NHL Monday best bets: Predators to pounce on sitting Ducks

The NHL trade deadline will get all the headlines today - understandably so - but there's still plenty to talk about on the ice. There are four games scheduled, with several playoff-bound teams taking action.

We're backing a couple of them with our best bets. Let's get to them.

Predators (-165) @ Ducks (+140)

The wheels have completely come off for the Anaheim Ducks. They have dropped eight of their last 10 games and fallen completely out of the playoff race. There isn't much reason to expect things to turn around.

With the Ducks struggling of late, management rightfully pulled the plug on the season. The organization has already traded Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and Nic Deslauriers in recent days, and there are likely more subtractions to come.

These moves have left Anaheim's roster looking very thin, especially on the back end, and that's problematic considering the level of goaltending the Ducks have been getting.

John Gibson has quietly played miserable hockey for quite some time. He owns a .894 save percentage and has conceded about 10 goals above expected since the turn of the calendar.

Now Gibson, with a depleted roster in front of him, draws a Nashville Predators team that has been shooting the lights out. The Predators rank second in five-on-five goals over the last 10 games and have scored nearly 3.6 goals per contest in 2022 - their offense is firing on all cylinders.

Nashville is just one point behind the St. Louis Blues for second in the Central Division. The Preds no doubt know the importance of home ice in the postseason and will be pushing to earn it down the stretch, which means winning games they should and taking advantage of bad teams.

I expect Nashville to do just that in Anaheim.

Bet: Predators in regulation (-104)

Golden Knights (+135) @ Wild (-160)

The Vegas Golden Knights have all the pieces to be a great team. Unfortunately, a lot of them are unavailable due to injury.

Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Reilly Smith, Alec Martinez, and Robin Lehner are just a few of the many key players missing from the lineup, and Vegas is having a difficult time staying afloat in the playoff race as a result. Only four teams have picked up fewer points over the last 10 games.

The struggling Golden Knights now find themselves taking on a potent Minnesota Wild side that is starting to find its form again. The Wild are on a 4-1-1 run and have posted some sparkling underlying numbers in recent weeks.

At five-on-five, Minnesota sits second in shot share while controlling a league-leading 61% of the expected goal share dating back 10 games.

The Wild should be able to control the run of play against a battered Golden Knights team. With the level of goaltending the club's dealt with lately, I like Minnesota's chances of picking up its third straight win at home.

Bet: Wild in regulation (-106)

Joel Eriksson Ek over 2.5 shots (-134)

Joel Eriksson Ek continues to be one of our favorite targets on home soil. He has gone over the number in 63% of games played in Minnesota, including 11 of the last 15 (73%). While Vegas is a competent defensive side, the Golden Knights are dealing with an abundance of injuries that make them more susceptible to giving things up on the back end.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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