Back from the NHL All-Star break, there are only two games on the schedule tonight. I'm prioritizing the Colorado Avalanche's meeting with the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
The Central Division leaders, the Colorado Avalanche, travel to New York to take on the Metropolitan Division's top team, the New York Rangers, who I'm betting on.
This should be one of the best games of the season and will feature some of the league's true stars, including Nathan MacKinnon for the Avalanche and Artemi Panarin for the Blueshirts. Both teams should put on a great show as these hockey powers advance to the playoffs.
The Avalanche enter this game with a season record of 32-14-3. On the other hand, the Rangers also have an impressive record of 30-16-3. Today's top picks are powered by one of my NHL betting systems called The Hot Scorers. Under his rules, my best bet goes to the New York Rangers at odds of about 1.87 in decimal.
Here are the rules for the Hot Scorers betting angle. If the away team has scored four or more goals in each of their last three games without necessarily winning, you should bet against them. Following these rules has resulted in good profits over the years.
Avoid
The Avalanche have won their last three games convincingly, scoring more than four goals in each. They won 7-4 in Philadelphia before two home wins against the Capitals and Kings, 6-2 and 5-1, respectively. According to the strategy, we have to avoid them in today's game.
The Rangers earned a stunning 7-2 victory over the Senators.
Both the Rangers and the Avalanche go into this duel well rested. The Avalanche last played on January 26th and the Rangers last played on January 27th.
Madison Square Garden is a difficult venue for many teams. The Rangers always shine when they play in front of their fans. They are 15-7 at home while their visitors are 12-9-3 on the road. On the road, the Avalanche aren't as impressive as they are at home.
The Rangers didn't have a particularly good January. However, the break from the All-Star Game combined with the race toward the playoffs should allow them to perform better in February to stay atop the Metropolitan Division.
They haven't played the Avalanche since last season when they had a very narrow 2-1 win.
Good news, this match marks the return of key defender Ryan Lindgren. However, Jacob Trouba will not be in the squad due to a suspension.
There is no doubt that this will be a great game. It's a match that will showcase some of the great skills of the NHL's best players. MSG should be enough to allow the Rangers to prevail against the Avalanche in this game.