We only have one game taking place across the NHL tonight. I’ll break down the lone matchup along with my best bets and a few player props to take a look at.
Key Matchups:
Montreal Canadiens @ Buffalo Sabres
- Time: 7:00 PM ET
- Montreal Canadiens: 2-1-1, 6th Atlantic (1-1-1 Away)
- Buffalo Sabres: 2-3-0, 8th Atlantic (0-0-0 Home)
| Team | Opening ML | Current ML | Spread | Total |
| Montreal Canadiens | +160 | +160 | +1.5 (-148) | o6.5 (-125) |
| Buffalo Sabres | -192 | -192 | -1.5 (+124) | u6.5 (+105) |
After losing the the New York Islanders on their opening night, the Sabres got their revenge on Saturday defeating them 3-1. Buffalo has had an up-and-down start to the season going 2-3. After ranking 3rd in GF/GP last season averaging 3.57, the Sabres have only averaged 2.40 GF/GP through the first five games. Their Power Play has been one of the worst in the League converting at a rate of just 5.6%. However, their Pebnalty Kill has been a bright spot for them ranking 5th (94.7%).
Montreal is also coming off a victory on Saturday where they defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 in OT. They’ve been playing well after losing their first game of the year against Toronto taking points in three of their four games. After scoring 5 goals in that game against Toronto, the Canadiens have averaged just 2.67 goals in their last three contests.
Goalies:
- Montreal Canadiens – Jake Allen: 1-0-1, 3.33 GAA, 0.907 SV% [CONFIRMED]
- Buffalo Sabres – Eric Comrie: 1-0-0, 0.96 GAA, 0.960 SV% [CONFIRMED]
Picks:
- Tage Thompson Anytime Goal Scorer (+130) – FanDuel
- Thompson is coming off a strong campaign last year where he recorded 94 points (47 goals, 47 assists). However, he’s had a slow start to the season only tallying one goal through the first five games. Given his shot quantity and playing time, it feels as though he’s primed to break out anytime soon. Last game, we saw him show his frustration by snapping his stick after he missed a relatively easy opportunity in front of the net. The good news is that Thompson has had success against Montreal in the past scoring in four of his last six matchups against them. Montreal also ranks 32nd in the NHL in Penalty Minutes which should give Tage a higher chance at finding the back of the net as he scored 20 of his 47 goals on the man advantage last season.
- In addition to any time goal scorer, I would also look to take over 0.5 Power Play Points for Tage Thompson on FanDuel at +200.
Player Props to Target:
- Tage Thompson over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-148) – DraftKings/ FanDuel
- Thompson has gone over this number in three of the first five games to start the season. During that span, he’s averaging 4.8 shots on goal and 8.0 shot attempts per game.
- Montreal currently ranks 26th in shots on goal against per game averaging 35.0.
- In each of his last three matchups against the Canadiens, Thompson has recorded over 3.5 shots on goal.
- Rasmus Dahlin over 2.5 Shots on Goal (-115) – DraftKings
- Dahlin has gone over this number in four of the first five games to start the season. During that span, he’s averaging 2.8 shots on goal and 6.6 shot attempts per game.
- Montreal currently ranks 26th in shots on goal against per game averaging 35.0.
- In his last four matchups against the Canadiens, Dahlin has recorded over 2.5 shots on goal twice.
- Cole Caufield over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-115) – DraftKings
- Caufield has gone over this number in three of the first four games to start the season. During that span, he’s averaging 4.0 shots on goal and 8.25 shot attempts per game.
- Buffalo currently ranks 12th in shots on goal against per game averaging 29.2.
- In each of his last three matchups against the Sabres, Caufield has recorded over 3.5 shots on goal.
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
