Category: NHL

It’s a busier-than-usual Monday night of hockey as U.S. Thanksgiving approaches with 11 games on the schedule.

The pregame narrative: It’s a little early, but there may just be a Stanley Cup preview on the schedule with the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Dallas Stars. Elsewhere, there should be plenty of offence and entertainment when the Colorado Avalanche battle the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Check out the latest NHL schedule and odds for Nov. 25 below.

NHL schedule

Go to NHL betting markets

Nashville Predators vs. New Jersey Devils

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Vegas Golden Knights vs. Philadelphia Flyers

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Dallas Stars vs. Carolina Hurricanes

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Washington Capitals vs. Florida Panthers

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St. Louis Blues vs. New York Rangers

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Colorado Avalanche vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

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Detroit Red Wings vs. New York Islanders

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Calgary Flames vs. Ottawa Senators

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Winnipeg Jets vs. Minnesota Wild

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Seattle Kraken vs. Anaheim Ducks

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Los Angeles Kings vs. San Jose Sharks

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Betting insights

• New Jersey has won four of its last five games, covering as a puck-line favourite in three of those contests. Nashville, meanwhile, is hitting the under at the fourth-highest rate (66.7%) in the NHL.

• Don’t expect a high-scoring affair between Carolina and Dallas. The Hurricanes are cashing unders in 55% of their games, while the Stars are doing so at the fifth-highest clip (63.2%) in the league. The Canes (14-6) and Stars (13-6) both rank top four in wins in the NHL.

• Alexander Ovechkin will be out for quite some time, but it’ll be interesting to see if the Capitals can keep up their torrent pace without him. They’re the most profitable puck line team (+6.73 units), according to Scores and Odds, and have the fifth-best over record (11-7-2).

• Two of the NHL’s best offences collide, with Colorado and Tampa Bay doing battle. The Avs are tied for sixth in goals per game (3.48) while the Bolts rank fifth (3.58). Colorado has the fourth-best over percentage in the NHL (61.9%).

• You’re likely not going to find many goals between the Kraken and Ducks. Seattle places sixth in under percentage (61.9%), while Anaheim boasts the highest under percentage (71.1%).

I’m betting on two players to score a point when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Utah Hockey Club.

The pregame narrative: Toronto plays a not-so-common Sunday game after a rare Saturday night off. Utah comes to town after thrashing the lowly Pittsburgh Penguins. I’m looking for two players — Bobby McMann and Nick Schmaltz — to find the score sheet.

Check out our Maple Leafs props vs. Utah for the game on Nov. 24.

Maple Leafs props vs. Utah

Go to full NHL betting markets.

Best Bet: McMann to score 1+ points (-109)

It’s been a very strange scoring season for McMann.

The Toronto winger started the season in fine fashion, registering three goals and four points across the first five games.

After that, radio silence. Here’s what McMann did in the ensuing 11 games:

• Zero points
• Minus-four rating
• 26 shots

The one positive for McMann during this stretch, however, is that the underlying numbers remained encouraging:

• 2.2 expected goals (7th on the Leafs)
• 41 shot attempts (T-5th)
• Nine high-danger chances (T-6th)

The forward is showing signs that he’s breaking out of the slump. He has three points — all goals — in his last three games.

His current slot in Toronto’s lineup is the most encouraging part of this pick. McMann plays on the team’s top line alongside John Tavares and Mitch Marner.

Exposure to two of the Maple Leafs’ most dynamic players, especially Marner, should keep McMann in the offensive zone and put him in positions to find the score sheet.

Key stat: McMann is second on the Maple Leafs in expected goals (1.33) across the last three games, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Quick pick

Schmaltz to score 1+ points (-107): On the topic of strange scoring seasons, none might be more bizarre than Schmaltz’s.

The Hockey Club winger has 15 points this season — all assists. Only New York Rangers defenceman Adam Fox (17 points) has more points without a goal.

His point output places him third on the Hockey Club, trailing only Dylan Guenther (17) and Clayton Keller (19).

Schmaltz’s deployment for Utah makes him an intriguing wager. The forward plays on the team’s first line and top power play, skating alongside a talented playmaker in Keller on both.

Schmaltz’s recent performances are worth highlighting. He notched two points in last night’s win over Pittsburgh and has three points in his last three outings.

Picks made at 10:13 a.m. ET on 11/24/24.

Nobody’s confusing the players in my NHL prop picks for superstars, but I’m looking for a trio of unsung heroes to deliver a very manageable task.

The pregame narrative: Jason Zucker remains an excellent value to register a point and he has a plus matchup on deck. Aaron Ekblad isn’t a flashy defenceman, but his offensive production is picking up. Thirdly, Nick Schmaltz remains an underrated option.

Find my NHL prop picks for Nov. 23 below.

NHL prop picks

Go to full NHL betting markets.

Best Bet: Zucker to score 1+ points (-109)

Zucker checks all of the boxes I look for when selecting players to score a point.

The Buffalo Sabres forward is seeing excellent offensive opportunities. Zucker is playing on the team’s first line and top power play.

He’s skating alongside Buffalo’s leading point scorer on both units, Alex Tuch (20 points).

Zucker’s production is worth highlighting, too. The winger is sixth on the squad with 14 points across 20 games. Six of his points have come on Buffalo’s man advantage, a special teams unit that ranks a respectable 18th (18.0%) this season.

The matchup is juicy, as Buffalo battles the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks are 27th in goals against per game (3.41) and have allowed three-plus goals in six consecutive games.

Bet on Zucker to continue delivering for the Sabres and bettors.

Key stat: Zucker has scored a point in three consecutive games.

Quick picks

Ekblad to score 1+ points (+117): Betting on Ekblad hasn’t been a great proposition for prop bettors.

The Florida Panthers rearguard only has eight points in 20 games this season but his point production is trending upward. He has a point in two of his last three games and finds himself in some offensively friendly positions.

Ekblad is quarterbacking Florida’s top power play. That puts him on the ice with elite talents like Sam Reinhart, Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk in a prime offensive setting.

The matchup is really what makes Ekblad an intriguing wager at this price. The Cats battle the Colorado Avalanche, who have been struggling all season long in their own zone.

Colorado ranks:

• 29th in goals against per game (3.55)
• 28th in penalty kill percentage (74.5%)

Ekblad should be able to factor in on the scoring if Florida’s offence is true to form in this contest.

Schmaltz to score 1+ points (-121): Schmaltz has 13 points in 19 games this season, but there’s a funny wrinkle to his stat line.

The Utah Hockey Club forward has zero goals on 38 shots.

His 13 points are still good for third on his team, however, as he skates on the team’s first line alongside points leader Clayton Keller (16 points).

The matchup doesn’t get any better as Utah battles the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh is ceding the most goals per game (3.86) in the NHL this season.

NHL picks made at 12:49 p.m. on 11/23/2024.

It’s a jam-packed day of action with 30 of 32 NHL teams taking the ice on Saturday.

The latest: Both the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators are slumping ahead of tonight’s showdown, but one of these squads will get off the mat with a win. Elsewhere, a trio of heavyweight inter-conference duels will have fans and bettors’ attention.

Check out the latest NHL odds for November 23 below.

NHL odds

Colorado Avalanche vs. Florida Panthers

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Utah Hockey Club vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

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Carolina Hurricanes vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

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Vancouver Canucks vs. Ottawa Senators

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Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings

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New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals

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Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens

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Winnipeg Jets vs. Nashville Predators

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Dallas Stars vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

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St. Louis Blues vs. New York Islanders

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Buffalo Sabres vs. San Jose Sharks

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New York Rangers vs. Edmonton Oilers

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Betting Insights

• There’ll be no shortage of star power when the Avalanche visit the Panthers. The Cats enter this contest amid a slump, having lost four of their last five games. The Avs, meanwhile, have won the first two games of their current four-game road trip.

• It’s a 2020 Stanley Cup Final rematch with the Stars and Lightning colliding. Dallas enters playing excellent defensive hockey, winning four of its last five while holding all of its opponents to two goals or fewer in those victories. The Bolts have also held four of their previous five opponents to two goals or fewer.

• Vancouver has not followed up a strong 2023-24 campaign with much success, owning a 9-6-3 record while losing four of its last five. Goaltending, meanwhile, remains an issue for Ottawa as it ranks 26th in team save percentage (.882).

• The night concludes with a must-see matchup between the Rangers and Oilers. New York aims to finish an impressive road trip with a third win in four games. Edmonton has lost three of its last four, but the over has cashed in three games during this stretch.

I’ve got one prop bet from both of Friday’s NHL games.

The pregame narrative: Dylan Cozens hasn’t been producing for the Buffalo Sabres but is in a good spot to clear his shot total tonight. In Pittsburgh, back Kyle Connor to score at plus money.

Find my NHL prop picks for Nov. 22 below.

NHL prop picks

Go to full NHL betting markets.

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Best Bet: Cozens over 2.5 shots (-125)

Tage Thompson might be returning tonight and if he does, he’ll be on people’s radar against the defensively inept Anaheim Ducks.

But I think Cozens is a nice undercover pick to go over his shot prop.

Buffalo’s second-line centre isn’t producing — he has just three goals and seven points in 19 games — but he is throwing the puck on the net.

Cozens leads all Sabres forwards with 53 shots on goal and is fourth in chances (87), according to Natural Stat Trick.

He had zero shots his last time out but had at least two shots in each of the seven games before that, clearing this line four times.

The Ducks are a nice team to get him over that two-shot hump.

Key stat: Anaheim allows the most shots (36.0) and chances (75.23) per 60 minutes.

Quick picks

Connor to score (+105): Connor started the year off on a rampage, potting nine goals in Winnipeg’s first 10 games.

He’s cooled off since but still has three goals in November — all of which came in his last four games.

Tonight, Connor and the Winnipeg Jets get a Pittsburgh Penguins team falling apart at the seams:

• Most goals allowed per game (3.86)
  
• Second-most high-danger chances per 60 (13.17)
  
• Pittsburgh starting goalie Tristan Jarry has a 4.72 GAA and .863 SV%

Connor is the best offensive player on the best team in the NHL. I expect him to have plenty of chances tonight.

NHL picks made at 1:17 p.m. on 11/22/2024.