Expert Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – December 26th

With the holiday season in full swing, now is the perfect time to spread some of the holiday cheer around! If you’re an NHL betting enthusiast that is looking to give your annual betting bankroll a big-time boost in the effort to close out your 2017 on a high note, then look no further! I’ve got a trio of top picks based on the latest NHL odds that will have you making eggnog based holiday toasts before you know it!

Expert Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – December 26th

Bad news for the @BlueJacketsNHL as @CamAtkinson13 and @Alex_Wennberg join a long list of key players out of action. They’re both expected to miss four-to-six weeks. https://t.co/1y6PfK8UuC

— NHL (@NHL) 26 de diciembre de 2017

Columbus Blue Jackets (22-13-2) at Pittsburgh Penguins (18-16-3)

• When: Wednesday, December 27, 2017, 700 PM ET
• Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
• TV: AT&T SN

The Columbus Blue Jackets have gone 5-4-1 over their last 10 games but hit the new week coming off a hard-fought 2-1 win over Philadelphia on Saturday night in a shootout. Pittsburgh has lost six of their last 10 games and hit the new week coming off a 4-0 shutout loss against Anaheim on Saturday. The Penguins might be a solid 11-6-1 at home while Columbus is just 8-7-2 on the road, but the fact of the matter is that the Penguins just don’t look anything like the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions they are. The Pens are ranked an uninspiring 18th in scoring (2.8 gpg) and unimpressive 23rd in goals allowed (3.2 gpg). Columbus is ranked a stellar sixth in goals allowed (2.6) and I like the Blue Jackets in this one to snap their three-game road losing streak against a Pittsburgh team I contend should have never let goalie Marc-Andre Fleury go!

Latest NHL Betting Trends

• Columbus is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
• Columbus is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Columbus’s last 9 games on the road
• Pittsburgh is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games
• Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games

Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets 3 – Pittsburgh Penguins 2

St. Louis Blues (23-13-2) at Dallas Stars (20-14-3)

• When: Friday, December 29, 2017, 8:30 PM ET
• Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• TV: FSMW, FSSW
• Live Streaming: NHL.tv

St. Louis is in the midst of a very good season, but the Blues have struggled a bit in going just 5-5 over their last 10 games, Dallas is having a slightly lesser successful season and they’ve also gone .500 over their last 10 games by posting a dead-even 4-4-2 mark over the span. While the Blues hit the new week coming off a 3-1 win over San Jose on Saturday night, the Stars have won two straight entering the new week including their 3-1 win over Vancouver on Saturday. For this late week matchup, I like St. Louis to get it done despite being on the road, mostly because they’re a far better defensive team than Dallas is this season. The Blues have been really stingy in ranking third in goals allowed (2.5 gpg) and I believe they’re going to make it tough for Dallas’ best scorers, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin to find room to get off good shot attempts. Bask the Blues for the narrow win to improve on their solid 11-6-2 road mark this season.

Latest NHL Betting Trends

• St. Louis is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
• St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis’s last 5 games
• Dallas is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
• Dallas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas’s last 6 games

Pick: St. Louis Blues 3 – Dallas Stars 2

Toronto Maple Leafs (22-14-1) at Las Vegas Golden Knights (23-9-2)

• When: Sunday, December 31, 2017, 3:30 PM ET
• Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
• TV: AT&T SN
• Live Streaming: NHL.tv

Toronto ranks a stellar fourth in scoring (3.2 gpg) and 10th in goals allowed (2.8 gpg) and they’ve got some explosive players with guys Auston Matthews (28 points), like James van Riemsdyk (25 points) and Mitch Marner (26 points), but they’re also just 5-5 over their last 10 games. I like the Vegas Golden Knights a lot this season because of their feisty, us-against-the-world mentality. Las Vegas ranks a stellar third in scoring (3.4 gpg) and they’ve also been pretty solid at the other end of the ice in ranking a respectable 15th in goals allowed (2.9 gpg) and an impressive eighth in shot attempts allowed per game (30.9). The Knights have gone a blistering 8-1-1 in their last 10 games Right-winger James Neal and centers Williams Karlsson (28 points) Jonathan Marchessault (32 points) have all been outstanding this season, but I think it is Vegas’ depth that has been the most surprising thing about them this season. Six Vegas players have scored 24 points or more while an insane 14 players overall have at least 10 points. Last but not least, if I’ve said it once this season, I’ve said it 50 times. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins should have never traded away veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury who stonewalled Alex Ovechkin and the offensively explosive Washington Capitals in Saturday’s 3-0 shutout win. The Knights and their collection of ‘cast-offs’ get the win in this one to stay red-hot!

Latest NHL Betting Trends

• Toronto is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
• Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
• Las Vegas is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
• Las Vegas is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games

Pick: Las Vegas Golden Knights 4 – Toronto Maple Leafs 3