Massive 11 game slate in the NHL this Wednesday, the 7th of February. We take a look at some of the key games of the day including the Fox Sports televised Wild at Blues and give our betting tips below.
Minnesota Wild at St Louis Blues (12.00pm AEDT Fox Sports 503 HD)
The Wild are playing great hockey at this current time minus the game against Dallas when they went down 6-1 on the road. The Wild are 6-2-2 in the past ten games but their road game woes continue, now with a record of 10-15-1. It don't get any easier with this upcoming game against the Blues. Devan Dubnyk 20-10-3 is expected to start this game. Minnesota won the last matchup 2-1 back in December.
The Blues got the win over Buffalo over the weekend in a 1-0 shut out. They are now holding onto third position in the Central Division with a home record of 18-10-0. The Blues are ranked fourth allowing 2.62 goals per game, speaking of defense Carter Hutton is expected to start. Hutton is having a great year, as he has taken over the first goalie position over Jake Allen and is 14-4-1 for the year and only allowing 1.61 goals per game. The Wild will need a solid outing to knock over the Blues in this televised game.
TIP: St Louis Blues H2H - $1.68 at Sportsbet
Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets (11.00am AEDT)
The Capitals visit Columbus to try and snap a two game losing streak. The Caps had their chances in the previous two games over Pittsburgh and Vegas but gave up six third period goals to lose both games. The Caps are 11-9-4 on the road this season and have won the past four straight over Columbus. Washington has been killed on the power play this year ranked 22nd for penalty kill after giving up over ten minutes per game.
The Blue Jackets haven't had much success on home ice over the Caps and are without a win since the 2015-2016 season and will need to be better than they have to change things around. Columbus have lost three straight and are 4-5-1 in the past ten games. Sergei Bobrovsky gets start number 43 in this game. He has lost four of his past five games.
TIP: Washington Capitals H2H - $2.01 at Ladbrokes
Vegas Golden Knights at Pittsburgh Penguins (12.00pm AEDT)
Vegas continue their road trip East with a matchup against Pittsburgh. Vegas are 3-1 since the All Star break and are coming off a come from behind victory over Washington to sweep the series. Vegas took care of business in their last matchup winning a tight 2-1 game with ex Penguin James Neal and Marc Andre Fleury starring. Offensive is lead by William Karlsson who leads the team in goals and leads the league in the plus minus category. Vegas are ranked second for goals this season and tenth for shots on goal. They play fast hard hockey and continue to impress day in and day out.
Pittsburgh are one of the best teams on home ice and this was on display against the Capitals as they put seven goals on the board. Pittsburgh are 19-7-1 at home and are clearly the best team when it comes to the power play ranked first in the league. The Penguins are starting to heat up again and are looking more dangerous than ever. Pittsburgh have always been able to replace an injured player, this time round they will have to replace Patric Hornqvist who is now set to miss weeks with a lower body injury. Hornqvist has been solid posting 16 goals and 15 assists for the year, he certainly will be missed.
TIP: Vegas Golden Knights H2H - $2.03 at Sportsbet
