Category: NHL

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks square off in an Original Six showdown on Saturday night.

The pregame narrative: These two teams enter tonight’s game heading in opposite directions. Toronto has dropped four straight contests, while Chicago has won three of its last four. Which players will play a key role in this matchup?

Check out my Maple Leafs vs. Blackhawks prop picks for the game on Nov. 15.

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Maple Leafs vs. Blackhawks prop picks

Best Bet: Andre Burakovsky to score a point (-106)

Burakovsky is back after missing some time with an illness, and that’s great news for prop bettors.

Burakovsky has been an excellent wager on this market all season long. The Chicago forward is third on his team with 14 points in 15 games.

He’s delivering while enjoying his expanded role in the Chicago offence.

Burakovsky is playing on the first line and top power-play unit, putting him at the forefront of Chicago’s offensive attack.

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More specifically, he’s attached to Connor Bedard’s hip.

The budding superstar is enjoying an excellent start to the campaign. Bedard has 10 goals and 26 points through the first 17 games of the campaign.

Playing alongside somebody as talented as Bedard is always a boost to your chances of notching a point.

Additionally, the matchup is right for Burakovsky to deliver.

Toronto is struggling mightily to keep the puck out of its net. The Maple Leafs are tied for ceding the most goals per game in the league (3.83).

Bet on a stellar performance from Burakovsky.

Key stat: Burakovsky has 10 points in his last seven games.

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Best NHL prop picks

Nick Robertson to score 1+ points (+120): It used to be difficult for Robertson to earn opportunities in Toronto’s stacked offence.

Not anymore.

Mitch Marner is gone, and Auston Matthews is out with an injury. The Maple Leafs are desperate for any signs of offence, and Robertson is one of the few forwards delivering.

The shifty forward has eight points in his last eight games, tying for fourth among all Maple Leafs players during this stretch.

-> Wager on Robertson to contribute for the Maple Leafs

Robertson is averaging 15:37 in ice time during this stretch, which is significantly higher than his usage from the first nine games (12:34).

Backing Robertson seems like a wise idea with his deployment on the rise.

Maple Leafs vs. Blackhawks prop picks made at 1:08 p.m. ET 11/15/2025.

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Three intriguing plus-money plays headline my NHL anytime goal picks for Nov. 15.

The pregame narrative: The Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings have provided average offensive results this season. Both have plus matchups, however, and a trio of key offensive players figure to tickle twine on Saturday night.

Check out my NHL goal picks for Nov. 15, featuring Pavel Dorofeyev, Tomas Hertl and Kevin Fiala.

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NHL goal picks Nov. 15

Best Bet: Dorofeyev to score (+138)

Some players are playmakers, others are goal scorers.

Dorofeyev is a goal scorer.

The Vegas forward is almost exclusively delivering goals for his team. The winger has 10 goals and just one assist through 16 games.

The only player in the league with one assist who has more goals than Dorofeyev is Keifer Sherwood (12 goals).

It’s unsurprising to see Dorofeyev score at this rate. He’s constantly in the offensive mix for Vegas.

-> Wager on Dorofeyev at NorthStar Bets

Dorofeyev is second on the Golden Knights in scoring chances this year (52).

His Golden Knights face a St. Louis Blues squad that can’t keep the puck out of its own net.

• The Blues have the worst save percentage in the NHL (.860).

• St. Louis is tied for surrendering the most goals per game (3.83).

Bet on Dorofeyev to be buzzing offensively for Vegas.

Key stat: Dorofeyev has four goals in six career games against the Blues.

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NHL predictions

Hertl to score (+205): The Blues are a great team to pick on right now, hence why I’m doubling down with Vegas.

St. Louis has allowed four-plus goals in three of its last five games. Porous goaltending efforts have been a constant for the team this year, and there are no signs of improvement.

-> Bet on Hertl and the Golden Knights tonight!

Hertl enters as Vegas’ hottest goal scorer. The forward has scored in back-to-back games and has an impressive 17 shots in his last three outings.

Additionally, Hertl leads the Golden Knights in several key categories:

• Expected goals (8.65)
• Scoring chances (59)
• High-danger chances (42)

Hertl is a great pick at this line as a driving force of the squad’s offence.

Fiala to score (+185): Fiala is a great pick to score for similar reasons.

The Kings square off with the Ottawa Senators. No, Ottawa hasn’t been as bad as St. Louis, but it’s close:

• Ottawa is allowing the third-most goals per game (3.56).

• The Senators have the second-worst save percentage in the league (.862).

Fiala has one of the hottest sticks in the league ahead of this contest. He has a goal in each of his last three games and four of his last five.

-> Bet on Fiala and the Kings at Northstar Bets!

The winger leads his team in scoring chances (58) and should bury one against a struggling Sens squad.

NHL goal picks made at 11:59 a.m. ET on 11/15/2025.

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Sidney Crosby headlines Friday’s NHL anytime goal picks.

The pregame narrative: The Pittsburgh Penguins have come down to earth after a torrid start. But Crosby is still producing and has a great matchup against the Nashville Predators in Sweden as part of the NHL Global Series. Later, expect Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller to score in a third straight game.

Check out my NHL goal picks for Nov. 14.

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NHL goal picks Nov. 14

Best Bet: Crosby to score (+130)

He might not be “The Kid” anymore, but Crosby hasn’t declined with age.

Seventeen games into his 21st season, Pittsburgh’s captain has 11 goals and 20 points. He’s scored in eight of his last 13 games and plays roughly 20 minutes a night.

He’s also leading all Penguins forwards in these metrics, via Natural Stat Trick:

• Chances (73)
• Scoring chances (46)
• High-danger chances (29)
• Expected goals (6.75)

Pittsburgh posted an 8-2-2 record in October but has lost four of its last five games. That might worry me against a solid team with good goaltending, but Nashville doesn’t fit the bill.

-> Wager on Crosby at NorthStar Bets

The Predators have lost eight of their last nine games while allowing 4.0 goals a night.

Netminder Juuse Saros, who is likely starting tonight, has been a big part of that problem. The Finn has a 3.11 GAA and .892 SV% this season. Both of those marks rank outside the top 30 for NHL goaltenders.

This feels like a perfect spot for Crosby to stay hot.

Key stat: Crosby has scored in three straight games against the Predators.

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NHL predictions

Keller to score (+143): Seven hours after the puck drops in Sweden, Keller’s Mammoth host the New York Islanders in Salt Lake City.

Much like Crosby, Keller will have an exploitable goaltender matchup.

David Rittich is confirmed to start for New York, and he’s had a really tough go lately. The 33-year-old has allowed 13 goals in his last three starts with an .841 SV%.

-> Bet on Keller and the Mammoth tonight!

Keller is on a nice run with goals in consecutive games and three in his last five. He plays top-line minutes and is instrumental on Utah’s power play.

All of that leads me to believe he’ll have a good chance to score against a team allowing the 11th-most shots per game.

NHL goal picks made at 9:45 a.m. ET on 11/14/2025.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are home underdogs on Thursday when they host the Los Angeles Kings.

The pregame narrative: Things aren’t going well in Leaf Land. Toronto is giving up the most goals per game, has dropped three straight, and currently sits 15th in the Eastern Conference. Injuries to Auston Matthews and Anthony Stolarz, both of whom are questionable at the time of writing, loom large.

Check out my Kings vs. Maple Leafs prop picks for the game on Nov. 13

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Editor’s note: Auston Matthews is out tonight with a lower-body injury, per Chris Johnston.

Kings vs. Maple Leafs prop picks

Best Bet: Perry to record a point (+112)

There isn’t much to like about Toronto’s defensive game.

The Leafs look slow and disinterested, ceding 3.82 goals per game. On top of that, they’re allowing the fifth-most chances (62.84) and shots (30.66) on a 60-minute basis, per Natural Stat Trick.

Goaltending was the team’s greatest strength last year, but that’s far from the case so far:

• Stolarz (who might not play tonight) has a 3.51 GAA and an .884 SV%. Those marks rank 45th and 40th, respectively, among all netminders.

• Backup Dennis Hildeby hasn’t been much better with a 3.74 GAA and .909 SV%. He gave up five goals in his lone start on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

-> Bet on Kings vs. Maple Leafs at NorthStar Bets

There’s plenty of time for the Leafs to turn things around, but I’m content on fading them until they give me a reason not to.

That said, Perry is my value pick to find the score sheet for Los Angeles. The journeyman winger has been on fire to start the season with seven goals and 11 points in 11 games.

He’s been shuffled throughout the lineup but is a mainstay on the top power-play unit, where he has contributed three points.

Getting him to record a point at plus money seems fair to me.

Key stat: Perry has a point in eight of his last 10 games.

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Best NHL prop picks

Nylander over 2.5 shots (-143): The Maple Leafs have been in almost every game thanks to Nylander, who ranks sixth in the NHL with 24 points, and the offence.

The Swede is on a heater right now with five goals and nine points in his last five games. In that span, he’s averaging 3.8 shots per game and is 3-2 against this line.

-> Wager on Nylander to contribute for the Maple Leafs

If Matthews is out, Nylander might draw a tougher matchup. But he’ll also likely see more ice time, so I think that should even things out.

Either way, this line seems low.

Kings vs. Maple Leafs prop picks made at 9:20 a.m. ET 11/13/2025.

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A pair of American stars headline Wednesday’s NHL anytime goal picks.

The pregame narrative: Jack Hughes is on a Hart Trophy trajectory and has a great opportunity to keep producing as the New Jersey Devils battle the Chicago Blackhawks. Elsewhere, Tage Thompson is a value play to score against a struggling netminder.

Check out my NHL goal picks for Nov. 12.

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NHL goal picks Nov. 12

Best Bet: Hughes to score (+107)

Back-to-back injury-shortened seasons have kept Hughes from really elevating his game. But New Jersey’s winger is healthy right now, and he’s flying (14 games played):

• 10 goals
• 18 points
• 66 shots

Hughes has only scored once this month, but it’s not for lack of effort.

He had 11 shots on goal his last time out and generated 17 chances, per Natural Stat Trick. And in the two games before that, he logged five and six SOG, respectively.

-> Bet on Hughes and the Devils tonight!

The American might be a tad snakebitten, but going up against the Blackhawks should fix that.

Chicago is allowing the third-most shots per game (31.5) and ranks ninth in xG against (59.15), per MoneyPuck. The Blackhawks have gotten spectacular goaltending from Spencer Knight, who is expected to start tonight, but it’s fair to wonder how long that will last.

I’m betting on both Hughes and Knight to regress to the mean this evening.

Key stat: Hughes has five goals and 11 points in his last seven games vs. Chicago.

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NHL predictions

Thompson to score (+138): Thompson would probably scoff at me calling Hughes snakebitten.

The Buffalo Sabres centre has four goals on 61 shots this year, netting out to a 9.8 shooting percentage. That’s hardly better than half of his 18.2% mark last year and well below his 13.4% career average.

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He can’t buy a goal, but he’s steadily putting pucks on net and leads Buffalo in several offensive categories, including shots, scoring chances (47) and total chances (129).

The Sabres battle the Utah Mammoth, who are expected to start Karel Vejmelka tonight.

Vejmelka has allowed 15 goals in his last four games and has an .881 SV% (42nd in the NHL).

Thompson scored 44 goals last year, and I expect him to break out of this funk sooner rather than later.

NHL goal picks made at 10 a.m. ET on 11/12/2025.

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