on a Dallas team that owns the NHL’s second-best record and has won six of the last eight meetings between the two teams.
Sidney Crosby’s 18 goals lead the Penguins and have tied him with the Stars’ Jason Robertson for the third most goals in the NHL this season. Crosby has feasted on the Stars in his career with 13 goals and 26 points in 25 career games. He has also scored the Penguins’ first goal against the Stars in two of the last five games. Opening the scoring for the Pens this season has been something that Crosby has done a lot of this season. He has scored the first goal of the game in two of the last four games (five times this season), the Penguins’ first goal in three of the last six games overall and seven times this season.
Crosby and Bryan Rust have rotating wingers with them on the top line. Today, Tommy Novak will get a shot, and why not? Novak has four goals in five games against Dallas’ projected starting goalie, Jake Oettinger.
Geno Malkin has cashed his shots on goal prop in four straight, 12 of 14 and in six consecutive games against the Dallas Stars. At (-184), it’s way too juicy, so I will match him up with Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who has had two shots on goal or more in seven consecutive games.
There has been no slowing down the Stars’ big three of Jason Robertson (15 goals in the last 13 games), Mikko Rantanen (goals in three straight and 16 points in 15 games versus Dallas), and Wyatt Johnston (points in five of seven overall), so I will parlay the three to pick up a point. Further down the Stars’ depth chart, Colin Blackwell and his three goals in six games against the Penguins’ starting goalie, Tristan Jarry.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Sidney Crosby Penguins 1st goal of the game (+550) – .05 units
Sidney Crosby anytime goal (+180) – .15 units
Tommy Novak anytime goal (+525) – .05 units
Johnston/Robertson/Rantanen point parlay (+150) – .25 units
Colin Blackwell anytime goal (+850) – .05 units
Malkin/Heiskenan Over 1.5 SOG parlay (+129) – 1 unit
St. Louis Blues (10-12-7) at Montreal Canadiens (15-9-3)
Betting Line: Blues (+115) at Canadiens (-135) – Total 5.5 (Over, -125)
7 p.m. ET
Both these teams played last night, and the Blues have the added disadvantage of playing their third game in four nights. The history between these two teams has been high-scoring games, with the full game Over cashing in six straight and eight of the last 10 games. The Blues have won three of the last four meetings and scored four goals or more in five of the last six against the Canadiens.
Tonight will be the first time former Blues player Zac Bolduc will face his former team, so I will be on his anytime goal prop (+380). Cole Caufield has six goals in eight games against the Blues and four goals in five games against Jordan Binnington, who will get the start for St. Louis tonight.
On the Blues side, Robert Thomas has five goals and eight assists in eight career games against the Canadiens, and Jake Neighbours has points in three straight versus Montreal. I am also going to take a shot with Matt Luff, who the Blues recalled with the injury suffered by Jordan Kyrou. Luff has two goals in three career games against the Canadiens.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Over 5.5 (-125) – 2 units
Cole Caufield anytime goal (+155) – .15 units
Robert Thomas anytime goal (+290) – .15 units
Zac Bolduc anytime goal (+380) – .10 units
Matt Luff anytime goal (+650) – .05 units
Neighbours/Thomas point parlay (+294) – .20 units
Hutson assist/Caufield point/Slafkovsky point/Suzuki point parlay (+527) – .20 units
Columbus Blue Jackets (13-9-6) at Washington Capitals (17-9-3)
Betting Line: Jackets (+160) at Capitals (-190) – Total 6.5 (Under, -120)
7 p.m. ET
Washington returns home after a successful four-game (3-0-1), six-day western road trip. They now have to deal with an angry and frustrated Jackets team that blew a 4-1 lead yesterday at Florida and lost 7-6 in overtime. Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason was not only frustrated by his team’s performance but felt he was shortchanged by the officiating as well. Look for the Jackets to come out fast in the opening period against a Caps team that is playing the dreaded first game back at home after an extended road trip. Columbus to score the first goal of the first period is in play for me.
The regulation draw is also in play. Columbus has gone past regulation in 10 of their last 14 games and six of the last seven games started by today’s starting goalie, Jet Greaves. I don’t trust Columbus for the full game as their goaltending has been way too inconsistent. Washington has won both meetings this season by identical 5-1 scores, with the Jackets’ Denton Mateychuk scoring the Columbus goal in both games. At (+1100) for an anytime goal, Mateychuck is on my prop list for today’s game. Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski has points in five consecutive games and Kirill Marchenko has points in back-to-back games since returning to the lineup. He also has points in 16 of his last 19 games.
For the Capitals, Tom Wilson has scored the first goal of the game in three of the last four games, five times this season and the Capitals’ first goal a team-high six times. He does have goals in consecutive games versus the Jackets and five of the last seven games. Aliaksei Protas is riding a five-game point streak, has points in nine of his last 11 games and 13 points in 11 games versus Columbus.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Columbus Blue Jackets to score 1stgoal/1stperiod (+155) – .25 units
Tom Wilson 1stCaps goal (+600) – .05
Tom Wilson anytime goal (+160) – .15 units
Regulation Draw (+300) – .05 units
Werenski/Marchenko point parlay (+162) – .25 units
Aliaksei Protas anytime goal (+310) – .10 units
Aliaksei Protas Over ½ assist (+230) – .10 units
Denton Mateychuck anytime goal (+1100) – .05 units
