This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
Happy Friday! Wouldn't you know it, they let us get to another weekend. The nerve. The NHL is serving up a nice plate of four games to sink your teeth into. I don't love the team matchups as a sports bettor, but I do love the matchups from a sheer fan's standpoint. Every tilt is worth watching, so if you have NHL Center Ice, it's a fantastic opportunity to use that subscription. There are some plays that I like though, so here are the best NHL bets and player props tonight!
Check out the latest NHL odds and NHL player props markets here at RotoWire. BetMGM has a wide variety of competitive odds in those markets, and you can check them out when you sign up using the BetMGM bonus code, which gets new players $158 in bonus bets.
Best NHL Bets Tonight
Panthers, Penguins over 6.5 (-102 on FanDuel)
The Penguins just can't seem to get it together on a regular basis. They come into tonight losers of four of their last five and six of their nine games in January overall. They are returning home from a two-game road trip to the desert where they lost to the Golden Knights and Coyotes. They're due to face a tough Panthers team that's won two straight after dropping four in a row. The Cats have scored 4+ goals in seven of their last 10 games, but I also like Sidney Crosby and the Pens to light the lamp a few times for their home crowd too.
Golden Knights ML (+134 on FanDuel)
I'm already sweaty from this one. The Golden Knights lost seven straight road games before beating the Islanders on Long Island on Tuesday. They've had a few days to rest and they're heading into Madison Square Garden to take on a cold Rangers team. The Rags have only won three of their last 10 games and they capped off their West Coast road trip with a loss in San Jose. I think the books are expecting them to bounce back and for the Golden Knights to still struggle without Jack Eichel. But let's go against the grain, shall we?
Best NHL Player Props Tonight
Sam Reinhart over 2.5 shots on goal (-114 on FanDuel)
This dude is about to get PAID in the offseason. He's been lighting it up all year and has 15 points in his last 10 games, getting on the scoresheet in every single contest. His points props are juiced because of it, but I like his shots on goal line tonight. He only recorded one in the Cats' 6-3 romp of the Coyotes on Wednesday, but he had hit 3+ shots on goal in eight of nine prior to that.
Ivan Barbashev over 0.5 points (+120 on DraftKings)
This guy's been hot after snapping a seven-game pointless streak, and has stepped up with Eichel out of the lineup. He's got points in four straight games, and potted two goals against the Rangers on January 18.
Jared McCann over 0.5 points (-115 on DraftKings)
I love the Kraken's matchup tonight at home against a hot Blues team that's won three in a row. But two of those wins came on the road in Calgary and Vancouver, and I just don't think they take three in a row in the PNW. McCann's got points in four straight and has 10 in his last six games. Let's ride the hot hand.
