Best Bets and Predictions for NHL Games – Thursday, February 17th, 2022

If you already took a peek at today’s NHL slate, you would have seen the huge list of games on the schedule. This should be a very exciting day for NHL betting. Hopefully we can win some bets to send us into the weekend with some extra money.

The Penguins and Maple Leafs are kicking off the games today and that’s going to be a good one. Pittsburgh is in first place in the Metropolitan Division, while the Maple Leafs are in third in the Atlantic Division.

Some more games that are scheduled for today include the Bruins vs. Islanders, Ducks vs. Oilers, Canucks vs. Sharks, and much more.

Let’s take a look at the odds for these games before we make out betting picks.

These are all of the odds for today’s NHL slate via BetOnline. The highest projected scoring game is the Ducks vs. Oilers at 6.5 total goals. The lowest projected scoring game is the last game of the day between the Canucks and Sharks at 5.5.

All of the other games are set at 6 goals, which seems to be the standard.

The heaviest favorite of the day is the St. Louis Blues at (-255) over the Canadiens. Montreal is a miserable 8-33-7, which is the worst record in the NHL. The Blues on the other hand are an impressive 28-14-5 on the year.

Stolarz will be making the start and averages more goals allowed per game than Gibson does. The Ducks also played yesterday, so that could impact their defense as well.

Final from Calgary. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/S2gfFENfmJ

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) February 17, 2022

Mike Smith is projected to make another start for the Oilers, but they are getting Mikko Koskinen back from COVID-19 protocols here soon.

The rest of the matchups should be pretty close, as most of them are pretty evenly matched. Let’s make our full predictions for today’s NHL slate.

These are my overall predictions for today’s NHL slate. I have a couple of upset picks, but overall the favorites should be able to take care of business.

I think the Penguins are capable of upsetting the Maple Leafs, while the Blue Jackets are capable of upsetting the Blackhawks. Both of those underdogs have a chance to win and bring back some great value for us.

We're lookin' for five straight wins tonight in Toronto.

Game preview: https://t.co/7zZZiBkgTR pic.twitter.com/qXezvH8g6y

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 17, 2022

My two point total bets include the under for both the Bruins/Islanders and Canucks/Sharks.

The Bruins and the Islanders have played each other once this season and the Islanders won 3-1.

Vancouver and San Jose are two heavy under teams. San Jose games hit the under at the third highest rate in the NHL, while Vancouver games are right behind them at 5th most. That’s a strong bet for the under if you ask me.

I’m going with the value picks for my best bets today. The Penguins and Blue Jackets are very strong underdog bets if you ask me and you can’t pass up on good value. If you don’t think they win straight up, you can take their puck line for a safer bet if you wish.

Pittsburgh obliterated Toronto in their first game of the year and won 7-1. The second time they played was also a win, despite being a closer game (2-0).

The Blue Jackets are a nice underdog bet tonight as well. The Blackhawks are expected to start Arvid Soderblom to give Marc-Andre Fleury a rest tonight. That should open up the window for the Blue Jackets.

Columbus has the 6th best shooting percentage as well as 13th most goals per game. They should be able to score on the Blackhawks, while Chicago ranks very poor offensively and can be left behind.

Ottawa’s expected goalie for today is Filip Gustavsson, who allows 3.79 goals per game with a 89.2% save percentage. Buffalo has scored 14 total goals over their last three games (4.67 goals per game) and can continue their little hot streak tonight.

The Blues get an easy matchup tonight against the NHL’s worst team. I expect them to win the game straight up easily and taking their puck line makes a lot of sense. Montreal has the worst record against the spread to go with their actual worst record in the NHL.

Head over to the best NHL betting sites to place your bets along with me.