NHL Friday predictions, best bets & top odds – March 18, 2022

There are six National Hockey League (NHL) games scheduled for Friday in the Americas, starting at 7pm EST. Here’s where you should place your bets.

Buffalo Sabres (+270) @ Calgary Flames (-330)

There’s no bigger favorite on Friday than the Flames to get a home win over Buffalo. The Sabres played Thursday, and the Flames play Saturday, but Calgary should beat Buffalo regardless of who minds the net. Look for Dan Vladar to start in goal for Calgary in this one. He’s logged a .903 save percentage and allowed 2.90 goals per game this season.

The thing is Buffalo has been on a roll during a five-game homestand. They beat Vegas over a week ago and beat Toronto 5-2 on Sunday. The Sabres won’t be well rested, however, so take Calgary on the moneyline. Also look at more than 6.5 goals are scored at +105, and consider parlaying Calgary with…

Florida Panthers (-225) @ Anaheim Ducks (+190)

Florida also played Thursday but is heavily favored to win at Anaheim on Friday. The Ducks have lost five straight road games, so they’ll be happy to be home, but probably not thrilled to see the game’s best offense.

The Panthers allow roughly the same goals per game (2.85) as Anaheim scores per game (2.84), and Florida scores almost a full goal per game more than the Ducks allow per game. Taking Florida on the moneyline is the smart bet, and betting on the Panthers to win by two or more is particularly attractive at +100 odds. The over/under at 6.5 seems a bit high for betting the over, but parlaying Florida and Calgary together on the moneyline pays -114 with Bovada.

Colorado Avalanche (-250) @ San Jose Sharks (+210)

Completing the “favorites trifecta” for Friday is Colorado winning on the moneyline at San Jose. Colorado allows more goals per game (2.77) than the Sharks score per game (2.61). The only advantage San Jose has over Colorado is on the penalty kill. The Sharks kill an astounding 87 percent of power plays, but they only score on 20.4 percent of power plays.

Parlaying the Avalanche with Florida and Buffalo pays +163. Also attractive in this one is betting that more than 6.5 total goals are scored at +100.

Washington Capitals (+130) @ Carolina Hurricanes (-150)

Both of these teams have won four of five games, but Washington played Thursday, giving the Hurricanes a considerable advantage at home on Friday. Carolina also has the advantage on special teams.

The Hurricanes take considerably more penalties than Washington (536 penalty minutes to 447 for the Capitals), but the Hurricanes also kill 89.4 percent of power plays. Washington also only scores on 18.6 percent of power plays, and Carolina scores on nearly 25 percent of power plays. With Washington having played Thursday, expect special teams to propel Carolina to a home win on Friday. Take the Hurricanes on the moneyline and consider the monster odds for them to win by two or more at +170.

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