Happy Festivus to all! I have a lot of problems with the NHL, and now you're all going to hear about it with my NHL Best Bets.
Before the holidays begin, we prop up our Festivus metal pole (I find tinsel very distracting). Shortly after, we begin the airing of the grievances, followed by the feats of strength.
Tonight, for this very special occasion, there will be a whole lot of airing of grievances (from both fans and players alike), you'd have to imagine there will be multiple feats of strength. But there are two that have caught my eye for tonight's NHL slate.
It's a Festivus for the rest of us!
Read more for my NHL predictions and picks for Monday, December 23.
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 |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:00 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. | ||
Sabres vs. Islanders
As a lifelong Islanders fan, airing my grievances is something that I do daily. This is a team with championship aspirations but with lottery execution.
However, on Festivus, the NHL schedule makers handed the Isles a softball when the Buffalo Sabres, who haven’t won a game since November 23rd, come into town.
New York is fresh off a solid 6-3 win in Toronto and, before heading into Christmas break, will look to put even more coal in the Sabres’ stockings.
The Islanders are finally healthy, with Mat Barzal, Anthony Duclair and Adam Pelech all back in the fold after extensive absences. They’re also getting exceptional production from 34-year-old captain Anders Lee, who’s playing hockey like he’s 27 again, leading the team in scoring.
After coach Patrick Roy started Festivus early and ripped his team a new one a few weeks back, will we see a playoff push from the Islanders in the new calendar year?
Well, playing Buffalo is a good start? It seems as if the Sabres struggle to beat the “perpetual lottery team” allegations. They have all the talent in the world, but something is not clicking, and coach Lindy Ruff doesn’t seem to be helping the cause.
Is 64-year-old Ruff really the guy to take this team over the edge? Ruff has had a few good seasons since leaving Buffalo his first go around, but nothing to put a team over the top. This is a fragile roster right now.
I bet them last week against Montreal, thinking that this pitiful losing streak was going to end, but the joke was on me. The Habs brutalized the Sabres 6-1 and have lost to both Toronto and Boston since then.
I don’t need to give you advanced metrics for this battle. All I can tell you is that in December, the Sabres are the worst 5-on-5 offensive team and are bottom-three defensively.
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is trying his hardest to keep this team competitive; nothing clearly seems to be working.
For my prediction, I want to believe in the Islanders and want to believe that their win in Toronto was a sign of things to come. They looked really strong with a healthy roster. Take them to win in regulation with a -105 60 Minute Line bet.
Due to their propensity to crack in trap games, I’m also going to hedge my bet by putting a half unit on the Sabres ML, just because I can’t fully trust this team until proven otherwise.
Pick: Islanders 60 Minute ML (-105)
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Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets
And now, as Festivus rolls on, we come to the Feats of Strength. This year, the honor goes to Mr. Patrik Laine, who, since making his season debut, has dazzled the NHL.
Nine games played, eight goals scored. All eight of those goals have been on the power play, which is laughably second in the league already. These are just stupid numbers all around.
Laine has had an up-and-down career since entering the league. He dominated in his first few years in Winnipeg, but after having some injury troubles and locker-room issues, he was sent to Columbus. His time in Columbus was underwhelming, though, so now he heads back north of the border in Montreal.
If Laine consistently suited up, he would be a superstar in this league. He’s that good with potentially the best shot in the league – and that’s not up for debate.
He has the opportunity for revenge in Columbus, Ohio, the city where he spent the past four seasons of his career. I don’t think it was an ugly breakup for the two parties, as Laine dealt with not just injury issues but personal issues, and it was just time to move on.
The Blue Jackets have dealt with a lot in these past few months, and they started the season off in admirable fashion. However, since then, it’s been a trying road for them, losing six out of their last seven games, including an overtime loss to the Flyers.
Not only that, goaltending is a major pain point in Columbus. Elvis Merzlikins leads the team in save percentage with a lowly .889%. To make matters worse, the Jackets have the sixth-worst penalty kill in the league, succeeding only 73% of the time.
Can Laine take advantage of their weaknesses? What’s one more goal before the break? At +165, I like my chances with the sniper.
Pick: Patrik Laine Anytime Goalscorer (+195)
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