Tuesday Game Picks: Expect Goals in Montreal; Shesterkin Looking Solid
Will McLean
2022-11-22
We are back with another Tuesday edition of Game Picks, where we give out a Gold, Silver, and Bronze selection every Tuesday during the NHL season. There are only two games in the NHL tonight, which doesn't give us a ton of betting options, but I think I've found a few that can win us some money. The two games this evening are the Buffalo Sabres @ Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers @ Los Angeles Kings. I will be tuning into both games, hopefully, to watch us cash some winning bets.
Below I highlight my Gold, Silver, and Bronze selections for tonight's games. Last Tuesday was a rough day that saw us go (1-2), bringing our season record to (7-8).
Gold Selection
Buffalo Sabres @ Montreal Canadiens – Pick: Over 6 (-150)
These two teams like to score goals, but they hate preventing them. The Sabres are averaging 3.44 goals per game, while the Canadiens are averaging 3.06 per game. On the flip side, the Sabres average 3.67 goals against per game, the fourth-most in the NHL, while the Canadiens are averaging 3.5 goals against per game, the eighth-most in the league. Six of the last seven games for the Canadiens have had six or more goals, and eight of their ten home games have had six or more goals. In eight of the Sabres last 10 games there have been six or more goals, and seven of their eight road games have had six or more goals. Craig Anderson has been scored on 12 times in his last three starts, which looks good for us since he is the Sabres expected starter for tonight. With the way these two teams have been playing recently I expect to see a whole lot of offence and not very much defence tonight.
Silver Selection
Buffalo Sabres @ Montreal Canadiens – Pick: Tage Thompson Over 3.5 Shots (-150)
This is an easy bet for me to make because of how well Thompson has been playing. He has recorded the sixth most shots in the NHL with 84, an average of 4.67 per game, that's six more shots than Alex Ovechkin in two fewer games. He also has the tenth most shot attempts with 141, an average of 7.83 per game, which shows me that he won't shy away from taking a shot when he's got the chance. Thompson has had over 3.5 shots in six straight games and 10 of his last 13. In his lone game versus the Canadiens this season he recorded eight shots, I expect more of the same from him tonight.
Bronze Selection
New York Rangers @ Los Angeles Kings – Pick: Under 6.5 (-150)
This might be a bit of a risky pick but after doing a little bit of digging I think it could be a winner. The Kings home games have been averaging 6 total goals, while the Rangers road games are averaging 5.89 total goals. Either one of those averages would get us the win. Also, in the Kings last seven games, five of them have had six or fewer goals. The Rangers have been in four straight games with six or fewer goals, and six of their last eight road games have had six goals or less too. Igor Shesterkin is the expected starter for the Rangers tonight, which should help us considering he's only allowed seven goals in his last four games. If these two teams continue playing like they have been recently, expect this to be a low-scoring game.