Moneyline value, Nathan MacKinnon’s shot total and Connor McDavid’s point production highlight Tuesday’s NHL betting opportunities
Turkey from Canadian Thanksgiving sits in the fridge, carved and ready as leftovers for another work week, as we all climb out of our recliners and head back to work.
NFL Week 5 was one for the ages, topped off by an epic Monday Night Football affair last night: the Buffalo Bills defeated the L.A. Rams in overtime, 37-34, in what we all should hope is a Super Bowl preview.
On the betting front, I’m dealing with some wounds: I had the Rams -3.5, but I also had Bills QB Josh Allen anytime touchdown, and he rushed for his eighth touchdown of the season last night. I should’ve listened to my gut and taken the Over 54.5 (I didn’t).
So, it’s time for an NFL break, and my sights turn to the NHL, with a hefty 16-game schedule.
Here are my NHL best bets for tonight, pulling out the three most interesting games from a sports bettors’ perspective:
Toronto Maple Leafs (3-2-1) at Utah Mammoth (4-2-0)
The last of a three-game Western swing for the Leafs, coming off a tie in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights and a big win Saturday night against the Avalanche in Colorado.
The Leafs are a new team, though they had nowhere to go but up after last season.
They have something special burgeoning on No. 1 draft pick Gavin McKenna, captain Auston Matthews, just named the NHL player of the week, is healthy, scoring and using his size more, Sergei Bobrovsky, at 38, is looking like an astute free agent signing, and big-ticket free agent defenceman Darren Raddysh is getting more comfortable every game.
The only downside is defenceman Chris Tanev’s injury, now on the IL, and we don’t know exactly what it is or how long he will be out.
Tonight, the Leafs are at the Delta Center in Utah taking on the Mammoth (9 p.m. EST start). LW Michael Carcone is out for the Mammoth.
In NHL betting at Betway, the Mammoth are -160 moneyline favourites over the Leafs (+130). Utah is favoured by 1.5 goals on the puck line (+145), while Toronto is priced at -190 to cover the 1.5-goal spread. The over/under is set at 6.5 goals, with the over at -115 and the under at-105.
Best bet: Utah moneyline, factoring in home-ice advantage, which I prefer to laying 1.5 goals, with a Toronto team still adjusting to major roster changes.
Colorado Avalanche (3-2-0) at Dallas Stars (2-2-1)
The Avalanche are coming off Saturday night’s 6-3 loss to the Leafs, led by two goals from Nathan MacKinnon.
On the injury front, C Radek Faksa (lower body) is day-to-day, while LW Joel Kiviranta (lower body), C Cameron Hughes (upper body), C Harrison Scott (undisclosed) and C Matt Duchene (lower body) are all out for the Stars.
For the Avalanche, RW Logan O’Connor (lower body) is day-to-day, and C Georgii Merkulov (undisclosed) is out.
This is a titanic tilt (8:30 p.m. EST) at American Airlines Center in Dallas, one of the most competitive betting markets on the entire schedule tonight, with both teams priced almost evenly.
At Betway, the Avalanche are slight -115 moneyline favourites over the Stars (-105). Colorado is favoured by 1.5 goals on the puck line (+200), while Dallas is priced at -275 to cover the 1.5-goal spread. The over/under is set at 5.5 goals, with the over at -140 and the under at +110.
Best bet: With offensive power like MacKinnon and Cale Makar in this game, I’m going the player prop route. MacKinnon Over 3.5 shots on goal (-110) – 15 shots in four games in October so far.
Buffalo Sabres (3-3-0) at Montreal Canadiens (2-2-1)
A rematch from last spring’s playoff showdown, 6:30 p.m. EST at Bell Centre in Montreal. Buffalo played Florida yesterday, winning 5-3, while the Canadiens haven’t played since Saturday.
The big storyline going into this game is special teams: the Sabres rank 30th in the NHL in penalty killing (60.0%), while the Canadiens rank last in the NHL in power-play efficiency (5.9%).
At Betway, the Canadiens are -150 moneyline favourites over the Sabres (+125). Montreal is favoured by 1.5 goals on the puck line (+145), while Buffalo is priced at -190 to cover the 1.5-goal spread. The over/under is set at 6.5 goals, with the over at -105 and the under at -115.
On the injury front, for the Canadiens, C Oliver Kapanen (lower body) and RW Ivan Demidov (lower body) are out, while LW Florian Xhekaj (undisclosed) is day-to-day.
For Buffalo, D Rasmus Dahlin (upper body) is day-to-day, while D Conor Timmins (lower body), LW Jason Zucker (abdomen) and G Alex Lyon (upper body) are all out.
Best bet: Montreal moneyline, factoring in the Sabres back-to-back, especially if Buffalo rotates goaltenders.
Other best bets for tonight’s games: Connor McDavid over 1.5 points in Edmonton’s game against the Kings in L.A. (10:30 p.m. EST), -120 at Betway; Vegas moneyline over the Predators in Nashville, -125, at 8:45 p.m. EST; Columbus moneyline over Florida, with the Panthers playing their second game in as many nights, -125, at 6:15 p.m. EST; and Pittsburgh moneyline on the road against the 1-5-0 Chicago Blackhawks, -160 at Betway, starting at 8 p.m. EST.
