There are only four games on the National Hockey League schedule Friday, and the only one involving two playoff teams has the Seattle Kraken visiting the New York Rangers. Read on for today's NHL Best Bets based on the latest odds.
Just as compelling as a matchup between playoff teams is the game going in Chicago, where the Blackhawks host the Arizona Coyotes. They were the two teams most likely to finish with the worst record in the league.
The Blackhawks are right there, ranked 31st by points percentage, with 35 points in 49 games. Arizona has been slightly better, in 29th, with 40 points in 51 games.
Friday's game between Arizona and Chicago would seem to be a matchup that neither team really wants to win, but one of them will be forced to take the W.
Here are our NHL Best Bets for Friday (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, and PointsBet; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Friday's NHL schedule and odds
(odds via FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (-255) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (+205)
- Seattle Kraken (+158) vs. New York Rangers (-192)
- Arizona Coyotes (-114) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (-105)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (-265) vs. Anaheim Ducks (+215)
Friday's NHL best bets
- 60-minute moneyline: Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets (-160 via DraftKings) ????
- Spread: Ducks +1.5 vs. Penguins (-115 via FanDuel) ????
- Total: Coyotes-Blackhawks Under 6 (-114 via FanDuel) ???
- Prop: Filip Chytil Over 0.5 points (+100 via BetMGM) ?????
Friday's NHL top picks
If Toronto is going to win in Columbus, they can do it in 60 minutes.
The Maple Leafs have lost their last three road games, and goaltender Ilya Samsonov has been better at Scotiabank Arena, but 10 of Toronto's 11 road victories this season have come in regulation.
Toronto ranks fourth in the league, with 54.6% of score-and-venue-adjusted expected goals during five-on-five play. Columbus ranks 28th, with 43.5%. Those underlying numbers suggest a mismatch.
Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo had been surprisingly effective early in the season but is starting to regress toward career norms. In his past six starts, he has a .890 save percentage. For a Blue Jackets team that ranks 31st with 34.8 shots against per 60 minutes, that is not going to steal many wins.
The price to take Toronto on the moneyline is rather hefty, so you can pay less juice to get a Maple Leafs win in regulation. Since 10 of Toronto's 11 road wins have come in regulation, that is a cost-effective way to mitigate risk.
It feels strange to have some sense of optimism about the Anaheim Ducks, especially when their All-Star representative, right winger Troy Terry, is injured.
Nevertheless, the Ducks are 5-1-1 in their past seven games and their goaltending duo of John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz has combined for a .927 save percentage in that time, ranking sixth.
Gibson, a Pittsburgh native, has faced a heavy workload in the Anaheim net, but has a .950 save percentage in his past three starts, stopping 113 of 119 shots.
For their part, the Penguins are still trying to secure a playoff spot and it has been a bumpy road. They are 6-7-5 in their past 18 games and have one multi-goal win in their past nine games away from PPG Paints Arena.
As flawed as they are, the Penguins have the better talent and should find a way to win this game, but the Ducks are undervalued, so taking them on the puck line, to keep it close, makes sense.
Our top-rated sportsbooks have settled the Anaheim puck line at +1.5 (-115). Keep an eye on any late-breaking lineup news that could affect the line before puck drop.
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This game is the irresistable force vs. the immovable object.
Both the Coyotes and Blackhawks surrender a lot of shots, with Arizona ranking 30th and Chicago ranking 26th in shots against per 60 minutes.
However, there is a glaring lack of talent on both teams. They were constructed to land the best lottery odds and, for the most part, they are achieving that objective. Chicago ranks 31st with 2.43 goals per 60 minutes, while Arizona ranks 28th, with 2.56 goals per 60.
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is not expected to play. He is one of three Chicago players tied for the team lead with 14 goals. Toews' absence leaves Max Domi and Taylor Raddysh as Chicago's top goal-scoring threats.
Arizona has 18 goals from Clayton Keller, 16 from Lawson Crouse, and 11 in 35 games from Nick Schmaltz.
Under most circumstances, I lean towards expecting teams to take advantage of Chicago and Arizona's shaky defensive play. But, this is a case where neither team has the skill to make the most of the opportunities that will come their way.
Our top-rated sportsbooks have the Under at -115 at most of the top-rated sportsbooks, though FanDuel comes in at -114, so that is a very slight edge when seeking the best place to make this wager.
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The goal-scoring market seems to have caught up with the Rangers center. He was as high as +300 to score an anytime goal within the past few weeks but is now between +160 and +190 to score a goal on Friday. These things happen when you score seven goals in five games.
However, it is still possible to get good value on Chytil to record a point, and can be picked up for even money at BetMGM.
Chytil has points in 14 of 23 home games and has recorded at least one point in seven of his past eight games.
He faces a Seattle Kraken squad playing the second game of a back-to-back, coming off a 3-1 loss at New Jersey on Thursday.
While the Kraken are a solid team, their goaltending is shaky. Martin Jones is the likely starter Friday, and he has a .893 save percentage and 3.00 goals against average in 18 road games.
While BetMGM and PointsBet both have Chytil to record a point at even money, the rest of the top-rated sportsbooks range between -110 and -118. That is a substantial difference between even money and paying the extra 18 percent required at FanDuel. Choose your sportsbook accordingly.
NHL Best Bet picks made 2/10/2023 at 12:30 p.m. ET.
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