Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (Back Oilers as Home Favorites vs. Bruins)
The NHL season marches on as teams across the league are jockeying for playoff positioning.
There are a few intriguing showdowns set to take place on Wednesday night with the most notable being a potential Stanley Cup preview between the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers. The Bruins have stumbled a bit of late, going just 4-4-2 in their last 10 games. Can they get back on track tonight?
I'm going to break down my three best bets for Wednesday including why I think the Oilers will take care of Boston on their home ice.
If you want to bet on tonight's games, be sure to click the link below to sign up for an account at Caesars Sportsbook. If you do, Caesars will cover your first bet, up to $1,000!
NHL Best Bets Today
- Blue Jackets vs. Ducks OVER 6.5 (-114)
- Oilers -140 vs. Bruins
- Coyotes +170 vs. Maple Leafs
Blue Jackets vs. Ducks prediction
We're going to sit back and root for goals in this one which means for a game involving these two teams, we should be rooting for a ton of penalties. The Ducks and the Blue Jackets rank inside the bottom eight in penalty kill this season so if either (or both) teams fall into penalty trouble, we could see a few power play goals get notched.
Both teams have also been pretty bad in their own end during 5-on-5 play as well, ranking 23rd and 28th in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes.
In a game between two terrible defensive teams, I won't hesitate to bet the OVER.
Bruins vs. Oilers prediction
The Bruins haven't played nearly as good as their record indicates and that's starting to show in recent outings. They're just 22nd in CORSI% this season along with 18th in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage. Much like last year, great goaltending and sharp shooting has covered up a lot of their weaknesses.
Those weaknesses will continue to get exposed tonight against the Oilers, who are a top three team in the NHL, including leading the league in 5-on-5 expected goal percentage per 60 minutes. They'll be too much for the Bruins to handle tonight.
Maple Leafs vs. Coyotes prediction
The Coyotes are better than some people think and they've historically given the Maple Leafs plenty of issues. In fact, the 'Yotes are 18-4-2 against the Leafs in their last 24 meetings. They also don't rank too far behind them in most analytics.
For example, over their last 25 games the Maple Leafs are 14th in the NHL in CORSI% but the Coyotes are right behind them, coming in at 16th. They're also 20th and 21st in 5-on-5 expected goals against over that same time frame.
Sure, the Leafs should be favored, but not by as much as they are, especially with this game set to take place in Arizona. I'll take a shot on the Coyotes as big time underdogs.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
You can check out all of Iain's bets here!