The NHL season continues Wednesday with a six game slate. Fox Sports are treating us to a 1pm game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Minnesota Wild. We preview that game plus a few more of the key matchups below in our 2016-17 NHL Betting Tips for Wednesday, February 1st.
Washington Capitals at New York Islanders (11am AEDT)
Fresh from the All Star break the Washington Capitals would love to continue the great form they had prior to the break. They have raced to first in the Metropolitian Division and are 8-1-1 in the last ten games. All lines are playing hockey at their best and the team is getting plenty of help from the likes of Burakovsky, Eller and Dimitry Orlov. Grubauer is expected to start with Holtby having a break since he starred in the All Star Game. Grubauer has also been impressive and is 9-2-2 heading to the Barclay Center.
The Islanders need a fast start after the break as they still trail Philadelphia by five points and a wild card spot. New York have won the previous two games including impressive back to back victories over Columbus and Montreal. The big question for the Islanders is, can they pick up their denfensive end and stop giving away so many goals? They average 2.83 goals per game and are 18th in that catagory, but on the offensive end they manage to score relatively freely.
The Caps will have to contain ex-player Jason Chimera who has five goals in seven matches, he brings the energy and aggression the Islanders need.
TIP: Washington Capitals to win - $1.64 at TopBetta
Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers (11am AEDT)
Columbus are in New York for Wednesday Morning's game against the Rangers.
The Jackets have slowed since their hot streak earlier in the season and have dropped the last two straight. The team is 5-5-0 in the last ten, despite this they are still second behind the Caps in the Metropolitian division. Bobrovski will be in the net in this matchup to the likes of the Columbus fans, as the team seem to play better when he is in the game. Bobrovski is now an elite goalie and his 29-9-2 record shows this. Expect Cam Atkinson to be a threat is this battle, he is fresh from the All star game and is the team's points leader with 24 goals and 22 Assists.
The New York Rangers are a team on the slide, once on top of their division, now sit forth in the wild card position ahead of the Flyers. No alarm bells yet but they do need to fix some issues on the defensive end. They are certainly capable of playing some hockey like they did in the first half of the season, they are still ranked second for goals per game but this has dropped dramatically by almost one goal throughout the season.
TIP: Columbus Blue Jackets to win - $2.03 at TopBetta
Toronto Maple Leafs at Dallas Stars (12.30pm AEDT)
The Leafs are learning how to win at the moment and are enjoying this patch as they continue to impressive fans. The Leafs have stepped up the offense in the past four games, scoring four goals each in two of their outings. Goalie Fredrick Anderson is expected to start and will try for a third straight shut out. The Leafs are 11-7-6 on the road this season and are forth overall in the Atlantic Division.
Dallas need to get moving if there is any chance of making the playoffs.
They have been unlucky with the last two games heading into OT and ending with a loss. The Stars seem to struggle offensively, especially with the man advantage, ranked 20th in the league with power play percentage. They have been brewing for some consitency and this should start against Toronto.
TIP: Dallas Stars 60 min line -0.5 - 2.30 at CrownBet
Minnesota Wild at Edmenton Oilers (1pm AEDT)
In one of the games of the night we take a look at Minnesota who travel to Canada to take on the young Oilers. The Wild are first in the Central Division and are one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment. They are 8-2-0 in the last ten matches and have won two straight. The Wild dominate the offensive end and are third for goals and second for shooting percentage. Center Mikael Grunlund leads the teams in points and ex hurricane Eric Staal leads the team in the goal catagory.
The Oilers have won three straight and now sit second in the Pacific Division. Just like their rivals offense is the key and has been running hot. The Oilers have scored 15 goals in their previous three games, and surprisingly have only gave up four goals.
McDavid is still on top of the leaderboard for total points and has two goals in the previous three games. Edmonton now rested and back at home should come out raging. Minnesota is resting Devan Dubnyk is this battle which could be a positive for the Oilers.
TIP: Edmonton Oilers Double Chance - $1.53 at TopBetta
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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!
