NHL Wednesday betting preview: Wild face league's worst penalty kill

Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.

We ended up with a 2-2 split Tuesday but hit the big one with the Florida Panthers, so it wasn't all bad given how underwhelming the card was.

Well, Wednesday's card is even worse. There are just two games scheduled before the NHL officially moves into its All-Star weekend and we have to suffer through the next four days without any real hockey.

The least we can do is head into the break on a winning note.

GOATs and scapegoats

Heading into Tuesday's late game, we needed a Panthers win in Chicago, and we needed it in a big way. My anxiety was through the roof following a scoreless first period, but Panthers forward Frank Vatrano soon took over. The Massachusetts native scored a second-period hat trick as Florida won for coach Joel Quenneville and, more importantly, cashed our Panthers tickets.

While Vatrano had our back, Brian Elliott certainly didn't. The Flyers netminder, who had miserable career numbers against the Penguins, had been pulled in four of his previous eight starts against Pittsburgh. Well, Elliott stopped all 19 shots he faced Tuesday - shame on Pittsburgh for only managing 19 - for his first shutout of the season. The over never stood a chance.

Wednesday's bets

Winnipeg Jets/Columbus Blue Jackets under 5.5 (+100)

I want you all to go to www.bluejackets.com/nhl, print the team's schedule, and circle every Blue Jackets home game for the rest of the season against non-conference opponents. The under is 9-1 this season when Columbus hosts Western Conference teams. The most goals scored in any one of those games was six.

Ride with the under against the Jets, who might not have much left in the tank after playing last night in Carolina.

Detroit Red Wings (+220)

This is one of those games you bet on, then forget about. As someone who's wasted their fair share of money on the Red Wings this year, I know nothing good can come from watching their games. This is as good a spot as any to bet on them, though.

Detroit may be the worst team in the NHL, but the club is actually 4-3-1 on the road this season against teams currently sitting at 51 points or fewer. The Wild fit the bill, and given how erratic Minnesota has been this season, there's terrific value in backing the Red Wings on Wednesday.

Best bet

Ryan Suter over 0.5 power-play points (+290)

The Wild's power play is converting at a 25.7% clip on home ice, the sixth-highest rate in the NHL. Detroit's penalty kill ranks dead last in the NHL with a 73.2% success rate, and the Red Wings have allowed a league-high 42 power-play goals this season.

Ryan Suter is a staple for the Wild when they have the man advantage, as he leads the team with 15 power-play points. He's been especially hot of late, with six power-play points in his last seven home games. Considering Suter's facing the league's worst penalty kill, nearly a 3-1 return is way too much value to pass up.

Trend of the night

The Blue Jackets are on a 13-1 run as favorites of -180 or greater. If you're willing to lay the juice, this would be a pretty safe spot.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

Copyright (C) 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.