NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are tonight’s NHL predictions and best bets.
Buffalo Sabres at Montreal Canadiens (-155)
Buffalo (+130) at Montreal (-155) – Total 6.5 (Under, -115)
6:30 p.m. ET
After getting outscored 8-1 in their previous two games, the Sabres erupted for five goals Monday in a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers. The loss came at a price, with No. 1 defenseman Rasmus Dahlin leaving the game due to an injury after playing just over nine minutes. Dahlin did not make the trip to Montreal. For Buffalo, this will be the back end of a back-to-back and the third game in four days. The Canadiens have been off since Saturday’s 1-0 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday with Jacob Fowler stopping all 30 shots.
I am going to lay off picking a winner for this game and instead target a couple of player props. Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson has registered at least two shots on goal in four straight and five of his last six games. Hutson has 11 assists in eight games against Buffalo. Cole Caufield has 10 goals and 18 points in 18 career games versus Buffalo, along with three goals in five games against Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Teammates Josh Anderson and Nick Suzuki also have three goals in five games against UPL.
Tage Thompson has 12 goals in 20 games versus the Canadiens.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Lane Hutson 2+ shots on goal (-110) – ½ unit
Lane Hutson assist/Cole Caufield point (+108) – 1 unit
Cole Caufield anytime goal (+120) – ¼ unit
Josh Anderson anytime goal (+480) – ¼ unit
Nick Suzuki anytime goal (+195) – ¼ unit
Tage Thompson anytime goal (+150) – ¼ unit
Washington Capitals at Carolina Hurricanes
Washington (+135) at Carolina (-160) – Total 6 (Over, -120)
6:45 p.m. ET
This is the second meeting this season between these Metro Division rivals. The Capitals knocked off the Hurricanes 5-2 in Carolina on Oct. 2 and have won five of the last seven meetings. I don’t like this spot for the Caps, who will be without center Pierre-Luc Dubois and possibly Alex Tuch. Both were key contributors in the previous meeting, Tuch with a pair of goals and Dubois with a pair of assists. One Washington prop that I will be on tonight is for Ryan Leonard and Boone Jenner to both register at least two shots on goal. Leonard has recorded two shots on goal or more in 15 straight games and 18 of 19 going back to last season. Jenner has had two shots on goal in five straight overall and three shots on goal in five of his last seven versus the Canes.
On the Carolina side, I will grab their top two scorers, Sebastian Aho (six goals, 11 points) and Andrei Svechnikov (four goals, eight points), in a point parlay and Jordan Martinook to score for the fifth consecutive game.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Leonard/Jenner each 2+ shots on goal (+177) – 1.5 units
Sebastian Aho/Andrei Svechnikov point parlay (-115) – 1 unit
Jordan Martinook anytime goal (+525) – ¼ unit
Hurricanes in regulation (+100) – 2 units
Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers
Tampa Bay (-160) at New York Rangers (-135) – Total 6 (-110)
7:15 p.m. ET
The Lightning will look to avenge their only loss of the young season, a 5-1 loss on Oct. 1. Since then, Tampa Bay has won four straight overall, scored the first goal of the first period in all four games, outscoring its opponents 7-0. Keeping this one simple and taking the Bolts to win the first period and the game in regulation.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Tampa Bay Lightning 1st period puck line (+150) – 1 unit
Tampa Bay Lightning in regulation (+100) – 1 unit
St. Louis Blues at Ottawa Senators (-115)
St. Louis (-105) at Ottawa (-115) – Total 5.5 (Over, -120)
7:30 p.m. ET
The Sens are coming off a 4-1 win at New Jersey on Monday night and now face the Blues in the second half of a back-to-back and their third game in four days. With Linus Ullmark getting the start on Monday night, it will be Samuel Ersson in goal for Ottawa tonight. Ottawa is still banged up on the blue line as Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub remain out of the lineup. The back end took another hit in New Jersey with Nikolas Matinpalo suffering an injury as a result of a nasty hit by the Devils’ Anthony Mantha.
The Blues have been off since Saturday’s 5-3 win over Columbus and do have a decided rest advantage over Ottawa. I like this spot for the road team and will grab the Blues on the money line. A couple of prop plays for me. I will parlay the Blues’ top line of Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud and Robert Thomas for a point. The trio also forms three-fifths of the Blues’ top power-play unit. Mason McTavish has registered at least two shots on goal in all five games this season and nine straight regular-season games dating to last season.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
St. Louis Blues money line (-105) – 1 unit
Robert Thomas/Dylan Holloway/Jimmy Snuggerud each for a point (+166) – ½ unit
Macon McTavish 2+ shots on goal (-150) – 1 unit
Pittsburgh Penguins at Chicago Blackhawks
Pittsburgh (-150) at Blackhawks (-125) – Total 6.5 (Under, -115)
8 p.m. ET
The big storyline in Chicago tonight is the season debut of Blackhawks star Connor Bedard after he missed all of training camp and the first six games of the season with a shoulder injury. I always like to target high-end players to cash their shot prop after a long layoff because they like to feel the puck on their stick and get back in the groove as soon as possible. You can grab Bedard to have 4+ shots at plus money or take my approach and target Bedard for 3+ shots and parlay him with the Penguins’ Ben Kindel for 2+ shots. Kindel has had two shots on goal or more in all five games this season.
Tonight is the first of four games on the road for the Penguins, who have Vegas, Colorado and Utah on the horizon. A loss tonight and Pittsburgh faces the prospect of getting swept on the road trip. I like the Penguins to come away with the win tonight but will play their team total (Over 3.5, -106). Pittsburgh has scored four goals or more in two of their three wins this season (38 of 41 wins last season), and the Hawks have given up four or more goals in each of their five losses. Finally, I am on a Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust point parlay.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Penguins Team Total Over 3.5 (-106) – 1.5 units
Connor Bedard 3+ shots/Ben Kindel 2+ shots (+138) – 1 unit
Sidney Crosby/Bryan Rust point parlay (-106) – 1 unit
Minnesota Wild at Winnipeg Jets
Minnesota (-110) at Winnipeg (-110) – Total 6 (Over, -122)
8:15 p.m. ET
This is just a horrible spot for the Wild and a good opportunity for the Jets to come away with a victory. The Wild are coming off a 4-2 win at home on Monday night against the Vegas Golden Knights and now travel to Winnipeg for their third game in four days. So, it’s back-to-back for the Wild, who just posted big wins against Florida and Vegas. Though the Jets are a division rival, I see this as a letdown spot.
With Jesper Wallstedt getting the start on Monday night, tonight will mark the season debut for backup goalie Calvin Pickard. Still no Connor Hellebuyck for the Jets between the pipes, so it will be Stuart Skinner for Winnipeg. Interestingly, Skinner and Pickard were the goaltending tandem in Edmonton until Skinner was traded to Pittsburgh last season.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Winnipeg Jets ML (-110) – 1 unit
Best of the Rest:
New York Islanders Team Total Over 3.5 (-125) – 1 unit
Macklin Celebrini (San Jose)/David Pastrnak (Boston) each 3+ shots on goal (-112) – 2 units
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