NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Here are today’s NHL predictions and best bets.
New York Rangers (11-11-2) at Carolina Hurricanes (14-6-2)
Betting Line: New York (+155) at Carolina (-180) – Total 5.5 (Over, -130)
7 p.m. ET
After coming up on the short end 4-1 result in Buffalo on Sunday, the Carolina Hurricanes will look to get back to their winning ways. They face a New York Rangers team that has lost four of their last five games and three straight on the road. New York had started the season winning nine of their first 11 road games. The Canes have traded wins and losses over their past eight games and haven’t won consecutive games since a four-game winning streak at the beginning of the month (Nov 4-9).
The Hurricanes have won five straight games over the Blueshirts and covered the puck line in four of the five wins. The Canes have scored four or more goals in 12 of their 14 wins this season and all six wins on home ice. Carolina’s Nikolaj Ehlers has points (14) in 13 of the last 17 games and six of his last seven games against the Rangers (two goals, six assists) and 17 points in 18 career games against the Blueshirts. Jackson Blake has four points (two goals, two assists) in five games versus New York.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Carolina Hurricanes Team Total Over 3.5 (-104) – .50 units
Carolina Hurricanes/New York Rangers Over 5.5 (-132) – 1 unit
New York Rangers Team Total Over 2.5 (-118) – .50 units
Nikolaj Ehlers/Jackson Blake point parlay (+171) – .20 units
Winnipeg Jets (12-9-0) at Washington Capitals (12-9-2)
Betting Line: Winnipeg (+130) at Washington (-150) – Total 6 (Over, -120)
7 p.m. ET
The Winnipeg Jets and Eric Comrie will look to put an end to their two-game losing streak and avoid dropping three in a row for a second time this season when they visit the Capitals tonight in Washington. Last season, the Jets didn’t have their second three-game losing streak until January. With Connor Hellebuyck sidelined for the next four to six weeks following knee surgery, Comrie will do the heavy lifting between the pipes and will make his first career start tonight against Washington. Prior to the Jets’ win last season in Washington, Winnipeg had lost their last 11 trips to Washington, and five of the last eight meetings went past regulation. Washington has covered the puck line in eight of their last nine wins. Four of the Jets’ last six losses have been by two or more goals.
Washington defenseman Jakob Chychrun has points in eight straight and goals (four total) in three consecutive games. Forward Tom Wilson has goals in back-to-back games and points in five of his last seven. Winnipeg forward Cole Perfetti, who plays on the Jets’ second line and top power play unit, has had two shots on goal or more in each of his last five games. Charlie Lindgren gets the start tonight for Washington. He is 3-1-0 with 1.51 goals against average in four career starts versus the Jets.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Washington Capitals -1.5 goal (+156) – .50 units
Jakob Chychrun goal (+375) – .10 units
Cole Perfetti Over 1.5 SOG (-132) – .25 units
Wilson/Chychrun/Leonard point parlay (+310) – .10 units
Boston Bruins (13-11-0) at New York Islanders (13-8-2)
Betting Line: Boston (+140) at New York (-165) – Total 6
7 p.m. ET
The Bruins will look to go three for three against the Islanders this season and sweep their season series when the two teams meet tonight in Long Island. Boston has won the two previous games by scores of 5-2 and 4-3 in a shootout and have won seven of the last 10 matchups, with two of the last four and three of the last seven needing overtime to decide a winner. Boston has lost three of their last four games overall.
The Islanders have won three of their last four games and have gone past regulation in five of their past eight games, winning all five games (four OT, one shootout). The last time the Islanders lost a game that went past 60 minutes was to the Bruins on November 4. The Islanders are also on a run of low-scoring games, cashing the Under in six straight. The Bruins have gone Under the total in four of the last five games.
While the Bruins have played low-scoring games, Morgan Geekie continues to find the back of the net. His 17 goals are tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the league lead and readers of this column have been cashing Geekie first goal tickets. I have been on Geekie, not always to score the first goal of the game but the first Bruins goal of the game. He has scored the B’s first goal of the game in each of the last three games on this current road trip and has six goals in the last three games. For the season, Geekie has scored the first Bruins goal on the road in three straight, five of six, and six of the last eight away from TD Garden Arena. Geekie scored Boston’s first goal of the game eight times (6 road, 2 home) and the first goal of the game three times. I asked both Geekie and Bruins head coach, Marco Sturm, if they were aware of his first goal of the game exploits, and neither of them was aware. I hope I didn’t jinx him.
Pavel Zacha has points in nine of his last 10 games against the Islanders. Boston has yet to lead on the road after the opening twenty minutes (0-4-8) while the Islanders are (3-3-4). In their two meetings this season, the Islanders led 2-0 at Boston, and the teams were scoreless after the opening 20 minutes in Long Island. Eight of the last nine meetings have had a combined six goals or more. Bo Horvat has feasted on the Bruins of late with points in six of his last seven games against Boston and five multi-point games.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Morgan Geekie first Boston goal (+500) – .05 units
Morgan Geekie anytime goal (+180) – .10 units
Bo Horvat Over 1.5 points (+240) – .10 units
Pavel Zacha Over ½ point (-120) – .10 units
New York Islanders/St. Louis Blues 1st period ML parlay (+233) – .25 units
Boston Bruins/New York Islanders Over 5.5 (-138) – 1 unit
Regulation Draw (+340) – .10 units
St. Louis Blues (7-10-6) at New Jersey Devils (14-7-1)
Betting Line: St. Louis (+125) at New Jersey (-145) – Total 5.5 (Over, -115)
7 p.m. ET
A battle between two teams that have been struggling of late. The Blues have just one win in their last six games. Their (-24) goal differential ranks them 31st in the league, only ahead of the Nashville Predators (-29). Since losing Jack Hughes to injury, the Devils are (2-3) and have scored just 10 goals.
When it comes to making a wager on this game, I will come back with the same play I had on St. Louis on Monday night against the Rangers. Blues to score the first goal of the first period and Blues first period money line. St. Louis has scored the game’s first goal in four straight and eight of their last nine games. They are 7-1-1 to the first period money line over that same stretch of games. Dylan Holloway scored the Blues and the game’s first goal in three of the last nine games and four of the last 14 games overall. He has two goals and three points in four career games against the Devils.
Jordan Kyrou has feasted on both New Jersey goalies in his career. The Blues forward has four goals in four games against Jake Allen and seven goals in nine games versus Jacob Markstrom. Timo Meier scored the Devils and the game’s first goal in back-to-back games and three of the last seven and five times this season. Meier has seven goals in 12 games against Blues netminder Jordan Binnington.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
St. Louis Blues to score 1st goal of the first period (+145) – .25 units
St. Louis Blues first period Money Line (+108) – .25 units
Dylan Holloway anytime goal (+310) – .10 units
Dylan Holloway Blues first goal of the game (+900) -.05 units
Jordan Kyrou anytime goal (+280) – .10 units
Timo Meier anytime goal (+190) .10 units
Timo Meier Devils’ first goal of the game (+600) – .05 units
Toronto Maple Leafs (9-10-3) at Columbus Blue Jackets (11-9-3)
Betting Line: Toronto (+105) at Columbus (-125) – Total 6
7 p.m. ET
The Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets are meeting for the second time in five days. The Jackets won 3-2 in overtime as Adam Fantilli scored the game-winning goal, his second goal of the game. The kid who grew up just outside of Toronto is tied for the Blue Jackets team lead in goals after scoring seven goals in the last nine games (six goals in eight games vs Toronto). Fantilli has also cashed his shots on goal prop (Over 2.5) in eight of his last 11 games and four of the last five meetings against the Maple Leafs.
The Jackets have won both meetings with the Leafs this season (6-3 on October 29). Both the Leafs and the Blue Jackets have found wins hard to come by. The Leafs have lost seven of their last eight games, are dead last in the Eastern Conference standings (29th overall), and the Blue Jackets have lost back-to-back and four of their last six games. Columbus has just one regulation win in their last 12 games.
Both these teams like to work overtime. The Leafs have gone past 60 minutes in two of their last three games and three of their last five. The Blue Jackets have played bonus hockey in six of their last nine games. Toronto has just one win in seven road games this season. Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has points in six straight and nine of his last 10 games, and he did pick up a point in the meeting between the two teams five days ago.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Columbus Blue Jackets 1st period ML (-118) – .20 units
Columbus Blue Jackets 1st goal of the 1st period (+115) – .20 units
Adam Fantilli anytime goal (+190) – .10 units
Adam Fantilli Over 2.5 SOG (-125) – .25 units
Regulation Draw (+330) – .10 units
Denton Mateychuk anytime goal (+1100) – .05 units
Oliver Ekman-Larsson Over ½ point (-106) – .20 units
Minnesota Wild (12-7-4) at Chicago Blackhawks (10-8-4)
Betting Line: Minnesota (-135) at Chicago (+115) – Total 5.5 (Over, -120)
8:30 p.m. ET
The Minnesota Wild have put up a “brick Wallstedt” against their opponents the past two games. Minnesota goalies Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson have posted consecutive shutouts over the past two games as Minnesota has won five straight games. They take on a Blackhawks team that they have won nine of 10, 15 of 16, and seven of the last eight at the United Center. They have held Chicago to two goals or fewer in seven of those eight games in Chicago. The Wild have won seven of their last eight overall, giving up just nine goals in those eight games, aided by four shutouts.
The Blackhawks are mired in a three-game losing streak (Seattle, Buffalo, Colorado). After getting throttled by the Sabres 9-3 in Buffalo, they limited the Avalanche, who are the only team in the NHL to average four goals a game, to just one in the 1-0 loss on Sunday. The Blackhawks better be ready right from puck drop. Minnesota has scored the first goal of the game in 12 straight, and Matt Boldy has scored that first goal four times. Boldy has goals in six of the last nine games overall. For the season, he scored the Wild’s first goal of the game eight times this season and in five of their last nine road games. Mats Zuccarello has points and assists in four straight, five of six, and six of the last eight games.
Chicago’s Tyler Bertuzzi has also had first-goal prowess. Bertuzzi has scored the Blackhawks’ first goal of the game in two of the last three and four of the last nine games. He has scored the game’s first goal in three of the last nine Chicago games. He also has points in seven of his last nine games and five multi-point games in his last seven overall. Frank Nazar has scored points in four of his last five games and picked up a point in each of the two games he has faced the Wild.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Minnesota Wild to score 1st goal (-135) – 2 units
Matt Boldy anytime goal (+145) – .10 units
Matt Boldy Minny first goal (+490) – .05 units
Mats Zuccarello Over ½ assist (+114) – .20 units
Tyler Bertuzzi anytime goal (+270) – .10 units
Tyler Bertuzzi Over ½ assist (+210) – .10 units
Frank Nazar Over ½ point (-102) – .10 units
Chicago Blackhawks Team Total Under 3.5/Canadiens Over 5.5 (+125) – .50 units
Chicago Blackhawks Team Total Under 2.5 (+105) – .25 units
San Jose (11-9-3) at Colorado (16-1-5)
Betting Line: San Jose (+300) at Colorado (-400) – Total 6 (Over, -115)
9 p.m. ET
The Colorado Avalanche have been the most dominant team one quarter of the way into the season, with just one regulation loss through 22 games. They are currently riding a nine-game winning streak, which has featured back-to-back shutouts of the opposition and winning six of the nine games by three goals or more. The Avs will look to make it a perfect 10 tonight as they look to avenge a 3-2 overtime loss to the Sharks back on November 1 in San Jose. Philipp Kurashev scored twice for the Sharks, including the game-winner. Macklin Celebrini scored the other San Jose goal and has two goals in three career games against Colorado. The Sharks’ superstar has four goals and eight points on his current five-game point streak. He has points in nine of his last 10 and 16 of his past 18 games.
On to the props. Colorado’s Ross Colton has had four shots on goal or more in four straight and five of seven. He’s had three or more shots on goal in nine of his last 12 games. Martin Necas has three or more shots on goal in six of his last seven games against the Sharks. In addition to his two goals in three games, Celebrini has three shots on goal or more in 15 of his last 20 games and all three career games against the Avs. My under-the-radar prop play of the day comes from this game. Last season, teams like Colorado, who were a (-400) or greater favorite, gave up a first-period goal to the Underdog in 19 of 24 games.
NHL Predictions and Best Bets:
Ross Colton Over 2.5 SOG (+130) – 1 unit
Ross Colton Over 3.5 SOG (+325) – .35 units
Macklin Celebrini/Martin Necas Over 2.5 SOG parlay (+194) – .50 units
Macklin Celebrini/Will Smith point parlay (+123) – .25 units
Macklin Celebrini anytime goal (+180) – .10 units
San Jose Sharks 1st period Over ½ goal (-110) – 1 unit
