We have a loaded slate of action and there are some awesome matchups and NHL best bets on tap!

It's been an interesting few weeks of the NHL with the Christmas break and some odd schedules, but we're back to normal business tonight!

 

 

 

NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 1/2

It's clear that teams have fallen into their tiers across the league, and we know who is for real and who is not.

Teams will certainly go through ups and downs, but we should look to trust the “best” teams and keep our NHL picks simple.

 

 

 

Ducks vs. Jets Prediction: Thursday, January 2nd

The Winnipeg Jets are one of the best teams in the league and coming off a loss, so we'll look to them at home against the Anaheim Ducks.

This season, the Ducks have allowed 66.8 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the second-worst in the league. For another season, the Ducks are a terrible defensive team and present a ton of value for opposing offenses due to the shots and goals they allow.

If we're talking Jets, and we're talking shots on goal, we're going to one player – Kyle Connor. He leads the team with 131 shots on goal this season while the next highest player is at only 88 shots.

Conor is nearly 50 shots higher than the next player, a clear indication that Connor is the go-to guy on offense. He comes in with 34 shots on goal over his last 10 games and with the Jets back at home, Connor should be looking to drive the offense tonight.

 

 

 

Lightning vs. Sharks Prediction: Thursday, January 2nd

The Tampa Bay Lightning are another good team coming off a loss and they should be able to right the ship against the San Jose Sharks. I will routinely buy into a spot such as this expecting a bounce-back performance from great players, so we'll turn to Brayden Point tonight. 

Point is an elite goal-scorer who has already found the back of the next 23 times in 30 games this season and is well on his way to another 40-50 goal campaign. 

This season, the Sharks allow 3.04 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the third-worst in the league. On the Tampa side of things, they are scoring 3.1 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the best in the NHL. Add in the fact that Lightning have the third-best (26.9%) power-play in the league, and we are cooking with gas here. 

I'll simply trust one of the best players in the league to put up a big performance against a bad defense. 

 

 

 

Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 1/2