In this article, I’ll outline the most noteworthy NHL odds, news, and betting insights from the marquee matchups of Tuesday’s 10-game NHL slate, and I’ll also offer up my best pick of the night.
Pick—Blue Jackets vs Hurricanes Over 6.5 Goals: -105
Blue Jackets/Hurricanes over 6.5 goals
Last season the four meetings between these Metropolitan Division rivals averaged 8 goals per game, and it seems likely that the first meeting of this year will also be of the high event variety.
Over the last two seasons, the Hurricanes have trended towards high-event hockey after being a defensive juggernaut in their first several seasons under head coach Rod Brind’Amour while being more limited offensively. The Hurricanes rank third in xGF/60 this season and sixth in actual goals for, but have allowed 2.89 goals against per game.
The Blue Jackets displayed underrated offensive upside last season in finishing 10th in goals scored per game average and have scored 4 goals per game over the last five matchups. However, their defensive play has been quite concerning of late, and they’ll face a tall order looking to shut down a very deep Hurricanes attack Tuesday.
While the Blue Jackets were shut out in their last matchup versus the Washington Capitals on Sunday, they generated 39 shots on goal, and Vezina favourite Logan Thompson had his best performance of the season. While Hurricanes’ expected starter Brandon Bussi has been highly effective so far, goaltending is still highly volatile, and a nine-game sample size is quite small for an unproven starter.
It seems likely to think both teams will contribute to the total in this matchup, and this looks like a good spot to back over 6.5 goals at -105.
Anaheim Ducks @ Pittsburgh Penguins
| Ducks moneyline odds | +100 |
| Penguins moneyline odds | -120 |
| Game total | Over 6.5 goals (-115), Under 6.5 (-105) |
| Time | 7:07 p.m. ET |
Odds courtesy of bet365.
- The Ducks have not yet named a starting goaltender, but Lukas Dostal is still listed on the IR and is expected to miss this matchup.
- In their first matchup without Evgeni Malkin on Sunday, the Penguins suffered a tough-luck shootout loss versus the Dallas Stars on the road. Malkin is listed as week-to-week and will miss this matchup. Kevin Hayes overtook Malkin’s role as second-line centre on Sunday, while Justin Brazeau filled into Malkin’s role on the top power-play unit.
- Arturs Silovs will start in goal for the Penguins and holds a +2.5 GSAx and .898 save percentage in 12 appearances. Based on some of the feedback I’ve been getting regarding goaltending statistics, I’d like to note that the league average save percentage this season is currently .898.
New Jersey Devils @ Ottawa Senators
| Devils moneyline odds | +120 |
| Senators moneyline odds | -140 |
| Game total | Over 5.5 goals (-115), Under 5.5 (-105) |
| Time | 7:07 p.m. ET |
Odds courtesy of bet365.
- The Devils have lost five straight games in regulation entering this matchup and have been outscored 20-7 in that span.
- The general expectation was the Devils would be a better-than-average defensive side once again under head coach Sheldon Keefe this season, but they have allowed 3.53 xGA/60 over the last 10 games. Jack Hughes’s absence has certainly hurt, but New Jersey’s defensive core has been disappointing, with Luke Hughes in particular having a really tough stretch of play of late.
- With a 4-6-0 stretch over their last 10 games, the Senators are suddenly in 15th place in the Eastern Conference standings, though they are still just five points back of the Atlantic Division-leading Detroit Red Wings.
- Linus Ullmark has been confirmed as the Senators’ starting goaltender. He holds an .877 save percentage in 21 appearances this season, and his play has been a clear problem for a side that looks pretty strong defensively.
- Shane Pinto and Thomas Chabot will remain sidelined for the Senators due to injury.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Montreal Canadiens
| Lightning moneyline odds | -105 |
| Maple Leafs moneyline odds | -115 |
| Game total | Over 6 goals (-120), Under 6 (+100) |
| Time | 7:07 p.m. ET |
Odds courtesy of bet365.
- The Lightning will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back after a 1-0 loss Monday evening, which extended their losing skid to four games.
- As Andrei Vasilevskiy is injured and Jonas Johansson started Monday, Brandon Halverson is expected to make his second NHL start. Halverson owns a .901 save percentage in 13 AHL appearances this season.
- The Lightning’s injury report is a lot better than it was a week ago, though obviously still far from ideal with Vasilevskiy sidelined.
- The Canadiens will also be playing for the third time in four nights, after splitting a pair of games over the weekend versus the Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues. The Canadiens are 7-7-1 on home ice this season.
- Lukas Dostal has been confirmed as the Canadiens’ starting goaltender and has seemingly come out of a small rough patch in mid-November.
Vegas Golden Knights @ New York Islanders
| Golden Knights moneyline odds | -135 |
| Islanders moneyline odds | +115 |
| Game total | Over 5.5 goals (-115), Under 5.5 (-105) |
| Time | 7:07 p.m. ET |
Odds courtesy of bet365.
- The second meeting of the season between these two sides. The Islanders won the previous matchup, 4-3, in overtime. It’s not overly surprising that the first matchup of the season required overtime, as 10 of the Knights’ 28 games have needed extra time this season.
- Vegas is 2-0 to start its current five-game Eastern road trip. It is 7-2-4 on the road this season.
- The Islanders are 7-6-2 on home ice this season, compared to a mark of 9-5-1 on the road. They are 7-4-0 in games versus Western Conference opponents.
Dallas Stars @ Winnipeg Jets
| Stars moneyline odds | -135 |
| Jets moneyline odds | +115 |
| Game total | Over 6 goals (-110), Under 6 (-110) |
| Time | 8:07 p.m. ET |
Odds courtesy of bet365.
- The Stars are 8-0-2 over their last 10 games and are 10-1-4 on the road this season. They are only three points back of the Colorado Avalanche. While their records have gotten surprisingly close, there’s a pretty clear-cut case that the Avs are the best team in hockey right now.
- The Jets are just 2-7-1 since Connor Hellebuyck has been sidelined. Hellebuyck’s loss has obviously been significant, while Winnipeg also looked like an obvious regression candidate early on this season.
- Matt Duchene returned to the Stars lineup Sunday evening, recording zero points and zero shots in 15:55 of ice time while playing on the fourth line. At the time of writing, it’s unclear if Duchene will move higher up the lineup in Tuesday’s matchup.
Buffalo Sabres @ Edmonton Oilers
| Sabres moneyline odds | +175 |
| Oilers moneyline odds | -210 |
| Game total | Over 6.5 goals (-110), Under 6.5 (-110) |
| Time | 9:07 p.m. ET |
Odds courtesy of bet365.
- After another loss on the road last night in Calgary, the Sabres are just 2-9-2 on the road this season. They are currently the second-largest underdog on the board out of the 10 games Tuesday evening.
- I touted the Sabres to beat the Flames as my best bet from Monday’s game, which obviously was not one of the good takes. While I’d actually stand to argue Buffalo could have fared better in the game, as two of Calgary’s goals were ugly bounces and the game play was quite even, I’d probably rank it as the sloppiest game I’ve watched this season.
- The Oilers have bounced back defensively of late in allowing only 1.75 goals per game over the last four matchups, but those games all came against teams that have been generating very few scoring chances of late.
- Connor McDavid has been on fire with 22 points over his last 13 games, and bet365 is offering a superboost on the Oilers captain to record two points in tonight’s matchup (+175). As I’ll always note with these boosts, they are generally +EV, and feature low limits as a result. Based purely off of odds, McDavid is expected to get two points 46% of the time in Tuesday’s matchup, so receiving a price of +175 provides strong value, though it is a bet that should lose close to half the time.