I’m fading the NHL’s worst team on a back-to-back tonight.
The pregame narrative: The San Jose Sharks won their first game of the season yesterday but I think the good times will be short-lived. Back the Los Angeles Kings on the puck line and also bet on the Montreal Canadiens to win.
Find my NHL best bets for Oct. 29 below.
NHL best bets
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Best Bet: Kings -1.5 (-108)
The Sharks were staring down another multi-goal defeat with just over 4:30 remaining in the game last night before rallying from 4-1 to force overtime and beat the Utah Hockey Club.
It was a nice moment for a team that started its year off 0-7-2 but don’t expect another win so soon.
San Jose went 19-54-9 last season, putting up the lowest points percentage (.287) since the 1998-99 Tampa Bay Lightning. Its reward was the right to draft No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini but he’s injured and won’t return to the lineup for at least a few more weeks.
Offence is difficult to come by and defence is non-existent. San Jose is allowing the second-most goals (4.20) and sixth-most shots (32.8) per game while scoring the third-fewest goals per game (2.30).
Vitek Vanecek will be in goal for the Sharks tonight, and he owns a 4.00 GAA and .869 SV% through five starts. Those numbers rank 50th and 49th, respectively, among all NHL goalies … in a 32-team league.
The Kings are far from a juggernaut but they own a tidy 5-2-2 record through nine games with three multi-goal victories. They played San Jose last week and won 3-2 but I think a blowout is well within the cards tonight.
Key stat: San Jose’s opponents are 6-4 against this line this season.
Quick pick
Canadiens to win (+145): The Canadiens are 4-4-1 through nine games which is much better than expected, especially after Patrick Laine went down with an injury before the season began.
Back at home, against an underwhelming Seattle Kraken team, I like Montreal to pick up a third straight win.
Seattle has lost three in a row after starting the season off 4-2-0 and ranks a pedestrian 19th in even-strength chances per 60, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Sam Montembeault has been hot and cold for the Canadiens but owns a respectable 2.94 GAA and .914 SV%. He’s held three of six opponents to two or fewer goals and the Kraken’s offence doesn’t scare me one bit.
NHL picks made at 3:26 p.m. ET 10/29/2024.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.