NHL Tuesday best bets: Expect fireworks in New Jersey
We have a whopping 11-game slate to look forward to Tuesday night. Let's waste no time and dive into our best bets.
Avalanche (-205) @ Devils (+170)
The New Jersey Devils and goals go together like chicken wings and a football Sunday. At least six goals have been scored in eight of their last 10 games and 12 of their last 15.
Their offense has taken off lately, especially since Dougie Hamilton and Jesper Bratt returned to health. Only six teams have scored more goals over the last 15 games.
Despite pretty good suppression numbers at the other end of the ice, the Devils can't keep the puck out of their net.
Goaltending is the reason for that. New Jersey has used six different netminders this season, and every single one has conceded more goals than expected. Put another way, nobody's performing at even an average level based on the difficulty of workload.
I have a hard time believing that will change against a lethal Colorado Avalanche team that ranks *checks notes* second in goals per game this season. Colorado is prone to getting into track meets - even against low-event opponents like the New York Islanders - so there's definitely potential for fireworks in this game.
With Bratt, Hamilton, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Gabriel Landeskog, and Cale Makar sharing the ice, goals should come early and often.
Bet: Over 6 (-125)
Stars (+100) @ Predators (-120)
Less than two weeks ago, the Nashville Predators hosted the Dallas Stars. The Predators closed as -160 favorites and rewarded their backers with a win.
Fast-forward and the Predators - once again rested and at home - are only -120 favorites.
I realize the Stars have won four consecutive games. They've beaten some strong teams in that span, too.
But it's not like they dominated or added a high-end player to the mix to explain such a large swing in the odds.
Over the last four games, the Stars controlled just 44% of the shot attempts and 49% of the expected goals at five-on-five. They weren't exactly skating teams into the ground.
Not to mention, dark-horse Norris Trophy candidate Miro Heiskanen is banged up, and his status is up in the air for this game.
I see value on the Predators even if Heiskanen is healthy enough to play. If he isn't? This line would be out of whack.
Bet: Predators (-120)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.