Toronto Maple Leafs

Jacob’s Above Average Plays is back with three above-average plays in the NHL. These plays are so hot that they might melt the ice, so you do not want to miss out. Cash big on the above-average NHL plays, as Jacob’s Above Average Plays continues to print you money.

Take Pittsburgh Penguins -186 versus Minnesota Wild (7:00 pm EST, Tuesday 14 January 2020)

I’m backing the Pens tonight who are going against the Minnesota Wild. Pittsburgh has just been one of those “Next men up” types of teams, playing great through injury and adversity. With a win tonight, they will sit just four games behind first-place, the Washington Capitals. The Wild, on the other hand, has been struggling as of late. Facing off against Penguins on their home ice will be no easy task.

The Wild started the year as one of the league’s better teams. They pieced together some nice runs, playing above-average on both ends of the ice. As the season has gone on, they have faded into normality. They average under three goals per game while on the road (2.88 gpg), and they rank 29th in the league in shots on goal per game (28.6) – but it’s their defense that’s going to be the problem for them in this game. Ranked 26th in goals allowed and 25th in shot allowed, they are a bottom-tier defense facing an above-average offense – that’s not good news.

Like I said earlier, if Pittsburgh wins this game, they will be just four places behind the first-place Capitals. They rank sixth in overall scoring, landing an average of 3.42 goals per game. They also have one of the NHL’s best home records, winning 16 of the 24 home games they have played this year. The other thing going for the Penguins in this game is the fact that they love to beat the Wild. In the last ten games these two teams have played, Pittsburgh has been victorious in seven of them, including the last three in a row. In the last ten games played, Pittsburgh’s above-average defense has held them to under an average of three goals (average final score Pittsburgh 3.7 Minnesota 2.8).

Pittsburgh likes to win at home, as they play better when they are there. The Wild have lost five out of their last six games, and I think Pittsburgh makes that six out of seven. Lay the number, Pittsburgh -186.

Take Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 goals versus Los Angeles Kings (7:00 pm EST, Tuesday 14 January)

This is another tale of two very different teams. Arguably the league’s best team, and the other… Well, they’re a team. Tampa Bay has not just an above-average offense, but the best offense. The Kings don’t score many goals and have lost a lot to Tampa Bay in the past. I don’t think this game is close for a second, and I’m more than happy to lay the puck line on this one.

The Kings are one of the worst scoring offenses in the NHL. They have won just seven road games all year, and their road offense ranks 28th in the league in goals scored, scoring an average of 2.32 goals per game. The only thing they are above-average at is shots on goal per game, and that’s due to the fact that they are always playing catch up. They have lost seven out of the last ten games versus Tampa Bay, only averaging 2.2 goals per game. The Kings have won just three of their last ten games overall. Their lack of offense and mediocre defense (ranked 22nd) is a bad mixture against a team playing great on both ends of the ice.

The Lightning, however, are playing great hockey right now. Winning nine of the last ten (including four straight at home), the Lightning rank second in the Atlantic Division. They score an above-average 4.13 goals per game at home, which ranks them first in the overall home offense. Their defense is ranked ninth overall, giving up under three goals per game. It is clear to see that, between these two teams, Tampa Bay is far superior.

I think Tampa Bay wins this game easily and by three or more goals. The Kings haven’t had what it takes to beat them in the recent past, and I definitely don’t see them having it tonight. Lay the goals with Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay -1.5 -113.

(For this play to win Tampa Bay must win by at least two goals. If not we have a loser.)

Take New Jersey Devils versus Toronto Maple Leafs OVER 6.5 Goals (7:00 pm EST, Tuesday 14 January)

These two teams don’t have some great stats on going over in every game or anything like that – but these are two teams who are playing really competitive hockey, and are both capable of scoring goals. I see this game as being competitive, and with Toronto at home, I give them an edge to score an above-average amount of goals than they usually do. Toronto scores an average of 3.45 gpg when playing at home, and the Devils score an average of 3.41 gpg when playing on the road. Neither have stellar defenses or goalies, but rather middle of the pack. They have a great historical record of going over the total when playing each other: Eight of the last eleven games played featuring these two teams have gone over the total. Toronto has gone over the total in four of the last five home games, and seven of the last nine overall. The total has gone over in eight of the last twelve Devil’s games. 

There are just a lot of things trending towards the over in this game, and I’m okay with taking it. I have this game ending with 8 goals, so take Over 6.5 goals.