DraftKings Sportsbook is back with its NINTH iteration of the NHL Ice Breaker for Thursday, January 8!
The promotion is fairly simple –– place a $5 bet NHL first goalscorer bet, and if the player you bet on scores the quickest goal of the 7:00 p.m. ET slate, you win a share of $250,000 in bonus bets.
How to Play NHL Ice Breaker
- Opt in to receive your single-use qualifying bet token on the promotions page
- Place a single $5 bet on any first goalscorer prop bet
- If the player you bet on scores the quickest goal of the 7:00 p.m. ET slate, you will win a share of $250,000 in bonus bets (the less popular the player, the higher the payout!)
For more information on this promo, click here!
Previous NHL Ice Breaker Winner
Brady Tkachuk was the most recent NHL Ice Breaker, with 447 DraftKings Sportsbook bettors receiving $560 in bonus bets! Who will be the next? Let’s take a look…
NHL Ice Breaker Pick for Thursday, January 8
Jackson Blake First Goalscorer (+1600)
When it comes to NHL Ice Breaker strategies, I’ve tried the logical approach and the “nothing but vibes” approach, but neither has paid off. To be honest, there is no single best strategy because goals are too random, especially the players scoring them. I’m going to stick with the logical approach here, which leads me to my choice: Jackson Blake in the Hurricanes vs. Ducks matchup.
My approach is simple –– find teams that score tons of first-period goals, or teams that allow a ton of them. It just so happens that the Hurricanes rank second in the NHL in first-period goals, and the Ducks rank first in first-period goals allowed. Sure, I could have chosen a sniper on Carolina, such as Seth Jarvis or Sebastian Aho, but those payouts wouldn’t be as nice as Blake’s.
Blake has scored 12 goals this season –– six at home and six on the road. Just four of those have come within the first period, but I’m banking on the favorable matchup. Anaheim has allowed the second-most goals per game to opposing right wings, and Blake ranks second on the team in expected goals. Additionally, the line, comprised of Blake, Taylor Hall and Logan Stankoven, have logged 35 games together this season, while generating a 62.5% xGoals%, good for second-best on the team.
