Top 5 NHL Betting Picks for Saturday, August 1
The long-anticipated return of the NHL is over as play resumes this Saturday when the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes square off at 12:00 PM EST from the Toronto bubble city. While the MLB battles COVID-19 concerns, the NHL announced this week that there were zero positive cases after 4,256 tests administered from July 18th-25th – which is fantastic news. With that, let’s analyze the five-game Saturday slate to determine our best bets.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel and DraftKings sportsbooks.
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New York Rangers (+112) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (-129)
Much has already been made of this showdown as the Rangers swept Carolina 4-0 during the regular-season series. However, the postseason is a new beginning, especially after a four-month layoff, so we shouldn’t read too much into that.
Offensively, this series is a relative push. The Rangers are led by Hart Trophy finalist Artemi Panarin and center Mika Zibanejad. These two can take a game over but beyond them, the Blueshirts lack scoring depth. Carolina brings a much more balanced approach with four solid lines – led by youngsters Sebastian Aho and Andre Svechnikov.
Defensively, Carolina holds a major advantage as they possess the deepest defensive corps in the league. Despite the potential, they may be missing Dougie Hamilton after reinjuring himself in training camp – Jaccob Slavin, Jake Gardiner, Sami Vatanen, and former Ranger Brady Skjei are more than capable of picking up the slack.
Goaltending wise, the Rangers hold the advantage as they have three solid options in Henrik Lundqvist – Alexander Georgiev and rookie Igor Shesterkin. Carolina will go with either Petr Mrazek or James Riemer – both who posted eerily similar numbers during the regular season. I lean towards Mrazek as Reimer hasn’t consistently played in the postseason since 2013.
Carolina holds the edge in Corsi with a CF% of 54.30 compared to the Rangers’ 46.73. (For further insight into NHL Advanced Stats – click here)
Pick: Carolina -129 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Chicago Blackhawks (+130) vs. Edmonton Oilers (-150)
These teams are relatively similar in makeup as they both have a few offensive stars up front while surrounded by suspect depth.
Edmonton is led by Connor McDavid and Art Ross Trophy winner, Leon Draisaitl, who put up 110-points during the regular season.
Chicago is led by superstar Patrick Kane who amassed 84 points during the regular season. Along with Captain Jonathan Toews and veteran defenseman Duncan Keith.
Defensively these teams are almost even. The Oilers ranked 15th in goals allowed per game while the Blackhawks were right behind them ranked 16th. The biggest discrepancy comes in shot suppression as the Blackhawks finished last in the NHL in this category, allowing over 35 shots per game. Edmonton ranked 20th respectively.
Special teams are where I believe the series and games will be decided. Edmonton ranked first in the NHL on the power play this season with a 29.5% conversion rate. They also paired this with the second-ranked penalty kill at an 84.4% kill rate. Chicago’s power played finished near the bottom of the league with a paltry 15.2% conversion rate. Their penalty kill fared much better, ranking ninth overall at the pause.
Chicago has the edge in net with veteran Corey Crawford – who put up a .929 save percentage over his final 11 games of the regular season. If he can carry that momentum, he may be able to keep the Hawks in games, but I believe Edmonton’s firepower will be too much.
Picks: Edmonton -150 and at DraftKings Sportsbook and Over 6.5 at +105 FanDuel
Montreal Canadiens (+140) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (-165)
This matchup appears to relatively one-sided. Pittsburgh is led by Sidney Crosby – who’s decent, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. They were a top-10 offense this season despite a myriad of injuries that would cripple most teams. They also get back center Jake Guentzel who was supposed to be lost for the year after shoulder surgery, along with defensive rookie John Marino.
Their biggest flaw is goaltending where they must decide between Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry. Reports are that the Pens will start Murray due to his previous playoff experience – despite Jarry having better regular-season numbers.
If not for the expanded playoff format, the Canadiens wouldn’t be here. But hey, good for them. This squad is young but actually possesses some upside after examining their advanced stats. The Habs led the league in both shot attempts per 60 and Corsi rating (54.68). Their problem? They lack high-end offensive talent.
Where do they have the advantage lies in goaltending. Carey Price is perennially voted as the league’s best goalie by his peers. However, the past few seasons, he’s been a mere mortal. Most of that can be contributed to the team in front of him, but he’s no longer the threat he used to be. However, he is better than both Murray and Jarry.
Picks: Pittsburgh (-165) & Over 5.5 (+100) both at FanDuel Sportsbook
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Jordan Anderson is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jordan, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @Jordan_A03.