Top NHL Betting Picks for Friday, February 18th (2022)
We have had an action-packed week of hockey that winds down tonight with a small four-game slate. Despite there only being a few games, there are a couple of betting angles to attack as I give out my best bets below.
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Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Nashville Predators (+140) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-160), o/u 6
The Nashville Predators hit the road on a three-game losing streak. Nashville’s defense and goaltending have let them down recently, as they have surrendered four or more goals in all three of those losses.
Juuse Saros is projected to be in net tonight for Nashville. While Saros has been a great goaltender over the past few seasons, he has struggled recently.
Saros has lost three straight starts, posting a mere 0.885 SV% in that span. He will have a tough task on the road tonight facing one of the league’s best teams in the Carolina Hurricanes.
Carolina is in the midst of an incredibly tough stretch of opponents, and tonight is a good spot for them to grab two points. The Canes have one of the best offenses in the league, which is bad news for a Nashville team that has been giving up a ton of scoring to their opposition.
This season, the Canes rank second in the league in 5-on-5 expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF) and sixth in average expected goal value of 5-on-5 shot attempts. Carolina will also be backed by Frederik Andersen in net, who has been one of the league’s best goaltenders.
Andersen enters this contest with a 0.928 SV% and currently ranks fourth amongst starting goaltenders in 5-on-5 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx). This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season, as Carolina took the first matchup 3-2 back in October.
Nashville is 1-4 over their last five games as a road underdog, while Carolina is 5-0 over their last five games as a home favorite. I like the Canes to bounce back from Wednesday’s loss to Florida and get It done tonight.
Best Bet: Carolina Hurricanes ML (-160)
Florida Panthers (-120) vs. Minnesota Wild (+100), o/u 6.5
The Panthers continue their road trip tonight as they take on the Minnesota Wild. Florida is coming off a massive 3-2 come-from-behind OT win over the Carolina Hurricanes and will look to build their momentum tonight.
Florida has been much worse away from home this season, as 12 of their 15 losses have come on opposing ice. The opposite rings true for Minnesota, who rocks an impressive 16-3-1 record on home ice this season.
The Wild enter this game as a road underdog, a rare spot for them to be in. This year, Minnesota is 2-0 as a home dog.
Due to their depth, the Wild have emerged as a strong contender this season. Minnesota has won 11 of their last 14 games and I think they will bounce back tonight following Wednesday’s road loss to Winnipeg.
Best Bet: Minnesota Wild ML (+100)
All betting information was gathered from puckline.org and TopDownHockey.
Best of luck tonight!
Check out our top NHL game picks for Tuesday >>
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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.