Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – December 10th Edition

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the hottest team in the NHL right now, winners of six in a row and nine of ten. That has them atop the Eastern Conference standings with 47 points, six points ahead of Toronto. The Buffalo Sabres are headed back down the standings after a terrific run in November, having now dropped five in a row. They are not the coldest team in the league, though; that title belongs to the Chicago Blackhawks, who have lost seven straight and nine of ten, holders of a -31 goal differential on the season. Let’s take a look at your three top NHL betting picks from the rink for the week ahead.

Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – December 10th Edition

ICYMI: Mike Harrington’s NHL Power Rankings https://t.co/UwR4OQci4G

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Monday, December 10

N.Y. Rangers at Tampa Bay (7:30pm ET, ESPN+)

The New York Rangers ended a three-game losing streak on Saturday, knocking off the Florida Panthers by a 5-4 score. The Blueshirts showed a lot of malaise after the first period, but the Rangers were able to salvage the shootout win. New York had three different leads in the game but, despite 27 saves from Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers’ defense could not keep the Panthers from climbing back into things. Now, though, the Rangers head across the state to take on a Lightning team that is playing at the top of their game. Tampa Bay has scored 21 goals in their last four games, including a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on December 3 and, most recently, a 7-1 shellacking of the Colorado Avalanche. Steven Stamkos had two goals and two assists in that win. Ondrej Palat also put in a pair of goals, while backup goalie Louis Domingue had 29 saves on the night. Colorado has been playing solid hockey lately, winners of 10 of their last 14, but the Lightning made them look like traffic cones with their swift offense. I look for the Lightning to continue their winning ways against the Rangers. NHL Betting Prediction: Tampa Bay 4, New York 2

Tuesday, December 11

Arizona at Boston (7:00pm ET)

The Arizona Coyotes start an East Coast swing on Tuesday night in Beantown, looking to end a two-game losing streak that saw them fall to Washington, 4-2, on Thursday and then to San Jose, 5-3, on Saturday. The Coyotes fought hard against the Sharks, trying to mount a comeback, but Lukas Radil got the insurance goal for the Sharks, his first career tally in the NHL, to secure the win. The Arizona goals came from Brad Richardson, Nick Schmaltz and Richard Panik, and Adin Hill had 28 saves, but this two-game skid has erased many of the positive memories of the preceding four-game winning streak. Boston comes in with a two-game winning streak, after notching an impressive 6-3 win over Toronto on Saturday and following that up with a 2-1 win over Ottawa the next night. That win in Ottawa came in overtime, thanks to a goal from Torey Krug 3:07 into the extra session. The Bruins got a huge night from goaltender Tuukka Rask, who had 27 goals, and from Brad Marchand, who had Boston’s goal in regulation. The Bruins have struggled to play defense this season, but these two wins have to bring confidence. NHL Betting Prediction: Boston 3, Arizona 1

Wednesday, December 12

Pittsburgh at Chicago (8:00pm ET, NBC Sports)

The Pittsburgh Penguins have shown tremendous inconsistency this season, which is why they are in just fifth place in the Metropolitan Division with 30 points at this part of the season. They have poured it on offensively at times, as in a 6-3 win over red-hot Colorado and a 6-2 win over the New York Islanders, both last week — bookended by a 4-2 loss to Philadelphia and a 2-1 loss to Ottawa, which came on Saturday. Ottawa prevailed on a power-play goal in overtime on Saturday, thanks to a Penguins penalty for too many men on the ice, and the team ended up wasting a fine effort from goaltender Casey DeSmith. The failure to play well on both ends of the ice is a sign that the Penguins just need more discipline on both ends. A visit to Chicago may be just what the doctor ordered, however. The Blackhawks have lost seven in a row, but only one of those (an 8-3 loss to Vegas back on November 27) has happened in blowout fashion — only two of those seven losses have been by more than two goals. Their most recent setback came on Sunday as they fell to Montreal, 3-2. They face Winnipeg on Tuesday before welcoming the Penguins on Wednesday. In that loss to Montreal, things were knotted at 2-2 until Tomas Tatar put home a deflection for the Canadiens with 1:17 left in regulation. Patrick Kane had scored twice for the Blackhawks, who scored just once in eight power plays and had a six-minute man advantage in the third period but could not score. They need to break through — but can they do that against a skilled but inconsistent Pittsburgh team? NHL Betting Prediction: Pittsburgh 4, Chicago 2