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NHL Best Bets, Play in Round and Outrights
Many of these picks have been previously discussed on the live stream that can be watched on YouTube here. I highly recommend watching the show in its entirety, but if you just need your NHL fix, scroll ahead to the 45 minute mark to see my beautiful bald head covered by a glorious WinDaily hat (found here). Here are some of our favorite NHL Best Bets for the Play in Round and Outrights.
New York Rangers (+110) Carolina Hurricanes (-136)
The New York Rangers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in all four games during the regular season. While there has been an almost five month pause between the regular season and the start of the play in series, I do not think this is a scenario that can be ignored. To add to that, the top two lines for the Rangers really found their game as the season progressed. With NYR’s Artemi Panarin nominated for the Heart Trophy, given out to the leagues MVP during the regular season, it is added value to take the underdog here. Carolina were looking to get two quality defenders back, however their number one defenseman, Dougie Hamilton sustained an injury in training camp and is unlikely to play for this play in series. It may be surprising to some that I would go against a team that beat a high powered Maple Leafs team with their minor leagues zamboni driver, but these are crazy times. Take the New York Rangers @ +110
Chicago Blackhawks (+135) vs Edmonton Oilers (-167)
I said on the live stream that I liked this pick even though the juice was higher than I like to bet. This is still the case, however there have been some updates since that live stream. Corey Crawford is back in net for the Blackhawks after reportedly recovering from Covid 19. They then comes in and posts a shut out against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. This would normally scare me off this pick and tell you that I am second guessing this pick. Here are two reasons I am not. Edmonton boasts the top power play in the league. The second reason, Edmonton had the best player in the league who had two shots on net… and two goals. I also failed to mention that aside from Connor McDavid who had a 100% shooting percentage, they also have the leagues top goal scorer and heart trophy candidate in Leon Draisaitl. Put your mind at ease and swallow the juice. Take the Edmonton Oilers @ -167.
Florida Panthers (+100) vs New York Islanders (-122)
A New Jersey Devils fan suggesting to take both teams from New York? I must be coming down with something. Don’t get me started on why I think the Penguins will also win their series and how surprisingly good the Philadelphia Flyers looked. I had hoped, for sanity sake, that Sergei Bobrovski would turn back the clock and show what he displayed last year when he stood on his head and was a major reason that Columbus swept the heavily favoured Tampa Bay Lightning. Alas, this is not the case. Those same Tampa Bay Lightning got five goals past goalie Bob, en route to a 5-0 victory, in Wednesday’s exhibition game. The New York Islanders, who struggled before the Covid break, played a great defensive game and came away with a 2-1 victory over the high scoring New York Rangers. This result doesn’t bode well for the Panthers as they will need to outscore the Islanders to make up for their defensive shortcomings. I don’t believe this will happen. Take the New York Islanders @ -122
You are probably wondering, “why did I open this if he is just going to spit out the same information he did on the live stream?” Well I hopefully am adding more humour in this article to brighten your day! OK FINE. Here are two more series I quite like the looks of.
Arizona Coyotes (+115) vs Nashville Predators (-139)
Looking at the statistics for this series, a lot of the numbers point to the Arizona Coyotes being the most likely to come out of this series the victor. Better goals against, better PP%, a much better PK%. However, I took myself through a self taught course on what they call Corsi statistics. These stats are relatively new to the hockey world but explain a lot of how Nashville is the favourite. The Predators, over the course of the season held the puck 51.7% of the time. As we know, its much harder to score if you don’t have control of the puck. They also had 33 less high danger scoring chances than the Coyotes but managed to score 7 more high danger goals. Juuse Saros took over the crease from long time net minder Pekka Rinne, and stole the show. Nashville also has goal scorers Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg returning to their lineup. As long as Nashville can stay out of the penalty box often than they did in the regular season (which shouldn’t be difficult at 9 minutes per game) I really like their chances. Take the Nashville Predators @ -139
Minnesota Wild (+100) vs Vancouver Canucks (-122)
How is this for a confident opening? I do not understand this Minnesota Wild team. Their roster on paper looks like a group that were really talented 5 years ago and cast offs from teams that “no longer required their services”. However, I must admit, I really like their chances against the Canucks. Since the trade deadline, they have had a drastic spike in their power play percentage and a lot like Nashville, their high danger scoring chances converted to goals sits at a staggering 15.8% (that’s really good). Another similarity to the Predators is that the Wild made a goaltending switch from Devin Dubnyk to Alex Stalock who vastly improved their Goals Against Average. Vancouver is a high paced group with a lot of young talent. They will have their time of success, but it doesn’t come this year. Take the Minnesota Wild (+100)
Bonus selection!! This line just seams way off to me and I have undervalued them this whole season. Both of these teams looked really good in their exhibition games so it is a bit of a stretch. They have very opposite styles in this team is much more defensive than their opponent. Also, their opponent has a history of starting slow in the regular season, and their goalie tends to take a while to find his dominant game. Take the Columbus Blue Jackets @ +140 to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs
Outrights to Win the Stanley Cup
No changes in thoughts here!
- Boston Bruins +650 (prefer the Bruins in the +650 range)
- Tampa Bay Lighting +650
- Vegas Golden Knights +800 (Prefer Vegas in the +800 range)
- Colorado Avalanche +800
- Washington Capitals +1000
- New York Ranger +4000 (please bring me medicine!!!)
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