The NHL is back after a week-long hiatus! It has been a crazy time in the league with the COVID-19 outbreak taking form once again. Nevertheless, we’ll have three games in the NHL to get us back in the groove: Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights at Los Angeles Kings & Arizona Coyotes at San Jose Sharks. All three games can be seen on ESPN+ and HULU.
In this article, I will provide my top three hockey picks tonight to make a maximum profit.
Our Favorite NHL Picks Today (12/28/21)
Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning
MTL: +240
TB: -275
NHL pick – Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (-115)
This is a huge mismatch of talent as the Lightning, with an NHL-high 44 points, face the Canadiens, who are the second-worst team with 17 points. It’s also a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals, which the Lightning won in five games.
Both teams are missing quite a bit of players, including the starting goalie for both sides. I would expect Tampa Bay to play a much more well-rounded game in front of their minor-league goalie who will be between the pipes tonight. The Lightning may even get Brayden Point back for tonight’s game, which would give me more optimism for Tampa Bay.
Vegas Golden Knights at Los Angeles Kings
VGK: -140
LAK: +125
NHL Pick: Golden Knights ML (-140)
This line feels like a trap, considering how well the Golden Knights were playing before the NHL took an early break for Christmas. I guess since Vegas is on the road, it isn’t going to look as glamorous numerically in that situation. Nevertheless, it feels like the VGK will get it done.
Prior to the brief hiatus in the NHL, the Golden Knights had won eight of 10 games. They even held a 3-1 lead against the two-time defending champion Lightning in that last game before the break but could not hold on for the victory. That had to be eating at them for all those days away from the rink, so look for the VGK to be a motivated bunch this evening.
Arizona Coyotes at San Jose Sharks
AC: +175
SJS: -210
Pick: Sharks -1.5 (+120)
The Lightning-Canadiens game isn’t the only big mismatch of the night, as the Sharks will be facing the Coyotes. These two teams haven’t faced each other yet, but conventional thinking would have you think San Jose is going to be successful tonight.
Although the Coyotes won their last game before the break, that isn’t something I would expect to continue. This team wasn’t great when given extra rest, particularly on offense, scoring only 1-2 goals per game in most of those contests. San Jose was sliding quite a bit before the break, losing four of six, but they are a well-coached team. Not to mention, the extended break could be just what the doctor ordered to get back on track.
