NHL Tuesday best bets: Don't sleep on the Red Wings

We opened the week in style, hitting both sides - Vancouver and Seattle - en route to a 2-0 night on Monday.

We'll look to build on that on Tuesday as we get into our best bets.

Capitals (+120) @ Panthers (-140)

I see a lot of value on the total in this game.

The Panthers are playing solid defensive hockey. At five-on-five, they have allowed 2.04 expected goals per 60 minutes, which is good for fourth in the league over the last 10 games.

They're not giving their opponents many quality looks at net. When they do, they have Sergei Bobrovsky there to clean up the mess. Bobrovsky leads the NHL in goals saved above expected, sitting at a ridiculous +18.6 through just 13 games played.

Washington is missing several key players up front. That's taken a lot of the bite out of their attack. They rank 23rd in expected goals and 25th in high-danger chances per 60 minutes over the last 10 games.

The Capitals have maintained a strong scoring pace because they've scored on an insanely high percentage of their shots. I don't see that continuing on Tuesday.

With the Capitals missing key weapons, and so much riding on this game, I wouldn't expect a wide-open, high-scoring affair.

Bet: under 6 goals (-110)

Red Wings (+190) @ Bruins (-230)

Generating offense is a struggle for the Bruins at the best of times. They just don't have many consistent facilitators outside the big dogs on the top line. That's why, as a team, they sit 28th in high-danger chances per 60 this season.

While the Red Wings have allowed quality looks at a high clip, their numbers are trending in the right direction. This is hardly the smash spot it appears on paper - especially with Brad Marchand out due to suspension.

Taylor Hall is expected to take Marchand's spot on the top line. That's a drop off, of course, but Hall is still a good player. That line remains in great shape, but lines two through four are even less threatening than normal. That's problematic.

Detroit is playing good hockey right now. Their share of expected goals is third-highest over the last 10 games. They should be able to hang with this thin Bruins team at five-on-five.

The Red Wings also appear to have an edge in goal. Alex Nedeljkovic has performed (slightly) above expectation thus far. Meanwhile, Linus Ullmark is keeping company with the likes of Matt Murray and Joonas Korpisalo in terms of GSAE per start. Not good!

I like the Wings to keep this game within striking distance. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they win outright.

Bet: Red Wings +1.5 (-125)

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