Previews for NHL Games from January 6-12
Colorado Avalanche @ Tampa Bay Lightning
For mid-season NHL hockey in the middle of the grind on a Tuesday night, it doesn’t get much better than the Avalanche vs. the Lightning.
The Avs are still locked in on the all-time NHL regular season record for wins (and fewest losses). Their 31-3-7 record looks like a typo.
The Lightning, regular Stanley Cup contenders the past 5 seasons, can’t quite match the Avalanche so far this year, but who can? Tampa is just one point away from the top of the Eastern Conference. This game is a potential Stanley Cup preview, and both teams will want to send a message to the other.
While taking the moneyline against Colorado is pretty risky business, given those three losses so far all year, they are surprisingly just 23-18 against the spread this season. That gives Tampa bettors a shot playing the +1.5 ATS odds.
If we want to find an opening for a bigger upset and a moneyline play, things are about as favorable as they can get to TB fans. It’ll be Colorado’s third road game in four nights. Those 3 L’s on their record this season have all come on the road too. The Avs will also be without captain Gabriel Landeskog and d-man Devon Toews for the tonight’s matchup.
Factor in the Lightning’s current 7-game winning streak to top it off, and if you’re looking to bet against the Avs at least once this season, this could be the game.
Check the latest odds at Lucky Rebel.
Nashville Predators @ Edmonton Oilers
Have the Oilers dried up already?
Nine goals in their past four games isn’t going to cut it. Especially for a team that has made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the last two NHL seasons. For Connor McDavid, this mini dry spell won’t last. The Oilers legend had 34 points in December in 15 games, something that hasn’t been done since Mario Lemieux laced up the skates.
Tuesday night’s Oilers-Predators game might be just what McDavid & Co. need.
First, Nashville is hitting the Rogers Centre on the final stage of a 7-game road swing. You know they’ve got tired legs and they’re already looking ahead to some home cooking. Next is their GAA, sitting at 25th in the NHL. That’s not a great stat against any team, much less against an angry McDavid on a two-game losing skid. Then you’ve got the Oilers back on home ice, where they own the NHL’s second-best mark for goals scored at home. Zach Hyman has been on a tear lately too, with 10 goals in his last 12 games. Even if McDavid and Draisaitl have cooled off a little, Hyman can carry the Oilers.
With all those factors in mind, the O/U of 6.5 is looking like a tempting Over, with Edmonton ready to fill the net.
Vegas Golden Knights @ Winnipeg Jets
What’s happening in Vegas?
Whatever it is, the Golden Knights will want to make sure it stays there. They’ve lost 5 straight, and 8 of their past 9 games. Somehow, they’re still sitting in first place in the Pacific Division, tied with Edmonton. But they’re only three points away from sixth spot, so they can’t afford to continue this slide much longer.
As far as slump busters go, you can’t pick much better than Winnipeg though.
The Jets have the fewest points in the entire NHL, sitting dead last in the Central Division.
Any Knights-Jets game would be a total mismatch normally, but with Vegas hitting such a skid you just never know. Losing is contagious.
It gets extra contagious when reigning league MVP Connor Hellebuyck is in nets for Winnipeg. He can keep the Jets in any game. Especially with Vegas losing some its key players recently. Shea Theodore and William Karlsson are likely missing the game, and so is defenceman Brayden McNabb.
The Knights have had to call up some AHL players to fill the gaps, and snipers like the Jets’ Mark Scheifele might be primed to take advantage. We like Scheifele as an anytime goalscorer at +148.
For the winner itself, it’s a tough call to make with two teams who are both more talented than their recent streaks suggest. When in doubt, go with home ice and goaltending.
Florida Panthers @ Montreal Canadiens
Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference hit the ice on Thursday night in Montreal.
The Habs will be on the second leg of a back-to-back, which isn’t ideal against the reigning Stanley Cup champs.
But the last Florida-Montreal game ended in the Canadiens favor, a 3-2 OT win in Florida just over a week ago. The Panthers are just 2-3 in their last five heading into Tuesday’s game against Toronto, but they’ll be looking to build off a big win over Colorado last weekend, handing the Avs just their third loss of the season.
Look for Sam Bennett, with a massive chip on his shoulder for being left off Team Canada’s Olympic roster last week, to be a potential anytime scorer. He hit the Maple Leafs game riding a nine-game point streak, and he loves playing against Montreal. He’s got 22 points in 29 games against them, and his physical play is a good matchup against the undersized Habs’ defense.
New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins
Just ahead of the NFL Playoffs, we get a Saturday afternoon made-for-TV Original Six matchup between the Rangers and Bruins.
Both teams were dead-even in the standings at 46 points to start the week, and they know they need to stack up wins ahead of the Olympic break if they want to be part of the NHL playoff push starting at the end of February.
Oddsmakers will have a tough time finding any room here to set the lines. Both teams have 18 losses on the season, and their goal differential stands at -4 for the Bruins and -3 for the Rangers.
When the numbers match up that close, NHL betting fans should look at current form and injury status. The B’s just snapped a 6-game losing streak and won their last two to start the week, while the Rangers handled them easily 6-2 in their last game at the end of November.
But New York started this week with a meek 1-4 record in their last 5 games, so they’re not lighting it up either. Add in the uncertain injury status for the Rangers’ former Vezina winner Igor Shesterkin, who left last weekend’s action with a leg injury, and we’re leaning slightly towards the Bruins on home ice, where they’ve picked up 12 wins on the season so far.