Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (Sharks are great underdog bet vs. Blues)
It's a great day for us sports bettors with MLB, the Final Four, golf, NBA, and of course, the NHL to bet on.
Let's not allow the latter to slip our minds. It's time to place a few wagers on today's hockey action. If you're too busy to handicap the slate, I'm here to help you out. I have three plays locked in for Saturday's action. Let's dive into them.
If you want to tail these plays, 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
- Panthers -108 vs. Bruins
- Sharks +195 vs. Blues
- Predators -105 vs. Islanders
Panthers vs. Bruins prediction
The Florida Panthers are the far superior team in this matchup despite the Boston Bruins sporting the better record. Let's take a look at the metrics for these two clubs over their last 25 games. The Panthers rank eighth in CORSI% while the Bruins rank 28th.
Over that same stretch of games, only the Kings and Hurricanes have allowed fewer five-on-five goals than the Panthers at 2.03 per 60 minutes. They have the goaltending and the shooting to take down the top team in the Atlantic Division tonight and I think that's exactly what they're going to do.
Blues vs. Sharks prediction
The St. Louis Blues don't deserve to be -240 road favorites against any team in the NHL right now, and that includes the San Jose Sharks. St. Louis enters the game ranked 31st in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage and dead last in CORSI% over their last 25 games. Sure, they may have had better shooting and goaltending than the Sharks, but the analytics say they've been playing just as poorly between the blue lines.
I'll take a shot on the Sharks as significant home underdogs tonight.
Predators vs. Islanders prediction
The Nashville Predators have been quietly playing some of their best hockey of the season of late, ranking seventh in the NHL in both CORSI% and 5-on-5 expected goals percentage over their last 25 games, both marks significantly higher than the Islanders.
Only the Maple Leafs have scored more goals than the Preds over that span. Toronto leads the league in 3.92 goals per 60 minutes and Nashville is right behind them at 3.86.
I won't hesitate to back them as slight underdogs against the Islanders tonight.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
You can check out all of Iain's bets here!