NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Edmonton Oilers
Toronto (+150) at Edmonton (-182) – Total 7 (Under, -120)
7 p.m. ET
Connor McDavid is always must-see television, but this season he has taken it to an even higher level of watching. McDavid is coming off a five-point game and now has 31 points in 10 games and is on pace for an NHL season-best 252 points. If you want to wager on Connor for 2+ points, the best price I have seen is (-146). If you want to be creative, FanDuel is offering 1+ point each period (+750). Three-plus points for McDavid is at (+200). What McDavid is doing has completely overshadowed Leon Draisaitl, who has 21 points in 10 games (2+ pts is -108). Leon has opened the scoring for Edmonton in four of the last five games.
On to the rest of the player props. Let’s start with Vasily Podkolkin to pick up a point today and parlay him for a point with Auston Matthews. Podkolzin plays with Connor and Leon and has points in eight of 10 games. Matthews has at least one point in six of his last seven games versus Edmonton. A couple of Maple Leafs shots on goal props that we will round-robin parlay. Jack Roslovic (2+ shots in 11 of his last 12 games), Easton Cowan (2+ shots, 9 straight) and William Nylander (3+ shots, 5 of 6 vs Edmonton) all continue to pad our bankroll.
Each of the last seven meetings had 7+ goals and seven of the last eight.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Over 7 (+100) – 1.5 units
Podkolzin/Matthews 1+ point each (+148) – 1 unit
Connor McDavid 1+ point each period (+750) – .10 units
Connor McDavid/Draisaitl 3+ shots on goal each (-105) – 1 unit
Leon Draisaitl 1st Oilers goal (+470) – .10 units
Roslovic/Cowan 2+ shots on goal each (+234) – ½ unit
Cowan/Marchenko 2+ shots on goal each (+178) – ½ unit
Cowan 2+ shots/Nylander 3+ shots on goal (+294) – ½ unit
New York Rangers at Ottawa Senators
New York Rangers (+105) at Ottawa Senators (-125) – Total 6 (Over, -115)
7 p.m. ET
It will be the seventh consecutive start between the pipes for Dylan Garand since Igor Shesterkin suffered a season-ending injury. Garand and the Rangers have struggled mightily on the road with just one win in six road games (1-4-1) and outscored 19-8. The goaltending news isn’t any better for the Flyers as their number one goalie, Linus Ullmark, was placed on injured reserve on Thursday with a lower body injury he suffered in the 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers earlier in the week. That leaves the starting goaltender duties to Samuel Ersson, who has lost all three of his starts this season as Ottawa has been outscored by a combined 18-7 in the three games.
Former Ottawa Senator Mika Zibanejad has points in 10 of his last 12 head-to-head meetings against the Sens. Alexis Lafreniere has 10 points in 15 career games versus Ottawa and points in eight of his last nine games overall. Zibanejad has four goals on 17 shots against Ersson, and Lafreniere has four goals on 15 shots. Adam Fox is coming off a four-assist game versus in Toronto on Thursday and has an assist in nine of 11 games this season.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Over 6 (-115) – 1 unit
Lafreniere point/Zibanejad point/Fox assist (+209) – ½ unit
Alexis Lafreniere anytime goal (+195) – .10 units
Mika Zibanejad anytime goal (+210) – .10 units
San Jose Sharks at Boston Bruins
San Jose Sharks (+154) at Boston Bruins (-190) – Total 6.5 (-110)
7 p.m. ET
These two teams met 11 days ago in San Jose with the Bruins coming away with a 6-3 win despite being outshot 38-26. It was not the best of nights for Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov, who stopped just 20 of 25 shots in the loss. Alex Nedeljkovic gets the start, and the Sharks have won three of his four starts this season. I like this revenge spot for the Sharks, who could have won the previous meeting with some better goaltending. The San Jose netminder should see a lot of rubber today. The Sharks have given up 43, 34 and 41 shots on goal on the first three games of the road trip.
It is a bit of a homecoming for two Sharks players, as Macklin Celebrini played his college hockey at Boston University and Will Smith at Boston College. Celebrini has two goals (both versus Jeremy Swayman) and seven points in his five career games against the Bruins, and Smith has a goal and four points in five career games against the B’s. Celebrini is also coming off a game where he was held without a point. In his two previous games this season, after being held pointless, he came back with three-point games and had seven and six shots on goal. Colin Graf gets the bump to the top line with Celebrini as Igor Chernyshov suffered an injury in the previous San Jose game. The Bruins’ David Pastrnak has had seven consecutive games versus the Sharks with 3+ shots on goal.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
San Jose Sharks ML (+154) – 1 unit
Alex Nedeljkovic Over 24.5 saves (-110) – ½ unit
Celebrini 3+ shots/Pastrnak 4+ shots (+148) – 2 units
Macklin Celebrini 4+ shots on goal (+105) – ¼ unit
Macklin Celebrini 5+ shots on goal (+225) – .15 units
Colin Graf anytime goal (+280) – .10 units
Buffalo Sabres at Washington Capitals
Buffalo (+100) at Washington (-120) – Total 6.5 (Over, -120)
7 p.m. ET
The Sabres come into this game having lost five of their last seven games and have given up 3+ goals in nine of their 10 games. The Caps have been off since losing to the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 on Tuesday. Four of the last five Washington games have had a combined seven or more goals. Seven of the last 10 head-to-head meetings between the Sabres and Caps have had 7+ combined goals.
Tonight’s game will be the first time that Alex Tuch will face his former team, so it’s an auto play for me; Tuch anytime goal and an assist. Tuch has also had 2+ shots on goal in eight of his last nine games. When it comes to registering at least two shots on goal in a game, Ryan Leonard has been as good as it gets. He has had 2+ shots on goal in all nine games this season and 22 of 23 going back to last season. Leonard also has points in seven of his last nine games and points in all three games he has faced Buffalo.
With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen getting the start for the Sabres, I will be on a Tom Wilson anytime goal. Wilson has 6 goals in seven games (on just 14 shots) versus the Buffalo netminder. He also has points in eight of his last nine games against the Sabres. With Logan Thompson day-to-day with a lower body injury, Charlie Lindgren gets the start for the Caps today. That’s good news for the Sabres’ Jason Zucker, who has four goals in six games versus Lindgren.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Over 6.5 (-120) – 1 unit
Ryan Leonard/Tuch 2+ shots on goal (+112) – 2 units
Ryan Leonard 1+ point (+128) – ½ unit
Tom Wilson anytime goal (+230) – ¼ unit
Tom Wilson 1+ assist (+180) – ¼ unit
Alex Tuch anytime goal (+220) – ¼ unit
Alex Tuch 1+ assist (+210) – ¼ unit
Jason Zucker anytime goal (+360) – ¼ unit
