Now that the dust has settled on the Football season, we can turn our attention to the NHL season as it starts to heat up. We have a full preview and NHL betting tips below for some of the key Ice Hockey matchups in the NHL on Wednesday, 8th of Febuary.
Anaheim Ducks at New York Rangers (11.00am AEDT)
The Ducks are on the road and will take on the Rangers in New York on Wednesday morning. Anaheim have lost the last two on the road as they make their way up the East Coast. Anaheim have struggled on the road this season with a 11-10-7 record and have not started well this time round with losses against Florida and Tampa Bay.
They do have a strong defensive team and are holding teams to 2.46 goals per game and are also fifth in the league on penalty kill percentage.
New York have started well after the break as they try and compete for a playoff spot and would love to be where they were earlier in the season. The Rangers have won the previous two games the latest coming against Calgary. Chris Kreider has been hot and managed two goals in the last two games. Lundqvist is expected to start as he tries to win three straight.
TIP: New York Rangers H2H - $1.71 at Crownbet
Los Angeles Kings at Tampa Bay Lightning (11.30am AEDT)
LA continue their road trip as they take on bottom placed Tampa Bay in a must win game for the Kings. LA got thumped by the league leaders in Washington DC on Monday and will be hoping for a fast start against the Lightning. LA are in the wildcard position and need some wins on the road to run down the Oilers who are above them in the standings. Peter Budaj is expected to start, he averages 2.2 goals per game and has seven shut-outs this season.
The Lightning were one of the hottest teams in the league early in the season, now they find themselves scraping the bottom of the eastern conference standing. Injury has plagued the team and with Stamkos and Callahan both out the Lightning have struggled to be consistent on the offensive end. They only won four games throughout January and are 2-1 in Febuary. My tip is LA has they rebound from Monday thrashing.
TIP: Los Angeles Kings 60 min line - $2.39 at Sportsbet
Minnesota Wild at Winnipeg Jets (12.00pm AEDT)
The Wild are coming off a 6-3 victory over the Canucks on Sunday morning.
The Wild’s Mikael Granlund had his first hat-trick of the season and appears to be the biggest threat to teams late in the season. With that win the Wild have only once lost back to back games in regulation this season. The Wild are dominating the West and are four points clear of the Blackhawks. Their away record is 17-6-5 and beat the Jets 3-1 late last season.
The home team Winnipeg Jets are fifth in the Central Division and are coming into this game having being defeated by Colorado. The Jets are 13-11-1 at home and will put Pavelec in the net against the division leaders. Pavelec is 4-3-0 this season allowing 3.34 goals per game. It's a big task but if the defense can show up on the day, the offense is certinely capable as they can cause some damage when hot. The only issue with Winnipeg is that they care so inconsistent and need to fix this to become a threat in the playoffs.
TIP: Minnesota Wild H2H - $1.81 at Sportsbet
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!