We have just five games our NHL betting cards tonight, but it didn’t take us long to find some value picks with both our selections today coming in at plus money.
We fancy some goals to be scored in Florida, whilst Cole Caufield is looking to make it three in four games.
Picks Summary
- Penguins-Panthers Over 6.5 (+110)
- Cole Caulfield Anytime Goalscorer (+125)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Florida Panthers
Friday, January 03, 2025 – 07:00 PM ET at Amerant Bank Arena
Top Total Teams
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been the 2nd highest team in the NHL this season to go over the total, having done so in 22 of their 38 games played, and guess what, the home team Florida has the exact same total over record as the Penguins, with the Colorado Avalanche also joining them as the 2nd tied highest over teams in the league at this time in writing.
The Penguins rank bottom of the league in terms of goals allowed per game, and the Panthers themselves are in the bottom 12 defensive teams in the league. The Panthers are the 6th highest-scoring team in the league, while the Penguins are respectably 16th overall.
Coming into this game, the Florida Panthers will be looking to get their offense going, having had two shut outs in their previous five games. Opponents Pittsburgh will also be looking to get their offense going, having lost three of their previous five games; they have also had a shut out on one occasion in their previous five games.
The Pick
The previous two games between these teams have produced an average of seven goals per game, and with the Penguins total over record being so good, as well as the fact they allow the most amount of goals per game, we like the plus money available on the Panthers to get some scores on the board.
Despite the Panthers being a decent defensive team, they have allowed 3.13 goals per game including 3.3 in their previous three games. The Penguins and Florida should contribute to the total going over in this game.
The current odds are +110 to see 7+ goals, we like this number but wouldn’t lay any juice here, +100 is the lowest we would accept for some value here.
NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (+110) at Bet365
Montreal Canadiens vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Friday, January 03, 2025 – 08:00 PM ET at United Center
The Perfect Timing
Cole Caulfield looks like he might have finally broke his cold streak, having started off the season with 7 scoring games inside his first ten, he then went on to score one in ten games. After this period, he had a small pick me up period scoring 4 in 6 games, he then went 7 games in a row without scoring.
Caulfield has since been on a hot streak, scoring twice in his previous three games, Caulfield could be sniffing more goals with a matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite the Blackhawks being at home, they have allowed the 24th most amount of goals in the NHL this season, allowing 3.4 per game.
We love the timing of this matchup, with Caulfield starting to get hot against, this Chicago matchup could provide him with yet another goal and we love the plus money available here.
The Pick
The Blackhawks have been incredibly bad defensively in the previous few games, allowing an eye-watering 27 goals per game, an average of 5.2 goals per game, and in their previous ten have allowed 4.7 per game. That’s pretty bad considering their season average is 3.40.
You might also be glad to hear Caulfield has a much better goalscoring record on the road, having scored 13 of his 18 goals this season away from home.
We like the +125 odds on another Caulfield goal tonight, and would happily bet these odds down to as low as +110. Caulfield will get plenty of chances to score tonight, let’s hope he takes one of them.
NHL Pick: Cole Caulfield Anytime Goalscorer (+125) 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.
