Predictions and Best Bets for NHL Games – Friday, February 18th, 2022

We are in a quiet spot for sports betting, but the NHL is here to save the day. With the NFL season ending, the NBA heading into the All-Star break, and the MLB struggling to get through the offseason, the NHL is right here for us.

There are 4 great games for Friday. We have the Predators vs. Hurricanes, Panthers vs. Wild, Stars vs. Blackhawks, and Kings vs. Golden Knights on tap for today.

There is not a single team that is favored to win by a lot over their opponent. That means there should be some close and entertaining games for us to watch.

Let’s take a look at what the full odds are looking like for these NHL games for this Friday.

These are the odds for the NHL games that can be found on BetUS. We have a good mix of low scoring and high scoring games, which could be a target for us to bet on.

The two games that have the lowest goal total for today include the Predators vs. Hurricanes and the Stars vs. Blackhawks. Carolina has the lowest goals per game allowed (2.38, tied with Calgary) in the NHL, while Nashville is top 12 themselves.

Dallas and Chicago are two teams in the bottom 20 in goals allowed per game, but a lot of their games hit the under. Dallas scores the 16th most goals per game in the NHL, but Chicago is lagging behind badly there at 30th in the NHL.

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The Hurricanes are the heaviest favorite for today at the current price (-170). They beat the Predators in the second game of the season 3-2 and have the better overall record for this year. Carolina is an impressive 32-11-4 for this year and are in second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Nashville is doing pretty solid, but not as good as Carolina. They are 28-17-4 on the year and are in 4th in the Central Division.

Let’s get into our rough predictions for today’s 4 NHL games.

To start the night off, I like the Hurricanes to beat the Predators at home. Their 16-4-2 record at home speaks for itself. Both of these teams are on losing streaks, with Nashville being on a 3 game and Carolina with 2.

I am also expecting that game to be able to hit the under as well. Both goalies average under 2.5 goals allowed per game, while the Hurricanes allow the fewest goals per game in the NHL (2.38). Nashville also has the most penalty minutes in the NHL at 12.9 per game.

That’s the main reason why the line is so high and the over is more favored to hit than the under. 7 goals is a lot, but these two teams can handle it. Minnesota hits the over the 2nd most in the NHL, while the Panthers hit it the 5th most.

Dallas should have the upper hand over Chicago, who has struggled this season. The Blackhawks are 30th in goals scored per game, which makes it hard to win games.

I also like the over in the last game of the night. I prefer the Knights to win, but these two teams have put some serious goals on the board in their first two matchups. The Kings beat the Knights the first time 6-2, while the Knights beat them their last game 6-3.

That brings me to my best bets of the night. Frankly I am surprised that the point total isn’t 6.5 or even 7 for the Kings vs. Knights game. They are averaging 8.5 goals per game against each other this season, which is a good amount ahead of the line set for this game.

Even if they score 6 goals, you should get refunded which is better than losing.

The Hurricanes should be able to beat the Predators at home tonight. Carolina the best defensive hockey team in goals allowed and penalty kill percentage, while being 2nd in shots on goal allowed too.

They follow that up with the 6th best goals per game and 9th best power play. They could get a couple goals in the power play tonight considering Nashville averages the most penalty minutes in the NHL.

The Stars should be able to take care of the lowly Blackhawks tonight as well. Fleury is back in the net for the Blackhawks, but that likely won’t be enough.

Of course you can bet on both of those things to happen and more on the best NHL betting sites.

Feel free to bet on the other bets you like tonight, as the other major sports are not busy right now at all. Best of luck and remember to head back to our NHL betting picks page for more recommended bets.