Moneyline: Washington Capitals at Chicago Blackhawks
Given the popularity of both teams, this Chicago-Washington moneyline might draw the most betting action at the top online sportsbooks Wednesday. Therefore, we feel obligated to make our own pick. But first, let's see how the current betting odds stand:
Despite a litany of injuries, the Capitals just keep winning. With a 17-5-6 mark and goal differential of +26, Washington is one of the best teams in the league. This hot-start has skyrocketed its Stanley Cup futures odds at sportsbooks offering NHL playoff betting. But here's the scary part: Washington should get better once they're more healthy.
We'll find out soon enough because top-line center Nicklas Backstrom might suit up for Wednesday's game. His presence should fortify an offense that already has a knack for getting into the net. The Caps are up to 95 goals on the season — fourth-most in the NHL so far. Still, you should expect some rust from Backstrom since he's been out all year long.
Chicago goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is in for a tough challenge against Washington's dynamic offense. After a horrendous start to the season, Fleury and the Blackhawks at large have turned things around. Still, Chicago is not consistent enough to warrant a moneyline pick. Its record is 5-5 in the past 10 games, after all.
So you can probably guess what direction we're going with this bet — hammer the Capitals. As we said, they're on the league's best and should be even better with Backstrom back in the mix. Watch out for this team!
Over/Under 5.5 Goals: New York Rangers at Arizona Coyotes
Any time the Coyotes are in action, the over is always a strong betting consideration. That's because Arizona has the poorest goaltending and defense in the entire NHL. So far, they're being shredded for 3.52 goals a game — highest among all teams.
However, one thing that might help the Coyotes here is the Rangers should be on tired legs. They played last night, losing 4-2 to the Avalanche on the road. Even worse, this will now be its eighth game in 12 days. While back-to-back road games are never easy, a remedy for consecutive away games is bad — and we mean bad — Arizona squad.
The Coyotes are losers of five straight and have all of five wins this season. This is the type of matchup where the Rangers can make a statement by blowing them out completely, which is very doable. After all, New York is 12-0-1 so far against teams under .500. We expect a big night out of the Rangers, which will help put this game into over territory.
Moneyline: Seattle Kraken at Anaheim Ducks
When evaluating the moneyline between Seattle and Anaheim, it would be beneficial to look at the first time the two teams faced off. Back in November, the Ducks went on the road and took a 7-4 victory over the expansion franchise. In that meeting, Jared McCann and Troy Terry netted two goals apiece as the Anaheim offense shredded Seattle's defense all night long.
Will Wednesday night be a bad case of deja vu for the Kraken, who will be on the road this time around? Probably. As you'd expect with a first-time team, Seattle has more questions than answers right now. They are currently dead last in the Pacific division, while the Ducks are atop it.
Unless Seattle makes trades, any improvements will have to come from within and in a hurry. That will take time, which makes Anaheim the no-brainer bet here. For risky bettors, you may even want to consider betting the Ducks -1.5 spread — that's how far apart the two teams are talent-wise.
How To Bet ON NHL?
Want to bet on NHL on Wednesday (or any other day for that matter), but not sure how? We have a quick fix — visit one of the bookmakers listed below. These bookies carry any and all NHL bets, from now until the Stanley Cup Finals. You'll get the bets at industry-leading prices too!
New players can earn hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play off the bat by leveraging a big-money sign-up bonus! The table underneath has a list of bonuses currently on the table. By redeeming these bonuses, you could conceivably make your NHL bets free of cost. To get started, click around the below table!
