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NHL Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (3/24)

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We have a small three-game slate of hockey on Friday with a couple of great matchups. Below, I give out my two best bets for Friday’s NHL slate.

Follow me on Twitter to get all my plays on days without full write-ups.

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Friday:

Friday’s Best NHL Bets

Odds via BetRivers Sportsbook

New York Islanders (-195) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (+160) | O/U 6 (-124/+102)

To kick off Friday’s NHL slate, there is a Metropolitan Division tilt with the fourth-place New York Islanders hosting the eighth-place Columbus Blue Jackets. While New York is obviously a stronger team, +160 is too good to pass up on the home team to pull off an upset.

Simply put, the Islanders should not be laying two dollars on the road against anybody. At 5-on-5, New York ranks just 18th in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and 21st in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60).

On the road this season, the Islanders have lost 20 of their 36 contests. Meanwhile, Columbus continues to play without any quit, evidenced by their dramatic 7-6 comeback victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

New York likely will win this game, and it should, but there is too much value in the Blue Jackets’ line at +160 to pass up against a team that often gets bailed out by its goaltender.

Best Bet: Blue Jackets ML (+160)

Arizona Coyotes (+335) @ Colorado Avalanche (-455) | O/U 6.5 (+106/-129)

In Friday’s nightcap, there is a Central Division tilt, with the third-place Colorado Avalanche hosting the seventh-place Arizona Coyotes. Low-scoring affairs are typically in store when these two clubs square off, with six or fewer total goals scored in four of the last five meetings.

This trend is likely to continue in this matchup, especially considering how Colorado plays. One of the best Under teams in the league, the Avs love to slow the game down and are much more methodical in their approach.

Mixing in the fact that they boast perhaps the deepest blue line in hockey, it is not shocking that low-scoring affairs are a trend. At 5-on-5, Colorado ranks fifth in the league in xGA/60.

However, at 5-on-5, it ranks just 20th in xGF/60. Meanwhile, Arizona is terrible at everything, ranking in the bottom five of the league in both xGF/60 and xGA/60 at 5-on-5.

The Yotes’ one bright spot is 26-year-old goaltender Karel Vejmelka. Through 45 appearances in the crease this season, Vejmelka is 18-20-5 with a .904 save percentage (SV%) and 3.33 goals against average (GAA), which is particularly impressive given what he deals with in front of him every night.

Among starting goaltenders, he ranks in the top half in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60) at 5-on-5. Across the ice, Alexandar Georgiev is slated to start in the crease for the Avs.

With a relatively easy job due to the elite defense in front of him, Georgiev is 32-15-5 with a .919 SV% and 2.56 GAA through 52 starts this year. Among starting goaltenders, he ranks 11th in GSAx/60 at 5-on-5.

Best Bet: Under 6.5 (-129)

Best of luck!

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Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him @tony_sartori.

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