Betsided

NHL Best Bets Today (Blues Lack of Shooting Will Cost Them Against Bruins)

By Iain MacMillan

Nov 3, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) talks with
Nov 3, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) talks with / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

After a red-hot couple of weeks, I may be entering into a cold streak. I'm officially 1-7 in my last eight NHL bets after a 1-2 day yesterday.

But, there's only one way to get out of a cold streak, you just need to keep trucking ahead.

Let's get the week started off right.

NHL Best Bets Record-to-Date

  • 33-34 (-1.43 units)

NHL Best Bets for Today (Monday, November 7)

  • Bruins -185 vs. Blues
  • Flames/Islanders OVER 6 (-110)
  • Capitals +125 vs. Oilers

Bruins -185 vs. Blues

Last season, the St. Louis Blues were lacking in a lot of areas, but they made up for it with their shooting. They led the NHL in shooting percentage, but now they're dead last in 5-on-5 shooting percentage, finding the back of the net on 5.61 percent of shots.

Those issues get compacted with a 26th ranking in 5-on-5 CORSI%.

The Bruins, on the other hand, continue to be one of the best teams in the NHL in almost every area. Most notably, they're fourth in expected goals against per 60 minutes. A bad shooting team facing a good defensive team is bad news for St. Louis.

Flames/Islanders OVER 6 (-110)

I'm going to continue betting on the OVER in games involving the Islanders for the foreseeable future. We're used to them being a defense-first team, but that hasn't been the case this season. They're sixth in 5-on-5 expected goal per 60 minutes and 27th in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes. Their wide open style of play will lead to plenty of goals.

Meanwhile, the Flames, who were the best defensive team in the Western Conference last season, haven't lived up to that title in the new campaign. They rank 14th in 5-on-5 expected goals against and eighth in high-danger scoring chances allowed.

I'll back some goals to be scored in this interconference matchup.

Capitals +125 vs. Oilers

These teams are too close together in several areas to justify the Capitals being +125 underdogs at home. They're 15th and 16th in 5-on-5 CORSI% and Washington has a huge defensive advantage. The Capitals rank 15th in expected goals against per 60 minutes, and the Oilers come in at 28th.

Their poor defense isn't aided at all by Jack Campbell, who enters the game with an .874 save percentage on the season.

You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Home/NHL Predictions & Picks