NHL Monday best bets: Red Wings to fly in Columbus

We have a small but fruitful five-game slate ahead of us on Monday night. Let's waste no time getting to the best bets.

The Blue Jackets split their first two games of the season, but they have a lot to figure out.

Defensively, they've been as bad as anybody in the league at five-on-five. They rank dead last in limiting shot attempts, shots on target, scoring chances, and expected goals.

It's a small sample size, sure, but their defensive issues carry a little more weight when you factor in how bad they were a season ago.

It shouldn't be that surprising, either, with a new head coach being named weeks before the season, No. 1 defenseman Zach Werenski already sidelined, and Patrik Laine - a longtime liability defensively - serving as their top-line center.

They have a lot of issues, and I don't think the Blue Jackets are going to find the magic elixir overnight.

On the flip side, I like what I've seen from the Red Wings. In their season opener, they went toe-to-toe with a Devils team expected to contend for the Stanley Cup. They followed that up by recording 42 shots and six goals against the Lightning.

Dylan Larkin has played at an elite level, we've seen an immediate impact from newcomer Alex DeBrincat, and improved depth really seems to be making a difference.

The Red Wings look ready to contend for a playoff spot, while the Blue Jackets - if we don't see drastic improvement without the puck - look like they're in for another tough year.

The market prices don't reflect that, which means we should look to take advantage while we still can.

Bet: Red Wings (-135)

I think the Capitals are in for a tough season. Their aging core isn't good enough to contend anymore, and I have serious concerns with the team's defensive ability.

The Capitals gave up an unusual amount of offense by a Peter Laviolette-coached team last year. There's little reason to expect better under new head coach Spencer Carbery.

While I believe Carbery will be a good coach for a long time, the Capitals just don't have the horses for him. Their forward group doesn't feature many play-driving, two-way players - and the same can be said of their defense core.

Their top pairing guys, John Carlson and Rasmus Sandin, are better with the puck than without it, and there just isn't a ton of quality behind them.

Martin Fehervary and Trevor van Riemsdyk are solid players but not the kind of guys you want going up against top-of-the-lineup forwards. The Capitals just don't have the pieces.

They were overwhelmed by the Penguins' offense in their season opener, giving up quality chances at a high rate while controlling just 28.47% of the expected goal share.

The Flames have the pieces to be a much better defensive team, and I expect their depth - and ability to play more creativity under Ryan Huska - is going to cause problems for the Capitals in this one.

Look for the Flames to rebound following a 5-2 defeat in Pittsburgh.

Bet: Flames (-125)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.