Hello all, I apologize for the delay this week. As an offering of forgiveness here are some Friday NHL picks instead. We are 12-4 on the season, so let's keep winning!

Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks

I'll be honest I think a lot of people would look at this game and quickly lean towards one of the teams. For two main reasons simply put number one Chicago has struggled to score averaging only 2.3 goals per game, which is last in the NHL. Minnesota meanwhile while not exactly an offensive juggernaut plays a very structured game and so far this season has been very tough to score on especially when Filip Gustavsson is in, as he has a 2.06 goals-against-average and a .929 save percentage. On top of this, Chicago has lost six of its last nine and the Blackhawks have lost 12 of the previous 13 head-to-head matchups versus Minnesota. Pick: Wild 3-way ML -1.5 units (I will likely use Wild ML to juice a parlay).


Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Nashville Predators

Now despite the lines for this game being about even on most sports books, I'm strongly leaning towards one of these teams. Tampa Bay has done well against Nashville in recent meetings, going 7-3-0 in their last 10 against them. The offence has been good for the Lightning this season. They scored three or more goals in seven of their last 10 games. Tampa Bay ranks fourth in goals per game. On the other end Nashville has struggled mightily on offense this season; scoring two or fewer goals in seven of their last 10 games. They rank last in goals per game on the season. The defence and goaltending have been poor for the Preds this season. They rank 24th in goals against per game and 26th in shots against per game. Pick: Tampa Bay ML - 1 unit (The line is close to flat so feel free to play as it, but I don't hate playing the 3-way line for increased value).


Edmonton Oilers vs. Utah Hockey Club (Not Yetis)

This is a surprisingly interesting matchup to me, in particular, because both teams have had issues scoring the puck on the season. I know the Oilers scored six goals in their last game but they still average just 2.9 per game on the season. Edmonton does have the firepower to light it up in the last game, but have struggled with consistency especially on offence this year. Utah is in their first season and has leaned on their defence but not to as much success as they would want. This is likely in part due to their own struggles on offence averaging 2.73 goals per game. In short, both teams struggle to score regularly. Pick: Under 6.5 goals - 1 unit

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