NHL Best Bets: Avalanche Will Cause Danger to Rangers

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

There are a dozen games on the NHL slate on Tuesday night. Two of the hottest teams in the NHL face off in Tampa Bay with matching seven-game winning streaks as the Canucks and Lightning do battle. Also on tap is an out-of-conference showdown between the Penguins and Golden Knights, and a rematch of the 2019 Western Conference Final between the Sharks and Blues.

There’s plenty to wager on, but let’s take a closer look at two games in particular. Here are my two best bets for Tuesday:

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Over 6 goals (-120)

Philadelphia’s post-Christmas road trip has been an utter disaster. The Flyers have lost four of five and have allowed 23 total goals in that stretch, including 16 in the last three games. They’re just trying to hold on and get back home so they can right the ship. The problem is, their return to Philadelphia is the second game of a back-to-back that starts in Carolina. Overlooking the Hurricanes could be disastrous.

The Hurricanes are scuffling a bit. They’ve lost two in a row and five of seven, but they’re still No. 8 in the NHL in scoring, No. 2 in shots on goal and No. 7 on the power play. They’ve averaged 3.77 goals per game over the last calendar month and will test their mettle against a Flyers team starting back-up goaltender Brian Elliott.

Elliott has a sub-.900 save percentage for the season and has been terrible over his last handful of games since the beginning of December. In his six appearances (five starts) since the start of last month, Elliott has a 3.94 goals-against average and an .842 save percentage. In the other crease is Petr Mrazek, who has been pretty shaky himself over his last half-dozen starts. He’s allowed 20 goals in those six starts with an .880 save percentage.

The last time these two teams met was back on Nov. 21. There were eight total goals in that game, and you should expect a similar offensive output on Tuesday night.

Colorado Avalanche vs. New York Rangers: Avalanche (-140)

One of the best goaltending prospects in the game, Igor Shesterkin, will make his NHL debut for the Rangers on Tuesday night. Sadly for him, he’ll be battling against the best offense in the league.

The Avalanche are better than the Rangers at nearly every aspect of the game. Colorado scores more goals, allows fewer goals, generates more shots, allows fewer shots, has a better power play and now a significant goaltending advantage to boot. The Avalanche even have a better record on the road (14-7-2) than the Rangers have at home (10-8-2). It’s hard to imagine Colorado not coming out of this game with a victory, especially after getting shut out on Long Island last night.

The future is bright for Shesterkin, but this is a tough way to begin an NHL career. Take the proven commodity that is the Avs offense over the unknown in New York’s goal crease.

Season Record: 20-17-1 (+1.94 units)