The NHL returns with a five-game schedule tonight, and we have a few intriguing matchups on the schedule. Below I'll dive into three of the contests from a sports betting perspective and let you know where I'm laying my money on the ice. Here are my three best bets in the NHL tonight.
Wednesday's NHL Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Minnesota Wild (+142) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (-172) | O/U 5.5 (-114/-106)
The Wild (29-17-4) continue their current five-game road trip. Next is a stop in Ontario to take on the Maple Leafs (30-18-2). This cross-conference clash gets underway at 7:00 p.m. ET from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON.
Minnesota received bad news on Tuesday, and the news is that their superstar left-winger, Kirill Kaprizov (23 goals, 29 assists), will miss roughly a month due to a lower-body surgery. This is a team that has already been struggling to score, averaging only 2.42 goals per game during their current 2-5-0 stretch of play. I believe Minnesota's lack of scoring will ultimately be the variable that keeps this contest under the total of 5.5 goals.
Defensively, these are two of the better units in the NHL. In terms of raw GAA, the Leafs are ninth (2.60), while the Wild are 13th (2.72). In terms of SV%, they're 10th (.900) and fourth (.904), respectively. Toronto also boasts the 12th-best penalty kill (80.54%), while Minnesota has had issues, ranking 30th in penalty killing (70.16%). The Leafs should find some success offensively, but I expect us to stay under this number - somewhere in the 3-1 or 4-1 range. Give me the under.
Bet: Under 5.5 Goals (-106)
Vancouver Canucks (+125) vs. Nashville Predators (-150) | O/U 5.5 (-118/-104)
We have a 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs rematch on the docket tonight, and it was the Canucks (22-17-10) who toppled the Predators (18-23-7) in six games last summer, advancing to the second round. Tonight's Western Conference contest gets underway at 9:00 p.m. ET from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN.
I think it's worth playing the Canucks as underdogs tonight. Vancouver has won two straight games, out-scoring their opposition 7-3 during the two-game sample size. Meanwhile, the Predators have been hot as well, but they're coming off a 5-2 defeat on the road against the Ducks last time out.
Vancouver has been one of the better defensive teams in the NHL this year. While they're just 25th in GAA (2.98), they boast the seventh-best expected GAA per 60 minutes metric (2.84), suggesting they've had bad "puck luck." Vancouver has faced the fifth-fewest high-danger shots (156) and eighth-fewest rebound shots (142), while also ranking a respectable 13th on the penalty kill (80.0%).
Nashville's still just 25th in scoring (2.7 goals per game) and dead last in shooting percentage (8.9%). This should be a fun matchup, but I think the Canucks are primed to grind out a lower-scoring victory. Let's sprinkle on them as underdogs.
Bet: Canucks Moneyline (+125)
Pittsburgh Penguins (+116) vs. Utah Hockey Club (-140) | 6.5 (+114/-140)
The NHL nightcap features another cross-conference tilt, this one pitting the Penguins (20-24-8) against the Hockey Club (21-21-7) out west. Puck drop is slated for 9:30 p.m. ET from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT.
I don't mind laying the juice and playing Utah to win this game outright. And while Utah's a fine club, this is mostly a fade of Pittsburgh. This Penguins team is flat-out bad. They cannot keep the puck out of their own net, as they're ranked 31st in GAA (3.33) and 27th in SV% (.886). The Pens are also ninth in defensive zone giveaways (371), suggesting they're constantly putting their netminders in a poor spot.
On the offensive side, Pittsburgh just received bad injury news in that Evgeni Malkin is going to injured reserve (IR) with a lower-body injury. The Pens are in the midst of a 2-7-0 stretch of play, where they've been out-scored 32-18 during the stretch. In the seven losses, they've scored two or fewer goals in each contest.
Utah hasn't been overpowering this season, but they have the fourth-fewest own-zone giveaways (318), rank 15th on the power play (21.90%) and are scoring 3.2 goals per game over their current 3-2-0 stretch of play. I think they'll take care of business at home tonight against the floundering Penguins.
Bet: Hockey Club Moneyline (-140)
