NHL Best Bets and Betting Picks: January 2nd
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)
Follow me on twitter @jwaggs10
**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)
Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Panthers released TE Jordan Matthews.
Matthews converted to tight end a few years ago and hasn’t made much noise at the position. The change has, however, likely kept him in the league for a few more seasons. He appeared in four games with the Panthers last year but didn’t record any stats on offense. The Panthers also released or waived WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, and TE Colin Granger.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.