Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (Kings' Shooting Woes Continue to Haunt Them)
It's the final day of NHL action before the league heads to its All-Star break, so let's enjoy tonight's games by placing a few bets on them.
There are three games set to take place, highlighted be a Western Conference matchup between the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings. As a stout believer in the Kings, it's time I stop betting on them, now that they've gone 2-5-3 in their last 10 games. Instead, I'm looking at the total in their game.
Before I dive into my three best bets, allow me to recommend signing up for an account at BetMGM Sportsbook. If you click the link below to sign up for an account, you'll receive $158 in bonus bets when you place your first $5 wager.
NHL Best Bets Today
- Senators +105 vs. Red Wings
- Kings vs. Predators UNDER 6 (-115)
- Sharks +150 vs. Ducks
Senators vs. Red Wings prediction
I'm sticking to my belief that the Red Wings are going to falter in the second half of the season and when they do, they're going to crash hard. Their success simply isn't sustainable based on the metrics they're posting on a nightly basis.
Over their last 25 games, they're 30th in CORSI% and 31st in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage while also averaging the fewest high-danger scoring opportunities per 60 minutes in the NHL. They rank near the middle of the pack in both the power play and penalty kill so it's not their special teams that are saving them either.
Any time they're listed as the favorite as the season goes on, I'm going to take my chance by fading them.
Kings vs. Predators prediction
I've been continuing to bet on the Kings despite their slump, but it's time I stop doing that. Yes, they're still posting fantastic advanced metrics, but they simply can't put the puck in the net and if you can't shoot, it doesn't matter how many high-danger chances you create. Over their last 25 games, they have a shooting percentage of just 7.14%, the second worst mark in the NHL.
The Predators have had shooting issues of their own, sporting a shooting percentage of just 7.79% over their last 10 games.
I'll go ahead and take the UNDER in a game involving both teams who are going through a huge shooting slump ahead of the All-Star Break.
Sharks vs. Ducks prediction
In no world should the Anaheim Ducks be -180 against an NHL team, even if it's the Sharks playing in the second game of a back-to-back. Over their last 25 games, this team ranks 30th in CORSI%, 31st in expected goals percentage, and 29th in shooting percentage while sporting a 7-16-2 record in that stretch.
The Sharks outrank them in every single one of those categories while going 8-15-2 in the same amount of games. So, why in the world are the Sharks such a sizable underdog? I have no idea, but I'm not going to overthink this one. It's a West Coast game between two terrible teams, I'll back the +150 underdog and hope for the best.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
You can check out all of Iain's bets here!