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NHL Best Bets Today (Hurricanes Are About to Get Hot)

By Iain MacMillan

Nov 29, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas (second from
Nov 29, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas (second from / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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Wednesday night was a true heat check for yours truly. After going 6-0 to start the week, I took a shot at three underdogs to see just how hot I truly was.

I ended up going 1-2, with the Sabres the only winner of the night.

But, that's okay because we have a full slate of games to dive into for Thursday night to get back to our winning ways. If you want to see the odds for every game, check out our odds article here.

Welcome to December! Let's have a winning month.

NHL Best Bets Record-to-Date

  • NHL Best Bets Record: 66-59-1 (+5,45 units)

NHL Best Bets Today (Thursday, December 1)

  • Golden Knights/Penguins OVER 6.5 (+100)
  • Hurricanes -140 vs. Blues
  • Kings -1.5 (+105) vs. Coyotes

Golden Knights/Penguins OVER 6.5 (+100)

The Golden Knights and Penguins have sported two of the best offenses in the NHL this season, ranking ninth and 10th in goals scored per game, combining for an average of 6.74 goals per game.

Both defenses haven't been as strong as their offenses, especially Pittsburgh, who is allowing 3.14 goals per game, which ranks 17th in the NHL. I expect a bit of a shootout in tonight's East vs. West showdown.

Hurricanes -140 vs. Blues

Analytically, the Hurricanes are leagues above the Blues, so I'll jump all over them at -140 in this spot. If you take a look at 5-on-5 CORSI%, Carolina leads the league at 60.96% and St. Louis is all the way down at 28th at 45.65%.

The Blues offense has also been subpar lately, ranking 23rd in expected goals for over their past 10 games. On top of that, their goaltender, Jordan Binnington, hasn't had his best stuff as of late. He's allowed at least three goals in three straight starts, all of which resulted in losses.

Kings -1.5 (+105) vs. Coyotes

I attempted to fade the Arizona Coyotes at the beginning of the season, but their shooting was so sharp that their terrible analytics wouldn't matter. Now that they have cooled off in the shooting department, coming in at 16th over their last 10 games, it's time to start fading them.

They're dead last in CORSI%, expected goals for, and high-danger scoring chances. They're also 27th in expected goals against and 26th in high-danger scoring chances allowed. Arizona stinks, and now that they aren't the hottest shooting team in the league, let's fade them at will.

You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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