NHL Wednesday best bets: Panthers to start fast, back MacKinnon for shots

We have a small three-game slate on the docket Wednesday. Luckily, there is still plenty of value to be found.

Let's dive into it with three bets for the night ahead.

Flyers (+250) @ Panthers (-325)

Targeting the Flyers hasn't gone so well in the early going, but all signs suggest their bubble is going to burst sooner rather than later.

Despite what the scoreboards suggest, the Flyers have not defended well. On a per-minute basis, only the Coyotes have allowed five-on-five shots at a higher clip. They also rank bottom five in suppressing high-danger chances.

Put simply, they're giving up a lot of shots and many are of quality. Carter Hart has been able to mask their defensive issues with unsustainably good goaltending.

Even if he really is turning a corner after a couple miserable seasons, he's not going to give the Flyers .940 netminding on a consistent basis. Even .920 would be a big stretch in today's NHL, especially while carrying such a difficult workload.

Across all game states, the Panthers have generated more than four expected goals per 60 minutes. They are creating a lot of opportunities and have the high-end talent to make the most of them more often than not.

Fresh off a loss and at home to a fatigued Flyers side giving up chances in bulk, Florida should be able to come out and hit the ground running.

I'm going to get creative here and back the Panthers to win the opening period.

Bet: Panthers 1P -0.5 (+100)

Nathan MacKinnon over 4.5 shots on goal (-105)

MacKinnon is a shooting machine, especially on home ice. He has registered at least five shots in 29 of his last 42 home dates dating back to last year. That's a whopping 69% success rate.

MacKinnon also has a very strong track record against the Jets. He recorded 35 shots in four games against them last season, which is just one shy of nine per contest. No, I'm not referring to shot attempts - shots on goal.

Based on the early returns from the Jets this season, I expect MacKinnon's success to continue. The Jets have been a below-average team at limiting five-on-five shots thus far and rank 31st in shots against per minute while killing penalties.

MacKinnon leads the Avalanche in power-play shots and is the focal point on the man advantage, so he should be the prime beneficiary of Winnipeg's early season penalty-killing troubles.

Sam Reinhart over 2.5 shots on goal (-105)

Sam Reinhart has been a solid generator through the first few games. He has recorded four shots on goal twice in three tries. While he failed to do so last time out, the underlying signs were encouraging. Reinhart logged 24 minutes and attempted seven shots on goal. He could've missed the net on more than half of his attempts and still managed to get there.

That he fell one short doesn't necessarily matter. The important thing is his shot volume is consistent - he has at least six attempts in all three games - and so is his ice time. Paul Maurice has been spoon-feeding him shifts, with Reinhart logging at least 20 minutes each time out.

The Flyers rank 31st in shot-attempt prevention thus far and are on the latter half of a road back-to-back. Reinhart should be able to cause them problems.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.