Friday’s best bets and tips across the NHL include a couple of key games for Eastern Conference Wild Card hopefuls Montreal and Ottawa.
Utah and Tampa Bay meet for the second time in a week, and it’s fair to say the Lightning will be out for revenge after losing 6-4 the first time around.
The Bolts are coming off a massive 6-1 win over the Pens on Wednesday, but Utah does have a slight rest advantage coming off a two-day break, while this is also Tampa Bay’s fourth game in six nights.
UHC heads further south to battle the Panthers on Saturday, so it’s worth factoring in that three of their last five games in the first half of a back-to-back have gone Over the Total.
With the Lightning on short rest, another high-scoring game is my pick here.
The Habs are clinging on for dear life in the Eastern Wild Card picture, losing three straight games to slip back to 33-28-9 on the season.
Fortunately, they bump into a slumping Flyers team who were just handed a sixth-straight loss on Wednesday, 7-2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Canadiens head to Carolina on Saturday for a tough game against the Canes, so this is almost must-win territory with the season starting to fade. With three wins from their last four games in the first game of a back-to-back set, though, I’m happy to pull the trigger on the Habs.
Sticking with the Wild Card picture in the East, there’s a play to be made here on the Sens with some decent rest advantage against the battling Red Wings.
To be clear, both sides have enjoyed a day off, but this is the third game in four nights for Detroit after being smoked 5-2 by the Avs in Colorado on Wednesday.
Three losses from their last four tells you all you need to know, all of which have come by multiple goals. Throw in the fact the Sens have won seven of their last 10 over Detroit, and suddenly the value for Ottawa looks very enticing.