Auston Matthews returned from a two-game absence due to an undisclosed injury and lit the lamp once in a 4-3 loss in Boston on Saturday night. That gave the young star 21 goals on the season, and when he scored in the third period, he tied the game, but the Toronto Maple Leafs gave up the game-winning goal with just 1:16 remaining in regulation. The Maple Leafs are 3-4 in their last seven and split their two games without Matthews, but they scored just three goals combined in those two games. The injury is a “nagging” one, according to Matthews, but the Leafs don’t have time to wait for a full recovery, given their struggles in the standings. Heading into Tuesday night, don’t miss our top two NHL betting picks from the ice.
NHL News: Top Betting Picks for Week 15
Tuesday, January 17
Minnesota Wild (-1.5) at Washington Capitals (O/U 6) (7:00 pm ET)
Minnesota (24-14-4) brings a two-game winning streak to the nation’s capital on Tuesday night after a 2-1 win over Arizona. The Wild are scoring 3.12 goals per game; in their win over the Coyotes, Mats Zuccarello and Frederick Gaudreau each found the back of the net, and Kirill Kaprizov and Calen Addison each added an assist. The Wild defense has been serviceable, permitting just 2.76 goals per contest. Marc-Andre Fleury is set to start in net; against Arizona, he made 27 saves on 28 shots. Overall, he is 14-8-3 with a .905 save percentage and a 2.86 GAA.
Washington (23-16-6) has won seven of their last 10 games against Minnesota but lost their last contest, a 3-1 setback against Philadelphia, their second loss in a row. The Capitals score 3.20 goals per game, but despite launching 40 shots on net, they only tallied a single goal, by Alex Ovechkin) against the Flyers. Their defense is also decent, permitting an identical 2.76 goals per game. Darcy Kuemper stopped 22 of the 25 shots he saw in the last loss and will start against Minnesota. In 28 games, he is 12-11-4 with a 2.54 GAA and a .918 save percentage. Capitals to cover.
Seattle Kraken (+1.5) at Edmonton Oilers (O/U 6.5) (9:00 pm ET)
Seattle (26-12-4) is one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now, with eight wins in their last nine games, including a perfect 7-0 road trip. They saw an eight-game winning streak come to a crashing halt at home on Monday, losing to Tampa Bay, 4-1. In their last win, they beat Chicago, 8-5, as Jared McCann earned a hat trick and now has 22 goals on the season. The Kraken roared out to a 6-1 lead after the first period and weathered a rally by the Blackhawks, as Martin Jones ended up permitting five goals on 27 shots. Jones also played on Monday, so expect Philipp Grubauer (4-7-1, 3.49 GAA, .885 save percentage) in net on Tuesday – which means that the over might be a smart play.
Edmonton (24-18-3) looks to make it four wins in a row when the Kraken show up, after a 4-3 win in Vegas as +125 underdogs. Edmonton only needed 1:42 to take a 2-0 lead, and Leon Draisaitl had a pair of goals on the night. Jack Campbell saw 30 shots and stopped 27 of them. That was 50 two-goal games in Draissaitl’s career. Since Campbell has played four games in a row, Stuart Skinner (12-10-2, 2.96 GAA, .914 save percentage) is set to start. The defense in Edmonton is not all that stout (3.29 goals permitted per game), so I would take Edmonton to win and cover as well as the over.
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