NHL Friday best bets: Golden Knights to strike early vs. league's worst team

We have a fun six-game slate ahead of us to conclude the week. Let's take a closer look at a couple of my favorite plays on the board.

While Carter Hart (sick) starting would be preferable, the absence of Trevor Zegras from the Ducks' lineup should help compensate by taking a bite out of their offense.

Additionally, the Flyers are playing very strong defensively, allowing 2.30 expected goals per 60 at five-on-five. That's a top-five rate in the NHL.

Although the Ducks tend to give up chances in bulk and play higher-event games, there is something working in the under's favor - their goaltending.

John Gibson looks more like the John Gibson of old this season, as he's stopping 3.5 more goals than expected through seven games. That's half a puck per game, which puts him in company with Igor Shesterkin and Linus Ullmark.

Philadelphia is not a high-powered offensive team, and I don't see Gibson being overwhelmed with insane shot volume or high-powered shooting.

This should be a close, low-event style of game. I like the under.

Bet: Under 6.5 (-130)

This is as big of a mismatch as you'll find in the NHL right now. The Sharks have won only two games and rank dead last in points per game, goals, goals against, goal differential, and pretty much any other statistic you can imagine.

Not only are they horrible, but they're tired. The Sharks were able to grind out a win against the lowly Oilers on Thursday night and ran their best players (Tomas Hertl, William Eklund, Mario Ferraro) into the ground during the process.

They're going to have their hands full in this one. The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup a few months ago and are showing no signs of a hangover. They actually sit tied with the Bruins for most points in the NHL.

They are all business and, after back-to-back losses, it's fair to expect some urgency in their game against the Sharks. The Golden Knights aren't going to come out flat and take them lightly.

San Jose is a very bad first-period team, sitting tied for last in goals for (six) while allowing more goals (16) than all but three teams.

We've seen the exact opposite from the Golden Knights. They rank top 10 in first-period goals and only three teams have conceded fewer.

With a massive edge in talent, a rest advantage, home ice, and urgency to get things back on track, I expect the Golden Knights to start fast and win the opening frame.

Bet: Golden Knights first period -0.5 (-120)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.

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