A strong seven-game slate greets us this Tuesday, after a Monday slate where underdogs reigned supreme. 

Between the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Anaheim Ducks, and the Montreal Canadiens, the favorites got nothing going last night. 

 

 

 

NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 11/19

It was a great set of picks on Sunday, but it was less than the ideal set of picks yesterday. 

Let's turn things around today and keep everything as simple and straightforward as possible. 

Lightning vs. Penguins Prediction: Tuesday, November 19th

One of the recurring themes to start the season is how bad the Pittsburgh Penguins are on defense and thus, a team worth targeting every time they are on the slate. They have a tough test tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning, which leads me to Nikita Kucherov. 

Through 20 games, the Penguins allow 3.54 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the worst in the NHL. Along with allowing 61.26 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the 11th-worst in the league. Giving up a ton of shots and a ton of goals is never a good thing, especially against a team such as Tampa Bay, who are in the top 10 of the league with 3.56 Goals per game. 

We turn to Kucherov for a prop tonight and it's going to be a shot prop. While he's always a threat to score a goal or have multiple points, those can be a bit more variable compared to simple shots on goal. He comes in with a team-high 61 shots on goal, which is good for 3.8 per game. He has at least three shots on goal in five of his last six games, giving us a high level of consistency to target in the prop market. 

 

 

 

Rangers vs. Canucks Prediction: Tuesday, November 19th

The New York Rangers are on the road to take on the Vancouver Canucks and this game is all about under 6.5 goals. While there's some clear offensive talent on both sides, this is about defense and goaltending tonight. 

The Rangers come in as the league's best defensive team with only 38 goals allowed in 16 games, while the Canucks are 13th in the league with 55 goals allowed in 17 games. This is shown in the fact the Rangers have hit the under in 8 of their 16 games, while the Canucks have hit the under in 8 of their 17 games. 

I also expect the Canucks to try and settle things down after a few up-and-down games recently, with losses to the Nashville Predators and New York Islanders, where they allowed five goals in each game. They need to reel things in and get back on track with being a strong defensive team as we saw last season. 

This game should be a slower game with a modest amount of scoring but not one that flies over and has eight or nine goals. 

 

 

 

Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today