NHL Daily Gambling Preview – 12/17/22

Last night I lost my parlay of the favorites on the small three game NHL slate, losing 2 units. Today we have a fully loaded 13 game slate. Let’s dive in.

No video today. I started writing this way too late today.

Bruins vs. Blue Jackets (1:00)

This is a huge mismatch as evidenced by the -435 line. The Bruins are the best team in the NHL with a historical 23-4-2 start to the year. They’re coming of just their second home loss of the season on Thursday as they lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Kings after giving up the game tying goal with just 2:10 left in regulation. The B’s are one of the best teams in the league on both ends of the ice. On the other hand, the Blue Jackets suck. They’re coming off back to back losses and are 10-17-2. They’ve been horrible on both ends of the ice, especially defensively. The last time these teams played on October 28th in Columbus, the Bruins won in a 4-0 shutout on the road. I’d expect a similar result tonight. I don’t think the Bruins ML and the Bruins in regulation are bettable lines at their prices and I don’t love the team total over 4 being juiced up. I’ll take the Bruins -1.5 puck line here for half a unit.

Red Wings vs. Senators (1:00)

Neither of these teams have been spectacular this season. The Red Wings, coming off a 4-1 loss in Minnesota on Wednesday are on a four game losing streak with just two wins in their last nine games, dropping to 13-10-6 on the season. Ottawa’s rolling right now with three wins in a row after their 3-2 win against the Habs on Wednesday to improve to 13-14-2. Both of these teams have had their struggles defensively, but Ottawa’s slightly better offensively. I’d lean the Senators win here and would lean the under as well, but neither enough to bet on.

Oilers vs. Ducks (4:00)

The Ducks got their second regulation win of the season on Thursday with their 5-2 win in Montreal. They’re 8-20-3 on the season and playing horrible hockey. Anaheim’s the worst defensive team in the NHL and their offense is the second lowest scoring in the league. This team’s bad. The Oilers blew a 4-1 lead on Thursday at home against the Blues, going on to lose 4-3 in a shootout. They’ve played well as of late with a 7-3-1 record in their last eleven games to improve to 17-13-1 on the season. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the best offensive players in the league and with them leading the way and not much depth behind them, the Edmonton offense has been very good. Their defense has sucked though. The Oilers should win this game pretty easily but they’re definitely worth betting on at -335 or even the -195 regulation line. I considered taking the Oilers team total but at 4 I don’t think that’s worth it juiced up to -137. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet it. I’ll stay off this game entirely. Just not enough value on anything to make it worth betting on.

Hurricanes vs. Stars (7:00)

This is a great matchup. Both of these teams are solid playoff teams this season and they’ve played quite well as of late. I’d slightly lean the Canes win at home but not enough to bet them. I’d also lean the under. I’ll stay off betting this game but this is the best matchup on the slate.

Canadiens vs. Lightning (7:00)

The Bolts are on a four game win streak after a 4-1 win on Thursday against the Blue Jackets. The three time defending Eastern Conference champs are 19-9-1 with only three losses in their last 15 games. Although their defense hasn’t been quite up to par with the last few years, they’ve allowed two or less goals in each of their last four games and their offense has been as good as ever. The Habs are decent this season at 14-14-2 but they’ve struggled recently, coming off a 5-2 loss to the Ducks on Thursday for their third loss in their last four games. They haven’t been great on either end of the ice this year. I like the Lightning to get a win here on the road to extend their win streak. The moneyline at -250 is too expensive for me but I’ll take the Lightning in regulation for half a unit.

Flyers vs. Rangers (7:00)

On Thursday the Flyers shocked me with a 2-1 win in New Jersey to end their four game losing streak with just their third win in their last 19 games. This team blows at 10-14-7 on the year. They’ve played terribly on both ends of the ice this season. The Rangers are playing their best hockey of the year right now, coming into tonight on a five game win streak to improve to 16-10-5 after a 3-1 win against the Leafs on Thursday. They haven’t been nearly as good as last year though. The first time these teams played this season on November 1st, the Rangers got a 1-0 overtime win in a double shutout at home. I’d expect them to get an easier win tonight on the road and will take the Rags for half a unit.

Capitals vs. Maple Leafs (7:00)

Both of these teams had solid winning streaks come to an end on Thursday. The Caps five game win streak ended with a 2-1 loss at home to the Dallas Stars, dropping Washington to 15-13-4 on the season. With a lot of players recently coming back from injury and Ovi on a tear, the Capitals have played much better lately. The Leafs are having a fantastic season at 19-6-6 and took just their second loss in their last eleven games Thursday in a 3-1 loss to the Rangers. They’ve played great on both ends of the ice. In the first match between these teams this season back on October 13th in Toronto, the Leafs got a 3-2 win. I’d expect them to win again and would slightly lean the under but not enough to bet on either. I’ll lay off this game.

Devils vs. Panthers (7:30)

The Devils have been incredible this season, coming into tonight’s game with a 21-7-2 record. They’re slumping big time right now though, on a four game losing streak after a 2-1 loss at home to the Flyers on Thursday. New Jersey’s played incredibly this year on both ends of the ice. The Panthers have had a bit of their own struggles as well, with just one win in their last four games to drop to 14-13-4 on the season. They’re coming off a 4-2 loss to the Penguins on Thursday. Florida’s played well offensively but they’ve struggled on the back end. I’d lean the Devils end their losing streak with a home win tonight and would slightly lean the under actually but not enough to bet on either. This could end up being a fun game to watch.

Avalanche vs. Predators (9:00)

The Avalanche are struggling with injuries right now, dropping to 15-11-2 after their 4-2 loss at home to the Sabres on Thursday and just picking up two wins in their last seven games. On the season they’ve played relatively well on both ends of the ice but not to the level they did last year when they won the cup. The Preds are 12-12-4 and in a bad losing streak, dropping their last five games in a row after a 2-1 overtime loss in Winnipeg on Thursday. Although Nashville’s played alright on the back end, their offense has really struggled to put the puck in the back of the net this season. On November 10th in the first game this season between these Central Division teams, Colorado got a 5-3 win at home. I’d lean the Avs win again here at home but not enough to bet on it. I’ll lay off this game. I’d lean the under as well but not enough to bet it.

Canucks vs. Jets (10:00)

The Jets have been awesome this season. They’re 19-9-1 and bounced back from back to back losses against Vegas and Washington with a 2-1 overtime win against the Predators on Thursday that should’ve likely been a bigger win for them as they poured it on but couldn’t get the puck past Saros. Winnipeg’s been very good on both ends of the ice this season, especially defensively backstopped by Connor Hellebuyck, one of the best goalies in the game. The Canucks after a terrible start to their season have played much better recently. Coming off a 4-3 shootout win in Calgary on Wednesday, they’re 13-13-3 with four wins in their last five games (all needing overtime). Vancouver’s played well offensively all season but they’ve struggled quite a bit on the back end. I like the Jets to get a win here on the road and will take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet it.

Golden Knights vs. Islanders (10:00)

Last night the Islanders lost their third game in a row, losing 5-4 in Arizona. They’ve only picked up two wins in their eight games, dropping to 17-13-1 on the season. Statistically they have played well on both ends of the ice this season. The Golden Knights lead the Western Conference with a 22-9-1 record, coming off an easy 4-1 win in Chicago on Thursday. They’ve been excellent this year, playing really well on both ends of the ice. Although I think this ends up being a pretty close game, I like the Vegas to get the win at home with the Isles on the second half of a back to back and will take them for half a unit. I’d lean the over but not enough to bet it.

Kings vs. Sharks (10:30)

Both of these California teams have struggled quite a bit at points this year. The Kings scored the tying goal with 2:10 left in their game in Boston on Thursday (big swing for me), going on to win 3-2 in a shoot out, giving the Bruins just their second home loss of the season. A solid bounce back for LA after getting blown out 6-0 entirely in the third period of their game against the Sabres on Tuesday. The Kings are 16-12-5, with just five wins in their last 14 games. Although LA’s played really well offensively, they’ve struggled quite a bit defensively and their goaltending sucks. The Sharks have won their last two games to improve to a still lousy 10-16-5 with just three wins in their last ten games. Their offense has improved a lot recently but they’ve still been pretty bad on the back end. When these teams played in San Jose on November 25th, the Kings got a 5-2 win. I’d lean they win again here and would lean the over but not enough to bet on either. I’ll stay off this late game.

Game Bets

.5u Bruins -1.5 (-162)

.5u Lightning in regulation (-148)

.5u Rangers ML (-170)

.5u Sabres ML (-180)

.5u Jets ML (-125)

.5u Golden Knights ML (-170)

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)