NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Buffalo (+100) at Toronto (-120) – Total 6.5 (Over, -125)
7 p.m. ET
The Maple Leafs are coming off a tough three-game western road trip (1-1-1) that started out with a shootout loss in Vegas (blew a 3-0 first period lead), a win in Colorado, and then losing in Utah. Through their first seven games to start the season, the Leafs have yet to win or lose two in a row. The Sabres are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at Montreal and have dropped three of their past four games. Each of the Sabres past two games has had a combined seven goals or more. Maple Leafs games also have been high-scoring. Three of their past four games have had nine combined goals (the other had seven). In each of the past four meetings, and in 13 of the past 16 head-to-head meetings, both teams have scored two goals.
On to the player props. It’s a homecoming for Sabres defenseman Owen Power. The Toronto native has had two shots on goal or more in six of his last nine games versus Toronto. It’s been a slow start to the season for the Sabres’ Josh Doan (one goal in seven games) but he does have three goals in the four games he has faced Maple Leafs goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, and he is on the Sabres’ top line with Tage Thompson and Peyton Krebs. After registering at least four shots on goal in each of the Sabres’ first five games, Thompson has been held to one shot on goal in each of the last two games, but the Maple Leafs could be just what he needs to get going. The Leafs (29.9) are tied with Chicago for giving up the fourth most shots on goal this season, and Thompson has recorded four shots on goal or more in four of his last five meetings versus Toronto.
Let’s talk about Maple Leafs props. Rookie Gavin McKenna has points in four straight, and we are getting a nice plus money price (+125) for McKenna to extend his point streak to five games. Auston Matthews is heating up with goals in four of his last five games and has had four shots on goal or more in four of his last five as well in eight of his last 11 meetings with Buffalo.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Owen Power 2+ shots on goal (-115) – ½ unit
Josh Doan anytime goal (+290) – ¼ unit
Tage Thompson 4+ shots on goal (+100) – 1 unit
Gavin McKenna Over ½ point (+125) – ½ unit
Auston Matthews anytime goal (+130) – ½ unit
Auston Matthews 4+ shots on goal (-102) – ½ unit
Leafs/Sabres BTTS 2+ goals + Sharks/Preds BTTS 2+ goals (+106) – 1 unit
Vancouver Canucks at Florida Panthers
Vancouver (+240) at Florida (-300) – Total 6 (Over, -120)
7 p.m. ET
The Florida Panthers are coming off a 7-3 win over Columbus on Tuesday and are seeking to win back-to-back games for the first time of the young season. After going pointless in his first five games, Brady Tkachuk picked up an assist at Buffalo and then erupted for three goals at Columbus with an assist from his brother Matthew on all three goals. According to the NHL, it was the first time that brothers had teamed up on three goals in one game.
Their opponent tonight, the Vancouver Canucks, have lost five straight and been outscored 23-9 (scored two goals or less in all five) since winning two of their first three games. If history counts for anything, the Panthers better not take the Canucks lightly. Vancouver has won five of the last six head-to-head meetings. Florida’s Seth Jones is on a nice run, with six points (all assists) in his last two games and 2+ shots on goal in six straight. Sam Reinhart centers the Panthers’ second line and top power play. He has 11 goals in 19 career games against Vancouver.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Seth Jones 2+ shots on goal (-140) – 1 unit
Seth Jones Over ½ assist (+114) – ¼ unit
Sam Reinhart anytime goal (+150) – ¼ unit
New York Islanders at Ottawa Senators
New York Islanders (+140) at Ottawa (-170) – Total 5.5 (-110)
7 p.m. ET
The Senators should be able to bounce back from Tuesday’s 7-2 thumping at the hands of the St. Louis Blues, but that was with Samuel Ersson between the pipes for Ottawa and not Linus Ullmark. Both of Ottawa’s losses have come with Ersson in goal. They are a perfect 5-0 with Ullmark this season (1.27 goals-against average, .948 save percentage). I don’t like laying the (-170), but I can get behind the Sens to win in regulation (-105). Drake Batherson has four goals in five games versus Islanders starting goalie, Seymon Varlamov.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Drake Batherson anytime goal (+195) – ¼ unit
Batherson 2+ shots/Schaefer 2+ shots/Senators ML (+177) – 1 unit
Ottawa Senators in regulation (-105) – 1 unit
Senators/Lightning ML parlay (+126) – 1 unit
Seattle Kraken at Tampa Bay Lightning
Seattle (+225) at Tampa Bay (-280) – Total 6 (Over, -120)
7 p.m. ET
I already have the Lightning in a full-game money line parlay with the Ottawa Senators. I am also going to play the first period Over 1.5 goals (-140), as seven of the last nine meetings have seen 2+ first period goals. A couple of Kraken goal props. Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov have seven goals in nine games against Seattle, Jake Guentzel has six goals in nine games, and Ilya Mikheyev has six goals on 18 shots versus Seattle. The Kraken’s Bobby McMann has had 3+ shots on goal in six of seven games this season and in four of six games vs. the Lightning.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
1st period Over 1.5 (-140) – ½ unit
Brandon Hagel anytime goal (+165) – ¼ unit
Ilya Mikheyev anytime goal (+425) – ¼ unit
Jake Guentzel anytime goal (+155) – ¼ unit
Nikita Kucherov anytime goal (+135) – ¼ unit
Bobby McMann 3+ shots on goal (+116) – 1 unit
St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild
St. Louis (+125) at Minnesota (-150) – Total 5.5 (Over, -135)
8 p.m. ET
The Blues come off a convincing 7-2 win over Ottawa on Tuesday, while the Wild were on the wrong end of a 5-2 loss in Winnipeg. I am going to focus on player props for this game. The Blues’ Mason McTavish is off to a great start and leads the team in goals (four), points (seven), and shots on goal (23). He has had three or more shots on goal in five of six games this season and in each of his last two games against the Wild.
Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov’s eight goals this season lead the league (no other Minny player has more than two). Three of his goals have come in the third period (two into an empty net), and he could have had a fourth in Minnesota’s win over Vegas on Monday if not for hitting the goal post. What I am getting at is that if you like the Wild to win the game, it’s more than likely Kaprizov will be out in the late stages of a close game and shooting on a yawning cage. He has had three shots on goal or more in six of seven games this season and eight of his last 11 against the Blues but at (-176) for 3+ shots, I will put him in a parlay piece. Here are two candidates. Joel Eriksson Ek has had 3+ shots on goal in four straight and five of seven versus St. Louis. Blake Coleman has had 2+ shots on goal in five straight and six of seven (and nine of 12 versus the Blues). You could also throw a Quinn Hughes assist (-146) into the parlay. He has had an assist in all seven games this season. If Jordan Binnington starts for St. Louis tonight then I will be on a Ryan Hartman anytime goal. Hartman has nine goals in 20 games versus Binnington.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Mason McTavish 3+ shots on goal (+126) – 1 unit
Kirill Kaprizov anytime goal (+125) – ½ unit
Kirill Kaprizov 3rd period goal (+390) – ¼ unit
Matt Boldy anytime goal (+165) – ¼ unit
Matt Boldy 1st Minny goal (+550) – .10 units
Kaprizov 3+ shots/Hughes assist (+110) – ½ unit
Coleman 2+ shots/Kapriov, Eriksson Ek and McTavish all 3+ shots (+760) – .10 units
Ryan Hartman anytime goal (+425) – ¼ unit
Note: Hartman goal prop only if Binnington starts
Utah Mammoth at Edmonton Oilers
Utah (+100) at Edmonton (-120) – Total 6.5 (Over, -118)
9 p.m. ET
For me, this is the game of the night. It’s also the front end of a home-and-home series, as the two teams will face off again Saturday in Utah. The Oilers had won five straight over Utah before the Mammoth beat the Oilers 6-5 in overtime in one of the final games of the 25-26 regular season. Five of the last six meetings have had a combined seven goals or more, and the first period Over 1.5 goals has cashed in all six.
Now to the player props. Utah’s Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther comprise two-thirds of the Mammoth’s second line and are also on the team’s top power play unit. Getting the pair at plus money in a point parlay gives us tremendous value. Lawson Crouse rides shotgun on the top line with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz and is worth a shot for a goal and/or an assist. One more Utah player prop. Mikhail Sergachev has had two shots on goal or more in six of seven games this season and in seven of his last 10 games versus the Oilers.
Connor McDavid has eight goals in eight games versus Karel Vejmelka, and Vasily Podkolzin, who leads the Oilers with seven goals this season, has four goals in seven games against the Utah netminder. Leon Draisaitl has recorded 3+ shots in five of his six games this season and three of his last four games against Utah.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
1st period Over 1.5 goals/Over 5.5 (-101) – 2 units
Cooley/Guenther point parlay (+122) – 1 unit
Lawson Crouse anytime goal (+400) – ¼ unit
Lawson Crouse Over ½ assist (+340) – ¼ unit
Draisaitl 3+ shots/Sergachev 2+ shots on goal (+172) – ½ unit
Connor McDavid anytime goal (+120) – ¼ unit
Vasily Podkolzin anytime goal (+225) – ¼ unit
Connor McDavid 2+ points (-122) – 1 unit
Best of the Rest:
Adam Fox (Rangers) Over ½ assist (-108) – ½ unit
Jack Hughes (NJ) 2+ points (+146) – ½ unit
Alex DeBrincat (Det) anytime goal (+125) – ¼ unit
Macklin Celebrini (SJ) and Auston Matthews (Tor) each 3+ shots (+101) – 2 units
Igor Chernyshov (SJ) anytime goal (+350) – ¼ unit
Macklin Celebrini (SJ) 2+ points (+120)
Filip Forsberg (Nash) anytime goal +175 – ¼ unit
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