NHL Wednesday best bets: Wild, Lightning to play it tight

Tuesday night was a solid one on the ice. While we split our best bets, two of our three shot props came through - with William Nylander falling one shy of a sweep - to earn us a winning night.

Let's keep the ball rolling with three plays for Wednesday's modest NHL slate.

Lightning (-105) @ Wild (-115)

Though this game features plenty of high-end offensive players, it's the under that stands out.

The goaltending matchup between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Filip Gustavsson is a very good one. Vasilevskiy owns a .921 save percentage through 26 appearances and enters this contest scorching hot. He's conceded two goals or fewer in 10 of his last 12 starts and posted save percentages above league average in the two exceptions.

Vasilevskiy isn't giving opponents any freebies and is keeping the Lightning in every game. With Tampa Bay on the latter half of a road back-to-back, the team will no doubt try to slow things down and let Vasilevskiy take care of the rest.

Gustavsson, meanwhile, has played surprisingly well this year, recording a .920 save percentage through 14 appearances in his debut season with the Wild. He's stopped 0.424 goals above expected per start - good for 14th among 62 NHL goaltenders who have played in at least 10 games.

The goaltending should be sound in this game. But, quite frankly, neither netminder should be tested to the extreme.

Minnesota ranks third in high-danger chance suppression over the last 10 games. Only the Maple Leafs and Golden Knights have been better at five-on-five during that stretch.

Tampa Bay has been stout in its own right, sitting top 10 in high-danger chances against per 60 minutes over the same period.

With both teams limiting Grade A looks and a strong matchup between the pipes, don't expect a ton of scoring in this game.

Bet: Under 6.5 (-125)

Miro Heiskanen over 2.5 shots (-140)

The Ducks are quickly entering Blue Jackets territory when it comes to surrendering shots to opposing defensemen. Anaheim is now giving up more than 11 shots per game to opposing blue-liners, joining Columbus (11.03) as the only other team above that mark.

The Ducks haven't caught up to the Blue Jackets because the latter have stiffened up; Anaheim's struggles have just reached new heights. The Ducks have conceded 12.1 shots per game to defensemen over their last 10 contests, putting them nearly 1.5 shots clear of the next-closest team in that time.

Suffice it to say, Miro Heiskanen finds himself in a mouth-watering spot Wednesday when the Stars visit the Ducks - and he's more than capable of taking advantage.

A dark horse for the Norris Trophy, Heiskanen has recorded 56 shot attempts over his last 10 games. Only seven defensemen - including Cale Makar, Roman Josi, and other elite offensive rearguards - have bested him in that time.

Look for Heiskanen to keep shooting against a putrid Ducks team.

Joel Eriksson Ek over 2.5 shots (-110)

Joel Eriksson Ek - like many we target for shots - is more efficient at generating them on home ice.

The underrated two-way pivot has averaged 5.3 shot attempts per game over his last 10 in Minnesota compared to 4.4 attempts per road game this season.

Furthering Eriksson Ek's appeal in this spot is the stylistic matchup. He doesn't seem to pile up many shots against porous defenses that allow the Wild's top players to embrace a run-and-gun style. He's at his best in slow, methodical, grind-it-out games - which is what we should see in Wednesday's tilt against the Lightning.

Examining Eriksson Ek's recent shot-volume history, he's gotten the job done against the Flames, Stars, and Predators while falling short against less structured teams like the Blackhawks and Red Wings.

Eriksson Ek has also fared well against the Lightning over the years, generating four shots or more in four of his last six contests versus Tampa Bay.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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Rangers sign Vesey to 2-year extension

The New York Rangers have signed forward Jimmy Vesey to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday.

The extension carries an $800,000 cap hit, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Vesey was set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2022-23 campaign.

Vesey has tallied six goals and 12 points in 38 contests with the Rangers this season. The 29-year-old attended New York's training camp on a professional tryout before signing a one-year, league-minimum contract on Oct. 9.

A star at Harvard University, Vesey captured the 2016 Hobey Baker Award as the top collegiate player. He became a coveted free agent when he elected not to sign with the Nashville Predators, who drafted him in the third round in 2012.

Vesey signed with the Rangers in 2016 to begin his NHL career, tallying 50 goals and 90 points over 240 games in his first stint with the team.

He struggled to find a consistent home after New York traded him in 2019; he spent time with the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and New Jersey Devils over the past three seasons.

Vesey has 78 goals and 147 points in 460 career NHL games.

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Vezina Trophy Rankings: Vasilevskiy joins the mix as top 3 gets shake-up

Welcome to the third in-season edition of theScore's 2022-23 Vezina Trophy Rankings. Only one goalie remains in the same spot as December's list, while a veteran debutant and a brand new No. 1 candidate shake things up.

Each of our candidates have been scorching hot over the past few weeks and are separated by the slimmest of margins. Here's how things stand as we wade into 2023.

GSAA = Goals saved above average
GSAx = Goals saved above expected

5. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning

Mike Carlson / National Hockey League / Getty

Previous rank: N/A

Record GAA SV% GSAA GSAx
16-9-1 2.42 .921 12.69 14.34

Vasilevskiy cracked our preseason rankings based on his reputation as one of this generation's top goalies, but he hadn't made the cut since. Then the Lightning backstop officially threw his hat into the ring with a dominant stretch since our last list (Dec. 7) in which he went 6-1 with a .952 save percentage and 1.56 goals-against average. Vasilevskiy is now in the top five this season in all the stats in the chart above aside from GSAx, where he ranks sixth. The 2019 Vezina winner has proven capable of putting up eye-popping numbers for long stretches over the course of his Hall of Fame career, and he could easily wind up a finalist for the fifth time in six years if he stays close to his current form.

4. Jake Oettinger, Stars

Sam Hodde / National Hockey League / Getty

Previous rank: 4th

Record GAA SV% GSAA GSAx
17-6-3 2.39 .920 11.54 15.29

Oettinger has been a mainstay on our lists this season, but he comes in fourth once again because the Stars are far superior defensively to the teams featuring two of our other candidates. Oettinger's faced fewer expected goals than all but two goalies in our rankings and is last among our five netminders in GSAA. Both factors hurt his chances at hardware for the time being, but he's still the backbone of a division-leading team and is near the top of the list for all the key goaltending stats. The 24-year-old has half the season left to work his way into the top three, and even if he doesn't, Oettinger has proven he belongs in the conversation as one of the NHL's best between the pipes.

3. Connor Hellebuyck, Jets

Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / Getty

Previous rank: 2nd

Record GAA SV% GSAA GSAx
19-9-1 2.31 .928 21.41 20.83

Hellebuyck dropped a spot this month, but it's hardly his fault. He and our No. 2 have been practically interchangeable all season. The Jets superstar gets the short end of the stick this time mainly due to a ridiculous surge from our new No. 1. Hellebuyck is posting Herculean numbers on a Winnipeg team that ranks 20th in expected goals and has better stats across the board than he did in his Vezina-worthy 2020 campaign. He's nearly matched his total GSAA (22.4) from the award-winning season in 29 fewer starts, and he should have no problem maintaining his stellar play.

2. Ilya Sorokin, Islanders

Norm Hall / National Hockey League / Getty

Previous rank: 1st

Record GAA SV% GSAA GSAx
14-12-1 2.29 .926 17.7 25.93

Sorokin and Hellebuyck have produced very similar campaigns, and their teams are in very similar positions in the standings, but the Islanders stalwart gets the razor-thin edge due to playing in a better division and besting Winnipeg's No. 1 in a few key stats. Sorokin's GSAx on the season is tops in the NHL, and in 10 games played for both goaltenders since our last edition - where Sorokin also earned a slight edge - Long Island's backstop has slightly better numbers than Hellebuyck in each of the stats we rely on to form our rankings. Both goalies are clearly among the best in the league, and they're likely to keep battling for position near the top of our list for the remainder of the season.

1. Linus Ullmark, Bruins

Joe Sargent / National Hockey League / Getty

Previous rank: 3rd

Record GAA SV% GSAA GSAx
21-1-1 1.86 .939 23.29 18.98

It's gotten to the point where we can't place Ullmark anywhere but No. 1. Sure, he may play for the best team in the league, but he's only lost a single game in regulation this season while leading the NHL in save percentage, goals-against average, and goals saved above average. If voting was held today, he might win unanimously - and definitely would if he'd converted his empty-net attempt at the Winter Classic. We've wondered all season when, and how severely, Ullmark and Boston may regress, but at nearly the halfway mark, there's no indication of an impending decline. The netminder's play would have to fall off a cliff for him to relinquish the top spot on our list.

(Stats source: Evolving-Hockey)

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Matthews becomes fastest player in Maple Leafs history to 500 points

Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews recorded his 500th career point with an assist Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues, becoming the fastest player in franchise history to accomplish the feat.

Matthews was credited with a secondary helper on William Nylander's goal to reach the milestone.

Matthews reached the mark in his 445th game with club, annihilating the prior best held by Mats Sundin and Rick Vaive. Darryl Sittler previously held the record for the fastest player to reach 500 points to begin a career in a Leafs uniform.

Player Games to reach 500 points
Auston Matthews 445
Mats Sundin 495
Rick Vaive 495
Darryl Sittler 517

The 25-year-old also became the fourth-youngest active player at the time he recorded his 500th point, trailing only Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Alex Ovechkin. Matthews also required the fifth-fewest games among active players to reach the plateau, trailing McDavid, Crosby, Ovechkin, and Evgeni Malkin.

The reigning Hart Trophy winner scored later in the contest, bringing his season totals to 19 goals and 25 assists in 38 games.

Teammate Mitch Marner is fast approaching the same milestone, as he's recorded 498 points in 465 games with the Leafs.

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Draisaitl returns vs. Kraken after 2-game absence

Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl returned to the lineup during Tuesday's clash against the Seattle Kraken after missing two contests with an undisclosed injury.

Draisaitl said Monday that his ailment healed sooner than expected.

"I think it recovered pretty well and pretty quick, maybe a little quicker than I thought it would, but I'm happy (with) the way it's feeling."

Draisaitl only missed two games since 2018-19 before his latest absence. The Oilers went 1-1 without the 27-year-old; their win came against Seattle last Friday.

Draisaitl is in the midst of another outstanding season, ranking second behind Connor McDavid in league scoring, with 57 points through 36 games.

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Report: Rangers still believe in Lafreniere despite healthy scratch

The New York Rangers raised some eyebrows when the team made Alexis Lafreniere a healthy scratch during Thursday's shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but it doesn't appear that the winger will be on the move anytime soon.

"My understanding is, yeah, certainly, predictably, there were teams that checked in with the Rangers last week after his healthy scratch that made news around the league," TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday's edition of "Insider Trading." "But the reality is that the Rangers have told those teams, 'Hey, we still believe in this young man.'

"The Rangers - my understanding is - have told the same to Lafreniere himself, that they hope this is a good reset, and they very much believe in his long-term potential here. So for now, he's certainly a Ranger."

New York selected Lafreniere with the first overall pick in 2020 after he led the QMJHL with 77 assists and 112 points in 52 games as a member of the Rimouski Oceanic.

However, his NHL tenure hasn't lived up to the lofty expectations many had for the 21-year-old. He currently has 17 points in 37 games so far this season - his third in the big leagues - and has yet to crack the 40-point mark in his career.

Before his surprising scratch, Lafreniere was demoted to the fourth line during the Rangers' 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals last Tuesday.

He returned to the lineup on Jan. 1 against the Florida Panthers and logged a season-low 11:48 of ice time while failing to register a point in the 5-3 victory.

Lafreniere owns 36 goals and 33 assists in 172 career NHL games.

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Report: Sharks trying to move prospect Merkley after trade request

The San Jose Sharks have made Ryan Merkley available after the defenseman requested a trade, sources told Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Merkley skated in 39 games with the Sharks last season, registering a goal and five assists. However, he's spent the entire 2022-23 campaign with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda, recording 14 helpers in 30 contests.

It was assumed Merkley would take on a greater role this season after the departure of fellow right-handed defenseman Brent Burns. Yet even though Erik Karlsson and Matt Benning are the only right-shooting blue-liners on the roster, Merkley hasn't been given a shot.

The Sharks selected Merkley 21st overall at the 2018 NHL Draft. He enjoyed a prolific junior career with the Guelph Storm, Peterborough Petes, and London Knights.

However, current Sharks general manager Mike Grier, who was hired in July, didn't draft Merkley and has no ties to the 22-year-old.

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Red Wings place Vrana on waivers

The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Jakub Vrana on waivers Tuesday, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Vrana has yet to play in the NHL this season and was reinstated from the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program Dec. 16. He was subsequently assigned to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins for a conditioning stint, which Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said Monday would be extended for its full two weeks.

The Red Wings needed to clear a roster spot to accommodate Robby Fabbri's return to action Wednesday. Fabbri hasn't played this season due to recent ACL surgery.

Vrana carries a $5.25-million cap hit for this season and next before hitting unrestricted free agency. Detroit acquired him from the Washington Capitals in a blockbuster deal at the 2021 trade deadline, but he's only appeared in 39 games since because of injuries and his time in the assistance program.

He's been productive for Detroit when healthy, though, recording 22 goals and 10 assists.

Vrana was the 13th overall pick in 2014. He's collected 189 points in 323 career games and helped Washington win the Stanley Cup in 2018.

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