Top Shelf Picks: NHL Best Bets Today (Ride the Red Hot Capitals)

Iain MacMillan | 4 Hours Ago

The Washington Capitals are underdogs to the Dallas Stars on Monday night. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

It was a rough end of the week for my NHL picks but it's Monday which means we can mentally refresh and attack the new slate of games.

There are three games schedule for Monday night and I have a bet locked in for each of them, including a wager on the underdog Capitals in Dallas. Let's dive into them.

• Season-to-date record: 75-62-5 (+7.84 units)

Best NHL Picks Today

• Capitals +135 vs. Stars via Caesars
• Panthers vs. Oilers UNDER 6 (-105) via BetMGM
• Avalanche -135 vs. Canucks via BetMGM

Capitals vs. Stars Prediction

People keep waiting for the Capitals to regress but I'm starting to think that may not happen. They continue to find ways to find the back of the net, leading the NHL in 5-on-5 goals for over the last 25 games at 3.2 per 60 minutes. They've also been fantastic on the road this season, sporting a 12-2 record and rocking a goal differential of +1.84 per 60 minutes.

I'm going to keep riding the hot team and take the Capitals to upset the Stars in Dallas tonight.

Pick: Capitals +135

Panthers vs. Oilers Prediction

The Panthers have been a great defensive team this season, ranking third in the NHL in 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes. They've also benefited from Sergei Bobrovsky playing much better than he had early in the season, allowing just one goal in three of his last five starts. Now, they play an Oilers team that has a shooting percentage of just 8.36% during 5-on-5 play over their last 25 games.

While you may think a meeting between these two teams would be high-scoring, I'm going to take the UNDER.

Pick: UNDER 6 (-105)

Avalanche vs. Canucks Prediction

The Vancouver Canucks have played horribly of late, ranking dead last in the NHL in both 5-on-5 expected goals percentage and CORSI% over their last 10 games. They have failed to create any level of offensive opportunities during even strength play and I'm not sure a game against the Avalanche is the time for them to turn things around.

I'll back the Avs as road favorites tonight.

Pick: Avalanche -135

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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!