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NHL Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (3/3)

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We have a solid five-game slate of hockey on Friday with some great matchups. Below, I give out my two best bets for Friday’s NHL slate.

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Friday:

Friday’s Best NHL Bets

Follow me on Twitter to get all my plays on days without full write-ups.

Carolina Hurricanes (-335) @ Arizona Coyotes (+255) | O/U 6 (-104/-118)

In perhaps the most lopsided affair on Friday’s slate, the Coyotes host the Hurricanes. Correctly priced as a massive favorite, Carolina should have no issue disposing of the lowly Yotes.

At 5-on-5, the Canes rank second in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and first in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60). Meanwhile, Arizona ranks 30th in the league in xGF/60 and 28th in xGA/60 at 5-on-5.

The one area where the Yotes can somewhat compete with Carolina is in net. The projected goaltending matchup is Frederik Andersen versus Karel Vejmelka. Both guys possesses similar stats.

The closeness in goaltending should not offset the massive disparity between these two teams’ offense and defense. The Canes have won five of the last six meetings between these two teams, with four of those five wins coming by at least a two-goal margin.

Best Bet: Hurricanes -1.5 (-130 via DraftKings)

Montreal Canadiens (+108) @ Anaheim Ducks (-132) | O/U 6 (-117/-105)

Sorry in advance for whoever decides to actually spend their Friday evening watching this game, but the Ducks host the Canadiens in what should be a disaster of a contest. There is no sugar coating that both of these teams are absolutely terrible, as both rank last in their respective divisions.

While both teams struggle in every category, Montreal still outranks Anaheim across the board. At 5-on-5, the Habs rank 23rd in the league in xGF/60 and 30th in xGA/60. On the other hand, at 5-on-5, the Ducks rank 29th in the league in xGF/60 and 32nd in xGA/60.

Montreal also boasts the goaltending advantage in the projected Sam Montembeault versus John Gibson matchup. This season, Montembeault boasts a better SV%, GAA and GSAx/60 at 5-on-5.

The main reason that the Habs are underdogs in this matchup is that their injury list features basically a third of their lineup. Still, the difference between their normal starters and whoever they call up from the AHL is negligible, especially going against a team like Anaheim.

Best Bet: Canadiens ML (+108 via BetRivers)

Best of luck!

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Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him @tony_sartori.