NHL’s Tuesday action sees us take just our second total to go under of the season in the Minnesota and Boston matchup, while the Golden Knights remain one of the best bets tonight as underdogs.
Elsewhere, we are backing the league’s top points scorer to stay hot on home ice against a very beatable opponent.
Picks Summary
- Wild-Boston Bruins Under 5.5 (+110)
- Golden Knights ML (+115)
- Nikita Kucherov Over 1.5 Points (-125)
*All odds available at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Minnesota Wild vs. Boston Bruins
Tuesday, December 19, 2023 – 07:00 PM ET at TD Garden
Betting Trends
- Minnesota have seen the 4th most amount of games go under 5.5 goals this season in the Western Conference.
- Boston have had the 2nd most amount of games go under 5.5 goals this season in the Eastern Conference.
- The Previous three matchups have gone over 5.5 goals.
Goals Could Be Hard to Come By
Despite the previous three games between these teams having seen over 5.5 goals scored, we do like this trend to come to a stop in this matchup, and at +110 NHL betting odds, we believe this to be a solid bet for one of tonight’s opening games.
Boston have the 4th best defense thus far this season, allowing just 2.5 goals per game. While Minnesota are not as strong defensively (allowing 3.18 per game), they do lack offense, coming up with 2.96 goals at this current time.
The Bruins have seen less than six goals scored in three of their previous five games while Minnesota have seen less than six scored in 4 of their previous 5 games.
The Pick
We are betting the under 5.5 goals in this NHL game, our OddsTrader computer is taking a very cautious approach with the score as it predicts a 3-1 victory for the Boston Bruins.
Although 3-1 might be a little low, we were thinking more like 4-1 or 3-2 when looking to bet the under five goals market. Either way, we like this bet for the current plus money odds and would bet it down to as low as +100 on the under 5.5 goals.
NHL Pick: Under 5.5 Goals (+110) at Bet365
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Tuesday, December 19, 2023 – 07:00 PM ET at PNC Arena
Betting Trends
- The Vegas Golden Knights are 6-2 in their previous 8 games.
- Carolina Hurricanes have won just 2 of their previous 8 games.
Carolina Not Backable as Favorites
The Carolina Hurricanes have not been as strong as they were last season. Despite having a winning record overall (16-12-3) they are actually -2.5 units on the moneyline compared to opponents (and reigning Stanley Cup Champions) Vegas, who boast a record of 21-6-5 and have accumulated +2.3 units on the moneyline.
+2.3 might sound like a low number when looking at their overall record, but i’ts almost two times more than the Hurricanes and they have been laying a lot of juice as favorites. Despite being on the road in this game, we like their underdog status and odds at +115 on the moneyline.
The Pick
Carolina are on a downward slope at the moment and are 0-5 in their previous five games against Western Conference opponents, while the Golden Knights have proved to be a reliable team to bet on thus far this season. They are winning the majority of their games and these odds seem too good to be true despite being on the road.
The Knights are 5-1-1 as underdogs this season.
NHL Pick: Golden Knights ML (+115) at Bet365
St. Louis Blues vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Tuesday, December 19, 2023 – 07:00 PM ET at Amalie Arena
Betting Trends
- Nikita Kucherov is the top points scorer thus far in the NHL having scored 20 goals and 32 assists.
- Kucherov has scored 2+ points in 5 of his previous 7 games.
- Kucherov had 3 points in his previous game against the St Louis Blues.
Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)
There’s not much to say here regarding this pick other than to keep striking while the iron is hot. Nikita Kucherov has been on fire this season and he should get plenty of opportunities to stay hot against the St. Louis Blues on home ice tonight.
The Blues currently allow the 11th most goals per game coming in at 3.27, and Nikita Kucherov has been on fire during the month of December, scoring 13 points in 8 games and has scored 2+ points in 5 of those 8.
The Pick
We are more than happy to get behind the league’s top points scorer at -125 to see 2+ points in tonight’s game, against an opponent he has scored three points against in his previous matchup.
Kucherov will also be looking to improve his points on home ice as he has scored just 21 at home compared to 31 on the road (although he has played five more games on the road compared to at home).
NHL Pick: Nikita Kucherov Over 1.5 Points (-125) at Bet365
*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.
