Hockey season is in full swing. There are some intriguing matchups today, so let's look at the best games to target.
Monday's NHL Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Seattle Kraken (+240) vs. Edmonton Oilers (-298) | O/U 6.5 (+105/-125)
The Kraken have been highly disappointing this season. They haven't won consistently and have gone through bad runs, including a 2-8-1 stretch. They are eight points behind in the race for the last Wild Card spot, and it will be tough with a few teams they need to overcome.
This is another year in which their lack of offense has hurt them. Last season, they were 29th in goals per game, but they have improved, but they’re still only 19th. The defense was their strongest aspect last year when they were ninth in goals; if they could keep that level of efficiency with the improved offense, they could have been a contender. However, the defense has regressed and is 22nd in goals allowed.
The Oilers’ start to the year wasn't great, as they began the season 6-7-1. The expectations were high after a Stanley Cup Finals appearance, and they were expected to dominate the regular season. We're finally seeing the Oilers we expected, as they have been 29-11-2 since that rough start.
The offensive struggles were evident at the start, with Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid being the only two who were consistent from the start. Now they are getting contributions from everyone, including Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has five goals in his last 10 games, and Zach Hyman and Adam Henrique with four apiece in that span.
Edmonton has been winning even without Connor McDavid in the lineup and the offense is deep enough to overcome a Seattle defense that has struggled throughout the year.
Pick: Oilers -1.5 (-112)
Los Angeles Kings (-148) vs. Detroit Red Wings (+124) | O/U 5.5 (-105/-115)
Detroit has a fresh perspective on its season after making significant changes. It decided to fire its head coach, and it has worked. Since then, they have gone 10-3-1.
This team is offensively driven thanks to forwards Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat. They scored 3.42 goals per game and a 51.5% Corsi rate.
The Kings must upgrade their offense if they want to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. Their 2.89 goals per game rank 20th and their 27.3 shots on goal rank 23rd. They can't even score when they have an advantage, as they are 28th in power-play conversion (16.07%).
Their defense is largely responsible for their sixth-best expected goal percentage. They are fourth in goals per game at 2.46 but have held the top spot during the season and are currently first in shots allowed per game (24.7%).
The Kings have done well containing some of the best offenses this season. They should keep the Red Wings quiet.
Pick: Kings Moneyline (-148)
