Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (Fade the Overrated Golden Knights)

Iain MacMillan | Oct 30, 2024

Oct 28, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights center Nicolas Roy (10) celebrates his third-period goal with teammates against the Calgary Flames at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

We pulled off the 3-0 sweep on Tuesday night, including cashing in on the underdog Capitals, which makes three-straight winning nights and 7-2 through my last nine.

Whenever you get on a hot streak, all you can do is try to make it last as long as possible. With six NHL games set to take place on Wednesday night, we have some options to choose from.

Let's dive into my top three picks.

• Season-to-date record: 19-11-2 (+6.36 units)

NHL Picks Today

• Blue Jackets +126 vs. Islanders via FanDuel
• Kings +110 vs. Golden Knights via DraftKings
• Devils vs. Canucks UNDER 6.5 (-105) via FanDuel

Islanders vs. Blue Jackets Prediction

Sometimes you need to just simplify your bets and that's what I'm doing in this game. The Columbus Blue Jackets have been one of the hottest shooting teams in the NHL this season, scoring on 14.1% of their shots on goal. Tonight, they get to face Semyon Varlamov of the Islanders who has been abysmal between the pipes this season, sporting a goals against average of 3.72 and a save percentage of .856.

On top of that, the Islanders have had big time shooting issues, ranking second last in shooting percentage (7.07%) on the year.

The Islanders' advanced metrics aren't good enough to overcome having cold shooting and a cold goalie against a team who has been one of the best shooting teams to start the season. Columbus is a great underdog bet on their home ice.

Pick: Blue Jackets +126

Golden Knights vs. Kings

The Vegas Golden Knights might be the most fraudulent team in the NHL to start the season. They're somehow 7-2-1 despite ranking 29th in CORSI% and 27th in 5-on-5 expected goals percentage. By comparison, the Kings rank fourth and third in those two respective categories.

Despite the massive gap in advanced analytics, the Kings are set as home underdogs in this Pacific Division matchup. I'll trust the numbers and back Los Angeles.

Pick: Kings +110

Devils vs. Canucks Prediction

The Devils and Canucks have sneakily been two of the better defensive teams in the NHL this season. They rank sixth and seventh in expected goals against per 60 minutes as well as fifth and eighth in high-danger scoring chances allowed.

Poor goaltending play from both teams is my main concern with betting the UNDER, but the underlying metrics look too good to pass it up with the total set at 6.5.

Pick: UNDER 6.5 (-105)

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