You mean we get to do it all over again? Let’s have ourselves a day with 14 games on tonight’s NHL schedule, following the 4 Nations Face-Off as I offer my NHL Best Bets.
Given the extended break, I will forgo any advanced stats that I usually use, such as expected goals, xGA/60, etc., for a few games. It’s essentially a brand-new season.
Let's see what we have for tonight's schedule, as I share my NHL picks and predictions.
NHL Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NHL betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 12:30 p.m. | |
  | 3 p.m. | |
  | 6 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Wild vs. Red Wings
As we roll back into the season, we start in the Motor City, where the Detroit Red Wings host the Minnesota Wild.
This game features three members of Team USA in Minnesota’s Brock Faber and Matt Boldy, as well as Detroit’s Dylan Larkin – all of who had remarkable tournaments in their own right.
I’ll be curious to see how this game pans out given the extended break for most of the players in this bout. Breaks that are too long for teams can sometimes be counterproductive, as we’ve seen happen in the playoffs when a team enters a round after sweeping the prior round.
However, Minnesota also had three players play for Team Sweden in Joel Eriksson Ek, Jonas Brodin, and Filip Gustavsson, which means it has nearly a quarter of its players involved.
The Red Wings also had Lucas Raymond on Team Sweden.
Regardless, I think this works in the Wild’s favor. Detroit has done a remarkable job bouncing back from obscurity after hiring Todd McLellan as its coach, but I think the break halts its momentum.
Not only that, the Wild are the best team in the NHL on the road. They have posted a 20-7-3 record while away from their home ice, and given the continuity of its players, I see Minnesota pulling this one away.
Pick: Wild ML (-105)
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Capitals vs. Penguins
Usually a Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals matchup means that we get a Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin bout.
That very well still may be the case, but we’ll have to find out closer to puck drop. It’s clear during the 4 Nations Face-Off that Crosby was dealing with some type of injury, and given Pittsburgh’s struggles all season, coach Mike Sullivan may opt to rest him.
Whether Crosby plays or not, I don’t think this matchup ends up being close. Ovechkin, who is only 16 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record, ended the first half of the season on an insane run.
In the final five games before the break, the 39-year-old registered four goals and nine points. However, it’s not just him carrying the team on his back. Washington has received exceptional production from Aliaksei Protas, Tom Wilson, and Dylan Strome.
Logan Thompson, who many believed should’ve been on Team Canada, is also posting career-high numbers, with a .921 SV% and a 26.8 GSAx (second among all goalies).
Pittsburgh has been reeking of mediocrity all season, and while I’m encouraged by the play of Alex Nedeljkovic, I can’t see the Pens keeping this close with the team that owns the second-best record.
Pick: Capitals -1.5 (+155)
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Stars vs. Devils
It may not be international play, but a New Jersey Devils vs. Dallas Stars matchup is close to a “best-on-best” battle we’ll probably get tonight.
Dallas is coming into Newark with a 4 Nations Face-Off winner in Thomas Harley, who was supposed to be in Cabo over the break. Instead, a gold medal and a trophy on his mantle is a solid consolation prize.
New Jersey’s Jack Hughes, who was on Team USA, seemed to underwhelm for the most part. For the NHL season, Hughes is averaging over a point per game with 24 goals, but he only registered one point in the first game of the preliminaries.
The break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Devils though. They battled to find real consistency, trading wins and losses in the final seven games. Now that they’re back, they may slot captain Nico Hischier back in the lineup after a battle with injury, though the jury is still out on goalie Jacob Markstrom’s status.
If Markstrom doesn’t return on Saturday, I feel pretty confident in backing the over. There are a lot of playmakers on Dallas, especially Roope Hintz and Mikael Granlund who dazzled for Finland. Top it off with elite goal-scoring like Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene.
Side note: Duchene and Granlund are Devils killers. Duchene averages a point per game against New Jersey, while Granlund has 18 points in 22 career games.
Pick: Over 5.5 (-118)
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Jets vs. Blues
Do we see Jordan Binnington vs. Connor Hellebuyck 2.0?
Sorry, you’ll have to wait for that. Coach Scott Arniel of the Winnipeg Jets stated that both Hellebuyck and Team Canada member Josh Morrissey will sit out this game. That opens the door for backup Eric Comrie to take the crease.
We still don’t know if Binnington plays or not, but if he doesn’t the St. Louis Blues have another decent option in Joel Hofer. Hofer hasn’t had an ideal season by his standards, but based on his short career, I’m not taking his current stats into consideration.
Winnipeg owns the league’s best record, but I think this game starts sloppy, with guys stumbling out the gate.
Both times these teams squared off, it went under 5.5 goals and that was with Hellebuyck playing both games.
I wouldn’t sleep on Comrie though. He hasn’t let up more than two goals since December, while Hofer has run hot and cold this season.
Given that I think this game ends up a sloppy mess, I don’t foresee much goal-scoring – just a whole lot of players gripping their sticks too tight.
I’m picking the under, and relying on the backups to save the day.
Pick: Under 6 (-115)
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