NHL Tuesday best bets: Getting Wild in Winnipeg
Our best bets are back! We entered the All-Star break on a high, going 2-0 the last night before the pause.
We'll look to pick up where we left off as we dive into our best bets for tonight's busy slate.
Penguins (+110) @ Bruins (-130)
The Penguins and Bruins are structured teams that play sound defense. That can lead to some pretty tame meetings between the two sides, which we saw firsthand last season.
Due to realignment caused by COVID-19, Pittsburgh and Boston played in the same division and faced one another eight times. Only one of those eight meetings featured more than five goals. One.
Based on how the teams profile this season, it seems reasonable to expect more of the same.
At five-on-five, the Bruins have conceded just 2.03 expected goals per 60 minutes over the last 10 games, ranking second in the NHL. The Penguins aren't far behind with an xGA of 2.27, also ranking in the top 10.
Each team recently made a transaction that should help feed into the under in this game. The Penguins placed a scorching-hot Evgeni Malkin on the COVID-19 list, which takes some bite out of their attack.
Meanwhile, Boston recalled netminder Jeremy Swayman. He has the least pedigree of the Bruins' goaltenders but has performed at the highest level this season. Swayman owns a .916 save percentage and has been worth +4.8 goals saved above expected. Linus Ullmark and Tuukka Rask are both negatives in the latter category.
With Tristan Jarry (.923 save percentage, +13.6 GSAE) tending goal at the other end, this has all the makings of a low-scoring affair.
Bet: Under 5.5 (+100)
Wild (-150) @ Jets (+125)
The Wild are on a roll, owning a ridiculous 9-0-1 record over the last 10 games while sitting third in expected goals percentage at five-on-five. They're playing some terrific hockey.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the Jets. They have just two wins over the last 10 games, while their underlying numbers don't paint a much brighter picture.
They've struggled at both ends of the rink, but limiting high-danger chances, in particular, has been an issue. The Jets have allowed 13.06 high-danger opportunities per 60, slotting them 28th in the NHL.
Making matters worse for the free-falling Jets is they placed both Neal Pionk and Pierre-Luc Dubois in COVID-19 protocol, putting a severe dent in their lineup.
Even with Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes, I have a hard time seeing the Jets staying in this game, let alone winning it.
Back the Wild to stay hot in Winnipeg.
Bet: Wild (-150)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.