Top Shelf Picks: NHL Best Bets Today (How to Bet Devils vs. Rangers)

Iain MacMillan | 4 Hours Ago

The Rangers are slight home underdogs to the Devils on Monday night. / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

The NHL season marches on and with the calendar switching over to December, us bettors can take a step back and regroup. There are three games on Monday's slate and I've placed a bet on all three of them.

Let's see if we can build our momentum off a strong week to close out November.

• Season-to-date record: 59-48-4 (+6.46 units)

Best NHL Picks Today

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

• Rangers -102 vs. Devils
• Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs UNDER 6.5 (-125)
• Utah Hockey Club +120 vs. Stars

Devils vs. Rangers Prediction

The Devils slightly outrank the Rangers in some advanced metrics, but there are two main reasons why I think there is some value on New York at Madison Square Garden.

Firstly, the Devils' best weapon is their powerplay, leading the NHL in powerplay percentage scoring a goal 33.73% of the time they have a man advantage. That should be nullified by the Rangers who boast the second best penalty kill in the league, successfully killing 87.67% of opponent's powerplays.

Secondly, if the Devils aren't able to convert on the powerplay, they have struggled to both score and stop pucks during 5-on-5 play. They're 17th in both 5-on-5 shooting percentage and save percentage while the Rangers rank ninth in both those metrics.

As long as they don't find themselves in penalty trouble, the Rangers are a great pick as slight underdogs on their home ice.

Pick: Rangers -102

Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs Prediction

For the forseeable future, I'm going to take the UNDER in Maple Leafs games whenever the total is set at 6.5, unless they're playing an offensive powerhouse and the Blackhawks certainly aren't that.

Between surprisingly strong defensive play and fantastic goaltending, the Maple Leafs are allowing just 2.59 goals per 60 minutes, the third best mark in the NHL. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are 30th in expected goals per 60 minutes and 29th in actualy goals per 60 minutes. I have faith Toronto can shut down this Chicago offense.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are starting Arvid Soderblom in net tonight, who has been one of the most impressive goalies in the league this season with a save percentage of .926.

I'll back the UNDER in this interconference showdown.

Pick: UNDER 6.5 (-125)

Dallas Stars vs. Utah Hockey Club Prediction

The Dallas Stars will be playing their third game in four days and with this one being on the road, I suspect a down performance from the Stars.

Not only that, but I think Utah has become one of the more undervalued teams in the betting market. They're just 10-10-4 on the season but they rank fourth in the NHL in CORSI% and seventh in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage. Now that they're on their home ice against a tired Stars team, I think it's a great chance to take a shot on them as underdogs.

Pick: Utah +120

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!