NHL Monday bets: Three plays to start your week
Fresh off an article sweep yesterday, the best course of action is most definitely a similar showing today. We touched on some of the 1 p.m. games earlier in Bark Bets (go subscribe!), so we'll turn now to the afternoon and evening games on this fine Monday on the ice.
.5u: Andrew Mangiapane 2+ shots & Sidney Crosby over 2.5 SOG (+118 FD)
Andrew Mangiapane down at two is one of the safer parlay legs you could find at the moment, available only on FanDuel. He has 2+ shots in 10 straight games and 15 of his last 16, and he's averaging nearly six attempts per game at home over his past five. Mangiapane has three in back-to-back games against the Flyers, so asking for two seems quite reasonable.
His dance partner today is Sidney Crosby up at 2.5, a number he has hit in four of his last five at home on the back of six attempts per game. Crosby has enjoyed some success against the Islanders, logging 3+ SOG in six of his last seven games against them.
This is a .5u wager for me simply because Crosby tends to not like me when I back him.
Seattle over 2.5 & NY Rangers over 2.5, both in regulation (+117 DK)
This is a relatively simple minded combination but one I like quite a bit. I think both the Kraken and Rangers are realistic options to go for 4+ goals, but I'm staying modest on this Monday and rolling with each to go over 2.5 in regulation.
The Kraken are averaging 3.1 goals per game on the road over their last 10 while San Jose is allowing a tantalizing 4.2 goals per game in their last 10 at home. In net for the Sharks is James Reimer, who has allowed 3+ goals in nine straight starts. I'm confident Seattle can hit this number.
Then there's the Rangers, hosting the Winnipeg Jets, who will be on their second game in as many days. With a backup in net and New York rolling, I love them to go for three goals at minimum. The Rangers are averaging 3.7 goals per game over their past 10 at home and had finished with 4+ goals in seven straight prior to scoring two at Calgary on Saturday.
I see a slight PP edge favoring New York as well which should help them hit this total.
Islanders-Penguins over 6 goals (-110 FD)
I like goals in this one. The love for scoring begins on the Penguins end, as Pittsburgh is averaging 3.5 goals per game at home over their past 10 while the Islanders are letting in 3.5 per game on the road in the same stretch of games. Pittsburgh's shots have also been flying which is going to help us find some goals there.
On the flip side, the Penguins defense has been an issue, allowing 3.9 goals per game at home lately to go along with nearly 37 shots allowed per game. Now, the Islanders road offense leaves a bit to be desired, I think they can chip in enough to help us hit this number or at minimum yield a push.
The main appeal is New York's power play, which has been on a steep incline in production since the acquisition of Bo Horvat. After being one of the worst power play scoring teams in the league, they've come alive, scoring a power play goal in five of their last seven games, including three days ago against this Pittsburgh team.
The Penguins penalty kill is a major weakness right now as their 71.4% PK rate is third-worst in the NHL over the past 10 games. I do think the Islanders can score on the power play, which will make the difference on this game hitting its over.
These two met on Friday, a 5-4 Islanders win. That marked the third time in the past four meetings that these two have played in a game that had nine total goals. Today we need just six.
More must-reads: