NHL Betting Breakdown: Previews, Odds and Plays for Saturday, January 30

Jan 30, 2021

SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking focuses on two matchups from the NHL Central Division on his Saturday hockey betting card.

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Nashville Predators at Tampa Bay Lightning

Nashville visits Tampa Bay for a Central Division battle tonight. This is the first of eight meetings this season and puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. The Lightning and Predators split the season series last year as both teams posted a 3–2 overtime victory as visitors. Close contests are frequent between these teams as six of the last 12 games have been decided in extra time. Eight of those games were decided by five or fewer goals and Nashville is 9–3 in those contests.

Tampa Bay (3–1–1) opened the season with three straight wins. The Lightning defeated the Chicago Blackhawks twice at home (5–1 and 5–2) prior to a 3-2 overtime win against the Blue Jackets on the road in Columbus. That was followed by a 5–2 loss on the road to the Blue Jackets and a 1–0 overtime time loss to the Hurricanes in Carolina. Steven Stamkos leads the Tampa Bay offense with six points followed by Victor Hedman and Brayden Point who both have five points over five games.

Nashville (4–3–0) opened the season with a pair of wins against the Blue Jackets (3–1 and 5–2) and a 4–2 loss to the Hurricanes during three home games. That was followed by a game against Carolina being cancelled and two losses (7–0 and 3–2) on the road to the Dallas Stars. The Predators returned home and rebounded with 3–2 (OT) and 2–1 (SO) wins against Chicago. Nashville has struggled on offense early in the season as the Predators are averaging just 2.42 goals per game during their first seven contests.

Juuse Saros (3–2–0, 2.54 GAA, .918 SV%) is expected to start in goal for Nashville and Andrei Vasilevskiy (3–1–1, 1.98 GAA, .932 SV%) will be between the pipes for Tampa Bay. That gives the Lightning an edge in the goaltending matchup. The Predators struggled on offense during their last two games against the lowly Blackhawks. Tampa Bay has scored just twice during the last two games but they are loaded with talent and can break out at anytime. Lay the puck line and back the Lightning to cover against the Predators at home.

Best Bet: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+143) at DraftKings

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook – Game Time 7:00 p.m. ET

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Florida Panthers at Detroit Red Wings

Playing just their fifth game this season, due to several COVID–19 cancelations, Florida visits Detroit for a Central Division contest. This is the first of eight meetings and puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. The Panthers are riding a six-game winning streak against the Red Wings. That includes three wins last season as Florida won 4–0 and 5–4 at home and 4–1 in Detroit. The Red Wings last win against the Panthers was a 4–3 OT victory in Florida back on Oct. 20, 2018.

Florida (3–0–1) is playing a third straight road game following a 4-3 (SO) win and a 3-2 (SO) loss to the Blue Jackets in Columbus. That was preceded by two games against Carolina being cancelled due to COVID–19 issues. Prior to that, the Panthers defeated Chicago 5–4 in OT and 5–2 during two games at home. Florida was scheduled to open their season with two home games against Dallas but both contests were cancelled. The Panthers have five players who have recorded least four points over the first four games.

Detroit (2–5–1) finished 17–49–5 last year and are facing another long season as they are second last overall in the NHL. Following a 2–2–0 start, during four home games, Detroit returns to Little Caesars Arena after losing four straight on the road. Struggling at both ends of the ice, the Red Wings lost twice in Chicago (4–1 and 6–2) and twice in Dallas (2–1 OT and 7–3). Defense has been a problem for Detroit as the Red Wings have been outscored by a 29–16 combined margin during their first eight games.

Sergei Bobrovsky (2–0–0, 3.33 GAA, .879 SV%) is expected to start in goal for Florida while Thomas Greiss (0–4–1, 3.04 GAA, .899 SV%) is looking for his first win in goal for Detroit. Starting goaltenders are not confirmed but I like the Panthers no matter who gets the start in goal. The Red Wings lack talent across the board on defense and have been outscored by a 19-7 margin during their last four games. I expect that trend to continue in this contest. Lay the puck line and back Florida to cover the spread.

Best Bet: Florida Panthers -1.5 (+150) at DraftKings