NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets:
New York Islanders (38-24-5) at Toronto Maple Leafs (29-27-12)
Islanders (-140) at Maple Leafs (+116) – Total 6 (-110)
7 p.m. ET
The Islanders are two points behind the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metro Division and only two points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets, who currently sit just out of a playoff spot. The Isles have won three of their past four games and face a Maple Leafs team that is finally playing with some bite to its game after losing captain Auston Matthews for the season to a knee injury, the result of a knee-on-knee hit by Anaheim’s Radko Gudas. Toronto rallied from down 3-1 to beat Anaheim, lost to the Buffalo Sabres in a shootout and followed that up the next night with a 4-2 win at Minnesota. Still, it’s too little, too late for Toronto, which is 11 points south of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Islanders rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer, who grew up in Hamilton, Ontario (a 45-minute drive from Toronto), will play his first game in his hometown province and by the sound of it, will be playing for “free” tonight. When asked how many tickets he needed for the game, Schaefer said, “Honestly, we have a box for a lot of people that I’m super close with.” Total coming in support: “Could be very close to 1,000.” This is the second time this season that Schaefer and the Islanders are facing the Leafs. In the New York meeting, Schaefer scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner in overtime. The Islanders have won six of the last eight meetings with Toronto.
A couple of other Islanders player props have caught my eye. Matt Barzal has cashed his shots-on-goal prop (Over 2.5) in five straight overall and five of the last seven meetings against Toronto. Simon Holmstrom scored two goals in three minutes on Saturday in the Islanders’ 3-2 win over Calgary and was bumped to the second line. Holmstrom also sees time on the second power-play unit. On the Toronto side, I will continue to roll with Mattias Macelli, who has great value playing on the Leafs’ top line and top power play. Macelli has earned an assist in two of the last three games. He has been held without a goal in back-to-back games after scoring in four of five games (all were the Leafs’ first goal of the game).
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
New York Islanders Money Line (-140) – .50 units
Matt Barzal Over 2.5 shots on goal (-110) – 1 unit
Simon Holmstrom anytime goal (+310) – .10
Matthew Schaefer anytime goal (+400) – .10
Matt Barzal and Matthew Schaefer each Over 2.5 shots on goal (+200) – .25
Mattias Macelli anytime goal (+290) – .15
Mattias Macelli Over ½ assist (+180) – .15
Mattias Macelli 1stMaple Leafs goal (+900) – .05
Boston Bruins (37-23-7) at Montreal Canadiens (36-20-10)
Bruins (+140) at Canadiens (-170) – Total 6 (Over, -125)
7 p.m. ET
The Bruins struggle to find wins out of their comfortable home surroundings. On Monday night in New Jersey, they jumped out to a 2-0 lead but couldn’t handle prosperity and lost to the Devils 4-3 in overtime. It was the B’s 20th loss in 32 road games compared with 25 wins in 35 home games.
The Canadiens are coming off back-to-back home losses to the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks and will look to avoid just their second losing streak of three or more games this season. The Habs have won their last five games after back-to-back losses and have lost only three consecutive games on the same homestand once this season. This will be the fourth and final meeting this season between the teams, and the Bruins have won two of the three previous games.
Montreal’s sole win over Boston came with Jacob Fowler between the pipes. Samuel Montembeault took both of the losses. Jeremy Swayman should make his fourth consecutive start against Montreal, as Joonas Korpisalo started Monday night against the Devils. Cole Caufield has earned the moniker of Mr. Saturday Night, but you can also refer to him as a Bruins and Jeremy Swayman killer. Caufield has 10 goals in 13 games against the Bruins and nine goals in the 10 games he has faced Swayman, including five goals this season (goals in all three games). One Bruins player I like for a goal tonight is Viktor Arvidsson. He has two goals in the three games versus Montreal this season and seven goals in 17 career games against Montreal.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Cole Caufield anytime goal (+135) – 2 units
Viktor Arvidsson anytime goal (+310) – .10 units
San Jose Sharks (32-27-6) at Edmonton Oilers (33-26-9)
San Jose Sharks (+150) at Edmonton Oilers (-175) – Total 6.5 (Over, -155)
9 p.m. ET
Tonight is the final stop on the Sharks’ five-game road trip that has seen them sandwich wins in Boston and Montreal around losses at Buffalo and Ottawa. Tonight is the Sharks’ fifth game in eight days, but they are coming off an afternoon tilt in Ottawa on Sunday, so that gives them some additional rest as opposed to having played a game on Sunday night. The Oilers are fresh off a 3-1 win Sunday night versus the Nashville Predators, but the victory came at a cost with an injury to Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl won’t play tonight and is likely to miss the final two games of the homestand.
Tonight is the third meeting of this season, with the home team winning the first two. San Jose led 3-0 after the first period in its visit to Edmonton, only to see the Oilers rally for two late third-period goals and win 4-3 in overtime. The goaltending matchup is expected to be Alex Nedeljkovic for the Sharks and Connor Ingram for Edmonton. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said on Sunday that “the net” is Ingram’s for now. Edmonton has won five of seven with Ingram between the pipes. One of the two losses was to these Sharks (5-4).
On to the player props. The Sharks’ Michael Misa has scored a goal in each of the two games against Edmonton this season, and his goal prop is north of (+400). Macklin Celebrini has one goal in the two games he has faced Ingram, and that goal opened the scoring for San Jose in their 5-4 win in February. He scored the Sharks’ first goal of the game in four of the last six and five of the last nine games (13 times this season). The Edmonton players on my radar tonight are defenseman Mattias Ekholm and forwards Jack Roslovic and Matt Savoie. Ekholm has picked up an assist in both games this season against San Jose and has an assist in eight of his last 10 games overall. Roslovic has seven goals in 10 games against Nedeljkovic, and Savoie is still on the top line, and we are getting great value (+330 at DK) for his anytime goal.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Macklin Celebrini anytime goal (+135) – .25
Macklin Celebrini first Sharks goal (+430) – .05
Michael Misa anytime goal (+475) – .15
Mattias Ekholm Over ½ assist (+175) – .50
Jack Roslovic anytime goal (+295) – .25
Matt Savoie anytime goal (+330) – .10
San Jose Sharks Team Total Over 3 (+100) – .25
Buffalo Sabres (41-20-6) at Vegas Golden Knights (31-22-4)
Sabres (+110) at Golden Knights (-135) – Total 6.5 (-110)
10 p.m. ET
These teams met two weeks ago in Buffalo, with the Sabres hanging on for a 3-2 victory after jumping out to a 3-0 lead on the Golden Knights. The Sabres have won five of the last six meetings. Buffalo has won nine of 10 out of the Olympic break, while the Golden Knights have won two straight after losing six of their previous seven and 17 of their last 19 games versus teams currently in a playoff spot. Even with their recent struggles against both the Sabres and teams currently in a playoff spot, I view this as a “flat spot” for Buffalo.
On to the player props. The Sabres’ Jason Zucker, a Vegas native, has seven goals in 15 games against his hometown team and three goals (on 11 shots) in five games versus Vegas projected starting goalie Adin Hill. Tage Thompson has had three shots on goal in six of his last seven games against the Golden Knights and four of five overall. VGK’s Pavel Dorofeyev has back-to-back two-goal games and leads the team with 34 goals, including two goals in three games against the Sabres. He has had at least three shots on goal in each of the last five games and seven of the last eight, along with two of three games he has played against Buffalo. Jack Eichel has six goals in six games against his former team. Mitch Marner has enjoyed home cooking, putting up two or more points in 17 of 32 home games (Bet365 for the best price).
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Vegas Golden Knights Money Line (-135) – .25
Jason Zucker anytime goal (+285) – .20
Tage Thompson/Pavel Dorofeyev each Over 2.5 SOG (+147) – 2 units
Pavel Dorofeyev anytime goal (+180) – .50
Jack Eichel anytime goal (+180) – .25
Mitch Marner Over 1.5 points (+270) – .15
Best of the Rest:
N.Y. Islanders/Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins/Montreal Canadiens, San Jose Sharks/Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres/Vegas Golden Knights – all teams to score 2+ goals (+347) – 1 unit
