Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – January 29th, 2024

By Hank Blaine • January 29, 2024

There are only a few games around the NHL early this week because the All-Star Game is Saturday. Most teams already have begun their break including Toronto. Superstar Auston Matthews enters the break with 40 goals and on track for a rare 70-goal season. He’ll be at the All-Star Game of course. Here’s a look at two intriguing early-week matchups.

Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week (January 29th, 2024)

NHL Power Rankings: Each team's biggest All-Star snub.

1️⃣@EdmontonOilers
2️⃣@Canucks
3️⃣ @NHLBruins

FULL LIST: https://t.co/idqwIeOxEg pic.twitter.com/CyP1f8vQjj
— theScore (@theScore) January 29, 2024

Nashville Predators vs. Ottawa Senators

When: Monday, January 29th, 2024, 7:00 PM ET
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Canada
TV: NHL Network
Radio: 99.9 The Fan FM (Predators) // TSN Radio 1200 (Senators)
Live Stream: ESPN+
NHL Betting Odds: Predators (+1.5) // Senators (-1.5)

This is the lone game Monday. Nashville has dropped four of six following a 4-1 loss at scorching-hot Edmonton on Saturday. Despite the final score, Nashville liked much of its 5-on-5 play, outshooting the home team 25-18 at even strength, and exited the ice feeling that the result wasn’t entirely representative of the effort. Colton Sissons had the lone goal, his 13th of the season and his fourth point (1G, 3A) in his last five outings.

“We were playing really well, and I think we created a ton of chances,” Predators forward Filip Forsberg said. “We’ve just got to bury our chances and I think that’s been our biggest problem for the last couple of weeks… I think especially early on, it’s a completely different game if we get them chasing us and instead they were in the lead. So the effort was great, I thought we all played really well. But it’s about scoring goals.”

Juuse Saros should be in net for Nashville on Monday after getting Saturday off. Saros was in the net most recently last Thursday and stopped 22 of 24 shots in a 3-2 win over Minnesota. Saros held the Wild to one goal through the first two periods before Nashville rallied for three tallies in the final frame as the 28-year-old netminder stopped his losing streak at two games. Saros is 3-3-0 with a strong .930 save percentage in his past six and 19-18-1 with a .904 save percentage and 2.91 GAA this season.

Should Gustav Nyquist (12-25—37) get a point Monday and join fellow newcomer Ryan O’Reilly (17-25—42) at the 40-point mark on the year, Nashville would feature multiple players with 40-plus points in their first season with the club since Jason Arnott and J-P Dumont did so in 2006-07.

Ottawa enters on a two-game skid and was dominated in a 7-2 home loss by the Rangers on Saturday. The Senators entered seemingly having found their identity, riding a five-game point streak and allowing only 2.20 goals per game over that stretch. Ottawa actually led the Rangers 2-0 on goals from Brady Tkachuk and Jakob Chychrun. In addition, Claude Giroux recorded his 700th career NHL assist.

The Rangers started the second period by taking a penalty and Chychrun put away a one-timer pass from Drake Batherson. From that point of the game the Rangers took control with seven unanswered goals. Joonas Korpisalo allowed four goals on 17 shots before he was replaced at 8:44 of the second period. It’s been a forgettable season for Korpisalo, who is 10-15-2 with a 3.44 GAA and .888 save percentage. He may not get the call Monday and it could be Mads Sogaard with Anton Forsberg still out injured.

Ottawa is struggling on the power play this season at 16.3 percent. In 2022-23, the Senators finished at 23.5 per cent (72-for-306) and were eighth best in the NHL. Also concerning: Ottawa had scored multiple power-play goals in just four games this season after doing it 18 times a season ago. The team’s penalty killing has gotten better (73.6 percent), but still ranks 24th-best in the league. A year ago, Ottawa was middle of the pack at 80.1 percent.

Monday is the first meeting of the season between the teams. The Predators won both last season.

NHL Betting Pick: Senators

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. St. Louis Blues

When: Tuesday, January 16th, 2024, 8:00 PM ET
Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
TV: NHL Network
Radio: 97.1 The Fan (Blue Jackets) // ESPN 101.1 FM (Blues)
Live Stream: ESPN+
NHL Betting Odds: TBA

An already terrible season for Columbus got a bit worse over the weekend when star forward Patrik Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program to receive care for an undisclosed issue. The announcement, made via the NHL, NHLPA and Blue Jackets’ organization Sunday, indicated Laine will be out for an indefinite period of time while getting treatment.

His return to hockey will require approval by administrators of the program, which was founded in 1996 as a jointly-funded means to provide players and their families assistance with mental health, substance abuse and other issues.

“Patrik has our complete support, and our sole concern is his well-being,” Blue Jackets general manager and alternate governor Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. “Out of respect for Patrik, we will have no further comment.”

Laine, 25, had been working his way back from a fractured clavicle injury suffered on Dec. 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was with the Blue Jackets on their recent road trip to Western Canada with an eye on returning at some point, but Laine abruptly went back to Columbus on Saturday. Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent told reporters in Vancouver on Saturday that Laine had a “setback with his injury,” but that was not accurate.

Since joining the Blue Jackets in a trade from Winnipeg on Jan. 23, 2021, Laine has missed 89 games due to personal matters or injury. In 174 games with Columbus, he has 64 goals, 74 assists and a minus-58 rating. While he’s out, Laine will remain on injured reserve and his $8.7 million annual salary will count toward the Blue Jackets’ cap number. If he’s out for extended time, he might qualify for long-term injured reserve that would provide the Jackets with cap relief.

There is one bright spot on the Blue Jackets in that they have two of the four NHL rookies with at least 11 goals on the season Adam Fantilli (12) and Dmitri Voronkov (11). The others are Chicago’s Connor Bedard (15) and Minnesota’s Marco Rossi (13). Fantilli is fourth among NHL rookies in points (27). The team’s rookie stat line of 24-36-60 is first in the NHL in goals and second in points.

Blues winger Kasperi Kapanen (lower body) will not play Tuesday but may be available to return following the All-Star break. Kapanen made some progress skating on his own during the Blues’ recently-completed road trip. He has 13 points, 65 shots on goal and 26 hits over 42 games this season. Kapanen, who is still on injured reserve, has been out since Jan. 15 due to a lower-body issue.

This concludes the season series between the teams as St. Louis lost 5-2 at Columbus on Dec. 8. Yegor Chinakhov scored twice in the third period, and Jet Greaves stopped 41 shots for his first NHL victory to lead Columbus. Greaves will not be in net Tuesday, though. Robert Thomas scored twice and Joel Hofer stopped 17 shots for the Blues.

NHL Betting Pick: Blues

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Top NHL Betting Picks of the Week – January 29th, 2024