Welcome back to the NHL Best Bets! If you are wondering where I have been its because we are brining you NHL bets on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only from now on! Because of this on non-article days you can find my picks over on the Action app, the username is @Waggs if you are interested in more puck content! Getting back to the wagering though for tonight we have 7 games on the docket for tonight and plenty of angles to exploit including a Puck Line, game total and a player prop! If you like the rationale then tail the picks, if you don't feel free to fade as sometimes the best bets are the ones not taken!

  • Season Record: 91-74-3
  • Bankroll: +10.3 units
  • Dog of the Day Record: 9-10 (+2.35 Units)

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**all bets are one unit unless specifically mentioned.

NHL Best Bets for February 8th

Washington Capitals at Florida Panthers

I take no pleasure in picking on this hollowed out Washington Capitals team but when it comes to making money I don't discriminate. The Caps have now lost 5 straight heading into tonight's game and worse yet they will be without Evgeni Kuznetzov for likely the rest of the season and they weren't very deep at center to begin with. Alex Ovechkin is also a shell of his former self as father time seems to be tugging at him with just 10 goals in 48 games this season. All of this culminates into backing the Panthers on home ice of course especially when the Caps are 10-13 ATS on the road this season and Darcy Kuemper with his .892 SV% will get the start. Florida is 14-8-2 on home ice this season and a +30 overall in goal differential which dwarfs Washington's -34 but there's more. The Panthers on home ice are allowing just 2.82 goals per game at home this season and with the trends outside of even that it seems like they should roll in this game especially following the embarrassing loss to the Flyers earlier in the week. The chalk is heavy for a reason on the Money Line so its a Puck Line or no play on the Panthers tonight for all of yinz out there. 

Pick: Florida Panthers Puck Line -1.5 (-105 on BetMGM)

 

Calgary Flames at New Jersey Devils

Betting game totals in Devils games is honestly becoming an addiction at this point and maybe I need an intervention. Let's put a heat check to the test tonight though as the Flames come to town (sorry for the pun) and are scoring quite a bit over the past month. On the road the last 30 days the Flames have averaged 3.9 goals per game while winning 6 out of their last 10 contests. That's a big turnaround from early in the season when they couldn't buy a goal but its certainly better late than never. On the Devils side they are allowing 4 goals per game over the last month at home and scoring 3.9 per game on the offensive side of the ice. New Jersey has gone over the total in 16 of 24 home games this season as well and that's the 3rd highest rate in the league this season. All of that would normally be enough to bet on the over tonight but let me also add that Vitek Vanecek is starting in goal with his 3.23 GAA and .888 SV% so its looking like a lock of a play, oh and Jack Hughes is back!

Pick: Flames & Devils Over 6.5 Goals (-115 on BetMGM)

 

Vancouver Canucks at Boston Bruins

With so much chalk for negative value plays left on the board let's shift over into the player prop market and boy do I have one circled up for tonight. The player is Pavel Zacha who has fit like a glove in this Bruins roster from day one and right now he is centering a line with David Pastrnak one of the leagues top goal scorers. Most nights I would just wager on him to pick up an assist but this game with Vancouver could be lower scoring so let's look at shots on goal. Over the past 15 games Zacha has gone higher than 1.5 shots on goal in 12 games for a hit rate of 80%. He has done it against some tough competition too but the Canucks interestingly enough are allowing 31.9 shots on goal on the road in the last month so that leaves the door wide open for our guy. Love this play tonight and hopefully the consistency train keeps on rolling for Zacha and the Bruins!

Pick: Pavel Zacha Over 1.5 Shots on Goal (-150 on Caesars)