NHL Best Bets Tonight: 3 Expert Picks for Rasmus Dahlin, Panthers, More (Tuesday, Feb. 6)
Ben Ludeman/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Rasmus Dahlin #26 of the Buffalo Sabres
Check out our NHL best bets tonight for Tuesday, February 6 – our top hockey picks and predictions.
The Action Network's hockey experts have compiled their favorite betting picks for tonight's NHL slate, which we've also covered in depth with our individual NHL game guides.
However, for our NHL best bets tonight, we're targeting three games specifically from the eight-game lineup.
Tonight's NHL Best Bets include a player prop, a puck line, and a total. They include some marquee matchups with the Panthers vs. Flyers and first-place Avalanche vs. Devils, among others.
Below, check out our experts' predictions and picks for those games and tail along with their action.
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NHL Best Bets Tonight
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our NHL betting staff is targeting from today's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | ||
| 7 p.m. | ||
| 7:30 p.m. | ||
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NHL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Stars vs. Sabres
By Tony Sartori
The Buffalo Sabres host the Dallas Stars in the early window of Tuesday's NHL slate. It's a game that oddsmakers are suggesting will be high-scoring with a total of 6.5 across the board.
Part of the reason for this high total is that goaltender Jake Oettinger is projected to start between the pipes for Dallas, and he has not seen the puck well recently.
Over his past four starts, Oettinger possesses a fade-worthy .873 SV% and 3.94 GAA. This lack of success could continue against Buffalo, a team he possesses a .870 SV% against over his past two starts.
That brings us to Rasmus Dahlin, who scored in the first of those two outings and added four shots per game across the two. Shooting the puck has certainly not been a problem for Dahlin, who is second on the team with 140 shots.
Get the puck on net, and good things will happen, which is why Dahlin has scored three times over his past 11 games. Yeah, that is certainly not an Auston Matthews pace of goalscoring, but that is definitely good enough when catching odds as long as +475.
Speaking of +475, that number is available at BetMGM and is five-to-85 cents longer than the rest of the market at the time of writing. I would play this number up to +450.
Pick: Rasmus Dahlin Anytime Goalscorer (+475)
Flyers vs. Panthers
By Carol Schram
These two sides were headed in opposite directions before the All-Star break with the Panthers winning four straight games while the Flyers lost five in a row.
And while the rest and reset could help Philadelphia get back on track, Florida has been a tough out for most of the year.
The Panthers will win more often than they lose, controlling a strong 55.57% of expected goals at 5-on-5. Their power play is also hitting, with a 6-for-15 record through the four-game winning streak, and they’re steady in net whether it’s Sergei Bobrovsky or his backup, Anthony Stolarz.
They’re basically healthy, and Sam Reinhart has one of the hottest sticks in the league, now up to 37 goals.
The Flyers are also healthy, with Owen Tippett and Egor Zamula back in the mix at practice, and Sam Ersson and Cal Petersen ready to carry the load in the crease. John Tortorella has shuffled his lines, looking for an offensive spark, but said he’d likely go with seven defensemen on Tuesday.
Hardworking and stingy, the Flyers are better than they showed leading into the break. But they’ll have to wait a little longer to pick up more points. Look for the Panthers to dish a dominant win.
I like the Panthers on the puck line (-1.5) at +126 odds. I'd play it down to +100.
Pick: Panthers -1.5 (+126)
Avalanche vs. Devils
The Devils' defensive play dropped off considerably in the month of January as they dealt with a lengthy list of injuries.
They played to an xGA/60 of 3.75 over the last 10 games and allowed 3.80 goals against where it mattered. Help is drawing closer as a number of key skaters practiced on Tuesday, but for the time being, the lineup will remain a skeleton crew.
Few teams have had much luck shutting down Nate MacKinnon and the Avs' offense recently, and it seems unlikely the Devils will fare very well, especially if they are a little sloppy early after a 10-day layoff.
Since the Avs' did play last night, though, we should see Justus Annunen announced as the starter soon as opposed to Alexandar Georgiev.
Annunen has played to a .908 save % in the AHL this season, and he would likely post below-average NHL results over a reasonable sample.
With Annunen in net, this total should be set at 7, and I would bet Over 6.5 at anything better than -130.
Pick: Avalanche-Devils Over 6.5 (-120)
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