NHL Monday best bets: Canucks to best Red Wings

We're coming off a strong weekend of best bets. The Maple Leafs came through on the puck line Friday night, and the Wild followed up with a home win against the red-hot Devils on Saturday.

We'll look to pick up where we left off with two more plays for Monday's slate.

This game has fireworks potential written all over it. The Flames have been lights out offensively lately, leading the NHL in goals per minute at five-on-five over the last 10 games.

Calgary shifted its lines around in an effort to have a more potent and balanced attack, and the shuffling has paid off. The Flames aren't just riding a shooting percentage bender, as they're top 10 in expected goal generation over those 10 contests.

They now draw a mouthwatering matchup against a Senators team in a bad spot. Ottawa has struggled to keep the puck out of its net at the best of times.

The Sens will be trying to punch way above their weight to slow down a red-hot offense. And they'll have to do it without their starting goaltender, backup netminder, and one of their top defenders in Jake Sanderson.

Calgary will test Mads Sogaard early and often, and there's not much reason to believe he can handle it. Sogaard owns a putrid .898 save percentage across 21 games in the AHL this season. A date with the Flames isn't exactly an ideal spot as he gets his feet wet with his first NHL start of the campaign.

I definitely expect Calgary to do the heavy lifting in this spot, but Ottawa should be able to contribute its share to the goal total. The Flames have allowed a hair under three goals per game this season, and Jacob Markstrom (.892 save percentage) has struggled all campaign.

The Sens have more than enough talent up front to cause Markstrom problems, and they'll need to do just that to have any chance of getting a positive result.

Look for a 4-3 or 5-2 type of contest in the nation's capital.

Bet: Over 6.5 (-115)

The Canucks have quietly been playing much better hockey under head coach Rick Tocchet.

They own a 3-3-1 record under their new bench boss and have posted remarkably better underlying metrics, particularly on the defensive side.

Vancouver has allowed 47.24 shot attempts and 2.20 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five. Both numbers rank the club in the top five, surrounded by teams like the Hurricanes and Golden Knights. Tocchet has the guys buying in, and it shows.

On the flip side, the Red Wings have hit a real rut when it comes to creating chances. They rank dead last in five-on-five expected goal generation over the previous 10 games. Detroit also sits near the bottom in shots and high-danger opportunities.

The Red Wings are struggling to facilitate scoring opportunities, while the Canucks are doing a fantastic job of limiting them.

However, goaltending has been a huge concern for Vancouver. A tandem of Collin Delia and Spencer Martin is very bad and has the potential to undo a lot of the good that's happening.

That being said, Delia has conceded only two goals more than expected through 13 games. Martin has allowed 23.5 more than expected across 29 contests and has performed terribly. At least Delia has been somewhat competent on most nights.

With Delia expected back between the pipes and a home date against a Red Wings team having issues offensively, I think the Canucks will get back on track and grind out a win.

The potential absences of Lucas Raymond and Jake Walman - who's played excellent hockey alongside Moritz Seider on the top pairing - would also provide healthy boosts to Vancouver's chances.

Bet: Canucks (-120)

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

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