Mark Lammey
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It’s officially 2023, and the NHL is kicking off the new year with a solid 5-game slate that also gives us afternoon action. After 12 games on the ice yesterday, there are multiple teams on back-to-backs. Those situations help provide opportunities in the betting market, which we can use to piece together our favorite plays for a mega parlay. We’re still in the positive with these this season, but it’s certainly time to hit another one. With that in mind, let’s dive in.
Along with our NHL mega parlay, be sure to check out all of our NHL picks for today’s action.
San Jose Sharks -1.5 (+190) over Chicago Blackhawks
There’s no denying that both of these teams leave a lot to be desired. However, that does not mean that the puck line for the road team should be high plus-money and we’ll take the great value. Both teams will be on the second night of a back-to-back and unsurprisingly lost their games yesterday. They’ve both been awful in terms of goaltending, but yesterday demonstrated just how bad the Blackhawks truly are. First and foremost, their 8-23-4 record is easily the worst in the NHL, and they’re the only team remaining without double-digit wins.
Yesterday they illustrated just how much of a struggle this season is going to be. The Blackhawks faced the worst team in the Eastern Conference in the Columbus Blue Jackets, who had just 10 wins entering the game, with several key skaters out with injury. Even still, Chicago lost that game 4-1, and frankly never stood a chance. While the Sharks also lost last night, they faced the Dallas Stars, who are tied for the best team in the Western Conference. Now transitioning to the worst, San Jose could cruise past this Blackhawks team.
Be sure to check out our San Jose Sharks vs Chicago Blackhawks prediction
Seattle Kraken ML & under 5.5 (+280) over New York Islanders
Given the few options on the board, we’re taking a slightly different approach of needing only 2 legs to cash for today’s NHL mega parlay. We’ll have to wait until the nightcap, but playing out west has not been kind to the Islanders. Before even diving into that, they’re coming off a game against the Blue Jackets as well. That was at home in the Big Apple, and they barely squeaked by Columbus 2-1. Scoring has never been their strong suit, while goaltender Ilya Sorokin has always been elite.
That speaks to the low-scoring portion of this play. Similarly, the Kraken are one of the best teams in terms of limiting pressure on their net, allowing the 4th-fewest shots per game. The last time the Islanders traveled out west, they lost to a very weak Arizona Coyotes team in regulation, and were shut out by the Colorado Avalanche 2 games later. The Kraken have some work to do to bounce back from their recent losses, but they still have a similar record as New York at 18-12-4. Neither team is exactly elite, so we’ll back the team on home ice in a rather uneventful game.
Don’t miss out on our NHL player props for today’s action – we went 3-0 yesterday!
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Sunday’s NHL mega parlay (1/1)
Sharks -1.5 (+190)
Kraken ML & under 5.5 (+280)
Parlay odds +1002
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