NHL Betting Guide: Wednesday 12/1/21
It's hard to believe, but we're already past the quarter mark of the NHL season.
As is typically the case, the standings look nothing like we expected them to at the start of the season. Teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and New York Islanders need to find a way to get their seasons back on track before it's too late. Conversely, the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings will be hoping to carry their early-season momentum a little further into the year. That starts on tonight's six-game slate.
These are a few of our picks from our daily projections!
Detroit Red Wings vs. Seattle Kraken
Kraken +1.5 (-280): 3-Star Rating Out of 5
Kraken Moneyline (-102): 2-Star Rating Out of 5
The Red Wings are in a tough spot against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night.
Detroit is playing on the second night of a back-to-back after starting primary goalie Alex Nedeljkovic against the Boston Bruins last night. That leaves Thomas Greiss and his subpar metrics to stop a Kraken squad with three wins over their past four games.
Greiss has been unimpressive this season, recording a 3.41 goals against average and 90.1% save percentage. The German netminder has -3.9 goals saved above average, and he has a below-average save percentages at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill. That's going to be troublesome against a Kraken power play that has goals in six of their past eight games.
Special teams have made the difference for the Kraken over their recent sample. Seattle has posted an expected goals-for percentage above 50.0% in five of their previous eight games, a span in which they have only three wins. That's part of a season-long trend in which the Kraken have outplayed their opponents in 12 of 22 games, yet they have only eight wins.
According to our projections, the wrong team is favored tonight. That leaves an implied advantage in backing the Kraken as underdogs on the puckline and moneyline, which we rate as three- and two-star plays, respectively.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins Moneyline (+106): 1-Star Rating Out of 5
The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their five-game road trip against the Edmonton Oilers tonight. The Pens dropped their first game, a 2-1 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames on Monday night, but are well-positioned to take the full two points against the Oil.
The Pens have been trending in the right direction since overcoming their COVID-19 outbreak. Pittsburgh has outplayed its opponents across all strengths in six of eight games and are underachieving relative to their strong production metrics. The Penguins have attempted 15 or more high-danger chances in six of their eight games but have scored more than three goals just twice over that span.
We should see increased output from Pittsburgh against the Oilers tonight. Edmonton has been without primary goalie Mike Smith since October 19 and have relied on Mikko Koskinen to do most of the heavy lifting since then. However, after a hot start, we're starting to see Koskinen regress. The 33-year-old has posted an 89.7% save percentage or worse in five of his past six starts for a cumulative average of 88.6%.
Pittsburgh is due for a strong offensive showing, and based on our projections, that should come tonight against the Koskinen and the Oilers. We rate the Pens moneyline wager as a one-star play.
