Friday is the first day back with NHL hockey after a short Christmas break and we can expect an exciting night of action thanks to some elite matchups. The Maple Leafs return to action and look to bounce back defensively after allowing three or more goals in four straight when traveling back to the Motor City to take on the Red Wings.
Other great matchups include two of the top teams in the West with the Stars and Wild or you can check out two of the bottom teams in the league when the Sabres take on the Blackhawks. It should be a great night of games and we look to improve on our impressive records like our 32-24 record on game total and team unders this season.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Teuvo Teravainen Over 0.5 Points (+110), Blackhawks Sabres Under 6.5 goals (-135), Sabres ML (-165)
The Sabres finally managed to edge out a win and end their 13-game losing streak as they blew out the Islanders 7-1 in a rout that finally saw them secure their defence. It’s been a rough stretch for Rasmus Dahlin and company as they have the third-worst goals against average in the league since mid-November at 3.65 over their last 20 games.
During that span, they’ve won just five games so they are long overdue for a couple puck bounces their way. Chicago is also looking for a couple bounces their way as they’ve also struggled with a 7-14-1 record and the second-worst offence with 54 goals scored over their last 22 games.
It’s no secret that without Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks can’t piece together any sort of offence. He’s recorded points on 91 of Chicago’s 268 goals dating back to last season, which is basically a third of their total offence. The 19-year-old superstar will always garner the majority of attention from most teams and has made Teuvo Teravainen a solid scoring option.
The Finnish winger has been red hot over Chicago’s last five games with a goal and nine assists for ten points. He also has a great history in this matchup versus Buffalo with seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points in his last 15 games against the Sabres.
Teravainen should find his way onto the scoresheet in what will be a troubling game to call as the Sabres defence could continue to leak in goals or the Blackhawks offence could remain non-functional.
The Sabres have won both of two matchups against Connor Bedard and have won six of their last seven matchups against the Blackhawks. The total has gone under seven goals in three straight matchups between these two clubs and should again on Friday.
