NHL Predictions – Expert Picks on Tuesday, December 31:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions:
Carolina Hurricanes (-230, 6.5) at Columbus Blue Jackets
8 p.m. ET
This is the third meeting between the Metropolitan Division rivals this season, and the home team has won the first two. The Hurricanes just split a home-and-home with the New Jersey Devils, each team winning at home. Columbus last played on Saturday and was blanked 4-0 by the Boston Bruins. The shutout loss triggers our systems plays of wagering on a goal being scored in the opening 10 minutes (45-18), the first-period Over 1.5 goals (41-22) and the full game going Over the total (35-24-4). Blue Jackets home games have cashed the Over in 13 of 18 games at home, and the full game going Over today’s total of 6.5 goals is on a 10-2 run. Overall, Columbus is 24-12-1 to the Over this season. Carolina has gone Over the full game total in two of their last three games.
NHL Predictions: Hurricanes/Blue Jackets Goal 1st 10 mins (-154) -1.5 units
Hurricanes/Blue Jackets1st-Period Over 1.5 goals (-135) -1.5 units Â
Hurricanes/Blue Jackets Over 6.5 (-105) – ¾ unit
Nashville Predators at Minnesota Wild (-155, 5.5)
8 p.m. ET
The Predators travel to Minnesotas after a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night. The Predators are not only playing games on consecutive days but three games in four days. Nashville has not handled back-to-back games very well this season, going 1-4 in the second half of back-to-backs and 1-5 on the front end. With Nashville getting blanked Monday night, we have another game that involves our systems plays of a goal to be scored in the first 10 minutes of the game, the first-period going Over the total of 1.5 goals and the full game going Over the total. It is the sixth time this season the Predators have been in the systems play. A goal in the first 10 minutes has cashed in four of the five games, the first-period Over 1.5 has cashed in three of the five games and the full game total has cashed in just two of the five games. Seven of the last 10 meetings have gone Over today’s total of 5.5 goals. The last two meetings and four of the last nine have gone past 60 minutes.
NHL Predictions: Predators/Wild Goal 1st 10 mins (-155) -1.5 units
Predators/Wild 1st-period Over 1.5 goals (-125) -1.5 units
Predators/Wild Over 5.5 (-125) – ¾ unit
Predators/Wild Regulation Draw (+330) – ¼ unit
Winnipeg Jets at Colorado Avalanche (-180, 6)
8 p.m. ET
The Jets are fresh off a 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Monday as they have won four straight and six of their last seven. Trying to extend their winning streak to five games will be no easy task as they travel to Denver without a day to adjust to the thin air in Colorado. After Connor Hellebuyck started Monday night against Nashville, expect backup Eric Comrie between the pipes for the Jets tonight. Comrie has lost his last five starts and has given up four goals in four of the five games. Winnipeg is 0-3 on the second half of back-to-backs this season, giving up four goals in two of the three losses and in both those games lost by a score of 4-1.
The Avalanche are on a nice run of their own. Colorado has won four straight and eight of their last 10 games. The Avs got some good news on Monday when they learned that forward Jonathan Drouin will return to the lineup tonight. Drouin has been battling a lower-body injury and has played just five games this season (2 goals, 2 assists).
NHL Prediction: Avalanche in Regulation (-120) – 2 units
Philadelphia Flyers (-175, 6) at San Jose Sharks
8 p.m. ET
A Flyers-Sharks regular-season game wouldn’t normally grab the attention of the hockey world, but when you have the top two rookie of the year candidates in Macklin Celebrini (-180) and Matvei Michkov (+200) going head-to-head, it becomes must-see TV. Celebrini went without a point (five shots on goal) in the first meeting, a 4-3 Flyers shootout win, while Michkov had a goal and an assist.
Michkov is atop the rookie scoring race (29 points), two points up on Celebrini, who has played eight fewer games. Each player has scored 12 goals. Celebrini has four goals and 12 points over his last nine games.
Even though San Jose has lost seven straight, I still like a small play on the Sharks’ money line. The Sharks have won four of the last five meetings between these teams at the SAP Center. The Flyers have lost five of seven and, like San Jose, Philly’s goaltending can’t be trusted.
Four of the last seven games have gone past regulation.
NHL Predictions: Macklin Celebrini anytime goal (+170) – ¼ unit
Macklin Celebrini Over ½ assist (+110) – ¼ unit
Macklin Celebrini Over 2.5 SOG (-155) – 2 units
Matvei Michkov anytime goal (+275) – ¼ unit
Matvei Michkov Over ½ assist (+180) – ¼ unit
Sharks ML (+145) – ¼ unit
Sharks/Flyers Over 6 (-110) – 1 unit
Flyers/Sharks Regulation Draw (+330) – ¼ unit
Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames (-110, 5.5)
9 p.m. ET
The Canucks come into Calgary off a terrible loss on home ice to the Seattle Kraken, blowing a 4-1 lead with five minutes to go in regulation and then losing 5-4 in overtime. It is next-man-up mentality in Vancouver as the Canucks will be without both Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson for an extended period. The loss of Hughes means the Canucks are without their top pair on defense as Filip Hronek is out long term with an upper-body injury. This starts a stretch of seven of eight games on the road for Vancouver. The Canucks are 10-3-2 away from Rogers Arena, but from a betting perspective, they are 8-1 as a road favorite and 1-4 as a road underdog.
The Flames, who return home after splitting a mini two-game road trip, are 12-4-3 on home ice. As for their home betting splits, the Flames are 6-1 as a home favorite and 6-6 as a home dog. When you compare the bet splits between the Flames and Canucks, betting on the favorite would be the play if you were to wager on one of these teams on the money line.
Calgary was shut out by Vegas in its previous game, so we have our third game on the schedule involving our systems play when a team was shut out in its previous game.
NHL Predictions: Canucks/Flames Goal 1st 10 (-145) – 1.5 units
Canucks/Flames 1st-Period Over 1.5 (-115) – 1.5 units
Canucks/Flames Over 5.5 (-120) – ¾ unit
Best of the Rest:
(all goal props are ¼ unit plays)
Penguins/Red Wings – Sidney Crosby anytime goal +205
Anthony Beauvillier anytime goal +550
Drew O’Connor anytime goal +600
Jonatan Berggren anytime goal +550
Maple Leafs Over 5.5 (-130) – 1 unit
Jake Evans anytime goal (+850)
Canadiens/Golden Knights 1st-period Over 1.5 (-140) – 1 unit
