Top NHL picks January 31: Bet on Hurricanes to beat Kings
There are only three NHL games on Tuesday’s slate, but three bets we’re looking to make.
The pregame narrative: The Carolina Hurricanes are riding high, and we’re betting they take care of the Los Angeles Kings with relative ease at home. Additionally, we’re backing the Washington Capitals to top the Columbus Blue Jackets on the 60-minute moneyline.
Find our top NHL picks for January 31 below.
Odds as of 9:02 a.m. on 01/31/2023.
Go to full NHL betting markets.
NHL picks
Best Bet: Hurricanes 60-minute moneyline (-129)
Carolina’s playing some terrific hockey and we expect that to continue in the team’s final home game before the All-Star break.
The Hurricanes have won five consecutive games and seven of their last eight. Five of their seven wins during this stretch have come in regulation, showing they finish opponents in 60 minutes more often than not.
They’re also coming off their best win of the season, too. The Canes beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Sunday in a game where they thoroughly outplayed the league’s best team. They rank fourth in expected goals percentage (59.26%) over the last seven days, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The advanced numbers aren’t overly kind to Los Angeles. The Kings rank 25th in expected goals percentage (43.06%) and 22nd in team save percentage (.894) across the last seven days. They’ve lost four of their last seven contests.
Back one of the NHL’s best teams to win in regulation on Tuesday.
Key stat: 13 of Carolina’s 16 home wins have come in regulation.
Quick picks
Kings under 2.5 goals (-129): In addition to picking Carolina to win, we’re also wagering it will limit Los Angeles’ offensive output.
The Hurricanes have held four of their last five opponents and six of their last eight to two goals or fewer. They own the third-lowest expected goals against per 60 mark (2.33) over the last seven days.
The Kings, meanwhile, have scored two or less in four of their last seven.
Capitals 60-minute moneyline (-124): The Blue Jackets are truly one of the worst teams in the NHL. They’ve lost three of their last four games and place 27th in expected goals percentage (42.21%).
Columbus has historically struggled against Washington, losing three consecutive head-to-head games and six of the squad’s last seven.
The Capitals may not be winning on a nightly basis, but they still sit sixth in expected goals percentage (58.30%) across the last week. We’ll bet they earn a road win in regulation before the All-Star break.
