This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
Just two games on the NHL slate tonight and… woof. We've got the Blue Jackets visiting the Blues and the Kraken visiting the Sharks. Did the NHL scheduler just want to throw out some matchups between teams with clashing jersey colors? I mean, look at the Kraken-Sharks matchup, there will be SO much teal out there tonight. And we've got a team name with "Blue" against the actual Blues. I get it, it's the few days before the All-Star break. The league's gotta fill slots, and at this point, everyone needs a break. Even us, where we can gear up for a big second half. But not before we dive into the best NHL bets and player props tonight nonetheless!
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Expert NHL Picks Tonight
Blue Jackets, Blues over 6.5 (-120 on DraftKings)
I feel like this is a trap bet, but with this board, we're taking it anyway. The stats are there though. Five straight meetings between these two teams have gone over 6.5, and seven of the last 10 overall. The Blues come into tonight on a five-game win streak too, winning 4-3 in four straight. Six of their last 10 have gone over 6.5 and two of their games hit six total goals. The Blue Jackets are on the tail end of a lengthy road trip out West where two of their last four have hit over 6.5. Let's see what happens.
Kraken -1.5 PL (+112 on FanDuel)
Picking on the worst team in hockey here with a little bit of puck line juice. I like the Kraken in plus money here though. They smoked the Sharks 7-1 in their only other meeting this season in November. The Kraken have beaten the Sharks in six of their eight overall meetings historically, and four of those wins came by 2+. The Sharks surprisingly rattled off three straight wins before falling 5-2 to the Sabres on Saturday. They've only won four of their last 20 overall, though, and 12 of their 16 losses in that span came by 2+.
Best NHL Player Props Tonight
Jake Neighbours over 0.5 points (+135 on DraftKings)
I love the Blues in this one. I love them so much that I am avoiding their PL bet like a bad habit, but since we're taking the over, let's load up on a few of their players. Neighbours is in a great spot here. He's playing first-line power play and skating on the second line with Brayden Schenn who's got 11 points in his last 10 games. The power play's been firing too, so I like the playmakers surrounding Neighbours to put him in good positions to score tonight. All the big guns on the Blues are sorta juiced in the props market, but I like this plus money play for Jake.
Jared McCann over 0.5 points (-135 on DraftKings)
13 points in his last 10 games. Points in six straight and eight of those 10. Had two points in the November win over the Sharks. -135 might be a little too generous, so I'm taking it with confidence.
