Top NHL Betting Picks for Thursday, December 30th (2021)
The NHL’s 3rd day returning since the COVID pause brings us a good seven-game slate with (knocking on wood) no postponements as of this morning. With some rosters starting to return to relative normalcy, there are some excellent betting angles to take advantage of Thursday night.
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Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Tampa Bay Lightning (+115) vs. Florida Panthers (-135), o/u 6
Two dominant offenses facing off against each team’s backup netminder is an over bettor’s dream. Both teams rank in the top 10 in the league in 5v5 Expected Goals For per 60 minutes, with the Lightning and Panthers ranking eighth and second, respectively.
The Lightning welcomed back star forward Brayden Point from injury on Tuesday’s outing against Montreal, and he did not miss a beat as he notched two goals and added an assist in their 5-4 OT victory.
The Panthers played at home against the Rangers last night, pulling out a 4-3 victory. Since they went with starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky last night, Florida will be going with either Spencer Knight or Jonas Johansson tonight. This bodes well for high-scoring, as both of them post a sub-0.895 SV%.
Across the ice, the Lightning will also be without starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy as he is currently in COVID protocols. This means that the Bolts should be going with Maxime Lagace once again, who struggled against a much-weaker Habs team Tuesday night, allowing four goals on 31 shots.
Both of these teams rank in the bottom 10 in the league in 5v5 Shots Against on Net %, with the Lightning and Panthers ranking 26th and 30th, respectively. Forcing weaker goaltenders to face a bunch of shots from two of the best offenses in the league is a recipe for a high-scoring affair.
Best Bet: Lightning/Panthers o6 (-115)
Philadelphia Flyers (+115) vs. San Jose Sharks (-135), o/u 6
The Flyers continue their west-coast road trip and head to San Jose. Philly is coming off of a 3-2 OT win in Seattle last night and will enter the second half of their back-to-back with rookie goaltender Felix Sandstrom in net due to Carter Hart’s absence as he continues his stint in COVID protocols.
Felix Sandstrom was Philly’s 2015 3rd-round draft pick but has not been anything special for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL this season, posting a 0.896 SV%. I have a hard time believing he will find better success in the big league.
The Flyers have been a mess all season, and the second half of a road back-to-back sporting a rookie goalie is not a situation where I see them sorting things out. Philly ranks dead last in the league in both (!!) 5v5 Expected Goals For and Expected Goals Allowed per 60 minutes.
The Sharks should be rolling with James Reimer in net again as backup Adin Hill is still in COVID protocols. Reimer got shelled in their win against Arizona on Tuesday, however, I expected a big bounce back from a goaltender who has been the rock for San Jose all season. Reimer ranks eighth amongst all goaltenders in Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 minutes and should be dialed in tonight following Tuesday’s uncharacteristic performance.
Best Bet: San Jose Sharks -1.5 (+175)
All betting information was gathered from puckline.org and TopDown Hockey.
Best of luck tonight!
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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.