Two West Coast NHL games have my attention tonight.
The pregame narrative: The Vancouver Canucks wrap up their homestand with the New Jersey Devils in town and I expect them to win. Elsewhere, back the Vegas Golden Knights to beat the Los Angeles Kings.
Find my NHL best bets for Oct. 30 below.
NHL best bets
Go to full NHL betting markets.
Best Bet: Canucks moneyline (-124)
Vancouver has impressed to start the season with a 4-1-3 record.
Rick Tocchet’s team has won four of its last five games with an overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes mixed in. During that stretch, the Canucks have scored three-plus goals in every contest while averaging 3.8 goals per game.
The Devils are still trying to find their way under new head coach Sheldon Keefe and have been a mess defensively so far.
New Jersey’s 6-4-2 record isn’t terrible but it has dropped four of the last five games while allowing an average of 5.0 goals per game.
Jacob Markstrom hasn’t been anything special in goal, either, with a 3.01 GAA (26th in NHL) and .895 SV% (27th).
He ranks 66th out of 70 goaltenders in Money Puck’s goals saved above expected.
Kevin Lankinen seems the likely candidate to start for Vancouver tonight and he’s been great, posting a 2.29 GAA and .920 SV%. The Finn is 20th in goals saved above expected.
Both teams can score, with the Hughes brothers leading the charge for each side. But Vancouver has been much better defensively and that should be the difference.
Key stat: Vancouver has at least gone to overtime in all four of its home games this season (2-0-2).
Quick pick
Golden Knights moneyline (-127): Yesterday, I backed the Kings to cover a -1.5 puck line against the lowly San Jose Sharks and they lost 4-2.
It was an ugly performance but just know this fade on L.A. isn’t purely out of spite.
Vegas hammered Los Angeles, 6-1, a week ago and has now won four of its last five against its Pacific Division rivals.
The Golden Knights are 7-2-1 through 10 contests and averaging the most goals per game (4.70).
Even on the road, taking Vegas against a Los Angeles team on a back-to-back seems like a no-brainer.
NHL picks made at 1:27 p.m. ET 10/30/2024.
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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.