Top NHL Betting Picks for Sunday, February 27th (2022)
We have hockey all day with an eight-game slate. There are some great betting angles to attack today. I give out my best bets below.
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Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Vancouver Canucks (+125) vs. New York Rangers (-145), o/u 6
I have a very simple rule for the New York Rangers this season, and that is to fade them whenever Igor Shesterkin is not starting. The Rangers are in second place in the Metropolitan Division for one reason only, and that is Vezina-favorite Igor Shesterkin.
The team in front of Shesterkin has been a mess, especially at even strength this season. Currently, the Rangers rank 27th in the league in 5-on-5 expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF) and 21st in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA).
Vancouver has an edge in both of these categories as they rank 26th in 5-on-5 expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF) and 13th in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA). With the Rangers on the second half of a back-to-back, we can expect Alexandar Georgiev to get the start tonight.
Georgiev has lost four of his last five starts, posting a measly 0.871 save percentage in that span. He will be tasked with going against a Canucks team in good form recently, as they have won two straight games and four of their last five.
Thatcher Demko is projected to get the start for Vancouver and he continues to be one of the best goaltenders in the league. This season, Demko ranks fourth among starting goaltenders in 5-on-5 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx).
Demko has been in great form lately as well. Over his last 10 starts, Demko is 7-2-1 with a 0.927 save percentage.
Best Bet: Vancouver Canucks ML (+125)
Seattle Kraken (+105) vs. San Jose Sharks (-125), o/u 5.5
In our nightcap, we have a Pacific Division tilt as the Seattle Kraken travel to San Jose to take on the Sharks. Seattle has been playing some brutal hockey lately, losing six straight games.
Seattle has fared terribly as an underdog recently as well, going 2-8 over their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Sharks have opened as a favorite for the first time in over a month.
San Jose is 5-0 in their last five games when opening as the favorite. While San Jose has struggled as well recently, we are getting good value in this number as they have faced way tougher teams than Seattle.
Yes, the Sharks are 2-8 over their last 10 games, however, they have losses in that stretch to Vegas, Edmonton, Tampa Bay (x2), Florida, and Carolina. That is an incredibly tough stretch of opponents. This is a good spot for San Jose to string together back-to-back wins following Thursday’s victory against the Islanders.
Jared McCann, Seattle’s leading point scorer, was a surprising addition to IR this week. This injury greatly hurts a Seattle offense that already struggles to score as they rank 31st in the league in 5-on-5 expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF).
Philipp Grubauer is expected to start between the pipes tonight for the Kraken, which bodes well for San Jose as Grubauer has been one of the worst starting goaltenders in hockey. Grubauer boasts a poor 0.888 save percentage and ranks dead last amongst starting goaltenders in 5-on-5 goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx).
Best Bet: San Jose Sharks ML (-125)
All betting information was gathered from puckline.org and TopDownHockey.
Best of luck tonight!
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Tony Sartori is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tony, check out his archive and follow him @tony_sartori.