Media by Associated Press – Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen raises his stick to acknowledge the applause of fans after the team’s NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
There’s plenty of action on the NHL schedule Monday night, primarily all located on the West Coast. That’s great for late-night bettors on the East Coast or for anyone interested in the game out west. What will be interesting for Monday night is the few games that feature games between teams that are bona fide contenders.
Here’s a look at three bets worth making for Monday night.
Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche (-142)
The Avalanche looked about a month ago that Colorado was going to struggle to find a way into the postseason. However, Colorado’s recent five-game winning streak has them back in the running to win the Central Division. The Avalanche are only three games back of Dallas for first place and have three games in hand.
Colorado and Vegas have already played in two close matchups, with the teams splitting the series by winning 3-2 decisions. Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev is tied for sixth in the league with a .920 save percentage. He’s had a 2.63 goals-against average.
Vegas is in first place in the Pacific Division and has been playing solid hockey. The Golden Knights will find things tough in Colorado, and the Avalanche, who have limited three of their past five opponents to just one goal, will grab a victory.
Boston Bruins (-144) at Edmonton Oilers
The Bruins are one of the few teams in the NHL that won’t be worried about being overwhelmed by Edmonton’s star power. Boston plays crunching defense, only allowing 2.03 goals per game. The Bruins, who are on a six-game winning streak, also are able to put up points with the best in the league.
Boston scores 3.7 goals per game, which ranks second in the league behind Edmonton, which scores 3.8 goals per game. The Oilers are coming off a disappointing stretch of hockey. After sweeping the teams from Pennsylvania in convincing fashion, Edmonton got outpaced by hapless Columbus.
Edmonton is a team that needs to try and drag teams into an open style of play to win. Boston won’t allow the Oilers to dictate the pace. Boston should grab a seventh-straight win.
Chicago Blackhawks at Anaheim Ducks over 6.5
This has been a season not to remember for the Blackhawks. Chicago is well below the line for the playoffs and hasn’t been particularly interesting. However, late February has seen things turn around for Chicago.
The Blackhawks’ offense, which has struggled all season, has started to score goals. Chicago has scored four or more goals in four of its past five games. While things haven’t been perfect defensively for Chicago. The Blackhawks will want to keep that up against an Anaheim team that is also having a poor season.
The Ducks have lost six of their past eight games and went through a stretch where it allowed six or more goals in five of those games. While Anaheim has righted the ship over the past two games, the Ducks have shown they can be picked apart when teams are playing well on offense.
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