NHL Best Bets Today, 11/13: Picks, Predictions & Player Props - Wednesday
We have a strong five-game slate in the middle of the week with two national TV games on TNT.
We've seen a good amount of scoring across the league in recent nights and that should continue tonight given some of the offenses in action. Let's now dive into the top NHL Best Bets for Wednesday, November 13th.
NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 11/13
A few of the teams on tonight's slate are still dealing with some injuries, which causes some changes up and down their lineup.
The bottom six players are now in the top six and seeing power-play time, which can open some opportunities in the prop market. Without further ado, here are my top NHL picks and predictions for Wednesday.
Red Wings vs. Penguins Prediction: Wednesday, November 13th
The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming off a 7-1 drubbing by the Dallas Stars the other night and in the midst of a very slow start overall, they need a bounce-back game. A matchup against the Detroit Red Wings is a good one for shot props, so we'll turn to Sidney Crosby.
The Red Wings allow opposing teams to rack up 63.39 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the sixth-worst in the league. Despite all of those shot attempts, they're only allowing 1.99 Goals in the same situations, which is the eighth-best in the league.
This has led to the Red Wings hitting the under in 8 of their 14 games. So, what has been one of the weaker defenses in recent seasons is actually much better when it comes to the goals department, but still weak when it comes to shots allowed. It appears that shot props are bit better for this matchup, so that's where Crosby comes in.
He has at least three shots on goal in six of his last seven games and over this 3.5 mark in three of those games. Given the favorable matchup and some mounting desperation for the Penguins, Crosby is in a good spot to pile up the shots.
- Expert Red Wings vs. Penguins Picks:
- Sidney Crosby Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+118 on FanDuel)
Golden Knights vs. Ducks Prediction: Wednesday, November 13th
The Vegas Golden Knights have been without Mark Stone for a few games and they need someone else to step up and help the offense.
Let's turn to William Karlsson, who missed the first few games of the season but has piled up 19 shots on goal in his seven games – or 2.7 shots per game. Karlsson skates on the third forward line and the second power-play unit and has shown to be the primary shot take on that third forward line.
Tanner Pearson and Alexander Holtz don't bring the same level of offensive potential as Karlsson, which will hopefully push more shot attempts to him.
As for the matchup against the Anaheim Ducks, it's fantastic. The Ducks are allowing a whopping 73.62 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the worst in the league. The Ducks have been one of the worst defensive teams in the league for several seasons and this year is no different.
- Expert Golden Knights vs. Ducks Picks:
- William Karlsson Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+105 on DraftKings)
Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 11/13
- William Nylander Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-102 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Player News
Paul Skenes has announced that he will pitch for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic
Skenes has pitched for Team USA in two other tournaments during his career and actually spent two years at the Air Force Academy. He is arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now and will partner with arguably the best hitter in baseball right now, Aaron Judge, to lead Team USA in what figures to be an extremely competitive WBC tournament in 2026.
White Sox LHP prospect Hagen Smith (fatigue) will have his workload managed at Double-A Birmingham.
Hagen Smith’s velocity fluctuated in his last outing, and the White Sox were cautious about him showing some signs of fatigue. They shortened his last outing and will skip his next start to help him manage his workload in his first full professional season. Everything is fine with Smith from a medical perspective, but this is a good reminder that Smith is an immense talent, but fantasy managers shouldn’t expect a major impact this season as he adjusts to professional baseball.
Paul Blackburn (knee) will make his final rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday
Blackburn has already made four rehab starts, so he will need to be reinstated from the injured list after his start on Friday. As of now, there is no room in the Mets’ rotation, so the most likely outcome is that Blackburn would serve as a multi-inning reliever, which could bump Dedniel Nunez back to the minors.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora admitted the team will “take a look at” whether or not to remove Tanner Houck from the starting rotation.
After his brutal start on Monday, Houck admitted this is “probably the most lost [he’s] ever been.” The struggles really began in the second half of last season, but Houck now has an 8.04 ERA and has allowed double-digit runs in less than three innings twice this season already. Houck does have minor league options remaining, so the Red Sox could simply send him to Triple-A and give him time to figure out what’s going out. If they were to do so, that would allow Hunter Dobbins to stay in the rotation even after Walker Buehler returns next week.
MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy suggests that the Brewers could call up Logan Henderson to start on Wednesday against the Guardians.
Milwaukee has pushed Jose Quintana’s start back to Saturday against the Twins, which means they currently don’t have a starter for Wednesday’s game. Henderson is already on the 40-man roster, so he would make some sense and be an intriguing streamer in deeper formats.
Austin Slater (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.
SLater had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee back on April 16th. He was given a four-to-six week timeline at the time, so he remains on track in his recovery. He could need multiple weeks of rehab games before returning to the White Sox lineup.