NHL Monday best bets: Red Wings to rebound vs. Ducks
We have a fun five-game slate ahead of us to begin the week. Let's take a look at a couple of the best ways to attack it.
Ducks (+190) @ Red Wings (-225)
The Ducks are a disaster. They've won only two of their past 15 games and all of their losses have come within regulation.
They've had the lesser of the chances almost nightly and struggled mightily to finish the ones they do get without weapons like Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish.
That'll be very problematic for the Ducks against the Red Wings. For one, Detroit sits seventh in goals per game at home this season. There's plenty of firepower for Anaheim to deal with in Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Patrick Kane.
The Red Wings should be able to do real damage against the Ducks. Anaheim bleeds chances, the team is in the latter half of a back-to-back situation, and it may not have starter John Gibson, who left Sunday's game after two periods due to illness. Even if he's feeling a little better today, I doubt the Ducks go back to him after playing most of the night against the Devils.
Lukas Dostal is likely to get the nod in goal as a result. He owns an abysmal .887 save percentage on the season and has conceded an average of nearly four goals per game.
With Dostal between the pipes, the Ducks will likely need plenty of goals to keep up. However, they rank dead last in five-on-five goals per 60 over the last 15 games so it appears unlikely that'll happen.
Expect the Red Wings - fresh off a pair of losses - to start fast and never look back en route to a win inside 60 minutes.
Bet: Red Wings in regulation (-145)
Canadiens (+185) @ Jets (-225)
The Jets squeeze the offensive life right out of their opponents. The last time they conceded more than three goals in a game was Nov. 2 against the Golden Knights. They've since held opponents to three or fewer in 19 consecutive contests, which is a truly remarkable feat.
They're a very structured defensive team under head coach Rick Bowness. Connor Hellebuyck has also returned to Vezina form after a slow start to the season. Combine the two and it's no coincidence they're sucking shutting down opposing offenses.
Don't expect the Canadiens to be the team that's going to break the streak. They don't have a lot of firepower at the best of times, let alone without players like Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.
This isn't a spot where the Jets should go nuclear offensively. They're without Kyle Connor, the team's best goal-scorer and most consistent weapon.
The Canadiens should be able to rely on solid goaltending as well. All three of their netminders - Sam Montembeault, Jake Allen, and Cayden Primeau - are holding their heads above water in terms of Goals Saved Above Expected this season. No matter who they trot out, the level of play figures to be solid.
This feels like it'll be a competitive 3-2 game where a team pots an empty-netter late to seal it. The total is half a goal too high for me.
Bet: Under 6.5 (-125)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.