Mark Lammey
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It’s been an exciting offseason for the NHL with blockbuster trades and some of the league’s biggest stars signing with new teams. The Colorado Avalanche are still the favorites to win this year’s Stanley Cup after taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning to win it last season, who had won the previous 2 Cups. One of the team’s the Avalanche defeated on their way to the Cup was the Nashville Predators. They’ll be opening the season against the San Jose Sharks on Friday, October 7 in Prague, Czech Republic. It’s an unconventional way to get the year going, but let’s make it a profitable one. Along with this same game parlay, be sure to check out our NHL analysis for the upcoming season.
Predators -1.5 (+135)
Under 6.5 total goals (-140)
Parlay odds: +400
Let’s take a closer look at each leg of our same game parlay.
Nashville Predators -1.5 (+135) over San Jose Sharks
This game originally opened with the Predators -160 on the money line, but has since significantly moved. It’s for good reason, as the Preds look primed for another strong season. Neither team will have the home-ice advantage, so there’s no factor there. Nashville’s exit in last year’s postseason may have left fans with a sour taste in their mouth, but let’s remember the circumstances. They were without goaltender Juuse Saros in that series, who is currently the 3rd-favorite to win the Vezina Trophy for the league’s best goaltender. Worse yet, they were even without their backup goalie, so 3rd-stringer David Rittich had to make his first career start against the eventual-champion Avalanche.
Not only will Nashville have a healthy Saros against the Sharks, but they were also able to re-sign elite goalscorer Filip Forsberg over the summer. Despite missing some time himself, he still provided the team with 42 goals and 42 assists. On top of that, the Preds have arguably the best defenseman in the game – Roman Josi. He led all defenders with 96 points last season and had the fourth-most assists overall with 73. Along with Matt Duchene’s 43 goals and 43 assists, they have an excellent trio to defeat a Sharks team that finished above only the Ducks and Kraken in the Pacific Division.
Be sure to check out our full San Jose Sharks vs Nashville Predators predictions
Under 6.5 total goals (-140)
One of the primary reasons the Predators look ready to have an even more successful season is the outlook for goaltender Juuse Saros. We’ve already mentioned he’s the 3rd-betting favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, and last season’s numbers prove why. Saros had the 2nd-most wins with 38, which was 2 above eventual-winner Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers. He also had a higher save percentage than 2-time Stanley Cup champion Andrei Vasilevskiy.
He also has Josi helping defend in front of him, who is a former Norris Trophy winner for the league’s best defenseman. Now that dynamic duo will get to face a Sharks offensive attack that finished last season scoring just 2.57 goals per game — the 3rd-lowest mark in the NHL. That average was just as bad on the road, and they’ll be quite far from Southern California this weekend. Timo Meier may fire a lot of shots, but Saros has the ability to keep them from finding the back of the net.
Don’t miss out on our best bets for player awards this upcoming season!
What is a Same Game Parlay?
Check out our guide on what is a same game parlay and where can I bet it?
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