NHL Best Bets for December 8, 2016
Busy night in the NHL with nine games on the schedule. Here are our best bets:
LOS ANGELES KINGS AT COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS:
The John Tortorella honeymoon is over in Columbus. The Blue Jackets aren’t playing terrible hockey (5-4-1 last 10) but there are a lot of questions among fans and in the media about how Torts is using the personnel. For example, last summer’s big free agent signee–Brandon Saad–is currently playing on the fourth line. Ryan Johansen is playing on the wing for the first time since his rookie season.
The opposition tonight is the Los Angeles Kings who are playing like we expected them to at the moment. LA has won four straight and eight of their last eleven. Excellent goaltending battle in this game as the Kings’ Jonathan Quick will face the Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky. Kings heading into the six game road trip and we look for them to start out winners.
BET LOS ANGELES KINGS -130 OVER COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
NEW YORK ISLANDERS AT PHILADELPHIA FLYERS:
Both teams playing well. In fact, both teams have won five of their last seven games. Both teams are also rested, having last played three days ago. This should be a very physical contest which is the Islanders’ trademark. They deliver more hits than any team in the NHL and by a wide margin–to date they’ve got 200 more than the second place Flyers. Flyers have won three of the last four meetings at home but the Islanders won the only game played so far this season. Philly has a banged up defensive corps and that gives the edge to the visitor.
BET NEW YORK ISLANDERS -130 OVER PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
OTTAWA SENATORS AT FLORIDA PANTHERS:
The Florida Panthers are the most underappreciated team in the NHL. They’ve got the makings of a decent team but they get no love from anyone–including their home town vans. Today, Broward County voters are deciding whether or not to finance a subsidy for arena improvements for the Panthers. If not, they’ll very likely move to a new market. It might be the best thing to happen to them since they put a solid product on ice and deserve a commensurate level of support. On the ice, this should be a very competitive matchup. Ottawa is currently in third place in the Atlantic Division but just three points ahead of the fifth place Panthers. Both teams coming off a loss in their last game. We still think that Florida is terribly undervalued and will gladly play them here.
BET FLORIDA PANTHERS -130 OVER OTTAWA SENATORS