NHL Monday betting preview: Back the Flyers as home 'dogs
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Today might feel like an ordinary Monday, but it actually marks an exciting transition to nightly NHL betting previews. To completely misquote The Notorious B.I.G.: "Mo' picks, mo' money."
We capped off a very profitable weekend by robbing the books Sunday night, nailing a mortgage-the-house bet on the Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers game, which proved to be one of the easiest winners we'll hit all season. We crushed it with the over 6.5, Leafs' and Panthers' team totals over 3.5, and the first period over 1.5 goals. Florida won 8-4.
Let's strike while the iron is hot and jump into Monday's picks, but not before going over the good and bad from the weekend that was.
Goats and scapegoatsVincent Trocheck is our money player of the weekend for his offensive outburst against the Leafs. The Panthers forward had a goal and two assists in the first 25:46, proving the catalyst for our wins.
Frederick Andersen comes in as a close second for being unable to stop a beach ball and getting pulled in the first minute of the second period.
Finally, Anthony Duclair is now our enemy. We were big on the Ottawa Senators on Friday night in Detroit, but they lost in a shootout and Duclair didn't help at all. Ottawa's leading scorer generated nothing against the league's worst team, failing to record even a single shot on net despite a team-high 3:32 of ice time on the power play.
Monday's betsCalgary Flames (-110)
The Montreal Canadiens snapped an eight-game losing skid in overtime Saturday night, but this team is still battling a number of injuries and the bottom half of its roster resembles an AHL squad. Ben Chiarot is back but Brendan Gallagher's absence will be costly against a Flames team that has won seven of its last eight on the road and is 5-0 in 2020.
These teams are trending in opposite directions and, despite the fact the Canadiens have posted a worse record at the Bell Centre this season - 8-11-4, compared to 11-9-3 on the road - we can get the Flames at a very short price with this game being played in Montreal.
New York Islanders/New York Rangers over 6The Rangers have found their scoring touch and are playing some good hockey at Madison Square Garden. Artemi Panarin has been an absolute stud as his team has scored at least five goals in each of its last four games on home ice. The issue is the Rangers also concede in bunches, resulting in six consecutive overs at MSG.
A visit from the Islanders shouldn't buck that trend, as they've scored at least three goals in six of their last eight on the road. Both teams are in a good rhythm offensively and shouldn't have much of an issue getting over this number.
Best betPhiladelphia Flyers (+120)
Anything plus-money represents far too much value with the Flyers, who have lost a league-best seven home games this season (14-3-4). They ran into a hot Andrei Vasilevski - and an even hotter Tampa Bay Lightning - on Saturday, but offer great value in a bounce-back spot. The Boston Bruins are just .500 on the road since the start of December and have lost their last two trips to Philly.
Trend of the nightThe St. Louis Blues have lost four straight home games against the Anaheim Ducks, their longest active home losing streak against any NHL team.
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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