NHL weekly betting preview: Bruins visit slumping Habs

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The NHL has offered up a treat in the buildup to American Thanksgiving.

The highlights this week include a renewal of hockey's oldest rivalry, a rematch between the defending Cup champions and preseason favorites, a date with the league's highest-scoring teams, and a meeting of two Hart Trophy favorites. Giddy up.

Here's a guide to wagering during this week's slate.

Game betting

Vancouver Canucks at Philadelphia Flyers (Monday)

This is a good bounce-back spot for the Flyers after losing to the Flames in a shootout Saturday. The Canucks began their East Coast swing with a shootout victory of their own in Washington, giving them consecutive road wins for just the second time this season. Philadelphia won't let Vancouver play the type of game it wants and at a reasonable price, you should back Carter Hart and the Flyers.

Minnesota Wild at New York Rangers (Monday)

This game seemed important to feature in this preview due to the strange line. For just the second time this season the Wild are -125 favorites on the road. They were the same price in Ottawa early in October, winning 2-0, but it's odd to see them favored in this spot against a Rangers team that has won three of their last four at home and is coming off an impressive comeback win in Montreal. This is the fourth game in six nights for New York, though, who left everything on the ice on Saturday. Listen to what the oddsmakers are telling you here and back Minnesota.

Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens (Tuesday)

Blowing a 4-0 lead to lose in regulation can either send a team into a tailspin or act as a wake-up call. The Canadiens have a lot of experience in their room and are too well-coached to let the loss impact them. Claude Julien was livid with his team's defensive effort on Saturday and that should result in a much more disciplined showing against the division-leading Bruins. Consider the Habs as small home 'dogs, but the play here feels like under 6.5 goals.

St. Louis Blues at Tampa Bay Lightning (Wednesday)

Last week I had you fade the overvalued Lightning when they visited the Blues, who went on to win 3-1. It was a comfortable victory for St. Louis, a team that imposed its will on the Bolts in impressive fashion. Let's flip the script here, though. The Lightning will be able to play more to their style on home ice and should have a lot more urgency. The Blues find themselves in higher-scoring games more often on the road and that will work into Tampa's hands. Back the Bolts to pick up a confidence-boosting win.

Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals (Wednesday)

This might be the best game of the week between a pair of free-scoring teams. No two clubs have tallied more goals this season than the Capitals (91) and Panthers (88). The over would be the obvious play - it has hit in the last four meetings between these teams - but instead, consider backing Florida. The Eastern Conference-leading Capitals have cooled off, playing .500 hockey over the last two weeks, while the Panthers have some impressive road wins under their belt this season. They've also won four consecutive in Washington.

Edmonton Oilers at Colorado Avalanche (Wednesday)

Two of the league's best players lead their teams into battle Thursday as Connor McDavid and the Oilers visit Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche. With both teams being a bit unpredictable this season, the over is the play here as the NHL's most explosive forwards will treat us to fireworks. The over is 5-0-1 in the last six meetings between these clubs in Colorado.

Game props

Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars (Monday)

This wasn't included in the game bets above, but the under is a strong play here. Adding to that, take the Stars' team total under 2.5 at +150. Dallas has scored just four goals in its last three games against the Golden Knights and has never scored more than three in six all-time meetings. The under 3.5 at -170 could also be good parlay fodder.

Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators (Wednesday)

D.J. Smith deserves a ton of credit for the work he's done while in charge of the Senators, as do the players for fully buying into the system. Ottawa has proven itself a very tough team to play against and enters the week on a three-match winning streak. Over the weekend I said to take the over in the first period in their game against the Rangers, which hit, but go the other way here. The Senators will look to play physical and contain the Bruins, which makes the under 1.5 goals in the first period an attractive play. It has hit in each of the last seven meetings between these teams in Ottawa.

Winnipeg Jets at San Jose Sharks (Wednesday)

The Jets are one of the least profitable teams when it comes to first-period overs, while the Sharks are one of the most. However, San Jose is trending the other way with the first-period total going 5-5 in its last 10. The Sharks are tightening up defensively, while the Jets continue to play solid two-way hockey. There was just one goal in the opening 20 minutes when these teams met earlier this month, and you should consider taking the first-period under once again in this spot at plus-money.

Player props

Game

Aleksander Barkov loves the Capitals. The Panthers' captain had a goal and an assist in their overtime loss to Washington earlier in the campaign and registered five assists in three games against them last season. Back him to get on the scoresheet with over 0.5 assists in this contest, which shouldn't be lacking in goals.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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