Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – January 8th

Did you know that every team in the Western Conference’s Central Division has a net zero or a positive goal differential? Even the Chicago Blackhawks, who currently dwell in the basement of the division, have a +11 mark. Of course, only 11 points separate those Blackhawks from the Winnipeg Jets, who have won seven of 10 to skate to the top of the division standings. In the Pacific Division, Vegas continues to play lights-out hockey, winners of nine of their last 10. In the Eastern Conference, Washington has shot to the top of the conference table, winning seven of their last 10, and the Boston Bruins have made a big move in the Atlantic, winning eight of 10 (and earning points in the two losses by going to overtime in those games) to sit in second behind Tampa Bay. Check out our sports NHL betting picks for the week ahead as the action continues.

Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – January 8th

At 1st place in the Metro and with 4 straight wins, the #Caps have to be pretty high in this week’s NHL Power Rankings. https://t.co/4APVejmVmm

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) January 8, 2018

Tuesday, January 9

Vancouver at Washington (7:00pm ET, RSNP / CSNB)

The Vancouver Canucks are 28th in scoring (2.6 goals per game) and 27th in goals permitted (3.3). They also rank #27 on the penalty kill (77.7%). Vancouver pushed the Toronto Maple Leafs to a shootout on Saturday night but fell, 3-2, before heading to Montreal and taking a 5-2 beating. They do have a couple days off before they limp into Capital One Arena to face the Capitals, but this is a team that is seeing the era of the Sedin twins come to an end — without a lot of promise for their next phase, and the pessimism is settling in. They take on a Washington team that won a pair of wild overtime games in its last two results, winning at Carolina in 5-4 fashion on January 2 and then taking down St. Louis in overtime at home on Sunday night, thanks to a power-play goal from Alex Ovechkin in the third period (giving him 27 on the season) and an overtime winner from Nicklas Backstrom. Washington is rested and flying high — and I see them taking down Vancouver at home. NHL Betting Prediction: Washington 4, Vancouver 2

Friday, January 12

Winnipeg at Chicago (8:30pm ET, CSNC)

The offensively minded Winnipeg Jets have seen their offense explode in the past couple of weeks, and they now rank third overall in goals scored (3.3) and second overall on the power play (25.0%). Mathieu Perreault had a big goal in the Jets’ 4-1 win over San Jose on Sunday night, as the Jets continue to prosper despite missing their #1 center, Mark Scheifele (upper-body injury). Key to their success has been development on defense, as they now rank ninth overall, permitting just 2.7 goals per game. They travel to Chicago to take on a Blackhawks team that pushed hard against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night but fell, 5-4. They rebounded nicely to take down Edmonton on Sunday night by a 4-1 margin. The Blackhawks are about in the middle of the NHL in scoring (3.0), goals permitted (2.8) and killing the penalty (81.4%). But do they have the energy to take down an upstart team that has taken over the top slot in their division? NHL Betting Prediction: Chicago 4, Winnipeg 3 (SO)

Saturday, January 13

N.Y. Islanders at N.Y. Rangers (1:00pm ET, MSG+ / MSG)

The Islanders score in bunches (3.3 goals per game, third overall), but their defense is ridiculous, as they permit a league-worst 3.7 goals per game and only kill off penalties at a 74.1% clip, good for 30th in the league. They did take down the New Jersey Devils in a shootout on Sunday to win, 5-4, but they were dealt a 4-0 shellacking by the underwhelming Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night. They have the majority of the week off to figure things out before they head across town to take on the Rangers. The Blueshirts beat Arizona in a 2-1 shootout on Saturday night before heading to Vegas before losing by the same score on Sunday night. They have the week off as well before hosting the Islanders, and it’s clear that the Rangers need to put up some better numbers on offense to skate with the Islanders — but the porous Islander defense should give them the opportunities they need. NHL Betting Prediction: N.Y. Rangers 3, N.Y. Islanders 2