NHL Friday Betting Recap: Stars Might Be Legit
Dallas Keeps Finding Ways To Win
Friday was a heavy Western Conference night in the NHL with only four games on the docket — all starting in the Central time zone or later — and with six of the eight teams involved being from the West. So, there were some key divisional matchups and some inter-conference battles, which are fun because two teams who don’t play each other often share the ice.
Let’s recap each game and look back at how they went compared to the NHL betting lines:
Stars Shine at Home
The Dallas Stars continued their home dominance with a thrilling 4-3 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets, notching the game-winner from Jason Robertson. Dallas took the lead in the third period on a Jamie Benn goal but blew it with just 32 seconds left in regulation as Mark Scheifele scored on Jake Oettinger to force an extra period.
Benn had a goal and an assist to lead the way for the Stars while Denis Gurianov had a pair of assists. Scheifele had a goal and an assist to pace Winnipeg. Neither Oettinger nor Connor Hellebuyck played particularly well.
Dallas won as sizable home favorites on the BetUS sportsbook and the over (six goals) just went over thanks to Scheifele’s late-game heroics.
Mike Smith Comes Through
The Edmonton Oilers’ tumultuous season took another turn this week when head coach Dave Tippett was fired and replaced by Jay Woodcroft from Edmonton’s AHL affiliate. But, at least on Friday, the Oilers played like they needed a new voice on the bench as they beat the New York Islanders 3-1.
Cody Ceci got the Oilers out to a quick start with a first period goal and Zach Hyman added on to the lead in the second period. Veteran goalie Mike Smith — who has struggled this season — was the star for Edmonton, though, as he saved 37 of the 38 shots he faced to give the Oilers a much-needed boost in goal. Anthony Beauvillier scored the only goal for New York.
Edmonton covered the puck line as solid home favorites but the over (5½ goals) fell short.
Coyotes’ Comeback Falls Short
The Arizona Coyotes made it close but the Tampa Bay Lightning held on for a 4-3 win on Friday behind a pair of goals from Steven Stamkos. Tampa Bay took a 2-0 lead in the opening period but Arizona kept fighting back and, eventually, the Coyotes ran out of time.
Stamkos’ goals were both in the third period and helped the Lightning stave off Arizona and cash the over (six goals). Nick Schmaltz’s goal with 1:38 left in the final frame capped the scoring.
Clayton Keller (a goal and an assist) was the leader for Arizona. The Lightning won straight-up as huge moneyline road favorites yet didn’t cover the puckline.
Seattle Takes Down Ducks
The Seattle Kraken got a much-needed comeback win on Friday, beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 behind two goals from Ryan Donato and the game-winner from Jordan Eberle. Seattle tied things up in the second period on Donato’s second goal of the night and took the lead for good when Eberle beat John Gibson with 1:42 left in the game.
If you were betting online on Seattle, it was a great win. The Kraken were pretty big underdogs on the road and with backup goalie Chris Driedger in net. The over (5½ goals) hit just over halfway through the game. Isac Lundestrom scored twice to lead the way for Anaheim in the loss.
