It's officially 2024 in the NHL and I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday break and of course the Winter Classic yesterday! If you followed me on twitter then you got a winning pick of under 6 goals for that game and it was a piece of cake! Looking towards tonight though we have a massive 13 game slate full of angles and stats to help us make some money! In today's article you will find a Money Line wager and a pair of game total wagers PLUS the Dog of the Day returns once again! 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: 58-52-2
  • Bankroll: +3.14 units
  • Dog of the Day Record: 4-4 (+1.45 Units)

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**all bets are one unit unless specifically mentioned.

NHL Best Bets for January 2nd

Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins

It's the national game of the night on ESPN as the Caps travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins! I could write for paragraphs and more about how much this rivalry means and has meant to the game of hockey but I will say this, the sand in the hourglass is running short for matchups between Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby so enjoy these moments while they last. That being said I don't expect a scoring bonanza tonight as each team as prioritized defense first this season. On the road this season the Capitals have scored just 2.35 goals per game, the 4th fewest in the NHL and that has led to a record of 10-7 towards the under in road games. On the Penguins side they score a little over 3 per game on offense at home but the defense is the key as they allow 2.29 goals per game at home this season. Scoring will be tough tonight given these trends and the total can still be found at 6 goals on many sportsbook sites, that's just too many for this iteration of the Caps and Pens so let's hit the under tonight. 

Pick: Capitals & Penguins Under 6 Goals (-120 on BetMGM)

 

Calgary Flames at Minnesota Wild

One of the big head scratchers for me this NHL season is the books obsession with the Flames and giving them better odds every game when they do not deserve it. Tonight's game in Minnesota has them at -110 across the board, its an even game on each sides Money Line but why? They are 6-13 on the road this season straight up and have allowed 3.8 goals per game over the past 30 days. The Wild on the other hand are a good home team with a record of 10-5-2 and have a superior goaltending situation in my opinion. I can't wrap my head around it so I won't try to, instead I will place a wager on the Wild to win on the Money Line tonight and collect my cash at the end. 

Pick: Minnesota Wild Money Line (-110 on BetMGM)

 

Montreal Canadiens at Dallas Stars

When you have a slate this large finding an over you love more than the rest can be tough but with these two teams I feel good about a litany of goals. The Stars last season were the best of the best at hitting under the total but this season they are looser on defense allowing 3.39 goals per game on home ice while scoring 4.06 goals a game on offense. This has led to the Stars going over in 14 of 18 home games this season, a ridiculous trend. On the Montreal side of things they don't play much defense either as they allow 3.32 goals per game on the road this season and it looks like Jake Allen could be starting in net and he's horrible. The total is 6.5 goals of course given the stats but I see Dallas scoring 5+ tonight so the Habs just need to carry 2 goals tonight which they should. 

Pick: Canadiens & Stars Over 6.5 Goals (-105 on Caesars)

DOG OF THE DAY

Tampa Bay Lightning Money Line vs Winnipeg Jets (+120 on Caesars)