NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are today’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Utah Mammoth (16-15-3) at Boston Bruins (19-14-0)
Mammoth (-115) at Bruins (-105) – Total 6 (Over, -120)
7 p.m. ET
The Bruins return home from a three-game road trip that began with wins at St. Louis and Winnipeg to extend their winning streak to four games and concluded with a 6-2 pummeling by Minnesota on Sunday. Tonight is the first of five straight at home for Boston. Utah is coming off back-to-back wins, including erasing a 3-0 third-period deficit on the way to a 5-4 overtime win against the Penguins on Sunday. We have a fishy line here. The Bruins are at home, where they are 11-5-0, yet Utah is a small betting favorite despite just eight wins in 20 road games.
There are also a couple of shots-on-goal props that I like. Michael Carcone of Utah has had two shots on goal or more in five consecutive games and 12 of the last 16. Utah forwards Clayton Keller (12 points in 15 games), JJ Peterka (10 points in 11 games) and Dylan Guenther, who has points in four straight and six of seven overall (as well as four points in five games versus Boston) all have solid point production against Boston. David Pastrnak has liked using Mammoth goalies for target practice with five shots on goal or more in six of the last seven meetings and found the back of the net six times in the last five games. Vitek Vanecek is likely to start for Utah, which has to put a smile on Pasta’s face as he has scored 10 times in 13 games vs. Vanecek. Lindholm has five goals in six games against the Utah goalie.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
David Pastrnak Over 3.5 SOG/Michael Carcone Over 1.5 SOG (+266) – .25 units
David Pastrnak Over 3.5 SOG (+125) – .25 units
David Pastrnak anytime goal (+135) – .10 units
Elias Lindholm anytime goal (+250) – .10 units
JJ Peterka/Dylan Guenther point parlay (+167) – .25 units
Utah Mammoth money line (-115) – .50 units
JJ Peterka/Dylan Guenther/Clayton Keller point parlay (+278) – .25 units
Chicago Blackhawks (13-13-6) at Toronto Maple Leafs (14-12-5)
Blackhawks (+185) at Maple Leafs (-225) – Total 5.5 (Over, -120)
7 p.m. ET
This is Game 2 for the Blackhawks without Connor Bedard. Their first didn’t go well as they got shut out 4-0 by Detroit on Saturday. Chicago has lost four of its last five games, scoring two goals or fewer in all four losses. Toronto is coming off a 6-3 loss to Edmonton and a 3-2 overtime loss to San Jose. Before those losses, the Leafs had given up two goals or fewer in five consecutive games and six of seven. Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Woll returns tonight. He has been out with an injury since December 4.
The Leafs have been jumping out to early leads recently, going 6-0-2 in their last eight first periods. The Maple Leafs’ John Tavares has cashed his shots-on-goal prop (Over 2.5) in six of his last seven meetings with the Blackhawks. Toronto’s Nic Robertson has goals in three of his last four games against Chicago.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
John Tavares Over 2.5 SOG (-115) – .25 units
Toronto Maple Leafs first period -1/2 (+130) – .50 units
Nic Robertson anytime goal (+525) – .10 units
Philadelphia Flyers (16-9-6) at Montreal Canadiens (17-11-4)
Flyers (+115) at Canadiens (-135) – Total 5.5 (Over, -115)
7 p.m. ET
The Flyers look to snap a three-game losing streak when they hit the ice tonight at the Bell Centre in Montreal. All three games went past regulation, and even with two of the games finishing 3-2, the first-period Over 1.5 has cashed in six straight and eight of the last nine Flyers games. Montreal has cashed the first-period Over in nine of its last 14 games.
Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny make up two-thirds of the Flyers’ top line and are their top two point producers. Zegras has points in four straight and eight of the last nine games against the Canadiens. Konecny has points in back-to-back games and seven of the last eight. He also has points in four straight and six of the last seven meetings versus Montreal.
On the Montreal side, Lane Hutson has been an assist machine with six helpers in the last three games. He has assists in two of the three games he has faced the Flyers. Montreal’s dynamic duo of Cole Caufield (10 points in 11 games) and Nick Suzuki (16 points in 16 games) has been a thorn in the Flyers’ side. Canadiens home games are on a 13-0 run to the second-period Over 1.5 goals, and nine of those games have had a combined three or more goals in the middle period. BetMGM offers Over 2 goals at a “plus price” pregame, if you don’t want to lay the (-165) for Over 1.5 goals or wait for a better “live price” and hope that an early goal is not scored.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Trevor Zegras/Travis Konecny point parlay (+167) – 1 unit
Lane Hutson assist/Nick Suzuki point/Cole Caufield point (+206) – 1 unit
Flyers/Canadiens second-period Over 2 (+115) – .50 units
Vancouver Canucks (12-17-3) at New York Rangers (16-13-1)
Canucks (+105) at Rangers (-125) – Total 5.5 (Over, -125)
7 p.m. ET
The Canucks began life without Quinn Hughes on a winning note with a 2-1 win at New Jersey as Zeev Buium scored the game-winner and assisted on the opening goal. There are some good prices on Buium props, especially his anytime goal prop. The Canucks are seeking their first two-game winning streak since winning three in a row in mid-October. Tonight they face the Rangers, who lost 4-1 to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.
The Rangers are 0-5 this season on the back end of back-to-backs. New York was without Mika Zibanejad on Monday night because he was punished for being late to a team meeting. I look for Zibanejad to come out flying tonight and target his shots-on-goal prop (Over 2.5), and I will come back with a Zibanejad point/Artemi Panarin assist prop parlay. With goalie Thatcher Demko getting the start for Vancouver, I will put Vincent Trocheck on my bingo card. Trocheck has scored three goals in four games versus Demko.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Vancouver Canucks money line (+105) – .50 units
Mike Zibanejad Over 2.5 shots on goal (+115) – .25 units
Zeev Buium Over ½ point (+125) – .25 units
Zeev Buium anytime goal (+950) – .05 units
Jake DeBrusk anytime goal (+240) – .10 units
Vincent Trocheck anytime goal (+230) – .10 units
Anaheim Ducks (20-12-1) at Columbus Blue Jackets (13-13-6)
Ducks (+125) at Jackets (-145) – Total 6.5 (Over, -120)
7 p.m. ET
The Ducks’ win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday night only counted for two points in the standings, but it had special significance for former Rangers Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba. Tonight, the Ducks are in Columbus on the back end of a back-to-back and are playing their third game in four days. The Blue Jackets are last in the Eastern Conference points race, have lost five straight and nine of their last 11, and yet they are a -145 home favorite. Here’s the thing with Columbus. The Blue Jackets are 0-6 as a home underdog but 6-1 as a home favorite. I do like the Jackets to win this game and hate laying the juice, so I will parlay the Jackets on the money line with a Zach Werenski point. The Columbus defenseman leads the team in points.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Columbus Blue Jackets/Zach Werenski point (+136) – .50 units
Edmonton Oilers (15-12-6) at Pittsburgh Penguins (14-8-9)
Oilers (-140) at Penguins (+120) – Total 6.5 (-110)
7:30 p.m. ET
It’s the game of the night, but the headliners are not Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Sidney Crosby. Tonight, it’s about a pair of goalies traded for one another who will face each other just four days after the blockbuster deal that sent Stuart Skinner to Pittsburgh and Tristan Jarry to Edmonton. I think both teams are going to be firing away at their former goalies, as the shooters are aware of their former goalies’ strengths and weaknesses. With that in mind, I will play each goalie’s prop of Over saves.
The Penguins are coming off three consecutive crushing defeats that started by losing to Anaheim with 0.1 seconds left in regulation and then squandering third-period leads in each of the last two games before losing in overtime. I am not interested in laying a price on the road with Edmonton, though I believe the Oilers will win the game. For now, just the Over saves prop for both goalies. I will post additional player props later in the day.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Tristan Jarry Over 23.5 saves (-112) – 1 unit
Stuart Skinner Over 24.5 saves (-115) – 1 unit
Calgary Flames (13-16-4) at San Jose Sharks (16-14-3)
Flames (-140) at Sharks (+120) – Total 5.5 (Over, -120)
10 p.m. ET
The Sharks have been miracle workers of late. On Saturday, they were down 5-1 to the Penguins with less than 13 minutes to go in regulation, tied the game with 88 seconds to go and won in overtime. In their previous game at Toronto, they worked their way back from a 2-0 deficit, tied the game with 85 seconds left in regulation and won in overtime. Tonight, they play their first home game after a five-game, nine-day road trip and host the Flames, who have defeated the Sharks in seven consecutive games (including 2-0 in November) and nine of the last 10. So, with the head-to-head history, this also being a “Malinksy Special,” I am on the Flames to score the first goal of the period, first-period puck line (-1/2 goal) and full-game money line.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Calgary Flames to score the first goal of the first period (+110) – .35 units
Calgary Flames first period -1/2 goal (+150) – .35 units
Calgary Flames money line (-140) – .35 units
