The hottest team in the NHL right now is the Calgary Flames, who have ridden a six-game winning streak to climb to second place in the Pacific Division, a point back of Vegas with three games in hand. The longest unbeaten streak belongs to the Colorado Avalanche, who dealt Dallas a 4-0 dose of humility on Sunday and now have not lost a game in their last 19 outings. They lead the Central Division by 11 points over Minnesota. In the Eastern Conference, the Florida Panthers lead the Atlantic Division by a point over Tampa Bay and also hold a game in hand. In the Metropolitan Division, Pittsburgh leads Carolina by a point and the New York Rangers by four points.
Going into the week, let’s take a look at some of the top NHL betting choices you have on the ice.
NHL News: Top Betting Games of the Week
Edmonton Oilers at San Jose Sharks
Monday, February 14 | 10:30 pm ET, ESPN+
Edmonton had dropped three of four before beating the N.Y. Islanders at home on Friday, 3-1. They had opened their homestand by losing to Vegas and Chicago by a combined score of 8-1, but the offense started clicking on Friday. In that game, Mike Smith posted 37 saves, and Cody Ceci, Zach Hyman and Jesse Puljujarvi put up goals, and Connor McDavid had a pair of assists. This was the Oilers’ first game under interim head coach Jay Woodcroft, who replaced the fired Dave Tippett.
Woodcroft’s first road test comes in San Jose on Monday night. The Sharks went into the All-Star break losing three games by a goal each, two coming in overtime. They had started an East Coast swing with a 4-1 win in Washington but then fell at Florida, Carolina and Tampa Bay. In that loss to the Lightning, Rudolfs Balcers and Logan Couture scored, and James Reimer had 29 saves. However, a San Jose power play in overtime was wiped off the board with an embellishment call, and the Sharks have to be ready to take out some frustration with an inconsistent Edmonton team in transition showing up.
Final Score Prediction: San Jose 3, Edmonton 1 : Bet the Game Today
Boston Bruins at N.Y. Rangers
Tuesday, February 15 | 7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Boston had dropped three of four before blanking the Senators in Ottawa on Saturday, 2-0. That streak had included a 6-1 loss in Dallas and a 6-0 home loss to Carolina, so seeing the defense back in order was a good sign for Bruins fans. In the win over Ottawa, Jeremy Swayman stopped 30 shots to earn his second shutout of the season and the fourth of his career. Trent Frederic and Curtis Lazar lit the lamp for the B’s, with the first goal coming on the very first shift of the game, at the 45-second mark, and with Lazar adding the second at 13:26 of the first period.
Next up is a trip to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers, who last played before the break and won three out of five going into the All-Star festivities. They knocked off Seattle and Florida, both at home, before the pause. In their 5-2 win over the Panthers, Chris Kreider notched a pair of power-play goals, Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist, Alexis Lafreniere had a goal, and Artemi Panarin had a pair of assists and the empty-net goal to cap off the scoring. Igor Shesterkin put up 34 saves. The Rangers are now 19-3-2 when they score the first goal and 16-1-3 when they lead after two periods. The power play is on fire for the Rangers, as they are 11 of 29 with the man advantage in the last nine contests. Will the Rangers have some rust with a longer break? We will see.
Final Score Prediction: New York 4, Boston 3 : Bet the Game Today
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