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NHL Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (2/24)

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

And check out our other best bets for Friday:

View 5-star bets and historical prop performance by players with our Prop Bet Analyzer >>

Friday’s Best NHL Bets

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Buffalo Sabres (+163) @ Florida Panthers (-195) | O/U 7 (-108/-111)

To kick off Friday night’s slate, there is an Atlantic Division tilt with the fourth-place Florida Panthers hosting the sixth-place Buffalo Sabres. The total is set high in this contest at seven, but that will not chase me away from taking it.

These are two offensive-minded clubs that like to play north as quickly as possible. That is why there have now been at least seven total goals scored in five of Buffalo’s last six games and in five of Florida’s last six.

At 5-on-5, both offenses rank in the top half of the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and in the bottom half in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60). There have now been seven or more total goals scored in six of the last eight meetings between these two teams, and Friday should not go any differently.

Best Bet: Over 7 (-108 via BetRivers)

Colorado Avalanche (-113) @ Winnipeg Jets (-103) | O/U 6 (+106/-125)

While we are taking the Over in the game above, we are going the opposite direction in this Central Division clash between the second-place Winnipeg Jets and third-place Colorado Avalanche. In a game where the two points up for grabs are massive in terms of the Central playoff race, we should expect a tight-checking game with each team trying to minimize any possible mistakes.

The goaltending matchup should be a great one, with Alexandar Georgiev projected to start for the Avs and Connor Hellebuyck expected to get the nod for the Jets. A Vezina Trophy candidate, Hellebuyck has been brilliant all season.

Through 44 starts, he is 26-17-1 with a .925 save percentage (SV%) and 2.39 goals against average (GAA). Among starting goaltenders, he ranks third in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60) at 5-on-5.

Georgiev has also put together a tremendous campaign, posting a 23-12-4 record with a .917 SV% and 2.72 GAA through 39 starts. At 5-on-5, he ranks 12th among starting goaltenders in GSAx/60.

His job is made a bit easier by Colorado’s elite defense, as it ranks seventh in the league in xGA/60 at 5-on-5. However, scoring has been a tougher task for the Avs, ranking just 21st in the league in xGF/60 at 5-on-5.

There have now been six or fewer total goals scored in nine of Colorado’s last 13 games and in each of Winnipeg’s last 10.

Best Bet: Under 6 (-125 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.