The Vegas Golden Knights have proven to be much more than a flash in the pan, skating out to a 10-5-1 record in their first 16 games. They’re just three points behind the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division, with a game in hand. The New Jersey Devils are sitting atop the Metropolitan Division, as Pittsburgh, the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals are all stumbling through some post-playoff hangovers to start the season. In the Atlantic Division, the Detroit Red Wings are making some noise for the first time in a couple of years. The young Toronto Maple Leafs are in second in the Atlantic, carrying out Mike Babcock’s rebuilding plan to a T up to this point. Let’s look at your best sports NHL betting matchups for this week. Home teams, as always, are in all caps.
The Blues will take on the Edmonton Oilers, who rode their youth movement to a playoff run last season. Their offense has fallen off the table so far this season, as they are dead last in the NHL at 2.2 goals per game. They also struggle on the penalty kill, also ranked last at 71.4%. Their defense permits 3.0 goals per game, which means they average a deficit of almost an entire goal each time out. They lost in Washington on Sunday night, falling 2-1 in a shootout. Connor McDavid is still scoring in bunches, but the rest of the Oilers aren’t living up to last year’s high standards at this point. I see the Blues as the NHL betting pick getting a win up in Northwest Canada on Thursday.
Top NHL Betting Matchups of the Week – November 13th Edition
NHL Power Rankings: The Lightning, then everybody else https://t.co/tXIFin2VcC
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) November 13, 2017
Tuesday, November 14
Dallas over FLORIDA (7:30pm ET)
The Stars got off to a dreadful start in the second Ken Hitchcock era in Dallas, but they have slowly started to figure out how to play aggressive offense while also shoring up things on the defensive end. On Friday night, Dallas shellacked the New York Islanders, 5-0, and now they head out on a road trip, playing Carolina on Monday night before heading down to Miami to take on the Panthers. The Stars’ defense is seventh in the NHL (2.7 goals permitted per game), and their penalty kill is third (87.5%). They are making teams pay on the power play (leading the league with a red-hot 31.3% conversion rate). Their goals per game still sits at 2.9 (16th), but that’s been climbing. Jason Spezza has been a huge factor in this improvement, and bringing in Ben Bishop in goal has given the Stars confidence on defense. Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers have been giving up goals in bunches, sitting at 30th in the NHL in goals permitted per game (3.8) and in the penalty kill (71.7%). While the Panthers do score 3.3 goals per game, this matchup is a great chance for Dallas to show more of that high-flying offense that they’ve had as of late while shutting down a Panther offense that only managed a single goal in a 2-1 loss at New Jersey on Saturday night. I’m taking the Stars to win this one.Thursday, November 16
St. Louis over EDMONTON (9:00pm ET, RSNW)
The St. Louis Blues haven’t missed a beat since rolling deep into the Western Conference playoffs last season. Their defense has been just as strong under Mike Yeo this season, and they rank third in the NHL, permitting just 2.4 goals per game. Their offense is also above average, sitting 12th at 3.1 goals per game. This has combined to give them a 13-4-1 record and first place in the Central Division at this point.
The Blues will take on the Edmonton Oilers, who rode their youth movement to a playoff run last season. Their offense has fallen off the table so far this season, as they are dead last in the NHL at 2.2 goals per game. They also struggle on the penalty kill, also ranked last at 71.4%. Their defense permits 3.0 goals per game, which means they average a deficit of almost an entire goal each time out. They lost in Washington on Sunday night, falling 2-1 in a shootout. Connor McDavid is still scoring in bunches, but the rest of the Oilers aren’t living up to last year’s high standards at this point. I see the Blues as the NHL betting pick getting a win up in Northwest Canada on Thursday.
