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(Julio Cortez / AP)
I can't believe this is the sixth straight week that I'm publishing an NHL on TNT betting guide! Thanks for sticking with me and returning for tonight's action.
On tonight's doubleheader slate, we have the Edmonton Oilers coming south of the border to take on the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30. Then later on we'll have a west coast matchup in the Los Angeles Kings facing off against the Arizona Coyotes at 10:00.
Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert, in fact, I'm the exact opposite. These are just my personal takes and my personal bets going into tonight's contests. Odds mentioned in this article are subject to change prior to puck drop.
Game 1: Edmonton Oilers @ Tampa Bay Lightning
I wrote about the Edmonton Oilers and their struggles a few weeks ago in one of my other betting guides, and I wasn't too nice to them. But the encouraging news is that they've been doing much better since then, and I'm happy about that. Who doesn't want to see Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl succeed? Maybe except for Calgary Flames fans. When the two best players in the world are winning, it's better for the league and helps to grow the game.
The Oilers are winners of six of their last nine since I wrote about them on February 1st, and are looking to close out the month of February with a winning record. However, most excitingly for the Oilers and their fans, they are officially back in a playoff spot as of right now, as they sit in third place in the Pacific Division with 59 points.
It's an extremely tight race in the Western Conference, as the Oilers' 59 points are only two more than the Anaheim Ducks' 57, who currently sit just outside of a playoff spot. The difference between making the playoffs and missing the playoffs if they started today is one game. Drama down the stretch for the Oilers!
What can be said about the Tampa Bay Lightning that hockey fans don't already know? They're back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, they're making a very strong bid to possibly see a three-peat, and in turn they have a huge target on their back as far as the Eastern Conference is concerned.
Lightning forward, Nikita Kucherov, made his return from injury recently, making an already elite Tampa Bay squad that much more scary. The Lightning are in second place in the Atlantic Division, five points behind their intrastate rivals, the Florida Panthers, making the Governor's Cup rivalry possibly the most heated and exciting in the NHL.
I'll take:
TB puck line -1.5 puck line
Connor McDavid O 1.5 points
Game 2: Los Angeles Kings @ Arizona Coyotes
The Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes are playing each other for the second time in one week, as they last met up on Saturday the 19th, which resulted in a 5-3 Kings victory.
Los Angeles' success has been pleasantly surprising this year. They are by no means contenders, but they are pushing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018 where they were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round.
Los Angeles is enjoying a nice mix of grizzled veteran leadership, and young power and speed. Under the mentorship of players like Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Alex Iafallo, the young guys on the roster are getting a taste of what it's like to compete, and how to succeed as a team at the NHL level.
The Kings have one of the top prospect pools in the league, and are looking to be perennial Stanley Cup contenders over the next decade.
The Arizona Coyotes are... the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes have been a disaster on and off the ice this season. As if their play in the rink wasn't embarrassing enough -- sitting in last place in the Western Conference -- their biggest headline off the ice this season has been their impending move to Arizona State University's new multipurpose arena that holds only... 5,000 people.
This is a professional American sports franchise that is going to be playing in a glorified gym, and people are doubting their ability to even be able to draw 5,000 fans. Many feel like a relocation to a new city in the near future is imminent for the poor Coyotes.
Other than that, the Coyotes recently made a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nick Ritchie and a 2nd-round pick, in exchange for defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and forward Ryan Dzingel. On Monday, Arizona waived and then traded goalie Carter Hutton. Hutton was also flipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for future considerations.
It's been rumored that multiple teams have been in contact with Arizona's front office inquiring about defenseman, Jakob Chyckrun, and forward, Phil Kessel, as we near the March 21st trade deadline. The Coyotes are undoubtedly sellers this year.
I'll take:
LA ML -220
U 6
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