Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – January 29th

This week in the National Hockey League, we see the Vegas Golden Knights still clinging to the top spot in the Western Conference, with 68 points in 48 games, but their 5-3-2 record in their last 10 suggests that they may have had a little fatigue going into All-Star weekend. Nashville (65 points in 47 games) is coming on strong, with points in nine of their last 10 games, and Colorado is continuing their rally with 8 wins in their last 10. In the East, Boston is continuing their climb up the Eastern Conference standings, with 66 points in 47 games, good for second in the conference behind Tampa Bay, which is 5-4-1 in their last 10 (but have won their last three). Check out our NHL betting picks for the coming week.

Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – January 29th

NHL Power Rankings: Lightning lead the way – but Vegas isn’t far behind. https://t.co/W6IuIky8ND pic.twitter.com/cr9FFH4PPN

— theScore (@theScore) January 29, 2018

Tuesday, January 30

Los Angeles at Dallas (8:30pm ET, FSWHD / FSSW)

The Los Angeles Kings defeated Calgary on the road, 2-1, in overtime on Wednesday night before heading into the All-Star break. Even so, they have dropped three of their last 10 and have fallen to fourth in the Pacific Division (a point behind Calgary, no less). They exit the break heading to Dallas. Despite their slide, though, they still have the top penalty kill in the league (85.9%) and the second-leading defense in goals permitted (2.5 goals per game). Their problems come on offense, as they only score 2.8 goals per game (19th overall). Against a high-flying team like Dallas, they’ll need to put more pucks on net than they usually do. Dallas is back on a positive trend, although they did follow up a 6-1 shellacking of Florida last week with a 4-1 rout at the hands of Toronto on Thursday night before entering the break. They have cracked the top eight in goals per game (3.0) and goals permitted per game (2.6), although their penalty kill (81.3%, 16th overall) remains comparatively porous. If their defense can come out as solidly as it was playing before that train wreck against Toronto, they should win this one. NHL Betting Prediction: Dallas 3, Los Angeles 1

Thursday, February 1

Vegas at Winnipeg (8:00pm ET, AT&TSN)

This battle between Western Conference division leaders features a Vegas team that is still sizzling in their race to the postseason. They beat the New York Islanders at home Thursday, 2-1, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury showed off for a national audience when he stopped 14 straight shots in the goalie skills competition at the All-Star weekend. The team ranks third overall with 3.4 goals per game but only permits 2.6 goals per contest, sixth overall. Their road game has been impressive all season long. The Golden Knights head north to face Winnipeg, who has moved into the Central Division lead. They are just a little behind the Golden Knights, scoring 3.2 goals per game (sixth overall) and permitting 2.7 goals per game (ninth overall). Their power play has been fantastic, scoring at a 24.7% clip (second overall). They host Tampa Bay on Tuesday before welcoming Vegas on Thursday night. Can they make a big statement about their status as contenders in the West with the Golden Knights coming in? We say yes. NHL Betting Prediction: Winnipeg 3, Vegas 2

Colorado at Edmonton (9:00pm ET, ALT, RSNW)

The Colorado Avalanche have been scoring at video-game pace to climb the standings, and they entered the break with a 3-1 win over defensively minded St. Louis, on the road. They have climbed to fifth overall with 3.3 goals per game. Their defense is stout on the penalty kill as they stay clean 83.8% of the time (second overall), but overall, they permit 2.9 goals per game, second overall. They open the second half on a Western Canada swing, playing in Vancouver on Tuesday night before heading to Edmonton Thursday. The youthful Oilers were the darlings of the NHL last year, but this year they have struggled, with just 45 points in 49 games. They are in the bottom seven of the league in goals scored (2.7, goals permitted (3.2), power play conversion (14.5%) and the penalty kill (72.2%, dead last in the NHL). Connor McDavid did defend his title as Fastest Skater at the skills competition during the All-Star weekend, but the Oilers have too much miscommunication going on to handle the streaking Avalanche. NHL Betting Prediction: Colorado 4, Edmonton 1