We’ve got four games on tonight’s slate, assuming the East Coast doesn’t completely shut down. Let’s take a look.
Monday’s NHL Best Bets & Picks
Anaheim Ducks @ Edmonton Oilers
I think it’s okay to laugh that we are over 60% of the way through the season and the Oilers (26-19-8) still haven’t won more than two games in a row. And yet, there they sit, in second place in the Pacific Division, grateful they aren’t in the gauntlet that is the Central. Anaheim (28-21-3) is right behind them, only one point behind in the standings. The Ducks are allowing the second-most goals per game at 3.48, while the Oilers are 11th at 3.17. These two squads haven’t faced off yet this season, but all signs point toward the OVER. It is in Edmonton, after all.
Pick: OVER 6.5 (-114)
Evan Bouchard Over 1.5 Points (+157)
The Edmonton defenseman has struggled more this year than in the past, but he broke out of that in a big way, tallying a record-tying six points for a blueliner in his last game against Washington. He has at least one point in seven of his last 10 games and has nabbed more than one in four of those. There should be plenty of scoring tonight, and I think he continues to build on Saturday’s explosion.
Utah Mammoth @ Tampa Bay Lightning
Two of the NHL’s hottest teams square off in Florida. Utah (27-20-4) and Tampa Bay (32-14-4) are both 8-1-1 in their last 10, and both are in the Top 10 in fewest goals allowed to opponents per game. The separation comes from the Lightning’s ability to score goals, ranking second with 3.48 goals per game. The UNDER is a perfectly fine play here, as their last H2H matchup ended 4-2 in favor of Tampa. I’m going to lean on the puck line, simply because I think Utah is going to struggle to score, and an empty-netter can send us home with a great payout.
Pick: Tampa Bay -1.5 (+157)
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