This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Best Bets & Picks: Senators vs Hurricanes & Sabres vs Lightning – Expert Game Previews
The National Hockey League (NHL) has a surprisingly quiet night, with just seven total games on the slate, just three days before the break for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning battle at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+/hulu, while the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders meet at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT/HBO Max. And, in the lone late game, the Seattle Kraken and Anaheim Ducks meet at 10 p.m. ET, also on TNT/HBO Max.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Tuesday's NBA and/or NCAA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.
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For the latest NHL Odds, including NHL Futures and NHL player props, visit RotoWire's NHL Betting page. For up-to-date NHL player news and NHL Injury Report info, head to RotoWire's NHL Lineups page. You can find more picks at Bookies.com/picks. Here are our NHL Best Bets today, featuring expert NHL picks for an action-packed slate of games.
Ottawa Senators 
at Carolina Hurricanes 
The Senators (27-21-7) and the Hurricanes (34-15-6) meet at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, at 7 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN+.
I know that a lot of Northerners don't take Carolina seriously, and do not feel Raleigh is a real hockey town, but let me tell you, you're wrong if that is your thinking. I live about 30 minutes from Raleigh, and we had an ice storm two weekends ago, and over six inches of snow this past weekend, and the lake in my backyard is frozen. So, we get 'real' hockey weather here, and the youth market is huge. The worst part about the winter weather is that I had two games canceled the past two Saturdays due to the storms.
The Senators stormed in with four consecutive victories, including a 3-2 win in Pittsburgh on Monday night behind Linus Ullmark. The Senators arrived in their chartered Air Canada Airbus A320 at RDU at 11:58 p.m. ET, so they likely didn't get into their hotel until at least 2 a.m. ET, so that's a tough turnaround.
The Hurricanes were home on Sunday, topping the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in overtime in a matinee game behind rookie Brandon Bussi. Carolina has at least one point in eight straight outings, and 13 of the past 14 games, going 6-0-2 in the current eight-game point streak, and 10-1-3 in the previous 14 outings since Jan. 4.
Former Canes goaltender James Reimer (2-2-1, 3.05 GAA, .873 GAA) is expected to be in the crease with the back-to-back situation, while Bussi (21-3-1, 2.21 GAA, .904 SV%, 1 SO) is expected to go on Tuesday night.
These teams just met in Canada's capital city on Jan. 24, with the Hurricanes winning 4-1 as moderate favorites (-135) as the Under (6.5) cashed. William Carrier, Seth Jarvis and Taylor Hall scored first-period goals, staking Bussi to a big lead that he would not relinquish. Andrei Svechnikov added a power-play goal before Tim Stutzle replied for the only Sens goal. Bussi made 36 saves, while Reimer allowed four goals on 19 shots. Expect more of the same here.
And, for the stat of the day, the Senators have cashed the Over in all eight games this season when playing on no rest, so let's keep rolling with that until the trend ends.
- Hurricanes -1.5 Goals (+124 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Over 6.5 (-102 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
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Buffalo Sabres 
at Tampa Bay Lightning 
The Sabres (32-18-5) and the Lightning (35-14-4) meet at Benchmark International Arena, as Tampa Bay has to go back inside after an exciting game outdoors at Raymond James Stadium last time out.
On Sunday night, Mother Nature cooperated, with a puck drop temperature of 41 degrees, but things weren't as good for the Lightning initially. The Boston Bruins fired out to a big lead, but the Lightning rallied for the 6-5 win in a shootout in one of the more memorable outdoor games in a while.
The 'Ning have won three in a row, while picking up points in 19 of the past 20 games, going 17-1-2 in the span, with 36 out of a possible 40 points secured.
The Sabres topped the Florida Panthers 5-3 in Sunrise on Monday, and they're 6-1-0 in the past seven games. Colten Ellis (7-4-0, 3.05 GAA, .897 SV%) is expected in net, as Alex Lyon started Monday. And, Andrei Vasilevskiy (24-7-3, 2.18 GAA, .915 SV%, 1 SO) is set to go for the home side.
As long as the Lightning don't have a hangover, going back indoors after the electric game Sunday, the Lightning should be able to get the job done. The Sabres are 5-1-1 in seven games off of no rest this season, while the Over is 5-2 in those games. Let's take the Sabres on the puck line as an underdog, while going high on the total.
- Sabres +1.5 Goals (-125 at BetMGM)
- Over 6 (-120 at BetMGM)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+1187 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Hurricanes -1.5 (+120) vs. Senators
- Over 6.5 (-102) - Hurricanes vs. Senators
- Over 6.5 (+100) - Sabres at Lightning
- Sabres +1.5 (-138) at Lightning
2-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+279 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Hurricanes -1.5 (+120) vs. Senators
- Sabres +1.5 (-138) at Lightning
2-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+296 at FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Over 6.5 (-102) - Hurricanes vs. Senators
- Over 6.5 (+100) - Sabres at Lightning
