This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
There are 10 games in the NHL tonight, and I've got a bet for every single one of 'em. We had a great week last week, so let's make this one another winner.
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NHL Best Bets
Blue Jackets vs Lightning Pick
The final game of the three-game season series between these two clubs faces off tonight in Tampa. The Bolts won the first two by a combined 9-3 tally, covering the -1.5 puck line as the favorite in both. The Blue Jackets just pushed the red-hot Capitals to the brink on Sunday in DC, completely dictating most of the play and outshooting the Caps 38-19 only to fall 1-0. After that performance, you could argue that they're due… but… then factor in the following: Andrei Vasilevskiy has won five straight games against Columbus and 13 of his last 15; the Lightning have won six consecutive home games against the Blue Jackets and eight of the last nine meetings in Tampa; the Bolts have won seven straight home games overall; Steven Stamkos has points in five of his last six games against the Blue Jackets, and Nikita Kucherov has recorded a multi-point game in five straight home games against Columbus. The Lightning have the chance to sweep the Blue Jackets in the regular season for the second straight year. I like their chances to do so.
Lightning PL -155
Canucks vs Penguins Pick
The Penguins got a huge win on Sunday, topping the Coyotes 4-1 in Arizona. It's not often you'll hear me say a win over the Coyotes is huge, but this W snapped a six-game losing skid for the Pens and the Yotes have been pretty tough to play against at home of late. The Canucks roll into Pittsburgh tonight having lost their last three road games, but match up well with the Pens considering they won their only other meeting against the black and gold 5-1 on 10/28. That was then and this is now. I think the Coyotes game was a nice momentum builder for the Penguins, and I expect them to continue building on that momentum tonight in front of their home crowd.
Penguins ML -180
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Jets vs Red Wings Pick
The Jets are flying high right now rattling off 5-straight victories, which is their first five-game win streak since 2018. The Jets' 26 wins through their first 41 games match their best first half of the season since 2018-2019 and they could break that mark with tonight's game against the Red Wings. The Wings are not flying at all, on the other hand, and have lost three in a row and seven of their last 10. The Jets are vulnerable on the road though, only posting a 10-7-1 tally overall and have lost three of their last four away from home. That said, the Jets come into tonight touting the second-ranked goals against per game in the NHL, and I like how that matches up against a team that struggles to score goals in any building.
Jets ML -135
Kraken vs Sabres Pick
I don't know about y'all but I love that both of these teams are relevant this year. The Kraken are on a 5-game heater and are 7-2-1 overall sitting in 5th place in the Western Conference. The Sabres are 8-2 in their last 10 and have gotten themselves back into the playoff hunt in the East. Both teams played 4-0 games last night too, except on opposite sides of the scoresheet. The Kraken blanked the Canadiens in Montreal, while the Sabres stumbled on home ice to the Flyers. The Kraken are one of the NHL's best road teams, posting a 13-4-2 record away from home so far this season. These clubs met just one other time way back on 10/28 in Seattle, and the Kraken walked away with a 5-1 victory. Both of these teams are in the top-5 of scoring offenses leaguewide, but it'll be interesting to see how the special teams battle shakes out. The Sabres have the second-ranked power play in the league, while the Kraken have the statistically worst penalty kill.
Sabres ML -115
Devils vs Hurricanes Pick
One of the NHL's best road teams squares up against one of the NHL's best home teams in this clash. The Devils are an impressive 14-2-1 on the road, but one of those regulation losses was 4-1 to the Hurricanes in Carolina on 12/20. These clubs met on 1/1 too, and the Hurricanes pulled out a 5-4 shootout win in Newark for their 11th win in a row. The Canes have gone 0-2-1 in their last three, but in one of those regulation losses they outshot the Predators 67-25 only to lose 5-3, and in their 4-3 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets they won the shot battle 42-18. It's hard for me to see the Canes losing their fourth in a row, even if the Devils are so good on the road.
Hurricanes ML -155
Wild vs Rangers Pick
These teams played the opening weekend of the season, with the Rangers notching a 7-3 victory in Minnesota. That was eons ago and I'm not giving it much weight in analyzing tonight's tilt. The Rags come into this one 6-2-2 in their last 10, and could easily be 7-2-1 if they hadn't blown a 3-1 lead in the 3rd period on Saturday to let the Devils come back and win 4-3 in overtime. The Wild are similarly 6-3-1 in their last 10 and are coming off back-to-back losses after beating the Lightning 5-1 last Wednesday. The Wild are a fast team that puts tons of pucks on net, which is the type of team the Rangers seem to have trouble against. I've gotta take an underdog or two on the board, so this is the game I'm zeroing in on where the Rangers look vulnerable as the favorite.
Wild ML +120
Stars vs Islanders
On paper, the Stars are the clear favorite. They're 6-3-1 in their last 10, boast the second-best goal differential in the NHL at +34, and are also top-5 in every major statistical category. They even bested the Islanders 5-2 in Dallas on 11/19. But, there will be some underdogs on the board tonight that pulls off upsets. And at +100 on the Moneyline and winners of their last three home games, I like the Isles.
Islanders ML +100
Flames vs Blues
These teams will face off twice in the next three days to close out their season series. The Blues took the first game in Calgary on 12/16 5-2 despite being outshot 43-24. There's not much that separates these two teams down the stretch either, with the Flames going 6-2-2 in their last 10 and the Blues going 5-3-2 in theirs. And honestly, I'm kind of tired of crunching numbers and this is the last game on the board that I'm analyzing, so I'm just going to play it safe (or at least what I think is the safe bet).
Blues PL -175
Sharks vs Coyotes
My mind is telling me nooooooooo. But my body, my body is telling me… to ride the Coyotes at home even though they're on a five-game losing streak but all five of those losses were on the road and they've won their last three home games as underdogs against the Kings, Avalanche, and Maple Leafs.
Coyotes ML +120
Panthers vs Avalanche
The Cats come into tonight's tilt in Denver winners of two of their last three, with their loss being a 5-1 dismantling by the Stars. Their wins came against the Red Wings and Coyotes, two teams that are lower than they are in the standings. The Panthers are just 1-4 in their last five games against teams higher than they are in the standings. With 43 points to the Panthers' 40, the Avs aren't too much further along and just snapped a five-game losing skid with their 3-2 overtime victory over the Oilers on Saturday. Nathan MacKinnon recently returned to the lineup on 12/31 after being out for nearly a month and has four points in his last four games, which is a massive addition. Both teams need a statement victory but are hard to trust given their shaky consistency til this point in the campaign. The Cats are not particularly strong on the road, posting only an 8-13-1 record away from home, so I'm factoring that into this pick (even if the Avs are a pedestrian 9-7-2 at home).
Avalanche ML -130
