Wake up with VSiN Daily Morning Bets, a quick 15-minute podcast posted at 6:30 a.m. ET highlighting the top games and biggest line moves of the day. For a full breakdown of Friday's betting action, be sure to catch the VSiN Market Insights Podcast at 2:30 p.m. ET.
In the meantime, let's examine where smart money is leaning for Friday's NHL slate...
7 p.m. ET: Pittsburgh Penguins (-150, 6.5) at Buffalo Sabres
The Penguins (14-8-4) have won three straight games and just took down the Blue Jackets 4-1, taking care of busines as -300 home favorites. Similarly, the Sabres (12-13-1) have won three of their last four and just beat the Blue Jackets 9-4, cashing as -160 road favorites. This line opened with the Penguins listed as a -135 road favorite and the Sabres a +120 home dog. Sharps have laid the chalk with Pittsburgh, steaming the Pens up from -135 to -150. Non-division teams receiving 10-cents of steam or more are 142-80 (64%) this season. Pittsburgh is 12-9 as a favorite and 7-5-2 on the road. Buffalo is 8-11 as a dog and 6-8-1 at home. Pittsburgh also enjoys a rest advantage, having last played on the 6th while Buffalo last played on the 7th. The total is 6.5 with the over juiced to -130, signaling over liability and a possible rise up to 7. The Sabres are 16-9-1 to the over.
9 p.m. ET: New York Rangers (-150, 6) at Colorado Avalanche
The Rangers (13-10-5) have won two straight and just beat the Golden Knights 5-1, cashing as +105 road dogs. On the flip side, the Avalanche (13-10-1) have lost three of their last four and just got blanked by the Bruins 4-0, losing as +155 home dogs. This line opened with the Rangers listed as a -125 road favorite and the Avalanche a +115 home dog. Pros have gotten down on New York, steaming the Rangers up from -125 to -145. Favorites off a win are 138-88 (60%) this season. Road favorites with 10-cents of steam or more in their direction are 51-31 (62%). The banged up Avalanche will be missing several key players due to injury, including star forward Nathan MacKinnon.
9:30 p.m. ET: Boston Bruins (-320, 6) at Arizona Coyotes
The Bruins (21-3-1) are tied with the Devils for the most post in the NHL and just blanked the Avalanche 4-0, taking care of business as a -175 road favorite. On the other hand, the Coyotes are tied for the second worst record in the NHL and are just 1-10 over their last 11 games. Arizona just got crushed by the Oilers 8-2, losing as +250 road dogs. This line opened with Boston listed as a -280 road favorite and Arizona a +250 home dog. Pros aren't outsmarting themselves and they've steamed Boston up from -280 to -320. Road favorites -175 or more are 35-14 (71%) this season. The Bruins are 15-1 as a favorite and 7-3 on the road. The Coyotes are 7-17 as a dog and 1-2-1 at home. Boston has a big edge on the power play (28% vs 22%) and on the penalty kill )85% vs 76%). With such a high moneyline price, the Bruins could be worth a look on the puckline -1.5 at -125.