NHL Monday best bets: Blues to snap skid, Dahlin to pile up shots
Monday night will be a quiet one in the NHL, as just six of 32 teams hit the ice.
Luckily for us, there's still value on the board. Let's dive into it with two best bets for the three-game slate.
Kings (+100) @ Blues (-120)The Blues are in a rut. They opened the season with three consecutive wins before dropping four straight games, all by at least two goals.
I expect them to rebound at home against the Kings on Monday night.
L.A. isn't the stout defensive team we've grown accustomed to seeing. The Kings rank 22nd in high-danger chances against per 60 minutes, behind teams like the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets. They're giving up plenty of looks.
That isn't ideal considering the level of goaltending Los Angeles has gotten this season. Cal Petersen (minus-3) and Jonathan Quick (minus-4.9) have conceded significantly more goals than expected in the early going.
St. Louis is off to a slower offensive start this campaign. However, on paper, it's essentially the same team that led the league in five-on-five shooting percentage a season ago. The Blues are a quality-over-quantity team with plenty of guys who can score goals.
If St. Louis gets chances, the puck will go into the net sooner rather than later. If not at five-on-five, the Blues should get plenty of opportunities on the man advantage in this spot.
The Kings have struggled with discipline this season, spending more time shorthanded than all but seven clubs. They haven't exactly been lights out at erasing those mistakes, either. L.A. sits bottom 10 in goals against per 60 on the penalty kill.
Perhaps aided by power-play success, this is a good spot for the Blues to get their offense back on track. The Kings haven't played great defense, both goaltenders have struggled, and they're on the road against a team that's been unsustainably unlucky (St. Louis ranks 30th in five-on-five shooting percentage).
This is a nice get-right spot for the home side.
Bet: Blues (-120)
Rasmus Dahlin over 2.5 shots (+110)The Red Wings look more competent this season, but the improvements certainly don't stem from the defensive side of the puck.
At five-on-five, Detroit ranks 29th in shot attempts against and 26th in expected goals against on a per-60-minute basis.
The Red Wings have given up a lot of good looks, and plenty of them come from opposing defenders. Detroit is one of just seven teams allowing more than 10 shots on goal per game to blue-liners.
That's good news for Dahlin, who's off to a terrific start to the campaign. He's been especially good on home ice, generating 17 shots on goal and 28 attempts through four games.
Dahlin's volume hasn't just come from one or two big contests. He's registered at least three shots on target in all four home dates, and each opposing team allowed fewer shots to defensemen than the Red Wings.
This is a great spot for Dahlin to make it five in a row at home.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Copyright (C) 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.