NHL Best Bets for December 17: Penguins Value as Home Dogs
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Eric Kelly
- December 17, 2024
Top NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins ML (+130) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
We have another monster card on our hands this Tuesday night with no less than 11 NHL games taking place. So strap in for some juicy plus money picks ahead of tonight’s action.
We are eyeing up the Penguins to cash on home ice as underdogs whilst also taking a look at Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov to continue his hot scoring streak.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at PPG Paints Arena
Penguins Looking Better
It was a disastrous start to the season for the Penguins, and still, things aren’t great. A win tonight would be ideal to gain confidence in beating a solid team like LA. The Kings are not a bad team on the road and have a pretty strong record against teams in the Eastern Conference.
That said, the Penguins have looked much better in recent games having gone 4-1 in their last five games, and have won six of their previous ten games, including one overtime win and one overtime loss. Overall, we believe top-rated sportsbooks are paying a lot of respect to a traveling Los Angeles. Yes, they’re strong, very strong having gone 8-2 overall. But this Penguins team is well capable of beating the Kings, especially as underdogs at home.
Pittsburgh Penguins’ Trends & Facts
- Pittsburgh is 4-1 in their last 5 games against an opponent in the Pacific Division.
- The total has gone over in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games when playing at home against Los Angeles.
- The Penguins are 4-1 in their previous 5 NHL games.
The Pick
The Penguins will be reminded of their 6-2 defeat last time out at home. They have massively improved in recent games and don’t want one small loss to snowball into three of four. Nip it in the bud tonight with a solid home victory as underdogs.
The Penguins are not getting enough respect here in our opinion, plus we must remember that the Kings are missing two solid players in Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore.
NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins ML (+130) at BetOnline
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Amalie Arena
Nikita and Company Could Be in For a High Night
This could be a beautiful spot for Nikita Kucherov and his Lightning teammates to rack up some points tonight. For starters, the Blue Jackets are missing five players through injury and have gone 3-7 in their previous 10 games and 1-7 in their previous 8 games.
In that time span, the Blue Jackets have allowed an average of 3.4 goals per game. In the same time span, the Lightning have gone 6-4 at home, but more importantly, have scored an average of 4.1 goals per game. When they win, they tend to win big.
Nikita Kucherov has been his usual self this season, sitting 3rd overall for the most points in the league. We believe he could be in for another big multi-goal night, especially given his ability to go off on occasions, having seen 2+ points in 50% of his games played. In his recent 9 games, he has scored 3+ points on 4 occasions.
Nikita Kucherov’s Trends & Facts
- Nikita Kucherov has been averaging 2.3 points per game in his previous five NHL games.
- Kucherov has only failed to score a point in 3 of 26 games played so far this season.
- Kucherov has 43 points in 38 career games against the Blue Jackets.
The Pick
These odds are too good to be true given how strong Kucherov has been in recent games, scoring 3+ points just over 40% of the time. The Blue Jackets are struggling right now, whilst the Lighting are coming off an 8-1 thumping of San Jose in their previous home game.
NHL Pick: Nikita Kucherov Over 2.5 Points (+180) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
