Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – November 12th Edition

The Nashville Predators are the hottest team in the NHL right now, winners of five in a row, including a 5-4 overtime win in Dallas on Saturday afternoon in which the Stars entered the third period up 4-2 only to cough up that lead, allowing the Predators to tie in the last minute of regulation and then score the winning goal about a minute into overtime. The coldest team is also in the Central Division, as the Chicago Blackhawks have dropped seven in a row and current sit 11 points out of first place in the division, with a -15 goal differential on the season. We’ve put together a list of three promising NHL betting picks for you to look at for the coming week.

Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – November 12th Edition

PHT Power Rankings: Wild still stuck in wrong division https://t.co/xoKYoUvhjy

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) November 12, 2018

Tuesday, November 13

Tampa Bay at Buffalo (7:30pm ET, NBC Sports)

The Tampa Bay Lightning lead the Atlantic Division with 25 points, even after seeing their four-game winning streak snapped on Saturday, as they lost at home to Ottawa, 6-4. The Senators tallied four goals in the third period to take the win, but there are still a lot of bright spots for the Senators. Andrei Vasilevskiy is having a solid season in net — in the team’s 4-2 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday night, he had 35 saves, and Tyler Johnson scored the game-winning goal with 1:26 left in regulation. The speedy Lightning offense can usually take it to the opposition as long as their defense stays honest. Buffalo is five points back of Tampa Bay in the Atlantic standings, but they have won three of four, including a 9-2 pounding of the Ottawa Senators last week. They followed that up with a 3-1 loss to the lowly New York Rangers but then beat Montreal, 6-5, and Vancouver, 4-3. So offense is the key word for the Sabres these days, but they are letting things get out of hand on their back line too many times. I see the Lightning take advantage of those mistakes to win. NHL Betting Prediction: Tampa Bay 5, Buffalo 3

Wednesday, November 14

Boston at Colorado (10:00pm ET, ESPN+)

The Boston Bruins have been a feast-or-famine team this season. They are three points behind Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division, and they have had games in which their defense took the night off, as in an 8-5 loss to Vancouver last week, and games when both units are on, as in their 5-1 win over Toronto and their 4-1 win over Vegas late last week. Jaroslav Halak has been solid in net for the B’s, as he showed with a 37-save night in that win over Vegas on Sunday. Everyone knows that Boston can score, so as long as their defense shows up as well, the Bruins expect to win. Colorado just snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 win in Edmonton on Sunday night. In that game, Semyon Varlamov was huge in net, turning aside 26 shots. In that five-game skid, the team gave up 25 goals and permitted fewer than four goals only once. They scored 11 goals in the losses to Vancouver and Calgary, showing that their defense really needs to make some strides if they want to compete in the Western Conference. Given the fact that Boston has at least two lines that can bury you offensively, I see the Avalanche making too many mistakes to win. NHL Betting Prediction: Boston 4, Colorado 3

Thursday, November 15

N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders (7:00pm ET)

The New York Rangers have risen to third in the Metropolitan Division with 18 points, having won five out of six (but losing to the dreadful Detroit Red Wings during that span). They beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in a shootout, 5-4, on Saturday, to start a new winning streak. As long as the Rangers can mount a consistent offense and defend in front of Henrik Lundqvist, they have a chance to win every night. They visit an Islander team that is tied with the Rangers in the standings but has dropped three in a row after winning five straight. They’ve lost to Montreal, Tampa Bay and Florida, falling to the Panthers on Saturday night in 4-2 fashion. The offense has slowed down significantly during that stretch, but of more concern are the defensive lapses that have led to opposition goals. The Rangers have the hotter hand right now, so even with this game across town, I’m going with the Blueshirts. NHL Betting Prediction: N.Y. Rangers 4, N.Y. Islanders 3