NHL Betting Guide: Lines, Trends & Picks For Friday, Jan. 6

NHL Betting Guide: Today's Lines, Trends & Picks

Today we have a decent-sized, six-game NHL slate on this fantastic Friday, and it's the perfect one to start us off in the new year with some big winners. So be ready to make some wagers and let's cash. BetQL subscribers can see more betting trends and all of our best bets with star ratings for every pick.

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We'll start things off in Anaheim, where the visiting San Jose Sharks will look to grab a win against the struggling Ducks. Both of these teams stink, so it could be a close affair. San Jose has lost three of the last five games, and that's been their MO most of the season. They aren't the worst team in the world, but they will lose two out of three most times. The offense scores 3.1 goals per game and gets 29.5 shots on goal. On defense, they give up a ton of goals, allowing 3.6 per game. That's where they struggle the most, in the net.

Anaheim is just terrible. Their offense can't score, with just 2.2 goals per game and 28.9 shots on goal per game. The defense is painful to watch, allowing 38.9 shots per game and 4.0 goals per contest. They have also lost three of their last five games, which is actually good for this team.

MY PICK: This is a game between two awful teams, and when that is the case, I almost always take the underdog. Anaheim is at home facing a Sharks team that really doesn't deserve to lay juice against anyone. I'll take the Ducks here at plus-money.

Next up, we'll head over to Chicago, where the Blackhawks will host the Arizona Coyotes. Arizona has lost three of their last five games and three straight coming into this one. That means they are due for a win here. While they are a bad team, they aren't worse than Chicago. The Coyotes' offense is scoring 2.9 goals per game and getting 25.1 shots on net per game. The defense is allowing 34.6 shots per game and 3.7 goals. Nothing good here at all.

Chicago is even worse. This is an offense that is scoring just 2.2 goals per game, the worst average in the NHL. Now, they could be without Patrick Kane, who is their leading scorer. They are allowing a whopping 3.8 goals per game and 33.5 shots on net, making them one of the worst defensive teams in the league as well.

MY PICK: Somehow, the Blackhawks are the favorites here despite being by far the worst team in hockey. No thank you to laying money with them. I'll take the Coyotes at plus-money as an underdog. They are bad, but so is Chicago, so why lay the juice?

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BetMGM NHL OGP Insurance Play of the Day

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Here is my play for today, using the strategy of taking both teams to go under their maximum goal total in the 1st period (gimmie legs), taking the favorite at their maximum spread, and adding the most likely goal scorer; you can apply this strategy to any game, any night: 

Meier Anytime Goal
Ducks Under 2.5 1P
Sharks Under 3.5 1P
Sharks +2.5
(OGP odds: +125)

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