Will the Blue Jackets continue to score at will when they host the Islanders on Wednesday night? Can the Avalanche overcome their latest setback to start a new winning streak? And will the Golden Knights win for a fifth consecutive time when they visit the Kings? Check out our Wednesday NHL Predictions & Best Bets.
NHL Tuesday Best Bets Recap
Utter f*cking disaster. That’s what my picks were last night. An utter f*cking disaster. My recommendations were as follows: Penguins (+110) over the Wild, the Blues (+125) over the Senators and the Rangers (-150) over the Capitals. The Penguins blew a two-goal lead in the first period to fall, 5-3. The Blues were only down six goals heading into the third period before failing to muster a massive comeback in an 8-1 defeat. And despite owning the Capitals in previous meetings, the Rangers were drop-kicked 5-3 in Washington.
I am now an abysmal 26-30 on the season (-$958.00).
Wednesday NHL Prediction: Columbus Blue Jackets over 2.5 Goals (-156)
The Blue Jackets have been one of the most surprising teams in the NHL this season, especially from an offensive standpoint. They’re coming off a 6-1 win over the Oilers and have scored at least six goals in four games this season. That ties the Golden Knights for the most six-goal games in the NHL. The Blue Jackets have also netted a franchise-best 33 goals through their first eight games of the season. They average 4.13 goals a game, which is the fourth-highest in the league.
Tonight Columbus will draw Semyon Varlamov of the Islanders. He’s made four starts on the season and is just 1-2-1 with a .854 save percentage and a 3.72 goals-against average. Varlamov has fared well versus the Blue Jackets over his career (115-2, .937 save percentage and 2.18 GAA), but this is a different looking Columbus squad.
Wednesday NHL Prediction: Colorado Avalanche -110, 9:00 p.m. ET
I know the Aves just lost to the lowly Blackhawks and are now without leading goal-scorer Ross Colton, who left Monday’s loss after taking a shot off his leg in the first period. That said, the price is right to back Colorado at home.
The Lightning led the NHL in power-play percentage last season but is just 5-for-31 this year. Tampa Bay has also struggled on penalty kill, ranking 28th at 71.9 percentage. That could be a problem against the Avalanche, who are third in the NHL at 36.4 percent on the power play and have 12 power-play goals despite missing four out of their top players on that unit.
Wednesday NHL Prediction: Vegas Golden Knights -130, 10:00 p.m. ET
The Golden Knights will go for five straight wins tonight in L.A. They blanked the Flames 5-0 on Monday to complete a four-game homestand in which they won every game. Vegas also improved upon its NHL-leading goals-per-game average to 4.70 and expanding its league-leading goal differential to plus-19.
The Kings, meanwhile, just lost to the worst team in the NHL. Their 4-2 loss to the Sharks last night was embarrassing and it ended a two-game winning streak. The vibes are also currently off with this team, as Kevin Fiala was scratched for missing a team meeting. He is second on the Kings with four goals, but he is also tied for a team-high with 12 penalty minutes.