The NHL doesn’t place as big of an emphasis on getting games on the schedule around Christmas time as other leagues do. As such, the NHL schedule is empty on Monday, and a full schedule of games will be available on Tuesday as the league collectively gets back to business.
Here are three bets worth placing on Tuesday’s games.
Pittsburgh Penguins (-122) at New York Islanders
The Penguins appeared to be seeing the end of their aging core of stars. After Kris Letang had a stroke, Pittsburgh figured to have problems behind just their struggles on the ice. However, Letang has proven strong enough to return, and Pittsburgh has turned itself around.
The Penguins are 8-1-1 over their past ten games and have re-established themselves as playoff contenders. Pittsburgh still has plenty of punch on offense. The Penguins rank seventh in the league by scoring 3.4 goals per game. Pittsburgh also puts 32.7 shots on net per game.
The Islanders have won three of their past four games and have been solid on defense. New York kills 81.7 percent of the penalty kills they face, which ranks sixth. The Islanders also only allow 2.7 goals per game, which ranks ninth in the league.
Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames over 6.5 goals
The two Canadian rivals have made a habit these past two seasons and playing wild contests against each other. When it comes to games that ended up being ground to a halt by long stretches of intense defense, this series has avoided producing many boring contests. Edmonton, with star center Connor McDavid, ranks third in the league by scoring 3.6 goals per game.
The Oilers don’t always have the ship tight on defense. Edmonton also gives up 3.5 goals per game on defense, which is 24th in the league. Calgary doesn’t score at quite a high clip, putting in 3.1 goals per game.
Buffalo Sabres (-162) at Columbus Blue Jackets
The Sabres have shown flashes of being a team that could be dangerous in the playoffs should they make it there. Buffalo hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2010-11 season. The Sabres, who lead the league by scoring 3.9 goals per game, have won four straight since dropping two straight to the Penguins.
Buffalo does have an issue with playing defense on its end. The Sabres allow 3.4 goals per game, which ranks 22nd in the league. Columbus doesn’t have the punch on offense to keep up with Buffalo. The Blue Jackets are 26nd in the league in goals per game, scoring 2.7 per contest.
Columbus’ biggest problem is the Blue Jackets also don’t play well on defense. The Blue Jackets are second to last in the league in shots against and goals per game. Columbus is OK on the penalty kill, but the success that their opponents have 5 on 5 takes away from that.
The Blue Jackets will have a hard time matching Bufffalo’s firepower and won’t be able to protect home ice.
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