One moneyline favourite and an underdog pick make up my NHL best bets for Nov. 1.
The pregame narrative: On Friday, I’m backing the Minnesota Wild on home ice over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Elsewhere, I’m taking the Columbus Blue Jackets at plus money against the red-hot Winnipeg Jets.
Find my NHL best bets for Nov. 1 below.
NHL best bets
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Best Bet: Wild moneyline (-112)
Minnesota came away from an early seven-game road trip with a 5-1-1 record, which is awfully impressive.
The offence, led by Kirill Kaprizov (18 points in nine games), has scored an average of 3.78 goals per game and has barely played on home ice.
Backing a team fresh off a lengthy road trip isn’t usually a smart idea. But the Wild haven’t played since Tuesday, meaning they’ve had two off-days to settle in.
Tampa Bay, on the other hand, is in the middle of the gruelling part of its schedule. This will be the Lightning’s 10th game in 18 days.
Additionally, the Wild have the eighth most efficient power play in the league (25.8%), which will be a handy tool to have against Tampa’s 27th-ranked penalty kill (72.2%).
Key stat: Minnesota has a +10 goal differential this season despite only playing two games at home.
Quick pick
Blue Jackets moneyline (+137): You can’t cash on underdogs if you don’t take them, and this is a great spot to back Columbus.
Winnipeg is 9-1-0 this season, which is an intimidating record, but Columbus has a few advantages tonight.
Much like the Lightning, the Jets have also been busy over the last couple of weeks. This will be their eighth game in 15 nights with five of the final six coming on the road.
If they were looking ahead to their upcoming three-game homestand, I wouldn’t blame them.
Additionally, the Blue Jackets are a much better team this season than last. They are 4-2-0 at home (5-3-1 overall) and are seventh in the league in scoring (3.89 goals/game) while also allowing the seventh-fewest goals per game (2.78).
It would be understandable to look at the records and not think twice about backing the Jets, but when I consider all the factors, it’s clear the value lies with Columbus.
NHL picks made at 1:15 p.m. ET 11/01/2024.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.