This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Betting: NHL Moneyline and Puckline Picks for Friday, December 2
If you took my bets from Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, you'd be 10-3. That's a solid stretch! My articles haven't had a losing slate since Nov. 18. One could argue we're on a bit of a heater. How? Starting to get a feel for each team's vibe and my gut-feeling picks have been swinging nicely. On the ice, we'd call this "getting the bounces." A streak like this makes a calm, laid-back night of three NHL games an easy play. No true harm if we lose, and only coins to game from sprinkling some action. So let's get into it, happy Frisky Friday y'all!
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. With sports betting now live in Maryland, bettors located in the Old Line State can get in on the fun with the DraftKings Maryland Promo Code.
NHL Best Bets for Friday
Senators 
vs Rangers 
These two squads matched up on Wednesday night in Ottawa and the Rangers came out with a 3-1 win. The Rags needed that win badly. They were a mediocre group for the whole month of November, and a loss to one of the worst teams in the league would've made an already disappointing record look even worse. The Senators shouldn't be one of the worst teams in the league though, and I stand by that assertion. They won 2 of their last 3 coming into that tilt and had impressive shot totals in their previous 5 games including the loss to the Rangers. They outshot the Sharks in San Jose 38-31 but lost 5-1. They outshot the Golden Knights in Vegas 40-36 but lost 4-1. They outshot the Ducks 33-32 in Anaheim and won 5-1. They outshot the Kings in LA 39-27 and won 3-2 in overtime. The Rangers were the only team to outshoot them in their last 5 with a 36-35 tally. Peppering over 30 pucks on net per game recently, it seems the Senators are just not getting the bounces. Can they get some bounces to go their way tonight in Madison Square Garden?
- Senators PL -165
Predators 
vs Islanders 
The Predators pulled off some Houdini magic on the road visiting the Devils last night. Down 3-2 late in the third, they killed off a Devils power play, tied the game with 8 seconds left, then won it in overtime. A huge moral victory for a team that started slow this season but seems to be getting its vibe back, going 6-3-1 in its last 10. They head up the street to visit the Islanders on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Isles are 8-3 on the Island this season and 6-4 in their last 10. One of those losses was 5-4 on the road in Nashville, so we have some precedent for this matchup. Both teams play a structured, hard-nosed style but can open it up with some run-and-gun offence off of heavy forechecks and causing turnovers. This game might be about who can outlast the other, much like the Predators did back on 11/17.
- Islanders ML -145
Blue Jackets 
vs Winnipeg Jets 
I didn't want to make this complicated but Vegas has to go ahead and do that for us. The Jets are the clear favorite, which is why they're -240 on the moneyline. They're 8-2 at home where this game is being played and are 7-3 in their last 10. They just shut out the vaunted Avalanche in Winnipeg two nights ago. The Blue Jackets are still one of the worst teams in the NHL, but they have been more competitive of late with a 4-4-2 record in their last 10. They only have 1 win on the road so far this year though, and given the Jets' strength at home, I'm confused as to why Vegas has the Blue Jackets at -135 on the puck line. Are they just begging us to take that with the passive suggestion that Johnny Gaudreau and the gang are somehow going to cover?
- Jets PL +115
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