The Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars will all be looking to hold it down at home this week when they take to the ice in a trio of NHL matchups that all look like they’re offering some excellent value for hockey betting buffs across the globe. If you’re looking to get your 2019 calendar year betting campaign off to a positive start, then let’s get to my trio of top NHL betting picks of the week right now.
Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – December 31st Edition
Final power rankings of 2018 are here 🎆https://t.co/KlRIpvlHg0
— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) December 31, 2018
Philadelphia Flyers (15-17-5) at Nashville Predators (22-15-1)
- When: Tuesday, January 1, 2019 at 8:30 PM ET
- Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
- NHL Odds: Philadelphia +155/Nashville -190 / Total: 5.5
Philadelphia has gone a dismal 2-8 over their last 10 games and the Flyers have dropped two in a row heading into their Monday night matchup against Carolina including a narrow, 2-1 loss to Florida on Saturday. Philadelphia is averaging 2.9 goals per game (18th) while allowing a whopping 3.6 goals per contest defensively to rank 29th in goals allowed.
Nashville has struggled in going 3-7 over their last 10 games. The Predators have dropped six straight games heading into their Monday matchup against Washington including their narrow, 4-3 loss to the rangers on Saturday. Nashville averages a modest 2.9 goals per game (20th) while allowing just 2.6 goals per contest to rank first in goals allowed.
For this Tuesday night matchup, I’m going to advise you to back Nashville to get the win at home to snap out of the funk they’ve been in the better part of the last three weeks. While both of these teams average an identical 2.9 goals per game, Nashville is by far, the better defensive team in this contest and that’s why I like them to win and cash in at home in this matchup.
The Flyers are an uninspiring 6-14 in their last 20 games, 1-4 in their last five against teams from the Western Conference and 1-6 in their last seven road games. Nashville has gone 7-2 in their last nine games against teams from the Metropolitan division and 9-3 in their last 12 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. Sheer desperation, combined with the fact that they’re the only team in this matchup that plays any defense is why Nashville win win – emphatically.
NHL Betting Pick: Nashville 4 Philadelphia 2Los Angeles Kings (15-23-1) at Vegas Golden Knights (23-15-3)
- When: Tuesday, January 1, 2019 at 9:00 PM ET
- Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
- NHL Odds: Los Angeles +175/Vegas -215 / Total: 5.5
The Kings have gone 5-3-2 over their last 10 games, but the Kings had their four-game winning streak snapped in their humbling 4-1 loss against Vegas on Saturday. Los Angeles is averaging an awful 2.3 goals per game to rank next to last in scoring (31st) while allowing 3.0 goals per contest defensively (18th).
The Golden Knights are 6-1-3 over their last 10 games and the Knights will ride a three-game winning streak into this affair that includes an emphatic 5-1 blowout of Arizona on Sunday night that I predicted in the YouWager blog section on Friday. Vegas is averaging 3.0 goals per game (13th) while allowing 2.7 goals per contest defensively (6th).
Prediction
Vegas is on a red-hot roll right now and the Knights are definitely the better team at both ends of the ice in this pairing. Los Angeles is a uninspiring 2-6 in their last eight road games and 0-4 in their last 4 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation. On the flip side of the coin, Vegas has gone 4-1 in their last 5 in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation, 6-2 in their last 8 Tuesday games and a bankroll-boosting 47-20 in their last 67 home games. With Vegas going 5-2 in their last seven meetings against L.A. I say back the Golden Knights to take care of business at home in this one!
NHL Betting Pick: Vegas 5 Los Angeles 1
New Jersey Devils (14-16-5-2) at Dallas Stars (20-16-3)
- When: Wednesday, January 2, 2018 at 8:30 PM ET
- Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
- NHL Odds: OFF / Total: OFF
The Devils are 4-6 in their last 10 games, but New Jersey has won two straight games including their 2-0 shutout win over Carolina on Saturday. New Jersey is averaging 2.9 goals per game (15th) while allowing a generous 3.4 goals per contest defensively (27th).
The Stars has also gone 4-6 over their last 10 games, but Dallas has also gone 3-1 over their last four games including their 5-1 rout of Detroit on Saturday. The Stars are averaging just 2.7 goals per game to rank 27th in scoring while limiting the opposition to just 2.6 goals per contest defensively (3rd).
Prediction
New Jersey has gone a pitiful 4-12-1-2 on the road while Dallas has gone an impressive 12-5-1 at home. The Stars are the far more explosive offensive team in this contest and they’re playing at home and that makes Dallas the easy pick in this one.
NHL Betting Pick: Dallas 4 New Jersey 2
