NHL Predictions – Monday, November 11:
It’s a six-game NHL card on this Veterans Day Monday here in the USA and Remembrance Day in Canada. Thank you to all who have served and continue to serve their countries worldwide and making the ultimate sacrifices for our freedom. The day starts with a game featuring two future stars of the NHL. Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks travel to Philadelphia to face Matvei Michkov and the Philadelphia Flyers. The night concludes in the city that never sleeps as the Vegas Golden Knights put their perfect (8-0) home record on the line as they host the Carolina Hurricanes. Enjoy the night on ice. Here are tonight’s NHL predictions:
San Jose Sharks at Philadelphia Flyers (-260; 6)
7:00 p.m. ET
The Sharks are coming off an emotional 1-0 win on Sunday at New Jersey as former Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood made 44 saves, the most ever by a Sharks goalie in a shutout. It was Blackwood’s first game back in Jersey. After dropping their first nine games to start the season, the Sharks have gone 5-2-0 in their last seven.
The Flyers have lost three of their last four, including Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss to Florida on Saturday. Philadelphia’s last two games have gone to a shootout marking their fourth game this season that has gone past 60 minutes. San Jose has also played four overtime games. Five of the last six meetings between the two have been decided by one goal, with three of them going to overtime. With Blackwood starting last night, Vitek Vanecek will get the call tonight. Expect Samuel Ersson to start for the Flyers.
Tonight’s game should feature two of today’s brightest young stars in the NHL with the Sharks Macklin Celebrini and the Flyers Matvei Michkov. Michkov has been a healthy scratch in the past two games as he has struggled lately with just one assist in his last five games. Despite the struggles, Michkov is second on the Flyers in points (10), goals (4), and assists (10). At the time of this writing, lines hadn’t been posted on Michkov, but I will target his shots on goal prop Over 2.5.
Celebrini has three goals in four games, missing 12 games due to injury. Two other Philadelphia players have also caught my eye for tonight. Scott Laughton has 0 goals in thirteen career games against the Sharks but does have three goals in five games against Sharks starting goalie Vitek Vanecek. Laughton would have faced Vanecek when he was a member of the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals. Owen Tippett has two goals in his last three games and has two goals in four games versus the Sharks and one goal in three meetings against Vanecek.
NHL Predictions: Macklin Celebrini anytime goal (+215) – ½ unit
Matvei Michkov over 2.5 shots on goal (tba) – 1 unit
Owen Tippett anytime goal (+140) – ½ unit
Scott Laughton anytime goal (+380) – ½ unit
Mikael Granlund over 2.5 SOG (+145) – ½ unit
Regulation Draw +350 – ¼ unit
Dallas Stars (-160; 6.5) at Pittsburgh Penguins
7:00 p.m. ET
Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer said it best following the Stars’ 4-1 loss on Saturday to the Winnipeg Jets, “I think when you look at these guys (Winnipeg) and Florida, you know, they’ve exposed us, and we’ve got to be a lot better. I think we’ve beaten the teams we should beat, but when we’ve had opportunities to play the top teams in the league, we haven’t risen to the occasion.”
The Stars own wins against the Islanders, Predators, Blackhawks (twice), Kraken, Bruins, Sharks and Oilers and have given up two goals or less in seven of their eight victories, including a pair of shutouts. Common amongst their wins is that not one of the opponents has a winning record. Their losses include Winnipeg, Washington and Florida (twice).
Tonight, the Stars face the Pittsburgh team coming off a big win over the Washington Capitals last Friday, 4-2. It was just the sixth win in 16 games for the Penguins. The Pens have given up four goals or more in all 10 of their losses and have failed to cover the Puck Line in seven of those losses. The Penguins are currently a (+135) underdog in this game. Pittsburgh is 3-0 this season as a home favorite but 0-3 as a home underdog. In all three losses as a home dog, the Penguins have given up four or more goals and failed to cover the Puck Line.
History is on the side of Dallas when these two teams square off. The Stars have won three straight and five of the last six meetings and have held Pittsburgh to two goals or less in six straight.
A couple of Stars player props that look very appealing. Logan Stankoven leads the team with 10 assists and has had five or more shots on goal in his past three games. Roope Hintz is third on the team with five goals and has five goals in 10 career games against Pittsburgh.
One Penguins prop that caught my eye was Kris Letang over 2.5 shots on goal. He has gone over this number in eight of his last 10 games.
NHL Predictions: Dallas Stars -1.5 goals (+150) – 1 unit
Dallas Stars TT over 3.5 (-110) – 1 unit
Roope Hintz anytime goal (+195) – 1 unit
Logan Stankoven over ½ assist (+176) – 1 unit
Logan Stankoven over 2.5 SOG (+125) – 1 unit
Kris Letang over 2.5 SOG (+155) – 1 unit
Nashville Predators at Colorado Avalanche (-150; 6.5)
9:00 p.m. ET
This will be the second meeting between the two teams, with the Predators winning 5-2 in Nashville on November 2. This game was closer than the score indicated, as Nashville scored two empty-net goals in the final 74 seconds. The win was just one of two victories the Preds have had in their last seven games.
Nashville has won three of the last four meetings versus Colorado after losing the previous six to the Avs. The Over has cashed in four of the last five and seven of 10 between the two teams. Eleven of the Avs’ 15 games this season have gone Over the total.
Colorado is coming off a 6-4 come-from-behind victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, snapping the Canes’ eight-game win streak. That victory followed a 1-0 road loss to the NHL’s best team, the Winnipeg Jets. Colorado is still missing key players up front but is showing signs of turning the corner, winning two of their last three games. Nathan MacKinnon leads the league in scoring with 29 points and is coming off a four-point game against the Canes on Saturday. MacKinnon has also had a five-point night and eight other games of two points, including a goal and an assist in the meeting this season against the Predators.
NHL Predictions: Colorado/Nashville Over 6.5 – 2 units
Carolina Hurricanes (-140, 6.5) at Las Vegas Golden Knights
10:00 p.m. ET
The Vegas Golden Knights put their perfect (8-0) home record on the line tonight when they host the Carolina Hurricanes (10-3). A win tonight would give Vegas their longest home win streak in franchise history. Vegas has scored four goals or more in seven of their eight home games and outscored their opponents 43-19. The Hurricanes have given up four goals in a game four times this season but only once in a victory. Vegas will be without their captain, Mark Stone, who suffered a lower-body injury in the Knights’ win last Wednesday at Edmonton. The Pavel Dorofeyev shots on goal prop continues to be a money maker. Dorofeyev has registered at least three shots on goal in five of his last six, six of eight and eight of his last 12 games.
The Hurricanes will look to start a new win streak tonight after losing to Colorado on Saturday, 6-4 for their first loss in nine games. Martin Necas had a goal and an assist in the loss to extend his point streak to nine games (7 goals, 13 assists). I can’t find a sportsbook that is offering a Necas Over ½ assist prop. If you find it, then grab it. Jack Roslovic continues to cash on his shots on goal prop of both Over 1.5 and 2.5. Roslovic has had at least three shots on goal in six straight games and seven of his last eight. He has had at least two shots on goal in nine of his last 10 games.
Despite being undefeated on home ice, the visiting Hurricanes are the betting favorite (-140), not the hometown Golden Knights. I will pass on both the side and the total tonight.
NHL Predictions: Martin Necas over ½ point (-175) – 2 units
Jack Roslovic over 1.5 SOG (-165) – 2 units
Jack Roslovic over 2.5 SOG (+185) – 1 unit
Pavel Dorofeyev over 2.5 SOG (+120) – 1 unit
