The Boston Bruins got the job done for us last night on the ice with a dominant 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Unfortunately, that was our only winner on the card, as both the Predators and the Penguins fell apart in the third period. As seasoned NHL bettors will tell you, "Sometimes the puck just doesn't fall your way."
After a disappointing 1-2 evening, we're piping mad and ready to bounce back strong! Check out our 2 NHL best bets for Tuesday, January 23. Good luck, folks!
Best Bet: Wild (-155)
While I'm not too "Wild" about this Minnesota team (see what I did there?), they've played some pretty solid hockey at home this season. Minnesota is 11-9-3 at the friendly confines of the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild will also be trying to avenge a 3-2 shootout loss to the Caps from earlier this season.
Some of the advanced metrics favor the Wild in a big way. Minnesota ranks 18th in Expected Goal Differential while Washington ranks near the bottom of the league at 27th. The Caps can also be careless with the puck at times, as they have the 7th most giveaways in the league. Meanwhile, the Wild is one of the best teams at not giving the puck away.
The Wild gets most of their offense from Kirill Kaprizov, who has 18 goals and 24 assists so far this season. Kaprizov notched a hat trick to help Minnesota upset Carolina on Sunday. I look for his hot play to continue tonight against Washington goalie Darcy Kuemper, who has a save percentage of just .895 this year.
I was oh so close to playing the -1.5 on this one for plus money odds. However, the Wild is just 10-13 on the puckline at home this season. Let's drink the juice and just play them straight up in this one.
Best Bet: Sabres (-155)
We cashed a nice little play on Buffalo last week and don't mind running it back with them against an awful Anaheim team. Just how bad are the Ducks? They've dropped three straight games and are just 6-17-1 at home this season.
The Sabres are nothing special, as they're only 20-22-4 and just 9-10-3 on the highway. That being said, Buffalo is still a notch or two above Anaheim as far as talent. This is especially true if the Sabres get Jeff Skinner back tonight. The 31-year-old left winger leads the team with 17 goals but has been on IR with an upper body injury.
Buffalo also comes into this contest with an extra day of rest under their belts. The Sabres dropped a 3-1 contest to the Lightning on Saturday before heading west. The Ducks lost 5-2 to the Rangers at home on Sunday.
Anaheim is expected to start John Gibson at goalie tonight, and to say he's having a rough season would be a gross understatement. The former second round draft choice is just 8-19 this season with a 3.10 goals against average. Look for Buffalo to light the lamp several times against Gibson tonight.
