Week 18 in the National Lacrosse League starts with a lone Friday game featuring the Philadelphia Wings and Ottawa Black Bears. These two rivals have had some really competitive games over the years, so I’m targeting the total instead of betting a side in this one. Let’s dive into my handicap for the game.
Note: The odds presented below are those at the time when Hutton sends his picks out to DubClub subscribers and are subject to change. Subscribe to Hutton Jackson’s lacrosse picks on DubClub so you never miss out on the best odds for these picks. As soon as Hutton places a bet, you’ll immediately get a notification with both the pick and brief analysis. Picks are sent out at least 20 minutes in advance of articles published on Bet On Lacrosse.
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Ottawa Black bears at Philadelphia Wings
![]() | -125 / -1.5 |
![]() | +105 / +1.5 |
Total | 22.5 |
Time | Friday · 7 p.m. ET |
TV | ESPN+/TSN+ |
Odds via BetMGM
Six of the last seven matchups between these teams have gone over this total of 22.5, with the average combined goals per game sitting at 24.14 during that span. If you look at how the 2025 versions of these two teams play, despite their offensive woes mid-way through the season, you’ll see a recipe for a high-scoring game.
While defender Callum Jones is back in the lineup, Matt Marinier was placed on the IR this week and this Ottawa defense still gives up a ton of shots to opposing offenses. Their performance on Sunday, while impressive, was against a depleted Colorado offense. Both teams give up a ton of goals in transition, with Ottawa allowing a league-high 37 fast break goals against and Philadelphia tied for second with 32. The Wings also rank fifth-worst in defensive efficiency and just allowed 15 goals to a Toronto offense without Tom Schreiber. We’ll still need both offenses to step up, but I like the matchup for both.
Ottawa had a lot of success against subpar goaltending against Halifax and Colorado last week and think they carry some momentum into this week. They’ll face a Wings defense that has struggled lately and features Nick Damude in net. Damude currently has the second-worst goals against average with 12.77 per game and his backup Deacan Knott hasn’t fared much better in relief.
Meanwhile, this Philadelphia offense knows Zach Higgins better than anyone and, as good as the former Wings netminder has been, I trust the Wings offense to have success. Additionally, Nick Rowlett is expected to suit up and take faceoffs for Philadelphia, which should fix the possession disadvantage they’ve had so often this season. The disproportionate amount of possessions has been killer for a Wings offense that still ranks second in offensive efficiency. I expect them to push in transition and have more settled offensive success than they’ve had the past month.
Trust these offenses to do their part and bet Over 22.5 at -120 on BetMGM.
Pick: Over 22.5
2024-25 NLL Season Best Bets: 46-45 for +0.99 unit
All bets are to win 1 unit or more (i.e. 1.2 units at -120, 1 unit at +120) unless otherwise specified.
Subscribe to Hutton Jackson’s lacrosse picks on DubClub so you never miss out on the best odds for these picks. As soon as Hutton places a bet, you’ll immediately get a notification with both the pick and brief analysis!
