NHL Picks: Big Weekend Ahead of All-Star Break
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The NHL heads into the weekend, starting with quite a few games, and then the number of contests drops.
All-Star Break week is nearly here. It is best to just dig into the schedule.
Schedule Breakdown
Let us do this first in terms of game allotment.
- Friday – 8
- Saturday – 11
- Sunday – 2?
Thankfully, Saturday is one solid slate.
Who plays back-to-back this weekend? Here are those teams below.
- New Jersey (Thursday, Friday)
- Detroit (Thursday, Friday)
- Calgary (Thursday, Friday)
- San Jose (Friday, Saturday)
- Florida (Friday, Saturday)
- Ottawa (Friday, Saturday)
- Los Angeles (Friday, Saturday)
- Columbus (Friday, Saturday)
- Seattle (Friday, Saturday)
- New York Islanders (Friday, Saturday)
- Vegas (Friday, Saturday)
- Boston (Saturday, Sunday)
Again, this is easy to follow, and the Sunday games begin at 5 p.m. ET, which is good.
Those Pesky Back To Backs And More
The biggest thing to look forward to might be about taking advantage of teams playing back-to-back and three in four nights. Looping in the Thursday game reveals the Boston Bruins as the only team in this scenario. Yes, this may be the one time to pick on Boston a little.
Ottawa plays Toronto and Montreal on Friday and Saturday nights. This points to entertaining and higher-scoring contests. Toronto and Ottawa have trended to the Under (four of the last five meetings). However, the Senators need wins in the worst way.
Then, there is Dallas and New Jersey. This could be a more intriguing game than expected. Even with their issues versus Nashville, New Jersey scored four goals on Thursday night. Vitek Vanecek starts Friday, and the Devils want to go into their long break with a win.
Oh yes. There is Saturday with 11 games on the schedule. St. Louis and Colorado get us started mid-afternoon on the East Coast. So, while those in the West enjoy an early lunch, this is good for a night full of puck.
If there is even better news, there is this. Los Angeles spends the weekend in Florida, which means Saturday could be a betting bonanza with the Lightning and Kings. The Over likely stays at 6.5, and these two teams can score some goals. Tampa Bay can quickly put up four goals at home or more.
Saturday has some odd contests, too. Vegas plays on Long Island against the Islanders. New York has scored two or fewer goals in 12 of their past 14 games. Do the futile times continue to roll, or can the Islanders mount something of an offense? Vegas is one of the best teams in the NHL on the road. The Under and New York seem to go hand-in-hand.
More About Wagering For The Weekend
Hockey bettors are in for a surprising breather on Sunday after several late Saturday night options. Again, Edmonton and Chicago on a Saturday could be nuts. No one knows what will happen between Arizona and Anaheim. Furthermore, Seattle gets to entertain Columbus, but it will be their second home game in as many nights. Let the goals continue to reign.
As mentioned above, both Sunday games start at 5 p.m. on the East Coast. These games are pretty good, though. Boston battles Carolina in a clash of two of the top teams in the East. It is Boston’s third game in four nights, making it a spot to wager on Carolina.
Toronto could be a fun team for Sunday. They keep winning at home, and Ilya Samsonov likely faces his former team. You are welcome.
Some Quick Points To Be Mindful Of
- Watch how Calgary plays on Friday in Seattle. Did it get caught looking ahead?
- Does Vegas come up snake-eyes this weekend?
- Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin versus San Jose Saturday. Enough said.
- Alex Ovechkin's goal props for Saturday should be on high alert.
- Mark Scheifele could continue scoring much like Vince Dunn this weekend.
- Buffalo and Minnesota are the under-the-radar goal fest waiting to happen.
- Next week is much easier to digest.
Good luck, and once again, thanks for reading! We will have a few more plays on social media as conditions warrant.
Thanks to BetMGM for the solid weekend lines and TSN for the easy-to-follow segmented schedule.
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