NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are today’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Minnesota Wild at NY Rangers (-145, 5.5)
7 p.m. ET
If you are wondering what the Rangers goal song is, it is a fair question. The Rangers have yet to score on home ice and became the first team in NHL history to start a season by not scoring a goal in their first three home games. The Minnesota Wild enter tonight’s game having some offensive struggles of their own having scored just four goals during their current three game losing streak and being held to just one goal in each of the last two losses. Scoring goals at even strength has been an issue for the Wild who have just six goals at 5-on-5 play, through their first six games. Minnesota went through a recent stretch of two plus games, scoring 10 consecutive goals all coming on the power play.
The Rangers have won three straight and five of the last six meetings between the two teams, with four of the last five and six of the last 10 contests going past 60 minutes.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Regulation Draw (+ 320) – .10 units
New York Rangers ML (-145) – 1 unit
Buffalo Sabres at Montreal Canadiens (-150, 6)
7:30 p.m. ET
Break up the Sabres. After losing their first three games to start the season, Buffalo has rebounded with a pair of wins over Ottawa and most recently blanking the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, 3-0 on Saturday. But when breaking down tonight’s game, it begins with who is starting in goal for the Montreal Canadiens and that is Jakub Dobes. The Habs netminder has been an ATM for bettors who have followed this column. Dobes has given up the first goal in 17 of his 19 career starts including both starts this season (Detroit and Nashville). The Canadiens came back to win both of those games, so I am not against a same game parlay, Sabres to score the first goal of the game and Montreal to win the game. Montreal has won four straight over the Sabres with three of the four games having a combined seven goals or more and the other landing on six.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Buffalo Sabres to score the first goal of the game (+102) – 3 units
Buffalo Sabres to score the first goal of the game and Montreal winning the game (available at DraftKings) +265 -. 20 units
Buffalo Sabres/Montreal Canadiens Over 6 (-120) – .45 units
Winnipeg Jets (-155, 5.5) at Calgary Flames
9:30 p.m. ET
The Winnipeg Jets head to Scotiabank Saddledome to face the struggling Calgary Flames on Monday. The Flames are dead last in the standings, last in offense (1.67 goals/game), last in goal differential (-14) and 30th in goals against (4.17 goals against/game). Calgary has given up 22 goals during their current five game losing streak. The Flames have scored two goals or less in all five losses (scoring seven total) and lost all five of the games by two goals or more.
After losing their season opener to the Dallas Stars (5-4), Winnipeg has rattled off four straight wins giving up just seven goals. The Jets have now given up two goals or less in 37 of their last 43 regular season wins dating back to last season. Winnipeg’s Gabe Vilardi has seven goals in 11 games against the Flames and two goals in three games versus Flames goalie, Dustin Wolfe.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Calgary Flames Team Total Under 2.5 (-105) – 1 unit
Gabe Vilardi anytime goal +210 – .10 units
Carolina Hurricanes at Vegas Golden Knights (-115, 6.5)
10 p.m. ET
The Carolina Hurricanes (5-0-0) remain the NHL’s last unbeaten team and travel to T-Mobile Arena to face the Vegas Golden Knights (4-0-2) who are one of four teams left without a regulation loss. Carolina has scored four or more goals in all five of their wins and the Knights have scored at least four goals in all four of their wins and five of their six games overall. The Canes have dominated this matchup winning four straight and seven of the last nine meetings. When it comes to games at T-Mobile in Vegas the first period Over 1.5 goals is a perfect (3-0) on home ice this season and five of six overall. The first period Over has cashed in nine of the last 10 home October games going back to last season and 14 of their last 17 October games.
We have two of the top goal scorers in the league going head-to-head with Seth Jarvis (Carolina) and Pavel Dorofeyev, each with six goals, one behind the leader, Shane Pinto (seven) of the Ottawa Senators. Jarvis leads the league with four game winners (two in OT) and Dorofeyev scored four times on the power play, tying him with Kirill Kaprizov in that category.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Seth Jarvis anytime goal +175 – .10 units
Pavel Dorofeyev anytime goal +175 – .10 units
1st period Over 1.5 goals (-130) – 1.25 units
