The NHL season is off to a fantastic start, and no team is hotter than Edmonton! The Oilers have rattled off 13 straight victories, which is a new record for a team that hails from O Canada. The Vancouver Canucks (31-11-4), Winnipeg Jets (30-10-4), and Boston Bruins (28-8-9) are also having outstanding seasons.
Since the NFL playoffs are unfortunately winding down, I've decided to dip my toes into the proverbial hockey pond from time to time. Here are 3 NHL best bets for Monday, January 22. Best of luck with all of your picks on the ice today!
Best Bet: Bruins -130
The Jets have a better record than the Bruins, but I think the B's will be fired up to make a statement at home in this one. Boston is an incredible 15-3-3 at home this season and they've won 4 straight games. The Bruins will also be trying to avenge an embarrassing 5-1 loss to the Jets from December 22nd.
The key to Boston's success this season has been David Pastrnak, who leads the team in both goals (30) and assists (36). The 27-year-old right winger is a big reason why Boston has scored 17 goals over their last 3 outings. Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck is tough to score on, but if anyone can light the lamp against him, it's Pastrnak.
Another reason to like Boston in this spot is health. Winnipeg will be without their best offensive player in Mark Schiefele, who is still on IR with a lower body injury. Schiefele leads Winnipeg in both points (41) and assists (27), so obviously this is a huge loss. Let's lay the small price with Boston!
Best Bet: Predators +108
My power ratings say that this game should be a 'pick em', so I'll gladly take the perceived 8% edge with the home dog in this spot. I'm normally not a huge fan of betting against the Florida Panthers, but they've just lost 4 in a row at home. This will be Florida's first game on the road since January 9th.
The Nashville Predators have had an up and down season, but they've won 3 out of their last 5. They're playing solid hockey of late and are a tough 13-11 at home. Filip Forsberg should be able to take advantage of a Panthers defense that has looked fatigued the last few days.
Florida will also be without Aleksander Barkov, who leads the team in assists this season with 35. That's a huge loss to a team that's already struggling to generate goals. Give me the home dog tonight in this matchup.
Best Bet: Penguins -140
This should be another sneaky good game to watch. Both teams have only won 2 of their last 5 and are in desperate need of a W. The Pens are only 10-8-4 on the road this season, but I still rate them as slightly more talented than the Coyotes.
Arizona has improved a ton, and Clayton Keller has proven to be a viable offensive threat. However, I look for Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel to be too much for Arizona goalie Connor Ingram. Guentzel scored twice against the Coyotes in the Pens' 4-2 victory over them on December 12th.
The -140 price here isn't ideal, but I think the Pens will simply have too much offense in this one. Pittsburgh is 19-3-3 in games when they score at least 3 goals. Let's lay the moderate number with the Penguins!
