NHL weekend preview: Oilers to best Kraken in Seattle
It's been a good week for our best bets. We're entering the weekend with a 5-1 record, and a blown lead late in the third period contributed to our lone loss.
Let's keep the train rolling.
Golden Knights (-120) @ Rangers (+100)
Dec. 17, 7 p.m. EST
The Rangers have won a lot of games this year. Vezina-caliber goaltending from Igor Shesterkin is the biggest reason, with a prolific power play not far behind.
New York isn't expected to have Shesterkin in the lineup for this contest, which is a huge problem. Shesterkin has saved 14.9 goals above expectation this season. The rotating cast of characters behind him - Alexander Georgiev, Keith Kinkaid, and Adam Huska - have combined to post a minus-9.8 goals saved above expectation this campaign. Put another way, the Rangers' goaltending goes from elite to horrendous without Shesterkin.
That's not ideal when going up against the Golden Knights. Headed by Max Pacioretty, their offense is firing on all cylinders right now. At five-on-five, Vegas ranks third in goals per 60 and fourth in expected goals per 60 over its last 10 games. The Golden Knights are really going to test New York's goaltending.
The Rangers will likely need a couple of power-play markers to have a real shot at winning this game. I don't like the chances of that happening. Vegas leads the league in shorthanded goals, and its underlying numbers are improving as the team gets healthier.
While this is a back-to-back for the Golden Knights, both teams are playing three contests in four nights.
Bet: Golden Knights (-120)
Oilers (-130) @ Kraken (+110)
Dec. 18, 10 p.m. EST
The Kraken are playing some of their worst hockey of the season, and they're getting caved in at five-on-five on a nightly basis. That's not ideal for any team, let alone one with such poor goaltending.
Philipp Grubauer owns a minus-20.5 goals saved above expectation, which ranks dead last in the NHL. Chris Driedger and Joey Daccord are also negatives in that category. It doesn't matter much who starts; the results are poor.
Now, Seattle hosts an Oilers team with two of the game's brightest stars and a lethal power play. Edmonton will test Grubauer regularly, and there's no reason to believe he can slow down the Oilers' offense.
Bet: Oilers up to -140.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.