Betting Analysis and Predictions for NHL Games, April 12
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The NHL season gets back to its Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday alignment in a big way this week.
To get you ready for your NHL betting, we present a simple and sweet preview from a Canadian perspective.
There are not many slates like this left in the regular season. Tuesday takes the limelight this time around, with 14 games in all. Five of the seven Canadian teams are in action as Winnipeg and Montreal played on Monday night.
Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs opened as a huge favorite on the moneyline (1.19 on FanDuel) against the Buffalo Sabres.
Ontario sports betting has some even goal-scoring props for Matthews which has become almost the standard fare.
What concern is this: The Maple Leafs have a goaltending problem. Gee, ya think? Two of the three goaltenders are injured.
No one is truly sure what is wrong with Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek is out for several weeks. Can Toronto expect to rely on Erik Kallgren for most of the starts as April winds down?
Again, Toronto has little choice.
Given how weird this Maple Leafs’ season has been, they're playing their best hockey during this chaos.
They are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games and stand now 26-7-2 at home. Six of their final 10 games are at home, starting tonight. Buffalo tends to play Toronto tough but has lost three straight contests this past week.
Now, Toronto’s value could be a bit more challenging, even on this large of a slate. The Auston Matthews shot prop has finally risen to 4.5 as expected.
The slightly plus-money odds (2.00) for a forward shooting seven-plus times a game of late with double-digit attempts is like dangling a red cape in front of a bull.
So, the usual props are out there. Furthermore, the puckline is dangling there, too, at 1.59.
For those wondering, the Over is set at seven for this game.
That might cause a few people to pass, and honestly, there are better options on this night anyway. Looking to some point props like Mitch Marner and John Tavares could be a way to a few extra dollars on this Tuesday night.
Ontario betting wagers should expect even higher volume on the Toronto side of the ledger with a 71% implied chance of winning. That is two consecutive games now. Again, explore and look around from the bevy of sites ranging from FanDuel to BetMGM, etc.
Let’s quickly span the rest of the Canadian NHL hockey universe on Tuesday night.
Stay away from Connor McDavid and Edmonton?
Betting, when it comes to hockey, sometimes involves hitting the yellow or red light as they call it. What? Do you mean there is a time to play “I’ll stay away”? Absolutely.
There are a lot of enticing things to this matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.
Both teams come in pretty hot. Edmonton is 7-2-1 in their past 10 and Minnesota is 7-1-2.
Goaltending has been rather good for both teams, with Mikko Koskinen anchoring the net for the Oilers while Marc-Andre Fleury has fit in just fine for the Wild. Even Cam Talbot has stabilized.
Wagering on this game could be too dangerous. Both teams are projected to score 6.67 goals. Yes, projections are just what they are. However, these two squads possess a ton of firepower.
Also, there is that Hart Trophy update coming later in the week. Both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl think they can still win it even with Matthews as a significant front-runner (1.33). Draisaitl has ranged as high as 49 in some circles. McDavid has been around 3 to 5 or so. Hey, there is some value, at least.
Rounding Up Calgary, Ottawa, and Even Vancouver
When betting on sports, wagerers have to keep in mind where the numbers are trending in the matchups.
For example, Ottawa is a road favourite in Detroit because of recent matchups where the Senators have shown an ability to score goals (10 in those previous two tilts).
That means something and Ottawa tends to fest on a bottom-three penalty kill. They are, no doubt, worth a look in regulation as well.
Naturally, Calgary is a team to look at with a more attractive puckline than usual. That 1.67 number is a nice jump compared to the 1.23 which is the moneyline.
Can the Flames win by two or more goals at home, given how they struggled a bit just a couple of weeks ago? That is an excellent question.
Are they playing Los Angeles, St. Louis, or Colorado? That answer is no. Plus, the Flames were arguably a bounce away from winning at least two of those contests.
Take a look at that and maybe even risk the Under. After all, both teams in their past 10 have connected just five times combined on the Over.
Vancouver plays a Vegas team that can be one of the Western Conference contenders one night and a pretender the next.
This is a game that even an “expert” should admittedly say there are trends but until the puck drops, we have little clue what will happen.
Expect chaos and in-game swings. This is one of those contests that looking to live-bet is viable.
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