Tipico Tips: Betting the Tuesday NHL slate (Feb. 16)

There are six games scheduled in the NHL for Tuesday, so there’s plenty of action on the board. Below you’ll find a few of my favorite picks for Tuesday from Tipico Sportsbook, and if you’re looking for more bets this season, check out the FTN Bet Tracker at FTNBets.com.

Washington Capitals +105 @ Pittsburgh Penguins -130 — (O/U 6.5)

The Penguins are a perfect 3-0 against the Capitals this season, with their most recent win coming on Sunday. They took care of Washington by a score of 6-3 thanks to Bryan Rust, who finished with two goals and three points. The NHL’s third star of last week has three goals, six points and 20 shots over his past three games.

The best bet in this matchup is the over even with the game total at 6.5. There have been at least seven goals scored in all three meetings between these two teams this season. In fact, Pittsburgh and Washington have played to the over in seven straight matchups against each other dating back to 2018. The Pens have played to the over in nine of their 13 games this season, and the Capitals have played to the over in 11 of their 13 games.

Prediction: 4-3, Washington
Best bet: Over 6.5

Colorado Avalanche -105 @ Vegas Golden Knights -115 — (O/U 5.5)

This is the second of four straight games between these two Stanley Cup contenders — it was Vegas that edged Colorado 1-0 in the first meeting. Both teams received strong goaltending from their starters, with Marc-Andre Fleury turning aside all 30 shots he faced en route to his second shutout of the season. He’s 7-1-0 with a 1.38 GAA and .944 SV% through eight starts. Meanwhile, Philipp Grubauer was just as good; he’s been fantastic this season and enters the week with a 7-3-0 record to go along with a 1.61 GAA and .937 SV%. He has two shutouts this season as well.

Last year’s rookie of the year Cale Makar has a chance to return to the lineup here, but the Avs will likely be without Gabriel Landeskog for the rematch. Colorado’s already thin on the blue line as Samuel Girard was placed on injured reserve last week. I expect the Avs to bounce back if Makar and Landeskog return to the lineup, but I believe we’ll see a similar game as the one played Sunday. It’s extremely tough to consider betting the over on the game total even with all the firepower on both sides. Colorado has allowed a league-low 25 goals this season and the Golden Knights have allowed the second-fewest goals (28).

Prediction: 2-1, Avalanche
Best bet: Under 5.5