It’s another busy night in the NHL on Tuesday. There are 10 games on the docket and nine of them feature at least one team jockeying for position in a playoff/division race.
With just three days to go before Friday’s trade deadline, the results on Tuesday night could go a long way to deciding how some teams approach their business.
NHL Best Bets: Tuesday, March 4th
Let’s get to some of the best value plays on Tuesday’s betting board.
Editor’s Note: Looking for more hockey content? Be sure to check out our NHL player props article, which is updated daily.
Jake Guentzel HIGHER Than 0.5 Goals
The Tampa Bay Lightning finally lost on Monday night, but they’re right back at it against the surging Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
And while Guentzel has been terrific in his first season with the Bolts, his production has tapered a bit over the last little while. The American has just two goals in his last 10.
That provides us with a decent buying opportunity as it’s not been for a lack of trying that Guentzel isn’t finding the back of the net.
Guentzel hasn’t scored since the league returned from the 4 Nations, but Guentzel’s shot numbers are not all that concerning. He’s got eight shots on goal over his last five games and 26 over his last 10. You’d like a little bit of an uptick, but it’s understandable given his role for Team USA.
He still has one of the best spots in the NHL next to Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, so it’s just a matter of time before Guentzel pops with a big game.
Sidney Crosby HIGHER Than 0.5 Goals
Tuesday’s contest between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche could be a track meet and is not a bad game to circle for stacking and same-game parlays correlated with things getting off the rails.
I’ll keep things simple here, though, and back Sidney Crosby to find the back of the net.
As poor as Pittsburgh’s season has gone, Crosby remains the team’s driving force and has been terrific since Game 1. He’s not showing any signs of slowing down, either. Crosby has five goals, 13 points, and 30 shots on goal in his last 10 contests
You don’t want to walk down narrative street all that often when it comes to betting, but Crosby will be going up against his good mate Nathan Mackinnon in this contest and the Crosby-to-Colorado fantasists will be frothing at the mouth if Sid the Kid has a big game in Denver.
Wild/Kraken 60-Minute Draw (+300)
The Minnesota Wild are in tough right now. Not only have they lost 10 of their last 18, but the Wild also have been ravaged by injuries this season.
Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jonas Brodin are all out for the foreseeable future and Minnesota doesn’t have much wiggle room to make trades and bring in reinforcements.
The Wild were always a team that focused on keeping games neat and tidy, but the injuries have forced Minnesota to lean into that defensive posture even more. The Wild’s best path to success is to edge out teams in low-event contests because they are not likely to outscore their opponents in back-and-forth tilts. Minnesota has scored 18 goals in its last nine contests.
Luckily, their opponent on Tuesday isn’t really a threat to overrun the Wild. The Seattle Kraken rank in the middle of the pack in goals per game, but that number is buoyed by a high shooting percentage. Seattle is second-to-last in expected goals created and fourth-worst in terms of creating high-danger scoring chances.
This game has every chance of being a snoozer, which puts value on backing it to go to overtime at a good price.
