Things are moving in the National Hockey League as we bring the first third of the regular season to a close. The Tampa Bay Lightning have won six of their last 10 and now lead the Atlantic Division by three points over Toronto, with two games in hand. Columbus has won eight of 10 to move past New Jersey and now lead the Metropolitan Division by a point. Winnipeg has shot up the standings in the Central Division, winning seven of their last 10 to move two points ahead of St. Louis. Meanwhile, Dallas may have figure otut how to play defense, as they have won five in a row and are just five points behind Winnipeg. In the Pacific Division, the Los Angeles Kings have responded nicely to a move from Vegas and have won five straight to take a four point lead. Let’s take a look at some NHL betting suggestions for you as you consider hockey action this week.
The Chicago Blackhawks are struggling to get consistency this season, as their 12-10-5 record shows. They took a 3-1 home loss from Pacific-leading Los Angeles on Sunday and sit in fifth place in the Central Division. Their defense has been fairly good, as their 2.7 goals permitted average is sixth overall and their penalty kill (84.4%) is fifth. However, their power play has been glacial, converting just 16.1% of the time (#28). The Blackhawks put up three goals a game, but they’ve not been opportunistic enough to take more wins.
They face a Washington team that is having trouble on both ends of the ice. They did score a big win over Columbus on Saturday, but their goals per game (2.9, #18) and goals permitted per game (3.1, #20) are both below average in the league. Both teams need a jolt to get back into contention, but the Caps seem a little bit ahead of the Blackhawks with that big Saturday win.
NHL Betting Prediction: Washington 3, Chicago 2
Thursday, December 7
Dallas at St. Louis (8:00pm ET, FSSW/FSMW)
Two Central Division foes square off on Thursday night in a game that will have even more buzz than usual, since the coach that the Blues fired last year (Ken Hitchcock) is now behind the bench for the Stars. Dallas has reeled off five wins in a row, including a 7-2 demolition of Colorado on Sunday. The Stars have moved into the top ten in both goals scored (3.1, #9) and goals permitted (2.8, #8), and their penalty kill (84.7%, #3) remains rock solid.
They seem to have shored up those defensive problems that had them stumbling at around the .500 mark earlier this season. They face a St. Louis team that is just above them statistically (#7 in goals scored and #6 in goals permitted, and both teams try to use speed and stifling defense to win. Can Dallas establish themselves as a force in the Central again?
NHL Betting Prediction: St. Louis 4, Dallas 3
Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – December 4th
NHL power rankings 25 games in https://t.co/MDwgMQ905d pic.twitter.com/e9F3G7uqdz
— GNGHockey (@GNGHockey) December 4, 2017
Tuesday, December 5
New Jersey at Columbus (7:00pm ET, MSG+/FSOH)
The New Jersey Devils sit just a single point behind Columbus in the Metropolitan and look to move back into first in this showdown. The Devils need a better showing than they put forth on Saturday night, when the hapless Arizona Coyotes delivered a 5-0 rout of the visitors. They made a trade to shore up their blue line, shipping forward Adam Henrique to Anaheim in exchange for defenseman Sami Vatanen. The Devils do permit 3.0 goals per game, 17th overall. Their offense posts 3.0 goals per game, good for 12th overall, but when your net margin is virtually zero, you’re not going to get a lot of wins. Columbus also comes in off a loss, having fallen in Washington on Saturday, 4-3. Their defense ranks #3 overall in the NHL, permitting just 2.4 goals per game, and their penalty kill is sixth (83.8%), and I see them putting the clamps on the Devils in this one. NHL Betting Prediction: Columbus 2, New Jersey 1 Wednesday, December 6 Chicago at Washington (8:00pm ET, NBC Sports)
The Chicago Blackhawks are struggling to get consistency this season, as their 12-10-5 record shows. They took a 3-1 home loss from Pacific-leading Los Angeles on Sunday and sit in fifth place in the Central Division. Their defense has been fairly good, as their 2.7 goals permitted average is sixth overall and their penalty kill (84.4%) is fifth. However, their power play has been glacial, converting just 16.1% of the time (#28). The Blackhawks put up three goals a game, but they’ve not been opportunistic enough to take more wins.
They face a Washington team that is having trouble on both ends of the ice. They did score a big win over Columbus on Saturday, but their goals per game (2.9, #18) and goals permitted per game (3.1, #20) are both below average in the league. Both teams need a jolt to get back into contention, but the Caps seem a little bit ahead of the Blackhawks with that big Saturday win.
NHL Betting Prediction: Washington 3, Chicago 2
Thursday, December 7
Dallas at St. Louis (8:00pm ET, FSSW/FSMW)
Two Central Division foes square off on Thursday night in a game that will have even more buzz than usual, since the coach that the Blues fired last year (Ken Hitchcock) is now behind the bench for the Stars. Dallas has reeled off five wins in a row, including a 7-2 demolition of Colorado on Sunday. The Stars have moved into the top ten in both goals scored (3.1, #9) and goals permitted (2.8, #8), and their penalty kill (84.7%, #3) remains rock solid.
They seem to have shored up those defensive problems that had them stumbling at around the .500 mark earlier this season. They face a St. Louis team that is just above them statistically (#7 in goals scored and #6 in goals permitted, and both teams try to use speed and stifling defense to win. Can Dallas establish themselves as a force in the Central again?
NHL Betting Prediction: St. Louis 4, Dallas 3 