2023 NHL Friday Matchups Odds, Predictions & Analisys Games
Sportsbooks Scooped Up Thursday Night, Fav's Won Big
NHL betting lines offer an eight-game schedule filled with plenty of chances for the player to stick it to the book. Let’s start our NHL Friday matchups odds preview by heading to Dallas, where the New Jersey Devils (31-13-4, 66 points) take on the Central Division leading Dallas Stars (28-13-9, 65 points) in tonight’s premiere game of the night.
We’ll dive into that game from a betting perspective in addition to the Vegas Golden Knights (29-17-3, 61 points) continuing their road trip at Madison Square Garden when they take on the New York Rangers (26-14-8, 60 points). Then we’ll finish off our NHL Friday matchups odds preview with a glance at the Calgary Flame (23-17-9, 55 points) at the Seattle Kraken (28-14-5, 61 points).
Must-Watch Television
Game: Devils +660 units ML, 22-23 O/U vs Stars -140 units ML, 18-28 O/U
Date, Time & Streaming:
Moneyline: Stars -145, Devils +125
Puckline: Stars -1.5 +170, Devils +1.5 -210
Total: 6
This is another match-up that could be a New Jersey Devils who are ranked just behind the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins in our latest power ratings.
The Carolina Hurricanes, trailing by two points, in the Metro Division.
This will be the last game before the all-star break. Dallas has dropped two straight games in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina, adding to their 3-9 record in extra sessions.
That’s bad news in some ways for the Stars against the Devils who have played in four straight overtimes until last night’s 6-4 loss to the Nashville Predators. Goaltending will be a discussion point with Mackenzie Blackwood as the listed goaltender but he started last night, so it may be Vitek Vanecek getting the call in this one.
For Dallas, it wouldn’t surprise us to see Scott Wedgewood in the net to give him some time before the all-star break. Make sure to check social media later this morning to see which goaltenders are the first ones off the ice at the morning skate.
On most line services they have Blackwood matched up against Oettinger, so we’ll go with that to reflect on current betting patterns that show the public predictably jumping on Dallas Stars.
The line is almost a consensus -145 in favor of the Stars after opening -135. It’s difficult to go against one of the best defensive teams in hockey (2.6 GAA) and one that may have a small chip on their shoulder after dropping three of their last five games. Take the Stars but wait a couple of hours to see if the New York betting market has any effect on giving Dallas bettors a more favorable number.
Game: Knights -46 units, 19-26 O/U vs Rangers -368 units, 20-27 O/U
Date, Time & Streaming:
Moneyline: Rangers -155, Golden Knights +135
Puckline: Rangers -1.5 +160, Golden Knights +1.5 -195
Total: 6 u -115
The standings show that the NHL injuries report. With two games in hand, the Seattle Kraken are the new leaders by percentage points in the Pacific Division.
The last team the Knights need to see right now is the NHL player tendency advantage.
With Vegas being a “public team”, betting patterns are a bit divided and the consensus number keeps getting pushed down from -160 to -157, and it could fall further.
Early betting patterns have shown money coming in on the under, which is going to be our focus with a clear side to jump on. Our recommendation is to back the over 6 -105. Although neither team have a tendency to lose games on special teams, we think the intensity level will be a little more than typical with special teams playing a major role in this game going over.
Ice Chips
Game: Flames 23-17-9, 55 points vs Kraken 28-14-5, 61 points
Date, Time & Streaming:
Once again, we’ll be involved with a total that shouldn’t fluctuate much during the day despite early wagering that suggests the ‘sharps’ are on the over with 91% of the early money thinking this will be a high-scoring affair.
The Calgary Flames, who have lost three of their last five games, will be without defensemen Chris Tanev again who is suffering from an upper-body injury.
To hear Flames head coach Darryl Sutter talk, he is clearly not happy with how his team is playing defensively, going as far as to insinuate that his veterans are not providing the leadership on their backend that they are expected to.
Bettors know this is a kick in the can for the Flames and they’ll respond with a better defensive effort tonight. Take the under in this one.
Wait For the Highlights
Game: Jackets 15-30-3, 33 points vs Canucks 19-26-3, 41 points
Date, Time & Streaming:
Our NHL Friday matchups odds column wouldn’t be complete without giving some love to those who need it the most. Break up the Columbus Blue Jackets who have not been beaten in regulation in three straight games. You can bet that will cause the public to take the plus money but a sharper way to bet this is to go under the total.
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