NHL Best Bets For 2/16/23: Expert Betting Picks
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Get NHL best bets and our expert predictions for tonight’s NHL slate of games on (2/16/23) Find best bets for four of the top NHL games tonight.
NHL Best Bets (2/16/23)
We have eight games teed up for the Thursday NHL slate and our NHL best bets are locked in for tonight’s slate of games.
Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals Best Bet
The Florida Panthers have been one of the big overall disappointments this season. The team is sitting at 60 points right now, meaning they would miss the playoffs if they started today. However, this team appears to be finding a groove as of late, as they’re on a current 4-2 run that includes wins over the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has absolutely come alive in the month of February, with a 1.73 GAA and a .951 save percentage.
The Washington Capitals will have trouble getting goals in this game, as the team has averaged just 1.5 goals per game in their last six. Washington will also be missing capitan Alex Ovechkin, who is temporarily stepping away from hockey after sadly losing his father. Without Ovechkin (team-leading 32 goals this season), the team’s next-highest scorer is Marcus Johansson, who has just 13 goals in comparison. Add in the fact that Washington goalie Darcy Kuemper has been streaky lately (2.83 goals per game in his last six) and I’m liking the Panthers to come away with a win at Capital One Arena.
Best Bet: Florida Panthers ML ()
Author: Anthony Elio
New Jersey Devils vs. St. Louis Blues Best Bet
I could see this game getting out of hand pretty quickly. The New Jersey Devils might not always cover the puck line at home (10-17), but they certainly dominate on the road (18-8). New Jersey should have some extra momentum after that game-winning goal by Ryan Graves with less than two seconds left to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2, which makes the team 11-3 straight up in the last 14 games. Jordan Binnington looks to be in goal for St. Louis, and the Devils offense (3.45 goals per game) should light the lamp early and often against a goalie with a .884 save percentage since the start of 2023.
I’m also liking the over in this one, as the St. Louis Blues have not missed Vladamir Tarasenko since the trade to the New York Rangers as much as I expected. The Blues have averaged six goals per game since trading the forward, which means that something’s clicking with this current lineup. However, with how well Vitek Vanececk has played this year (2.31 GAA, fifth in NHL), I don’t believe the Blues will be able to outpace this red-hot New Jersey squad in what I’m expecting to be a high-scoring affair.
Best Bet: New Jersey Devils () + Over
Author: Anthony Elio
Philadelphia Flyers Vs. Seattle Kraken Best Bet
Seattle return home after a 1-3 road trip as they look to regroup in the thick of a Wild Card race in the West. They get a nice bounce back spot vs. Philaldephia have been a team to pick on this year, and they are 3-4-3 in their last ten. Over the last ten, Philadelphia has registered 45.8 CF%, compared to Seattle’s 55.3%. Philipp Grubauer is confirmed tonight as the starting goalie and has been decent at times this year, registering a 2.90 GAA. Not too far off from Jones, so there isn’t a dropoff in the backup in tonight.
Carter Hart has had some tough losses and has found better form but it is a tough draw against a high scoring Seattle team. Philly is bottom ten in High-Danger opportunities and there isn’t much they are doing to put up points. Hart would need to play out of his mind again to keep Philly in this one.
Best Bet: Seattle 60 Min Line (-115)
Author: Jason Guilbault
Detroit Red Wings Vs. Calgary Flames Best Bet
The Red Wings are coming off win in Edmonton as they are on their third game in five nights. The West Coast swing has been kind to the Wings as they topped Vancouver and Edmonton in high scoring affairs. They will look to sweep the Flames this year, winning 2-1 not too long ago but have significant disadvantages tonight.
Despite the high scoring of late, Detroit is bottom-five in xGF this season and struggle at 5-on-5 play. On the other side, Calgary has dropped offenisvely but they still are one of the top xGA teams in the league. Daniel Vladar is in net and has been terrific this season with a 2.68 GAA. Between Vladar and the Calgary defense, they should keep the Wings under wraps offenisvely. I like the Wings to score no more than two goals tonight as tired legs likely show.
Best Bet: Red Wings 60 Min Total Goals Under 2.5 (-128)
Author: Jason Guilbault
