The focus of most of North America will be firmly on the Super Bowl today but there are still plenty of NHL betting options with the puck dropping on five contests by 3 p.m. ET.
So let's cash in on hockey odds to win some money before the Big Game with our best free NHL picks and predictions for Sunday, February 7.
NHL Picks for Today
Chicago Blackhawks vs Dallas Stars
After opening the season with four straight defeats, the Blackhawks are suddenly very competitive, winning four of their last eight games—and three of those losses came in overtime.
The key to their success has been the emergence of goalie Kevin Lankinen. The rookie netminder backstopped Finland to a World Championship Gold in 2019 and has gone 4-1-3 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.
That said, Chicago has still struggled on the offensive end of the ice and has really missed captain Jonathan Toews, who is still out with a mystery illness. The Blackhawks are 27th in the league in goals scored per 60 minutes at even strength with 1.99. They will find it hard to generate offense on the road against a Stars team that holds opponents to 1.94 goals per 60 minutes at even strength, good for fifth-best in the NHL.
While Dallas will start backup goalie Jake Oettinger this afternoon, the youngster is a highly-regarded prospect that has gone 2-0 with a 2.42 GAA and a .898 SV% this season. More importantly, the stingy Dallas defense in front of him will make sure he is rarely tested. The Stars allowed a total of 49 shots against Oettinger in his two starts this season and are limiting foes to 26.5 shots per game. Take the Under.
PREDICTION: Under 5.5 (-105)
Detroit Red Wings vs Florida Panthers
These teams met up last week with the Panthers eking out a pair of 3-2 victories on the road. That was actually Detroit's best play in recent weeks as this is a squad that looks like one of the worst in the league and routinely gets destroyed. Not only have the Red Wings lost eight games in a row, but they have also lost five of those contests by multiple goals.
Detroit's inept offense is dead-last in the league in scoring with 1.83 goals per game and they haven't been much better at stopping the puck either, ranking 26th by allowing 3.58 gpg.
Thomas Greiss is expected to get the start for Detroit tonight and is still looking for his first win of the year after a 0-7-2 start with a 3.27 GAA and a save percentage of .892. It will be tough for Greiss against a Panthers team that has looked prolific on offense, averaging 3.5 goals per game and converting on 36 percent of power-play opportunities.
While Detroit has to snap its losing streak eventually, we don't see it happening against a 6-0-2 Panthers squad. After two close games in Detroit last week, look for Florida to make a statement win today and back them on the puck line.
PREDICTION: Florida -1.5 (+108)
Carolina Hurricanes vs Columbus Blue Jackets
The Hurricanes are 5-1 in their last six games but are fresh off a 6-4 loss to the Blackhawks, where James Reimer surrendered five goals on 34 shots.
The Blue Jackets have been consistent in their inconsistency, splitting each of their previous five two-game sets. They are coming off a 4-3 win against the Stars and showed a glimmer of spark on the offensive end of the ice with Patrik Laine scoring his first goal with his new team.
Columbus has been among the worst offensive teams in the league, averaging just 2.5 goals per game and ranking dead-last in high-danger chances per 60 minutes. It's worth noting that despite scoring seven goals in their last two games, the Jackets mustered just 51 shots on net in those two contests, so we're expecting a regression when it comes to goals scored.
We're also expecting a bounce-back performance from Reimer, who gets to play behind a strong defensive squad that holds foes to just 26 shots per game, good for third-best in the league.
Although the Canes are analytics darlings when it comes to generating scoring chances, they aren't the greatest at capitalizing on those opportunities. While they are first in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes at even strength, they're just 19th in actual even-strength goals scored per 60 minutes.
Both of these squads play a tight-checking, defensive brand of hockey and have gone a commanding 12-1-1 to the Under in their last 14 meetings in the head-to-head. We're taking the Under again.
PREDICTION: Under 5.5 (-112)
Top NHL Consensus for Today
Want to know who today's biggest NHL betting and consensus bets are right now? Check out our top NHL consensus picks.
NHL Betting Card for February 7
- Chicago-Dallas Under 5.5 (-105)
- Florida -1.5 (+108)
- Carolina-Columbus Under 5.5 (-112)
NHL Parlays
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Use our NHL parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where Can I Bet on the NHL?
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