Ryan Hodges
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There are plenty of storylines that are part of the NHL’s modest Monday night schedule. Bruce Cassidy comes back to Boston with his Western Conference-leading Golden Knights to play the Bruins, who have yet to lose at home nearly 2 months into the season. Alex Ovechkin will visit Connor McDavid in a game that is sure to bring highlight-reel plays. If you are looking to combine some picks from these games, check out this NHL mega parlay that has +999 odds with DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. We’ve been on fire with our NHL parlays lately, hitting 3 of our last 5 and looking to make it 2 in a row tonight!
St. Louis Blues (+145) over the New York Rangers
Boston Bruins -1.5 (+140) over the Vegas Golden Knights
Colorado Avalanche vs Philadelphia Flyers Under 6 (-115)
Parlay odds: +999
Get our NHL picks for all of tonight’s games
St. Louis Blues (+145) over the New York Rangers
If there was a list of teams that might want a do-over to start the season, the Blues and Rangers would both be somewhere near the top of that list. The Blues have earned being underdogs. But the Rangers have also been searching for answers. Considering New York’s struggles, taking St. Louis outright at +145 looks like very good value. The Rangers have dropped 5 out of their last 6 games with their only win coming against the Senators. In that span, they also lost to the Ducks, Senators and Blackhawks among other losses. The Rangers have largely struggled to score lately, and are flat-out vulnerable both outright and against the spread regardless of their opponent.
Again, the Blues are plain lost. They hit losing, winning, and more losing streaks at a somewhat impressive rate. One bit of slack they can cut themselves right now is they have been in a gauntlet of a schedule. In their last 5 games, St. Louis has played Tampa, Florida, Dallas, Carolina and Pittsburgh. They performed well in 3 of those games, although there is just 1 win to show for it. The Blues’ schedule only gets tougher throughout December. St. Louis should come out with plenty of urgency to avoid a deeper hole that they may not be able to climb out of as the season progresses. The Rangers in their current form present a good opportunity for the Blues to collect 2 points, and +145 is a good value to do so.
Be sure to check out our full St. Louis Blues vs New York Rangers predictions
Boston Bruins -1.5 (+140) over the Vegas Golden Knights
How many times do we have to do this song and dance where we think that this Bruins run is not sustainable? It feels like it shouldn’t be, but they just keep winning. Boston is now 20-3-0 with an ongoing NHL record of going undefeated at home to start the season now to the tune of 14-0. Obviously, the Golden Knights are a very good team. But so are the Avalanche, who the Bruins just beat 5-1 at home. Opponents in Boston’s home wins this season also include Tampa, Carolina, Calgary, St. Louis, Detroit, Dallas, Minnesota and Florida. The Golden Knights are far from the only good team to visit Boston. Until the Bruins show otherwise, there is no good reason to fade them any which way.
Among the 14 home wins, the Bruins have a +35 goal differential for a +2.5 goal differential per game. Bruce Cassidy will be as fired up as anyone on the Vegas side, but obviously he isn’t actually on the ice. The Golden Knights have dropped 3 out of their last 5 games entering Monday. They lost to Seattle, Vancouver and Pittsburgh, and scathed away with a 3-2 win over Columbus beyond regulation. None of that is to say Vegas is a bad team. Quite the opposite. But their past week does not indicate success against the NHL’s best home team. All the Bruins have done is cash at home, and not only against bad teams. Might as well keep riding this ridiculous stretch at a +140 value to cover.
Lock in our best NHL player prop bets — our expert is on a 6-2 run
Colorado Avalanche vs Philadelphia Flyers Under 6 (-115)
The under has been rolling for both the Avalanche and the Flyers lately. For the Flyers, the low totals have been more a product of lack of goal-scoring. Their 2.36 goals per game are ranked last in the NHL, as is their power play. After a strong start to the season, other teams have caught up to and surpassed the Flyers. Their early-level success wasn’t sustainable with their roster and injuries. Now, it doesn’t exactly take an onslaught to beat Philadelphia. Since November 1st, the Flyers have scored 2 or fewer goals in 13 of 17 games. In their last 8 games, the Flyers have scored a total of 13 goals for an average of 1.63 goals per game. The Flyers’ current form and team weaknesses favor the under.
The total has gone under for Colorado more often recently due mostly to limiting damage. The Avs have not lit up the score as prolifically as expected. Not yet at least. But their 2.77 goals allowed per game ranks 8th in the NHL, and is the primary driver behind their lower totals. The under has hit in 7 of Colorado’s last 10 games, and in 8 of their last 11 games on the road. The Avalanche have not scored like crazy, but have not been vulnerable in terms of goal prevention. That is a good recipe for a low total. The combined over/under record in the Avalanche and Flyers’ respective last 10 games is 6-13-1 in those 20 total games. Monday’s matchup should keep those trends rolling.
Be sure to check out our full Colorado Avalanche vs Philadelphia Flyers predictions
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