NHL Monday best bets: Oilers to beat slumping Capitals, Hyman to pile up shots
With just three games scheduled, we're heading for another quiet Monday night in the NHL.
Let's take a look at three plays - one side and two props - that stand out from the rest on the card.
Oilers (-150) @ Capitals (+120)Things are going from bad to worse for the Washington Capitals. They've dropped four consecutive games despite holding leads well into each contest, and their players continue to drop like flies along the way.
The latest loss was Dmitry Orlov, who'd been playing as much as 26 minutes per night in John Carlson's absence. While Carlson could get back into the lineup, the Capitals are more likely to take on the Edmonton Oilers without him, Orlov, Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and/or Connor Brown.
Missing that kind of firepower and depth is problematic against any side - there's a reason the Capitals just blew a two-goal lead against the Arizona Coyotes - but it's especially worrying against a team like Edmonton.
Although the Oilers are in the midst of their own losing streak, they've largely played well. They're 6-4-0 over the last 10 games and controlled over 55.67% of the high-danger chances at five-on-five. That's good for fifth in the NHL, just behind the Carolina Hurricanes.
If not for newcomer Jack Campbell's putrid goaltending - he conceded 15 goals over his last three starts - things would probably look a little better.
The good news is that his dreadful showing against the Dallas Stars means Stuart Skinner should get the nod in goal. Campbell hasn't made two starts in a row at any point over the last six, and Jay Woodcroft is unlikely to change things up based on what we just saw from Campbell.
Skinner is hardly a big-name netminder, but he's played like one to date. Among those with at least five starts, Skinner sits third in the NHL in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes, behind only Carter Hart and Jake Oettinger.
With the Oilers profiling much better at five-on-five and the Capitals severely hindered by injuries, this is a nice spot for Edmonton to get back on track.
Bet: Oilers (-150)
Zach Hyman over 3.5 shots (+110)Zach Hyman is firing on all cylinders. The hard-nosed winger skates on a line with Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - two pass-first players at heart - and is taking full advantage. Hyman averages over 22 shots attempts per 60 minutes with those two by his side. That kind of volume unsurprisingly leads to a lot of pucks hitting the net.
Hyman registered at least four shots on goal in seven straight games. No Oilers player recorded more shots, shot attempts, scoring chances, or expected goals during this stretch.
Now Hyman draws a sneakily good matchup against a Capitals side that sits 26th in expected goal share over the last 10. They're missing so many players that they're naturally spending a lot of time on their heels having to defend, and it'll only get worse if Orlov and Carlson are sidelined at the same time.
Look for Hyman to keep his shooting streak alive.
Nazem Kadri over 3.5 shots (+115)The New York Islanders are enjoying plenty of success these days and are much more offensive-minded than they were under Barry Trotz. The byproduct is that they're more susceptible to giving things up at the other end of the ice and making their goaltenders work.
Over the last 10 games, the Islanders rank in the bottom 10 in shot suppression - at five-on-five and across all game states.
Now they draw the Calgary Flames, who generate shots in bulk whether they win or lose. Only three teams have piled up attempts more efficiently over the last 10 games.
Nazem Kadri is at the forefront, leading the Flames in attempts (68) and shots on goal (37) during that period.
Kadri hit the over seven times in the last nine games. This is a good spot for him to make it eight in 10.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
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