Top NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (3/4)
We're roughly 75% of the way finished with the NHL regular season, and things are starting to heat up as we enter crunch time of the campaign. With tonight's 10-game slate on the ice, there's no shortage of ways to get in on the action. Below I've listed my three favorite bets from tonight's NHL board.
Tuesday's NHL Best Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
San Jose Sharks (+184) vs. Buffalo Sabres (-225) | O/U 6.5 (-104/-118)
Let's start out on the East Coast, where the Sabres (24-29-6) host the Sharks (16-37-9) in a cross-conference showdown. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY.
The Sharks are coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the Maple Leafs last night, which snapped an eight-game slide (0-5-3). Since Alexandar Georgiev played on Tuesday, that means we'll likely get Vitek Vanecek between the pipes tonight. That's music to my ears as an Over bettor, as Vanecek owns a 3.89 GAA and .882 SV% this season. Overall, San Jose is dead last in both team GAA (3.44) and high-danger shots against (264), while sitting 24th on the penalty kill (75.79%).
There's a realistic chance that Buffalo scores 5+ goals by themselves in this game. They've been playing quite a few high-scoring games since the break, going 2-2-1 and averaging 7.0 combined goals per game during the five-game sample size. Overall, the Sabres are just 27th in GAA (3.08) and 21st on the PK (76.67%) this year. This game has 4-3 or 5-2 written all over it - give me the Over.
Bet: Over 6.5 Goals (-104)
Pittsburgh Penguins (+230) vs. Colorado Avalanche (-285) | O/U 6.5 (-104/-118)
The Penguins (24-29-10) open up a three-game road trip tonight, with the first stop being the Mile High City to take on the Avalanche (35-24-2). This cross-conference showdown is set for 9:00 p.m. ET from Ball Arena in Denver, CO.
From a personal standpoint, I rarely lay 1.5 goals nowadays. However, I think this profiles as a game where the Avs are primed to blow the doors off the visiting Penguins. Colorado has won its last two games, both of which have been at home, out-scoring their opposition 10-3 and covering the -1.5 puck line on both occasions. With Valeri Nichushkin (12G, 6A) back in the mix, I believe the Avs have the offensive firepower to stretch out a multi-goal lead. He returned just in time for the 5-1 and 5-2 wins over the Devils and Wild, respectively.
Even if Big Val was still sidelined, there's a good chance that Colorado would light up Pittsburgh. The Pens have been horrendous defensively this season, ranking 31st in GAA (3.37), 30th in SOG against (1,944), and 28th in defensive-zone giveaways (453). Pittsburgh is allowing 5.3 goals per game since the break, and they've gone 3-3 against a +1.5 puck line during the sample size. I'm confident in laying the 1.5 goals with this high-octane Colorado offense.
Bet: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (-112)
Minnesota Wild (-102) vs. Seattle Kraken (-118) | O/U 5.5 (-110/-110)
The NHL night wraps up out West, as the Kraken (26-31-4) host the Wild (35-22-4) in an intriguing Western Conference contest. The hockey nightcap is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA.
The Wild started out the season as one of the best defensive teams in the league, but they've regressed severely since the calendar turned to January. Specifically, Filip Gustavsson has taken a step back. In 13 games played in January and February, he went 5-7-0 with an .890 SV%. Overall, the Wild have dipped outside of the top ten teams defensively, where they sit at 13th in GAA (2.70).
Meanwhile, the Kraken are just 23rd in GAA (2.95) this season. They've seen at least nine combined goals in each of their last two games. It's also worth mentioning that Seattle is just 22nd on the PK (76.47%), while Minnesota is 30th (70.51%). Finally, when these teams met back in October in St. Paul, the Kraken emerged with a 5-4 shootout victory. In my opinion, this total should probably be a flat 6.0, so I'll go ahead and lock in the Over at 5.5.
Bet: Over 5.5 Goals (-110)