NHL Picks Tonight: Best NHL Bets for Friday, February 17

This article is part of our NHL Picks series.

It's a frisky Friday, y'all! As you get ready to pop some tops gearing up for back-to-back days that start with an S, here are the top three NHL bets for Friday, February 17 to add to your docket of entertainment for the weekend. Cheers. 

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Penguins vs Islanders

The Isles come into tonight's home matchup against the Penguins riding a 3-game losing streak. All 3 games were decided by 1 goal, and the last 2 went to overtime and a shootout respectively. The Islanders need to play inspired hockey if they hope to catch either the Caps or Pens for the final Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference, and they are just one point back of the Caps for the 8th seed and 2 points back of the Pens for the 7th seed. The Penguins return East from a 3-game road swing that saw them win 3 of 4, albeit with 2 of those wins coming against the Ducks and Sharks and their overtime win in Denver coming despite the fact the Avalanche mercilessly outshot them. The Isles won the only other matchup between these clubs this season back on December 27, winning 5-1 on home ice. Honestly, I've had a hard time betting on these teams this year with both of them giving me mixed results. So I'll keep this coin-flip simple and go with home-ice advantage and the fact that it seems the Isles are due to get off their three-game snide. 

Stars vs Wild

These teams last faced off on February 8 and I wrote an article that day, picking the Stars to win in Dallas. That bet cashed, and the Stars come into tonight's tilt holding a 2-1 season series lead. After the Wild won the first matchup 6-5 on December 4, the Stars won the next two games on December 29 and February 8 respectively by a score of 4-1. The Stars have lost back-to-back games since beating the Wild last Wednesday, dropping home tilts to the Lightning and Bruins. The Wild have limped out of the All-Star break with a 1-4-1 record and are on their own 2-game losing streak. One of these teams has to avoid a 3-game losing streak, and I like the Stars' chances to do that. 

Kings vs Ducks

The Kings came out scorching hot following the All-Star break, winning both of their games by a combined score of 11-2. The Ducks did the exact opposite, losing 3 of their 4 recent games by a combined score of 20-8 and only getting an overtime win against the Blackhawks. The Kings won the only other matchup between these squads on December 20 by multiple goals, tallying a 4-1 win in LA. This is effectively a home game for the Kings too since Anaheim is just a stone's throw (not including the gauntlet that is LA traffic) away from Crypto.com Arena, so I like their chances to get another big W against a verifiably lesser opponent.

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