This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
It's Friday the 13th. I was born on a Friday the 13th. It's like I was destined to be a sports bettor. On a spooky day with so much superstition around it being "unlucky," I'm excited. There are 3 games in the NHL tonight, and you already know I am betting on every single one. Here are my picks. Let's get frisky!
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NHL Best Bets Tonight
Jets vs Penguins
It looked weird there for a minute in Pittsburgh. The Pens had lost six in a row until they got two moral and literal victories against the Coyotes and Canucks in the past week. The Canucks game was a huge moral victory because they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win 5-4. The Jets fly into Pittsburgh tonight just 24 hours removed from a 4-2 win over the Sabres in Buffalo. The Jets are pretty hot right now, winning 6 of their last 7. Their lone loss in the new year was a 7-5 defeat at the hands of the Red Wings in Detroit, which was uncharacteristic of the Jets as one of the NHL's best defensive teams to give up so many goals. These teams have met one other time this year, with the Penguins winning 3-0 in Winnipeg on 11/19. I like the Pens with the fresher legs and feeling their new year mojo a bit, especially since the Jets have lost 4 of their last 5 road games.
- Penguins ML -180
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Devils vs Ducks
The Devils are 15-2-1 on the road this year. They just bested the Hurricanes in Raleigh on Tuesday despite being down 3-1 at one point, and have won 4 of their last 5 games away from home ice. The Ducks are not exactly a formidable foe in anyone's building, but they certainly haven't been in their own barn of late either. They're 3-5-1 in their last 8 home games, and they just lost to the Bruins and Oilers by a combined score of 13-3 in their previous two. The Devils are clearly the better team and are looking to build on their 2-game winning streak. I think doing so is more than attainable, especially considering they've won their last 3 road games by 2+ goals over the likes of the Penguins, Red Wings, and Hurricanes - all stronger opponents than the Ducks.
- Devils PL -110
Oilers vs Sharks
The Oilers just seem to prefer winning on the road instead of winning games in front of their home crowd. They've won 4 of their last 5 road games to put them at 12-7-1 away from home ice overall this season. They just trounced the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday 6-2 and posted 53 shots while holding the Ducks to just 23. The Sharks also played in Anaheim recently, dropping a 5-4 overtime loss to the Ducks last Friday. Tonight's tilt faces off in San Jose though where the Sharks are 4-11-6 overall and have lost 4 of their last 5, so they're perhaps the inverse of the Oilers' trend. This one could come down to special teams pitting the Oilers' 1st-ranked power play against the Sharks' 2nd-ranked penalty kill. But 5-on-5, give me Connor McDavid all day.
- Oilers ML -155
