NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are today’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Tampa Bay Lightning (16-10-2) at Toronto Maple Leafs (13-11-4)
Lightning (-130) at Maple Leafs (+110) – Total 6.5 (Over, -115)
7:30 p.m. ET
It appears that the Lightning will be getting some reinforcements tonight with the return of Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov when they face off against the Maple Leafs tonight in Toronto. Point will center a line with Jake Guentzel and Nick Paul, and Anthony Cirelli centers Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel. Toronto has won four straight and seven of the last nine meetings against Toronto. The last eight contests have had a combined seven goals or more. With Andrei Vasilevskiy being placed on injured reserve, Jonas Johansson takes over as the number one goalie for Tampa. Dennis Hildeby will have to hold the fort in goal for Toronto, with Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz both dealing with injuries.
With the return of Point and Kucherov, it opens a few more player prop opportunities on the Tampa side. Brandon Hagel has just two goals (he does have 11 assists) in 15 games against Toronto, but Hagel’s recent tear of 17 goals in the last 19 games makes it hard to pass on his anytime goal prop. Hagel has also opened the scoring for the Bolts in four of the last eight games and six times this season. Nick Paul has points in five of his last six games overall and four of his last five against Toronto. The Leafs’ Matthew Knies has 10 goals in his last eight games against Tampa, and six of those have come in four games against Jonas Johansson. Auston Matthews has six goals in six games against the Tampa netminder. I will also throw a “pizza money” bet on Calle Jarnkrok to score a goal. Jarnkrok scored twice the last time he faced Johansson.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Tampa Bay Lightning/Toronto Maple Leafs Over 6.6 (-115) – 2 units
Brandon Hagel anytime goal (+180) – .10 units
Brandon Hagel/Jake Guentzel point parlay (+151) – .25 units
Matthew Knies anytime goal (+270) – .15 units
Morgan Rielly Over 1.5 SOG/John Tavares Over 2.5 SOG (+180) – .20 units
Nick Paul Over ½ assist (+240) – .10 units
Nick Paul anytime goal (+310) – .10 units
Auston Matthews anytime goal (+135) – .15 units
Calle Jarnkrok anytime goal (+850) – .05
Los Angeles Kings (13-8-7) at Utah Mammoth (14-13-3)
Kings (-105) at Utah (-115) – Total 5.5 (Under, -115)
9 p.m. ET
The Los Angeles Kings will look to make it two in a row when they visit the Utah Mammoth tonight, who will be without their leading goal scorer, Logan Cooley. The Mammoth announced earlier on Monday that Cooley will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. This is a horrible spot for Utah, playing their first game at home after six games and nine days on the road.
Los Angeles won all three meetings last season against the Mammoth and are in a great spot to make it four consecutive wins after tonight. After winning two of three, Utah has dropped five of their last seven games. LA has reunited captain Anze Kopitar alongside Adrian Kempe, and Kopitar has scored points in six of his last seven games against Utah/Arizona. Drew Doughty has also had success against the Mammoth, earning five points in his past two games versus Utah and four goals in seven games against projected starter Karl Vejmelka.
Kevin Fiala has scored four goals in seven games against the Utah goalie. I am also on Fiala’s shots on goal prop (Over 2.5). The Kings forward, who rarely passes up an opportunity to shoot the puck, has cashed his shots on goal prop in three straight, four of five and nine of the last 13 games. Quinton Byfield, who centers the line with Fiala, has cashed his shots on goal prop (1.5) in three straight and ten of the past 13 games.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Los Angeles Kings to score first goal (-110) – .50 units
Los Angeles Kings ML (-105) – 1.5 units
Adrian Kempe/Anze Kopitar point prop (+233) – .25 units
Kevin Fiala Over 2.5 SOG/Byfield Over 1.5 SOG (+231) – .25 units
Kevin Fiala anytime goal (+200) – .10 units
Drew Doughty anytime goal (+700) – .05 units
Minnesota Wild (15-9-5) at Seattle Kraken (11-9-6)
Wild (-135) at Kraken (+115) – Total 5.5 (Under, -115)
10 p.m. ET
Two teams that will look to put an end to losing streaks. The Wild are coming off losses to Calgary (4-1) and Vancouver (4-2), while the Kraken have dropped five in a row and have given up 20 goals in their past four games. Scoring has been a major issue for Seattle, who rank 31st in offense. Their leading scorers, Jordan Eberle and Matty Beniers, are tied for the team lead with 16 points and rank 152nd and 164th, respectively, in the individual scoring race.
The Wild have won each of the last two meetings with Seattle and six of the last eight. Matt Boldy has eight goals in 10 career games versus the Kraken, and his 16 goals this season are only second to the 17 scored by Kirill Kaprizov. Nine of Boldy’s 16 goals this season have opened the scoring for Minnesota. Kaprizov has five goals in nine games against Seattle and has scored Minnesota’s first goal five times this season. Mats Zuccarello has 13 points in 11 career games against the Kraken.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Matt Boldy to score Minnesota’s first goal (+550) – .05
Matt Boldy anytime goal (+170) – .25 units
Kirill Kaprizov anytime goal (+115) – .10 units
Kirill Kaprizov to score Minnesota’s first goal (+410) – .05 units
Mats Zuccarello/Matt Boldy point parlay (+156) – (.25 units)
