The best bets continue to run hot. The Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins combined for nine goals Monday night, giving us a sweat-free victory on the over of 5.5. The Los Angeles Kings also came through with a 3-1 win, pushing our best bets to 8-2 since last Monday.
Let's keep the streak going!
Penguins (-180) @ Ducks (+150)
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a true powerhouse. They've won 10 of their last 11 games and have dominated their opponents in the process, outscoring them 47-23 on aggregate. Additionally, they've controlled a league-leading 59.05% of the expected goals in that span.
Pittsburgh did this mostly without Jake Guentzel, who recently returned to the lineup. He'll be a difference-maker. So, too, will Evgeni Malkin. The dynamic pivot is expected to come back Tuesday, giving the Penguins a 1-2 punch down the middle that few teams - not the Anaheim Ducks - can match.
The Ducks are a nice story, but they don't hold a candle to the Penguins. That shows in the numbers. At five-on-five, Anaheim has controlled just 47.40% of the expected goals over the last 10 games. That's good for 23rd in the NHL, slotting the Ducks just behind a very mediocre Philadelphia Flyers team.
I think Pittsburgh will control the run of play at full strength. The Penguins will get more chances, and they have the firepower to make the most of them.
Not to mention, Pittsburgh has a real edge in goal. Tristan Jarry owns a .931 save percentage through 27 appearances and ranks seventh among all goaltenders in Goals Saved Above Average (+13.9).
While Anthony Stolarz has matched Jarry's save percentage, he lags well behind in GSAE per start (+0.251 for Stolarz, +0.519 for Jarry).
With edges across the board, the Penguins should be able to get back to their winning ways.
Bet: Penguins in regulation (-115)
Blackhawks (-115) @ Blue Jackets (-105)
This is hardly the most exciting game on the card, but value is value and I see it on the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are playing truly horrendous defense right now. At five-on-five, they've allowed 35.32 shots on goal per 60 minutes over the last 10 games. That's good for dead last in the NHL during that span.
They haven't fared much better in the chance department. Columbus has conceded more than 30 chances per 60, ranking 27th in that span.
Making matters worse is the club's ineptitude on the penalty kill. No team has given up scoring chances at a higher rate while shorthanded during this spell of games.
Put simply, the Blue Jackets are one of the worst chance-suppression teams at even strength, and they grade out even worse while killing penalties.
That's not a recipe for success with Joonas Korpisalo (.886 save percentage) between the pipes, and it's not a recipe for success against stars like Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat.
I expect Chicago to give Marc-Andre Fleury more than enough support in this game.
Bet: Blackhawks (-115)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
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