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We have arrived at the final weekend in January and with the NHL All-Star Game around the corner, the unofficial first half of the campaign is over. Most teams will have about 50 of their 82-game schedule completed to this point of the season, so it’s time to break out the best prop bets to make when the regular season ends.
Our resident hockey expert Ej Garr is here to hand out a few choice cuts with odds worth investing in, so let’s see what he’s got in his magic hat.
In this article:
- Pittsburgh Penguins Preview & Best Bet
- Calgary Flames Preview & Best Bet
- Dallas Stars Preview & Best Bet
Pittsburgh Penguins Preview
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been struggling the entire campaign to find consistency, but the line setters are convinced they will get their season in order and be a part of the post-season again.
Odds to make playoffs: Yes @ 1.22
Odds to miss playoffs: No @ 4.25
You have been watching me post hockey bets all year, and I have covered many a Penguins affair along the way. If you have been following me, you know I am not convinced at all that this team has the goods to compete at a high level anymore. We all know that the Big 3 of Crosby, Malkin, and Guentzel will find ways to produce points, as the trio easily leads the team in goals, assists, and points.
Beyond them, the production level drops dramatically, although Rickard Rakell leads the squad with 8 power-play goals and is in the fourth slot on the scoring sheet with 32 points.
Goalkeeper Tristan Jarry is the Penguins’ top netminder, and with his recent injury, he will be out for what could be a month. That will put a ton of pressure on the Pittsburgh defense because now they will have to count on Casey DeSmith and Dustin Tokarsky between the pipes and that is not a good situation.
DeSmith is garnering a 7 – 12 overall record with a 3.26 goals against average, and out of the five years he has been wearing a Penguins sweater this is by far his worst campaign. Even with a schedule ahead in February that looks easy on paper, no wins are just easy t come by for Pittsburgh this year.
Coaching against the Penguins is an easy task because you know where the production is coming from. Even though those big 3 characters will likely be finding a semblance of success, I think this is the year that Pittsburgh falls short of the playoffs. They have not been absent from the post-season since the 2005-06 campaign, and this is certainly a ballsy call. That line of 4.25 is staring me in the face screaming GO FOR IT, so I am going for it.
Pittsburgh Penguins Best Bet
- Selection: NO – WILL NOT MAKE PLAYOFFS
- Best odds: 4.25 (Betonline)
- Stakes: 3/10
Calgary Flames Preview
As the Penguins have struggled with consistency the same can be said about the Calgary Flames campaign. As you might have seen me mention before when the Flames pay bad teams they do not bring their A-Game.
Odds to make playoffs: Yes @ 1.25
Odds to make playoffs: No @ 4.00
Not taking two points from bad teams is going to be why the Flames fall short of being a participant in the 2023 NHL post-season. All too often, a heavily favoured Flames team comes out flat and I can point out plenty of examples of that.
Le Flame has had two cracks at the Black Hawks recently, and each time as heavy favs Chicago ended up winning the game taking both points with ease. There was no close game with at least one point from overtime from either game, and they left another point off the board against Columbus just about a week ago.
Keep in mind that to start the campaign, Calgary won 5 of their first 6 games, and then the wheels simply fell off the wagon. Calgary has only been able to put one 3-game win streak together since then, and they haven’t won more than two straight outings in what seems like forever.
With 57 points going into the final weekend of January, Calgary is in the fifth position of the Pacific Division table but they are currently grasping to what would be a 7-seed if the playoffs started now. Guess what? They don’t start for another 3.5 months, so that gives the Flames plenty of time to choke away their spot in the postseason.
Calgary Flames Best Bet
- Selection: NO – WILL NOT MAKE PLAYOFFS
- Best odds: 4.00 (Betonline)
- Stakes: 3/10
Dallas Stars Preview
The Dallas Stars are currently leading the Central Division table by 3 points as we arrive at the final weekend of January. They have a slim lead over the Winnipeg Jets and the Minnesota Wild are 10 points behind Dallas but the line setters have left us some meat on the bone.
Odds to win Central Division: Yes @ 1.91
Odds to win Central Division: No @ 1.91
That is a coin-flip to win the dough, and that road record is what is doing it for me. Dallas is the best road team in the Western Conference at 15 – 8 – 4, and I expect them to continue to have success in their travels to finish the campaign.
As I look ahead to the beginning of February, Dallas will play 8 of their first 10 games at home, and that road schedule looks pretty easy to navigate from here. With two stops in Chicago, a trip to Anaheim and Buffalo is in store for them on top of the back-to-back in Seattle, those area ll games I expect Dallas to win.
The Stars have a handful of players with 40 points or more, while Jason Robertson is putting up a fantastic campaign with 66 points to his ledger.
Jake Oettinger is holding his own in net, carrying a 2.26 GAA and 21 wins to his credit thus far, and Dallas is healthy right now. This is the team they want on the ice, and as long as they stay on the ice this team is winning the Central Division crown.
I would love to have a little more value behind the offer, but 1.91 is still worth the action on Dallas in this spot.
Dallas Stars Best Bet
- Selection: Stars Win Central Division Title
- Best odds: 1.91 (Betonline)
- Stakes: 3/10
Odds as of 9:00 am January 30, 2023. Odds may now differ.
