NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are today’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning (-320, 6.5)
6:50 p.m. ET
The Blackhawks come into Tampa as winners of three of their last four games (Utah, St. Louis and Anaheim). They face a Lightning team that has won just once in six games and sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. How Tampa is more than a 3/1 favorite tonight makes little or no sense. Chicago has won the last two meetings in Tampa (4-1, 5-3), but the Bolts have won eight of 10 overall. Add to this that Lightning goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, is still looking for his first win (0-2-2) and has a 3.50 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage.
Tampa should get a boost from the return of Nikita Kucherov to the lineup. Kucherov has missed the past two games and is three points shy of 1000 for his career. Jake Guentzel leads the team in points (one goal, five assists). Victor Hedman is riding a three-game assist streak. Brayden Point has three goals in four games against Spencer Knight.
Chicago’s Ryan Donato has goals in three consecutive games. Connor Bedard has three goals and six points in four games vs Tampa, but tonight will be the first time he faces Vasilevskiy. Bedard and Frank Nazar lead the Hawks with seven points. The first period Over 1.5 goals scored and Both Teams to Score prop have cashed in all three road games to start the season. Interestingly, the first period Over at home for Chicago is (1-3) and the first period BTTS at home is (0-4)
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Ryan Donato anytime goal (+370) – .10 units
1st period Over 1.5 (-145) – .15 units
1st period BTTS (+162) – .15 units
Chicago ML (+250) – .25 units
Chicago Blackhawks +1.5 goals (+104) – .25 units
Connor Bedard/Frank Nazar each Over ½ point (+174)
Anaheim Ducks at Boston Bruins (-120, 6.5)
7 p.m. ET
The Ducks are coming off a convincing 5-2 road win over the Nashville Predators. They visit a Bruins team that they have won three straight against, with two of those wins in overtime. Three of the last six meetings between the Ducks and Bruins have needed extra time. Anaheim has been an all-or-nothing team this season, scoring four or more goals in each of their three wins but held to one goal in each of their three losses.
Boston is coming off a bizarre 4-3 loss on Tuesday to the Florida Panthers and former captain, Brad Marchand. The Panthers scored the winning goal off the skate of a Bruins defenseman with 26 seconds left in regulation. Boston has now dropped five straight, with four of the five losses by one goal.
Tonight’s goaltending matchup is the battle of the backups, with the Ducks going with Petr Mrazek and the Bruins going with Joonas Korpisalo. Korpisalo has seven career starts versus the Ducks, going (3-3-1) with a 3.41 goals against average and an .872 save percentage. Mason McTavish has three goals in two games versus Korpisalo, Leo Carlsson has scored twice in the two games he has faced the Bruins’ goalie. Keep an eye out to see if Chris Kreider returns after missing the Ducks’ last game due to injury. Kreider has seven goals in 10 games versus Boston’s backup. Defenseman Jackson LaCombe has four assists in four games against the Bruins.
On the Boston side, David Pastrnak has 12 goals in 18 games against the Ducks, while his linemate, Morgan Geekie, has three goals in four games against Ducks goalie Petr Mrazek.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Morgan Geekie goal/David Pastrnak assist (+245) – .15 units
David Pastrnak goal/Morgan Geekie assist (+211) – .15 units
Leo Carlsson anytime goal (+220) – .10 units
Mason McTavish anytime goal (+200) – .10 units
Jackson LaCombe Over ½ assist (+154) – .10 units
Detroit Red Wings at NY Islanders (-140, 6.5)
7 p.m. ET
The Red Wings had their five-game winning streak snapped in a 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres last night. Now, they must face the Islanders in the second half of a back-to-back. With John Gibson getting the start last night, it’s Cam Talbot for Detroit. He will go up against Dan Vladar for the Islanders. Back-to-backs did not treat the Red Wings kindly last season, going (3-8) on both the front and back half, and last night’s loss in Buffalo did nothing to improve their record. Detroit has been led by their top line of Dylan Larkin (five goals, seven assists), rookie Emmitt Finnie (three goals, three assists) and Lucas Raymond (five points). Finnie has goals in consecutive games, and Larkin has scored the Wings’ first goal of the game three times this season.
For the Islanders, there are three players that I will focus on. Rookie Matthew Schaefer has points in every Isles game this season and is coming off a two-point game against the Sharks on Tuesday. Emil Heineman has taken advantage of his bump to the second line and top power play unit and has goals in back-to-back games. Bo Horvat has goals in three straight games (five).
The first period Over 1.5 goals has cashed in all four Islanders home games, and the full game Over has cashed in five of six games overall.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Matthew Schaeffer point (-120) – .35 units
Emil Heineman goal (+380) – .10 units
Bo Horvat goal (+160) – .10 units
Dylan Larkin/Emmitt Finnie/Lucas Raymond point parlay prop (+278) – .25 units
Dylan Larkin anytime goal (+190) – .10 units
Emmitt Finnie anytime goal (+430) – .10 units
Dylan Larkin 1st Detroit goal of the game (+550) – .10 units
1st period Over 1.5 (-140) – .50 units
Full game Over 6 (-115) – .50 units
