Utah HC, Ducks Win as Home Underdogs, MacKinnon and Avalanche Pummel Capitals in Friday Best Bets

Friday has a condense slate of NHL action with five games on the slate but still presents some promising opportunities to hit it big with some Best Bets. Our picks couldn't miss on Thursday with a 4-2 record on night, including a shocking win on the Tampa Basy Lightning as they snapped the Winnipeg Jets seven-game winning streak. We hope to stay hot heading into the weekend.

All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

Bet: Utah Hockey Club ML (+100)

This line is quite confusing considering the Golden Knights have won seven of their last ten games, have the second-best offence in the league as they average 4.13 goals per game and they beat Utah in their first matchup of this season. One thing that hockey fans may not know is that the Golden Knights home ice is what keeps them as an elite team.

So far this season, Vegas has a brutal 2-3-2 record on the road and have never traveled to Salt Lake City, where Utah Hockey Club is 4-2-1 and have a 2.71 goals against average which is top ten in the league. The Golden Knights have also lost three of their last four road games against the former-Arizona Coyotes.

Vegas' road struggles date back to last season when they finished with a 18-17-6 record, which ranked 18th in the league and trailed behind the likes of the Wild and Flyers, who both didn't make the playoffs. Utah's Connor Ingram is expected to get the crease and over his last seven home starts, he has a 4-2-1 record with a 2.67 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.

Vegas expected starter Adin Hill has been brutal away from home with a 3-8-1 record, 3.64 goals against average and a .872 save percentage over his last 12 road starts. The public loves the Golden Knights with 85 per cent of the moneyline bets being on them to win, which makes me love Utah in this spot even more.

Bet: Avalanche -1.5 (+140), Nathan MacKinnon Over 1.5 points (-130)

The Caps started off the season red hot with wins in eight of their first ten games but since then have started to show signs of regression with a 2-2-1 record and a three goals against average over their last five games.

They finished last season with the worst goal differential all time for a playoff team and it was because their defence couldn't stop opposing offences with a 3.07 goals against average.

This should only be amplified on Friday when they take on the league's best home offence in the Avalanche. Since last season, Colorado has a 4.10 goals per home game average which ranks far ahead of the second-best Edmonton Oilers, who recorded a 3.75 average.

They pummel teams at home with a goal differential of +57 with their last meeting in Colorado against the Capitals, resulting in a 6-2 rout, where Nathan MacKinnon scored four goals and recorded one assist for a five point night. I expect a similar outcome with MacKinnon putting his team on his back once again.

The reigning-Hart trophy winner has shown early why he is the league's MVP with seven goals and 26 assists for 33 points in just 17 games. He will certainly play a factor as Colorado pummels on the Capitals.

Bet: Ducks ML (+125), Troy Terry Over 0.5 points (-140)

The latest game on the slate has a very confusing line. The Red Wings have been a decent road team this season with a 4-3-0 record while the Ducks have a 3-5-0 record at home. Anaheim has also lost five of their last six games which makes Detroit being only subtle favourites very questionable.

The Ducks have won seven of their last ten home games against the Red Wings and would be due for a win considering their recent losing streak. The Anaheim offence should start to find it's groove with Troy Terry leading the way.

The 27-year-old Denver native leads the Ducks in points with 11 through 15 games but has one over his last three games. In his last four career games versus the Red Wings, he has a goal and three assists which means he has found their number before.