Expert NHL Best Bets and Predictions for Wednesday, February 7

Last night was a wild one in the NHL, and it was great to see many teams back in action. A few teams still haven’t played a game post-all-star break, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, who take on the New York Rangers tonight. That’s the game I’m looking toward for my NHL best bet.

Going into the break, the Tampa Bay Lightning were rolling as they won three straight games, scoring six goals in each of those contests. That said, since it’s been 11 days since this team has played a game, they might have a bit of rust on offense. 

The New York Rangers are coming off a huge comeback win against the Colorado Avalanche, but they have been struggling offensively. They have only scored more than two goals in three of their last ten games. 

Jonathan Quick is expected to get the start for the Rangers, and he has been money in his last two starts. In those games, Quick is 2-0-0 with a 1.48 goals against average and a .953 save percentage. He has stopped 61 of the last 64 shots that he faced. 

Andrei Vasilevskiy is likely to be in goal for the Lightning. While his numbers might not be as good as Quick, he is still 3-0-0 in his last three starts. 

Whenever the Rangers and Lightning get together, it always has a bit of a playoff feel, especially since their playoff series in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. In the last 10 meetings between these two teams, the Under has hit eight times. 

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about Tampa’s offensive firepower, but this game has all the feelings of a goalie duel. 

I don’t think we’ll see a ton of goals in this one.

NHL Best Bet(s): Under 1.5 in the first period +114 (play to -110) | Under 6.5 -118 (play to -130)

February Record: 1-1 (0.00 units)

2023-24 record: 81–94 (-34.78 units)