It’s been a few quiet days in the NHL over the Christmas period, but we are back with a bang ahead of tonight’s action where we are targeting the once-league top points scorer Martin Necas to get back on the board at plus money.
Elsewhere, we like the look of St. Louis as underdogs on home ice.
Picks Summary
- Martin Necas Over 1.5 Points (+140)
- Blues ML (+120)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils
Friday, December 27, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Prudential Center
Showtime for Necas
Martine Necas was once the top points scorer this season, but having now failed to score a single point in four games and no points in 5 of his previous 6, Necas is now the 14th top points scorer in the league (13 points behind league leader Nathan McKinnon).
That said, we fancy Necas to break his cold streak tonight against a team like the New Jersey Devils who are due a bad night because not only have they kept a clean sheet in their previous two games, they have also allowed the least amount of goals per game thus far this season.
It might sound counterproductive to take Necas to get back on the horse tonight, but this is precisely his specialty: coming good when you least expect it. On top of this, he had a solid record against the Devils, scoring at least one point in each of his previous four games, and has a career 12 points in 15 games against the Devils.
The Pick
We like the plus money available on Necas to get back on the board tonight when taking a look at his over 1.5 points line, Although the over 0.5 line is a much safer bet, it juiced to -145, which is way too low, but we believe there to be some small value in the over 1.5 lie as the current odds are at +140 for Necas to see two or more points, we would bet this down to as low as +130.
NHL Pick: Martin Necas Over 1.5 Points (+140) at Bet365
Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues
Friday, December 27, 2024 – 08:00 PM ET at Enterprise Center
The Blues Odds Aint So Blue
Santa is bringing lots of presents to us bettors this Friday night. We truly cannot believe the Blues are underdogs on home ice to the Nashville Predators, and not just barely underdogs, substantially so at +120 NHL betting odds, that’s a 45% chance of winning.
We believe the St. Louis Blues are to be respected enough to be at the very least +100 to win this game, The Nashville Predators are 11-17-7, whilst the Blues are 16-16-4. This is a strange line but we are not going to read too much into it.
The only guess as to why the odds are in favor of the Predators is because they are 4-2 in their last six games, compared to the Blues who are 2-4 in their last 6 games, but for us this isn’t enough to compel us to get behind this Predators team on the road who are 2-8 in their previous 10 outings.
The Pick
Look, the Blues might be 3-7 in their last ten on home ice, but we just can’t be letting this one escape at +120 NHL betting odds. The Blues have as much chance of beating the Predators on home ice tonight as the Predators do to beat the Blues.
Simply put, would you rather put your money on the home team St. Louis at +120 or the traveling Predators at -125? It’s not like it’s the Maple Leafs or Winnipeg Jets etc. (no offense Nashville fans). It’s Nashville at the end of the day, plus this is a small rival game, neither team will want to roll over.
The Predators have won the previous matchups between these division rivals, right now the Blues are 6th, whilst the Predators are 7th, they somehow always seem to end up beside each other each season.
Take the Blues to win this one as home underdogs.
NHL Pick: Blues ML (+120) at Bet365
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
