NHL Expert Bets. Panarin burns Blackhawks with O1.5 points

NHL Expert Picks: Panarin Burns Blackhawks (Again)

We had one win in our last NHL best bets. On the season, we're now 15-18 (47%) on the year with -2.52 units of "profit". We need to start the New Year on a new foot. Here's a look at last week's bets:

  • Hurricanes ML (-125): A 2-1 L starts us off on the wrong foot.
  • U6 MTLvMIN (-105): Seven goals. Ugh. Another L.
  • MacKinnon O1.5 Pts (-135): Mack Truck got five points (and four goals). 

Here are my NHL picks for Thursday, January 4:

NHL Expert Pick #1: UNDER 6 (+105)
The Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens, January 4, 7 PM ET

The total for tonight's game is set at 6.5. I get that both teams see a lot of goals (at both ends of the ice), but on the year Buffalo is 14-19 (42%) against the OVER when the line is above six goals. Montreal is in a similar position at 13-15 (46%).

This bet is at plus money so I'm taking a risk here, but these two teams have already played twice this season and both times the total has gone below 6.5 goals. 

NHL Expert Pick #2: Panarin O1.5 Pts (-110)
The Game: Chicago Blackhawks vs New York Rangers, January 4, 7 PM ET

Panarin loves scoring against the team that traded him away. In nine career games against the Blackhawks, the Breadman has 17 points. Or 1.9 points per game. Well above the line we're hoping to pass. 

And Panarin is on a nice little heater with a five-game point streak with eight points in those five games. 

NHL Expert Pick #3: O1.5 P1 OTTvSEA (-140)
The Game: Ottawa Senators vs Seattle Kraken, January 4, 10 PM ET

Per our first-period betting report, the Sens are the best team at hitting the OVER at 20-9-1 (69%). It's even better when they're on the road at 10-2 (83%). For Seattle, they've seen the OVER in P1 only 53% of the time overall, but when they're on home ice their record is 11-6 (65%).

This game goes OVER 1.5 goals in P1.


What Is An NHL Expert Pick?

An NHL expert pick is a suggested wager from one of our hockey betting experts on who will win or cover in a hockey contest, or a bet on the goal totals.

NHL bets can range from betting on the moneyline (which is simply which team wins) to the puckline (for the favorite to win by more than 1.5 goals), to whether the total goals scored in a contest is OVER or UNDER a certain number.

Here are examples of NHL bets you can find:

  • • Moneyline: Will the Oilers (-200) or Flames (+140) win?
  • • Puckline: Will the Oilers (-1.5) or Flames (+1.5) cover?
  • • Total: Will the Oilers and Flames combine for OVER or UNDER 5.5 total goals?

Calculate exact profits for our NHL expert picks using our sports betting calculator, and check out these other hockey betting resources to help inform your bets:

More NHL Expert Picks And Wagering Resources:

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