NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Chicago Blackhawks at Buffalo Sabres
Chicago (+200) at Buffalo (-225) – Total 6.5 (Under, -128)
7 p.m. ET
The Blackhawks are making the final stop on their three-game road trip to start the season. After losing 5-2 on opening night to the Vegas Golden Knights, they were stomped to the tune of 6-0 by the Utah Mammoth. Chicago has looked overmatched in both games, outshot by an average of 14 shots, second worst only to the Flyers’ margin of 19 shots in their first two games. Now they go into Buffalo facing a Sabres team that has beaten them six straight and nine of their last ten head-to-head meetings. The Hawks have given up four goals or more in each of their last four losses to Buffalo.
With Arvid Soderblom getting the start in Utah, I would expect Spencer Knight back between the pipes for Chicago. The Sabres’ Tage Thompson has four goals in six games versus Knight, while Josh Norris has three goals in three games against the Hawks netminder. Rasmus Dahlin has 11 assists in 13 games against the Hawks, including three consecutive multi-assist games. Forward Ryan McLeod has five goals and nine points in 12 career games against the Blackhawks.
On the Chicago side, this marks the return of Bowen Byram to Buffalo following his trade at the NHL Draft in June. Patrick Kane, who was born in Buffalo, has 18 goals and 39 points in 34 games versus his hometown team. He has had a great deal of success against Sabres goalie, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, scoring five goals in the seven games he has faced him.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Buffalo Sabres Team Total Over 3.5 (-128) – 1 unit
Tage Thompson 4+ shots on goal (+110) – 1 unit
Tage Thompson anytime goal (+120) – ¼ unit
Josh Norris anytime goal (+250) – ¼ unit
Rasmus Dahlin 2+ assists (+360) – ¼ unit
Ryan McLeod anytime goal (+350) – ¼ unit
Bowen Byram Over ½ assist (+200) – ¼ unit
Bowen Byram anytime goal (+650) – ¼ unit
Patrick Kane anytime goal (+290) – ¼ unit
Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins
Montreal (-135) at Pittsburgh (+110) – Total 6.5 (Under, -115)
7 p.m. ET
Both the Canadiens and Penguins are coming off victories in their only game of the young season. The Habs slid past the Maple Leafs and the Pens blasted the Flyers, 7-0, behind a pair of goals from Nick Robertson. As long as Robertson is playing on the Penguins’ top line with Crosby and Rakell, I will continue to target his goal prop. For his part, Crosby has had three shots on goal or more in four of his last five meetings with the Canadiens.
On the Montreal side, I will be on “Mr. Saturday Night,” Cole Caufield. Last season, Caufield scored 21 of his 51 goals on Saturdays. I am aware that he hasn’t had a great deal of success against the Penguins in his career, with just three goals in his last 10 head-to-head meetings, but it is Saturday, and I will sprinkle a small wager on Caufield. His linemate, Chris Kreider, was held off the scoresheet in the opening game, but he does have 20 goals in 47 career meetings with Pittsburgh and two goals in three games versus Pens goalie Arturs Silovs.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Cole Caufield anytime goal (+155) – ¼ unit
Cole Caufield 3+ shots goal (-148) – ½ unit
Sidney Crosby 3+ shots on goal (+113) – 1 unit
Nick Robertson anytime goal (+380) – ¼ unit
Chris Kreider Over ½ point (+145) – ½ unit
Seattle Kraken at Edmonton Oilers
Seattle (+185) at Edmonton (-200) – Total 6.5 (-110)
7 p.m. ET
Part of why the Edmonton Oilers hired Mike Babcock was to provide structure. Two games into the season, Edmonton has given up 13 goals, and this to a Vancouver Canucks team that is supposed to be one of the league’s bottom feeders. Leading 8-2 in the second period, the Oilers ended up hanging on for a 9-7 win over the Canucks. Evan Bouchard leads the Oilers in scoring with eight points (four goals, four assists) as he is the first defenseman in NHL history to have eight points after his team’s first two games to start the season.
Connor McDavid, coming off his five-point game (one goal, four assists) on Thursday, is one point back of Bouchard with seven points. McDavid (13 goals, 13 assists, 17 games vs Kraken) along with Leon Draisaitl (8 goals, 26 assists, 15 games vs Kraken) have scorched the Kraken since Seattle entered the league. Both have enjoyed success against projected starter Joey Daccord. McDavid has six goals in the 10 games he has gone up against Daccord, and Leon has seven goals in 10 games versus the Kraken netminder.
Seattle’s Bobby McMann has six goals in seven games against the Oilers (all when he played for Toronto). Depending on who starts in goal for the Oilers, here are two players that are on my radar. Matty Beniers has two goals in two games versus Devon Levi, and Jordan Eberle has five goals in 13 games vs. Tristan Jarry.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Edmonton Oilers Team Total Over 3.5 (-128) – ½ unit
Seattle Kraken Team Total Over 2.5 (-122) – ½ unit
Connor McDavid anytime goal (+110) – ½ unit
Leon Draisaitl anytime goal (+100) – ½ unit
Connor McDavid 2+ points (-130) – ½ unit
Leon Draisaitl 2+ points (-105) – ½ unit
Evan Bouchard 2+ points (+160) – ½ unit
Bobby McMann anytime goal (+240) – ¼ unit
St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche
St. Louis (+225) at Colorado (-280) – Total 6.5 (Under, -122)
9 p.m. ET
The Blues are fresh off a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars on Friday night but now head into the thin air of Colorado on no rest to face an Avalanche that has been off since Wednesday. Colorado has won nine straight games when playing on two days rest and facing an opponent who played the day before. They have won those games by an average margin of just under four goals (3.7). The puck line (-1.5 goals) and alternate puck line (-2.5 goals) are both in play for me. When it comes to player props, I am going to target a couple of first period Avs players and team props, as well as Nathan MacKinnon full-game alternate shot props. MacKinnon had six first period shots on goal in the Avalanche’s opener versus the LA Kings.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Colorado Avalanche 1st period (-1/2) goal (+112) – ½ unit
Nathan MacKinnon 1st period 2+ shots on goal (+165) – ½ unit
Nathan MacKinnon 1st period 1+ point (+118) – ¼ unit
Nathan MacKinnon 4+ shots on goal (-140) – 1 unit
Nathan MacKinnon 5+ shots on goal (+158) – ¼ unit
Nathan MacKinnon 6+ shots on goal (+300) – ¼ unit
Martin Necas 1st period 1+ point (+178) – ¼ unit
Cale Makar 1st period 1+ point (+195) – ¼ unit
Colorado Avalanche -1.5 goals (-122) – ¾ unit
Colorado Avalanche -2.5 goals (+146) – ¼ unit
Los Angeles Kings vs. San Jose Sharks
Los Angeles (-105) at San Jose (-115) – Total 6 (-118)
10 p.m. ET
The Sharks are coming off a 4-3 overtime win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, while the Kings gave up an eight spot to the Avs on Wednesday in an 8-4 loss. San Jose saw a 3-0 lead evaporate before rookie Luca Cagnoni scored the overtime winner for his first career NHL goal. It was also a great start to the season for Macklin Celebrini, who assisted on three of the four Sharks goals. It would not shock me if Celebrini had a second consecutive multi-point game against a Kings defense that is slow and aging. On the Kings side, Artemi Panarin has 13 goals in 21 career games against the Sharks.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
San Jose Sharks Team Total Over 3 (-135) – 1 unit
San Jose Sharks Team Total Over 3.5 (+130) – ½ unit
Macklin Celebrini 2+ points (+165) – 1 unit
Macklin Celebrini 4+ shots (-115) – 1 unit
Artemi Panarin anytime goal (+205) – ¼ unit
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