NHL Daily Gambling Preview – 12/16/22

Holy shit am I bad at picking NHL hockey games so far this season. Started last night going 0-6-1 but came back a bit, flipping the script and going 4-0 on the later games to finish the night 4-6-1, losing 3.88 units. We have a three game slate tonight with three big favorites.

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Wild vs. Blackhawks (8:00)

I had a winning day on Wednesday thanks to the Wild’s 4-1 win against Detroit. That was Minnesota’s third win in a row to improve to 16-11-2 on the season with just three losses in their last twelve games. Their offenses has been pretty solid this season and although their defense wasn’t great to start the season, they’ve gotten much better as of late, not allowing more than a goal in each of their last three games. The Blackhawks are on the second half of a back to back tonight after a 4-1 loss at home to the Golden Knights last night. That was Chicago’s fifth loss in a row, dropping them to 7-17-4 on the season with just one win in their last 14 games. This team’s brutal and absolutely a lottery team and I’d highly anticipate Patrick Kane and possibly even Jonathan Toews getting dealt at the deadline. They’ve been dreadful on both ends of the ice. The first time these teams played this season, the Wild needed a shootout to get a 4-3 win. I’d expect them to win tonight. The price on this game at -420 is insane though and not a line that I’m willing to bet on. I’d slightly lean the over but not nearly enough to bet it.

Flames vs. Blues (9:00)

Neither of these teams have played all that well this season. The Flames were my pick to win the Stanley Cup going into the season but that obviously has not panned out. They’re 13-11-6 and they’re on a four game losing streak (with the last three needing overtime), coming off a 4-3 shootout win at home against the Canucks on Wednesday where they outshot Vancouver 38-27. They’ve been around league average on both ends of the ice, falling from where they were both offensively and defensively last year. They have played much better at home this season though compared to how they’ve played on the road, with a 10-5-2 record at the Saddledome. The Blues are on the second half of a back to back, coming off a 4-3 shootout win in Edmonton last night where they put together a hell of a comeback, coming back from down 4-1 to get their second win in a row. They’re 14-15-1 on the year with their last three games also going to overtime. They haven’t been horrible (but haven’t been great either) offensively but their defense and goaltending has been brutal this year. I’d expect the Flames to win at home here. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet it.

Coyotes vs. Islanders (9:30)

The Islanders are quietly having a pretty good season at 17-12-1. They’re coming off back to back losses after a 4-3 shootout loss in Boston on Tuesday night, trading goals with the Bruins. They have struggled a bit as of late though with just two wins in their last seven games. The Isles have been pretty good on both ends of the ice this year, especially defensively. Ilya Sorokin, who’s projected in goal tonight has been very good this season with a 2.36 GAA and a .925 save percentage. The Coyotes are coming off a 3-2 loss in San Jose on Tuesday. Despite them being pretty terrible at 9-14-4 on the season, they have huge around with teams and they’re not an easy win for their opponents, with most of their games decided by a goal. They have been pretty terrible on both ends of the ice. The Isles should win this game pretty easily. I’d slightly lean the under but not enough to bet it.

Tonight since all three favorites are pretty big and I expect them all to win, my only bet will be a 2 unit parlay on all of them.

Game Bets

2u parlay: Wild ML & Flames ML & Islanders ML (+182)

Futures

1u Boston Bruins – Stanley Cup Champions (+1000)

1.5u Boston Bruins – Stanley Cup Champions (+1100)

2u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+1200)

1.5u Carolina Hurricanes – Stanley Cup Champions (+1300)

1u New Jersey Devils – Stanley Cup Champions (+1600)

Record: 198-189-3 (-35.76 units)

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