Today’s NHL betting odds, predictions, and picks for Monday, December 12th

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Today’s NHL betting odds, predictions, and picks for Monday, December 12th
Sunday’s best bets were split 1-1. The Kraken won 5-2 as a +140 underdog over the Panthers, but the Jets lost 5-2 as a -135 favorite to the Capitals.

Monday’s Bets: There are no best bets at this time.

Betstamp, a third-party bet tracking app, is where I keep track of all my bets. After the games begin, the bets become apparent. I keep my own personal records as well, and they may differ slightly from Betstamp due to a variety of factors, but they should be very close.

Wins: 40 44 units were lost. -5.34 units won -11.3 percent ROI

I use DraftKings Sportsbook and OKBET Ice hockey online betting for all game lines, but I will occasionally use the consensus odds from the VSiN NHL Odds page if it is a better price and widely available. All recommended bets will be accompanied by a stake size recommendation. All stats obtained through Evolving Hockey and Natural Stat Trick.

The New Jersey Devils (-115) take on the New York Rangers (-105)
It’s still strange to see the Devils listed as the favorite so frequently, but it’s well-deserved. The New York Rangers have won three games in a row, but I wouldn’t call it a turnaround. New York has been struggling for a while now, and despite having strong underlying metrics earlier in the season, they’ve fallen off significantly. Meanwhile, New Jersey has continued to cruise.

Since opening the season with a pair of losses, the Devils have only lost four games and remain the best team in expected goals percentage, trailing only the Boston Bruins. Over the last month, New York has dropped to 20th in that same category (all situations). The Devils should win the game about 54% of the time (-120), but most sportsbooks have them at -115, so bettors will have to look around for value on the road team.

The Devils’ starter will be Vitek Vanecek. On Tuesday, New Jersey will host Dallas.

The Dallas Stars (+110) play the Pittsburgh Penguins (-130)
Kris Letang returned to the ice over the weekend after suffering a stroke less than two weeks ago for the second time. It was therefore surprising to see him back in action so soon. When Letang is healthy and in the lineup, the Penguins are a much better team, and it’s great to see him back. However, the Penguins may be without Jeff Petry, as the 35-year-old defender was injured in a game against the Sabres and did not practice on Monday. The Penguins played the Sabres in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, so this will be their third game in four days.

Dallas, on the other hand, isn’t rested, having only had one day off, and given that the Stars are scheduled to face the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, there’s a chance Pittsburgh will be facing backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood, rather than Jake Oettinger, who has been the Stars’ MVP.

Dallas is a good offensive team, and Wedgewood has been mostly fine, but if they go with the journeyman, their chances of winning will be significantly reduced. Most bookmakers have the Penguins listed at -130, which I believe is a reasonable price if Oettinger is in goal. If it’s Wedgewood, however, -130 becomes a good bet.

Tristan Jarry will start against the Stars.

Update: Jake Oettinger is in the starting crease at practice but has not been named the starter.

Montreal Canadiens (+180) at Calgary Flames (-210)
Despite dominating the game, Calgary fell to Montreal on home ice earlier this month. The Canadiens scored a fortunate goal (thanks to Jacob Markstrom) 13 seconds into the game, and the Flames never recovered. They should have won without a doubt, but the team also should have defeated the Blue Jackets on Friday, but they didn’t show up. Sure, the Flames made the Maple Leafs work for their win on Saturday, but this team still has a lot to learn, particularly on offense.

The Flames are just outside the top ten in terms of shots per 60 minutes, but they are 22nd in terms of expected goals and 21st in terms of goals. Their defense is strong, ranking third in shots against and eighth in expected goals against, but their lack of scoring, combined with subpar goaltending, does not excite me. Especially when the cost is as high as it is. Montreal is a bad hockey team that is suffering from injuries, but I wouldn’t bet against them at -210. Calgary will most likely win the game, but their odds are accurate.

Jake Allen will start against the Flames.

MacKenzie Weegar, a Calgary defenseman, is not on the ice for morning skate. According to the team, he is battling an illness. He should be considered questionable for Monday’s game.

Ottawa Senators (+190) at Anaheim Ducks (-220)
This morning’s big news from Ottawa is that sniper Alex DeBrincat and goaltender Cam Talbot will be game-time decisions on Monday. DeBrincat isn’t scoring as quickly as he used to, but the two-time 40-goal scorer brings a lot of scoring potential to the Ottawa lineup, and his contributions have been significant. The Talbot news is less concerning because backup goaltender Anton Forsberg has been solid this season, but it is still a concern.

Anaheim has not announced their starting goaltender for Tuesday’s game against the Maple Leafs, but given that John Gibson has been sick for the last few days, it appears that Stolarz will get the start. In any case, the Ducks’ goaltending is poor, and they are the league’s second-worst offensive team. If DeBrincat is able to play, Ottawa should be priced around -235, but their true odds of winning this game should fall within the sportsbooks’ current straddle.

Minnesota Wild (+105) at Edmonton Oilers (-125)
The Oilers have already defeated the Wild 5-3 and 5-2 this month, but both games were played in Edmonton. The Wild are 7-7 straight up in Minnesota this season, and home teams only win 51% of the time, so it’ll be interesting to see how much of a difference the venue change makes. It’ll be interesting to see if Jack Campbell ever starts a game.

After losing his job to 24-year-old Stuart Skinner, who has started the last four games, the 30-year-old is now an overpaid backup. Campbell has not begun work since December 1st. I don’t think Skinner is a world beater, but he’s a much better option than Campbell, and if the latter is named starter, the Wild’s odds should rise to around -140.

The Wild’s starting goaltender will be Marc-Andre Fleury. Ryan Hartman is recovering from an injury and will not play on Monday.

St. Louis Blues (-115) at Nashville Predators (-105)
St. Louis fell to the Avalanche in a close game at home on Sunday afternoon, and they don’t have much time to recover before hosting the Predators on Monday. Thomas Greiss will start against the Predators, who will travel to Edmonton to face the Oilers on Tuesday, making it difficult to predict who will start in St. Louis.

Juuse Saros is the starter, but backup Kevin Lankinen has been impressive. Lankinen has a.934 save percentage but a 3-3 record, demonstrating how average the team in front of him is. In fact, the Predators are below average, and even though they’re playing a bad team on the verge of collapse, they shouldn’t be priced higher than -115.

Note: Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich hasn’t played since December 5th, but he could be back in the lineup in time to face the Predators.