It may be a light schedule on Wednesday in the National Hockey League, but there are appetizing wagering opportunities for bettors to consider.
Below you will find my projections for each of tonight’s three games as well as any wagers worth considering, with odds powered by PointsBet.
The percentages in parentheses next to the odds reflect the implied probability of the price listed.
Here is the results tally for this season:
21-19-0 (52.5%), +3.31 units
PROJECTIONS
NEW YORK RANGERS at NEW YORK ISLANDERS
|
| ML ODDS | ML PROJ. | PUCK LINE ODDS | PUCK LINE PROJ. | TOTAL ODDS | TOTAL PROJ. | 3-WAY ML ODDS | 3-WAY ML PROJ. |
| NYR | +115 | +144 (41%) | +1.5 (-236) | -162 (61.8%) | O6 (-105) | -132 (56.9%) | +130 | +194 (34%) |
| NYI | -136 | -144 (59%) | -1.5 (+190) | +162 (38.5%) | U6 (-115) | +270 (27%) | +110 | -111 (52.6%) |
| TIE |
|
|
|
|
|
| +350 | +647 (13.4%) |
EDMONTON OILERS at ST. LOUIS BLUES
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| ML ODDS | ML PROJ. | PUCK LINE ODDS | PUCK LINE PROJ. | TOTAL ODDS | TOTAL PROJ. | 3-WAY ML ODDS | 3-WAY ML PROJ. |
| EDM | -121 | -113 (53.1%) | -1.5 (+210) | +232 (30.1%) | O6.5 (-115) | -143 (58.8%) | +120 | +125 (44.4%) |
| STL | +100 | +113 (46.9%) | +1.5 (-261) | -232 (69.9%) | U6.5 (-105) | +143 (41.2%) | +140 | +151 (39.9%) |
| TIE |
|
|
|
|
|
| +340 | +537 (15.7%) |
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING at ANAHEIM DUCKS
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| ML ODDS | ML PROJ. | PUCK LINE ODDS | PUCK LINE PROJ. | TOTAL ODDS | TOTAL PROJ. | 3-WAY ML ODDS | 3-WAY ML PROJ. |
| TBL | -145 | -309 (75.6%) | -1.5 (+170) | -116 (53.6%) | O6.5 (-110) | -167 (62.5%) | +100 | -223 (69.1%) |
| ANA | +125 | +309 (24.4%) | +1.5 (-206) | +116 (46.4%) | U6.5 (-110) | +167 (37.5%) | +170 | +460 (17.9%) |
| TIE |
|
|
|
|
|
| +340 | +667 (13%) |
BETS
- The Islanders have lost three straight games entering tonight’s contest against the Rangers, but they’re not as bad as their 2-4 record might suggest. Ilya Sorokin had a rough game last Saturday against the Lightning in Tampa, but if that game is removed from his overall body of work, his numbers improve dramatically (.935 save percentage against 93 shots in his other three appearances). The Isles have the league’s best penalty killing unit over the first few weeks of the season, fending off all twenty-two of their opponents’ chances on the man advantage. Tonight, not only will they catch the Rangers in the second half of back-to-backs (lost to the Avs at MSG last night), but they also won’t have to deal with Igor Shesterkin, as he started last night’s game. This is a good opportunity for the Islanders to get back on track and get a victory over the Blueshirts at Belmont. There’s better value in taking the Isles on the 3-way moneyline at +110 versus the regular moneyline at -136 in terms of an outcome’s probability.
- Edmonton has been a bit unlucky this season in terms of goal scoring, and at some point, one would think things would turn in their favor. For the season, the Oilers have an expected goals for total of 16.2; in reality, they’ve found the back of the net just ten times when playing 5-on-5. I think the opportunity to turn those numbers in their favor happens this evening in St. Louis against a Blues team that’s been rather boring this year. The Blues have had very little going in terms of offense to this point, sitting 25th in the league in goals scored per game (2.75) and ranking dead last in terms of expected goals for on the year (7.2). St. Louis has been bailed out by the incredible performances from goaltender Jordan Binnington this year (.940 save percentage against 83 shots this year), but Binnington has shown himself to be one of the streakier netminders in the league, leading me to believe he’s due to cool off. If a negative regression comes for Binnington and a positive regression comes for Edmonton’s offense tonight – look out. (It’s worth noting there are better prices available on EDM ML at other books)
- Overall, I’m worried about the trajectory of the Tampa Bay Lightning. They’ve looked old and slow in seven games this year, much like they did in last season’s Cup Final against Colorado. Despite this, they should be able to get the job done in Anaheim against a woeful Ducks team tonight – or, at the very least, hang a crooked number on the board. Anaheim has been awful in 5-on-5 situations this season, and their special teams have been even worse. The Ducks have the second-worst penalty killing unit in the league, staving off just over 65% of their opposition’s power play chances. If Tampa can rebound following last night’s loss and score a handful of goals, I’m hopeful the Ducks can sneak a few goals past Brian Elliott, enabling this game to go over 6.5 total goals.
THE PLAYS:
- NEW YORK RANGERS at NEW YORK ISLANDERS – Islanders 3-Way ML (+110)
- EDMONTON OILERS at ST. LOUIS BLUES – Oilers ML (-121)
- TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING at ANAHEIM DUCKS – Over 6.5 Goals (-110)