Betting Advice and Analysis for the NHL This Week

The NHL has a little altered week because of Monday's Martin Luther King holiday. There features the same yo-yo effect scheduling, with some teams a bit more spread out because of long road trips and some coming home from such excursions. 

Let's get you ready for your NHL betting this week with a look ahead to what's on the docket.

Schedule Breakdown

Let us do this first in terms of game allotment. 

• Tuesday – 8
• Wednesday – 5
• Thursday – 13

Again, the best news is each slate has at least five games. The bad news is to likewise watch out for those gaps. 

Then, some teams play back-to-backs, and also below, we look at any three games in four-night scenarios. 

• Nashville (Monday, Tuesday)
• Philadelphia (Monday, Tuesday)
• Florida (Monday, Tuesday)
• Detroit (Monday, Tuesday)
• Columbus (Monday, Tuesday)
• Washington (Monday, Tuesday)
• Dallas (Wednesday, Thursday)
• Boston (Wednesday, Thursday)
• Tampa Bay (Wednesday, Thursday)
• NY Islanders (Wednesday, Thursday)

Also, we included the Monday-Tuesday scenario to keep bettors advised that a half-dozen teams are not rested, including two that play each other (Nashville and Columbus). 

What To Look Forward To Early This Week in the NHL

The bad news for bettors is that New Jersey is off until Thursday in Seattle. New Jersey, the road warriors of the NHL, is now an astonishing 17-2-1 after a comeback 4-3 win in San Jose on Monday. Jack Hughes scored with seconds to spare to force overtime, and then the Devils triumphed in the shootout.

Even Boston faces a little adversity because they visit the New York Islanders and Rangers on back-to-back nights. The Bruins traditionally fare well against both teams on the road, however. The Bruins are 34-5-4 and have an eye-bulging +72 goal differential after a 6-0 pounding of the Philadelphia Flyers Monday.

If there is good news for the Colorado Avalanche, they are starting to look like themselves. The 6-3 win against Detroit on Monday gave them 13 goals in their last two contests. Is the big offense of the Avalanche finally starting to show itself? They have a big test against Calgary on Wednesday night.

Now, for offense, it may be dial-up Tampa Bay again this week. The Lightning heads out to Vancouver on Wednesday, then comes right back and plays Edmonton on ESPN Thursday. With Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov rolling along, the Canucks and Oilers are in for some rough nights. However, Tampa faces a talented Canucks offense and the Leon Draisaitl-Connor McDavid duo. Talk about a recipe for goals. Could that Thursday Over approach 7.5 goals? It is possible. 

More About Thursday Night

Though Nashville and St. Louis are always fun on Thursday, Thursday night has some good matchups. New Jersey heads to Seattle against one of the stingier but higher-scoring teams in the league. Oddly, Detroit goes to Vegas, and the test is can the Golden Knights win a home game? Or is this the time to bet on a struggling Red Wings team?

While Detroit has been in a quagmire, Vegas has now lost three of their last four games at home while giving up 16 goals in the process. The Red Wings just yielded six goals to Colorado on Monday and may again take their frustrations out on a besieged Golden Knights team defense. Alec Martinez may also be out now, adding to their banged-up defensive corps.

We remembered Minnesota and Carolina. Do not sleep on this game. Carolina is well-rested and entertains a Wild team that embarks on a four-game road trip starting tonight in Washington. Minnesota is 11-3-2 in their previous 16 games, while the Hurricanes have slid back since their 15-game run. This may be a get-well game for Carolina. 

Some Quick Points To Consider This Week

• Does Carolina get that win on Thursday?
• Detroit and Vegas goal bonanza
• Tampa Bay playing in Vancouver and Edmonton
• Keep hammering Erik Karlsson's props along with Tage Thompson and Nathan MacKinnon.
• New Jersey is off till Thursday and plays on Sunday afternoon.

Good luck, and once again, thanks for reading! We will have a few more plays on social media as conditions warrant.

Thanks to BetMGM for their great early-week lines and TSN for the convenient schedule.