This Friday’s NHL card only has five matchups taking place, but some very interesting and very bettable games are taking place, so let’s take a look at which NHL bets we are taking this Friday.
Firstly we are taking a big underdog bet in the game in the Big Apple between the NY Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. Elsewhere, we are looking at goals in the Chicago and Nashville matchup.
Picks Summary
- Penguins ML (+240)
- Predators-Blackhawks Over 6.5 (+130)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers
Friday, February 07, 2025 – 07:00 PM ET at Madison Square Garden
Fall From Grace
The New York Rangers went from Stanley Cup playoff contenders last season and at the start of this season, but my, how the mighty have fallen. The NY Rangers are currently sitting in 12th of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference, whilst opponents Pittsburgh are worse off sitting in 14th of 16.
The Penguins are not only three points behind the Rangers in the overall standings, but they have also played two games extra. If the NY Rangers can get their act back together, they still have a chance to make the playoff, but they will have to do much better than their current form of 11-14 across their last 25 games, the same amount as tonight’s opponents over their previous 25 games.
The Pick
This might be a brave pick, but we do believe there to be substantial value in the Pittsburgh Penguins to pick up a win tonight despite being on the road in this matchup.
The Penguins are generally poor on the road and New York are generally good on home ice, so it’s no surprise the Penguins are as high as +240 NHL odds on the moneyline. That said, the NY Rangers can be beaten on any given night and come into this game having had one day less rest than the Penguins (so there is some hope).
The Penguins can spring surprises and we believe they are bettable down to as low as +190 on the moneyline. Believe us when we say, this is a total value pick, the stats for Pittsburgh don’t look great, and they are only 2-8 against the Rangers in their last 10 games.
Let’s hope for the best here, on their day the Penguins can cause an upset, it’s also a perfect team to beat if they want any real chance of making the postseason.
NHL Pick: Penguins ML (+240) at Bet365
Nashville Predators vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Friday, February 07, 2025 – 08:30 PM ET at United Center
Chicago & Goals of Plenty
When the Chicago Blackhawks are involved this season, there tend to be goals, and lots of them for the opposing teams. With an overall record sitting at 33-20 to the over line, Chicago has seen the 2nd most amount of games go over the total this season.
Chicago has seen an average of 3.43 goals allowed per game this season (3rd lowest in the NHL, but have also played two games less, so more to come). Offensively the Blackhawks have scored the 2nd lowest amount of goals, with 2.5 per game. Seven of Chicago’s previous ten games have also seen over 6.5 goals scored.
Taking a quick look at their opponents Nashville, it’s apparent they favor unders with a 28-24 record to the under, but it also must be noted they themselves have also been involved in 7+ goals games in 70% of their previous ten games.
The Pick
Let’s not complicate this one, the Predators and Chicago have not seen seven or more goals in a game for the previous four meetings, and given both teams’ recent history, we feel that tonight that could change, and we hope to be on the winning side when it does change.
On top of all this information, we are absolutely loving the current odds on the over 6.5 line at +130; we believe that this is good down to as low as +105/+100 if you really just want to get that plus money.
In these circumstances, it’s hard not to like the push line at 6, which is currently as high as +100 with the top-rated sportsbooks.
NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (+130) 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.
