NHL Friday parlay at mega (+906) odds, today 12/16: Flames get hot against Blues

Mark Lammey

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I've been a capper since my love for sports met my proficiency with numbers and math. The NFL and NCAAF have always been my first loves, followed by the NHL. Although I prefer sports that involve hitting people, I still love capping MLB, soccer, tennis, and even some esports. Living in Florida has its perks like year-round sports of any kind. For Mark Lammey media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.

Minnesota Wild -1.5 (-145) over Chicago Blackhawks

There are times when it can work out to predict an upset when a team seems “due” for a win. However, the Blackhawks have simply shown zero signs of being a team that can defeat even the weakest teams in the NHL. That’s exactly what they’ve been, especially recently. It was Chicago that just allowed a hat-trick to Alex Ovechkin to reach 800 career goals in what was ultimately a 7-3 home loss. Now the Blackhawks have to travel to Minnesota to take on a Wild team that has been at home since Monday, winning both of their games in that span.

They’ve been ascending in the Central Division, while Chicago couldn’t be sinking any lower. The Blackhawks have just 7 wins on the season, and only the Anaheim Ducks have more losses. However, it’s Chicago that’s been even worse than the Ducks as of late. Not only are the ‘Hawks just 1-8-1 in their last 10 games, but they are also allowing the most goals per game over the last month, and it’s not even close. They’re giving up 4.5 goals per game since November 16, while the Wild have scored the 7th-most in that same time frame. There’s simply no reason to expect anything but a convincing Minnesota win tonight.

Be sure to check out our Chicago Blackhawks vs Minnesota Wild predictions

Calgary Flames 3-way ML (-130) over St. Louis Blues

We correctly predicted a Vancouver Canucks upset of the Flames back on Tuesday night, so we seem to have a solid read on this Calgary team. While they aren’t as consistent without Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk this season, neither are the Blues. St. Louis has already had a rough 8-game losing streak this year and will be coming into this matchup having just been in Edmonton last night. Taking on Connor McDavid and the Oilers is tough enough, and the Blues’ goaltending has been nothing short of lackluster.

They’re allowing the 4th-most goals per game this season, as goaltender Jordan Binnington continues to struggle. If that wasn’t bad enough, they won’t even have him in net tonight. Instead, it will be backup Thomas Greiss, who was on the Detroit Red Wings last season. They allowed the 2nd-most goals per game last year, hence why they no longer wanted Greiss. While the Flames may not be red-hot, they’re scoring more goals per game, allowing fewer goals per game and have a better power play than the Blues. We may not see the heat of blue flames with this matchup, but there’s still value to be had in Calgary.

Be sure to check out our St. Louis Blues vs Calgary Flames predictions

New York Islanders ML over Arizona Coyotes & Under 5.5 goals (+230)

The 3-game slate caps off with another matchup out west. It’s not all the way out to the coast, but it will be quite the trip for the New York Islanders. However, it’s unlikely they’ll mind leaving Long Island for the warmth of Arizona this time of year. That’s been a welcomed trip for most teams, as the Coyotes have been one of the weakest teams in the NHL for quite some time now. The Islanders have also looked much stronger than last season. After missing the playoffs last year, they’re now in the top half of the Metro Division.

They’re even above the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals, two of the teams that beat them out for the postseason last year. Most fans would agree that the Coyotes can be compared to the struggling Ducks. New York took on Anaheim already this season and smashed them by a final score of 7-1. The Islanders have always had strong goaltending with Ilya Sorokin, but the increased goal-scoring is a huge boost for them. One of Arizona’s few upsets this season was over New York, but we anticipate them getting their revenge without needing 7 goals to do so.

Don’t miss out on our best NHL player props for tonight’s action!