Golden Knights, Devils to defend home ice on Monday

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We split our best bets over the weekend, cashing an under on Friday night before the Sabres let us down in the Saturday matinee.

Let's take a look at a couple of teams that pop off the page on Monday as we set our sights on a 2-0 card.

Kraken (+120) @ Devils (-140)

The Kraken have posted some strong underlying numbers of late despite winning only three of the past 10 games. Digging beneath the surface, it's easy to see why. A soft schedule is inflating their outputs.

Over the last five games, they took on the Blackhawks, Blues, Blue Jackets, and Sharks. That's not exactly a laundry list of strong defensive teams, hence the Kraken's exceptional underlying metrics.

Before that stretch, Seattle had a five-game segment that featured matches with the Penguins, Rangers, Oilers, and Maple Leafs. All of those teams are either close to or in a playoff position.

The Kraken were outscored by seven in that span and controlled just 43% of the expected goals share. Frankly, they were vulnerable against quality competition.

Although the Devils aren't in a playoff spot, I think they're closer to the good group than the bad one - especially with superstar Jack Hughes back in the lineup.

The Devils are as healthy as they've been in months - at least up front - and can place Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier on different lines. Their attack is dangerously balanced and should give the Kraken all they can handle.

I think this is a good opportunity to buy low on a healthier Devils team that has a big edge in true talent.

Bet: Devils (-140)

Wild (+120) @ Golden Knights (-140)

The Wild have picked up two wins in a row to keep them somewhat within striking distance of a playoff spot. I'm not sold on what I'm seeing, though.

They generated only 25 shots against the lowly Blackhawks and followed that by conceding 36 against an average Penguins team. Neither win was overly impressive.

The Wild have allowed five-on-five goals at a higher clip than all but the Canadiens over the last 10 games and are taking too many penalties. There's not much to love with their game right now.

There are a few high-end weapons at the top of Minnesota's roster who can be efficient with the chances that come their way, but shooting the lights out probably isn't in the cards against the Golden Knights.

Projected starter Adin Hill has conceded two goals or fewer in eight consecutive starts. His numbers are as good as anybody's this season, albeit in fewer games than most of the Vezina candidates.

Even if the Golden Knights defer to Logan Thompson, they should feel pretty good. He owns an above-average save percentage and grades out better by goals saved above expected (+4.69) than both Filip Gustavsson (-4.15) and Marc-Andre Fleury (-4.02).

The Golden Knights are the better team, have an edge in goal no matter who they trot out, and have home ice in their back pocket (they're 19-5-2 in Vegas this season).

Bet: Golden Knights (-140)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.