NHL

NHL Betting Guide: Wednesday 2/9/22

Tuesday night was an underdog kind of night in the NHL, with four of seven underdogs cashing. We're expecting more of the same on tonight's docket, highlighting a pair of teams that are undervalued in the betting market relative to our projections.

These are the wagers we're looking at!

Vancouver Canucks vs. New York Islanders

Canucks Moneyline (+102): 1-Star Rating out of 5

The Vancouver Canucks are coming off another victory under Bruce Boudreau, knocking off the Arizona Coyotes 5-1 last night. That situation could be scaring bettors off them against the New York Islanders, as they enter tonight's contest as home underdogs.

Under Boudreau, the Canucks have made substantial improvements in their own end. Vancouver has limited their opponents to nine or fewer high-danger chances at five-on-five in eight of their past 10, allowing just four high-danger goals and 11 five-on-five goals over that span. They're in a good position to maintain those sterling metrics against an Islanders team that has struggled at generating offense as the visitors over their recent sample.

The Islanders can't get any offensive traction on the road, attempting seven or fewer high-danger chances in three of their past five. The more concerning metric is that they've given up more chances than they are creating in three of those four contests, which is contributing to more goals against, as opponents have scored three or more in seven of eight.

Based on our projections, the Canucks should be favored in tonight's contest, but that's not reflected in the betting market with Vancouver listed as +102 underdogs. As such, backing the Nucks on the moneyline is rated as a one-star play.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Moneyline (+164): 1-Star Rating out of 5

The Edmonton Oilers are also on the second night of a back-to-back after last night's humbling 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights. However, goaltending issues could impact their competitiveness against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.

Mike Smith made just his seventh start of the season last night after coming off the injured reserve with a thumb injury. Normally, they would turn to Mikko Koskinen under these circumstances, but their backup tendy was recently added to the COVID-19 list. That means that Stuart Skinner is the expected starter against the Hawks.

That's troublesome because the Oilers have been lacking in their defensive zone coverage, allowing 11 or more high-danger chances against across all strengths in four straight games, getting out-chanced in three of those contests. Scoring chances have been even more abundant, with opponents attempting at least 37 in each of the last three games.

The Blackhawks are in a position to capitalize on those inefficiencies, as they are starting to see an improvement to their production metrics. Chicago has attempted 11 or more quality opportunities in four of five and 27 or more scoring chances in three of five. Still, the Hawks' scoring doesn't accurately reflect those metrics, as they've scored just five goals over their last three games. Look for increased output as scoring catches up to production.

Our algorithm supports that the Hawks are the side to back in tonight's contest. Chicago is due for increased output, and the Oilers' defensive metrics support that it could start tonight. Betting the Hawks to win is rated as a one-star play.