NHL Best Bets Today, 11/23: Picks, Predictions & Player Props - Saturday
We have a massive day of NHL action today with 11 games on the main slate! Plenty of action today is followed by just a single game tomorrow, so get your NHL fix in today!
NHL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets Today, 11/23
With so many games on today's slate, it can be a bit overwhelming at times, but we want to narrow our focus and select a few games to look at. We have a buffet in front of us but we know where to look and where to avoid. Go right for pancakes and bacon, and avoid the scrambled eggs that have been sitting there for hours.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Colombus Blue Jackets Prediction: Saturday, November, 23rd
This matchup is the epitome of one of my favorite spots to look – a good team coming off a loss in a spot to bounce back. Tonight, that would be the Carolina Hurricanes on the road to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canes are coming off a 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils, while the Blue Jackets are coming off an insane 7-6 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Canes are clearly the better team and the books agree, posting them as -250 road favorites, indicating this game is going in one direction.
When it comes to the Blue Jackets, they continue to be terrible on defense, allowing 2.97 Goals per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the fifth-worst in the league. Add in a penalty sitting at 20th in the league (78.0%) and we have a recipe for disaster against an elite Canes' offense.
Carolina sits in the top two of the league in Goals Scored (3.21) and Total Shot Attempts Created (72.22), both per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, a level we've seen from them in a number of recent seasons. On top of that, their power play is buzzing up at 24.2%, which is good for the seventh-best in the league.
In short, we are going to see the Canes pour in the goals tonight and that leads us to one player – Martin Necas. He's been on fire to start the season with 31 points in 19 games along with 48 shots on goal. However, over his last two games, he has just a single point. Not only is the team due for a bit of a bounce back but Necas is as well.
Considering the matchup and the overall season Necas is having, he's primed for a big game tonight.
- Expert Picks Hurricanes vs. Blue Jackets
- Martin Necas Over 1.5 Points (+185 on DraftKings)
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction: Saturday, November 23rd
As Dexter Morgan said “Tonight's the night. And it's going to happen again and again." That's how I feel when it comes to Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights against the Montreal Canadiens.
Specifically, I'm referring to Eichel's shot prop which is sitting at 3.5, and I'm taking the over. Eichel has at least three shots on goal in nine straight games and has hit the over in five of them. He's a shot machine and that's going to happen again and again tonight.
The Montreal Canadiens come in allowing 64.22 Total Shot Attempts per 60 minutes in five-on-five situations, which is the sixth-most in the league. Opposing teams routinely pile up the shots against the Canadiens' defense and that's what we should be seeing from Eichel and the Golden Knights tonight.
Eichel is always a threat to score a goal but his shot prop is my favorite tonight and the one I'll trust given the strong level of consistency in recent games.
- Expert Picks Golden Knights vs. Canadiens
- Jack Eichel Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-125 on DraftKings)
Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 11/23
- John Carlson Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+134 on FanDuel)
- Sidney Crosby Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (+126 on FanDuel)
Player News
Twins placed OF Matt Wallner on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 16, with a left hamstring strain.
As anticipated, Wallner lands on the injured list after injuring his hamstring during Tuesday’s ballgame. There’s still no word on the severity of the strain or how much time Wallner stands to miss. Jonah Bride — who was acquired from the Marlins — was added to the Twins’ roster in a corresponding move on Thursday.
Wyatt Langford (oblique) will begin a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco on Thursday.
The 23-year-old budding superstar will serve as the designated hitter on Thursday night before easing his way back into the outfield. Langford wanted to skip the rehab assignment altogether, so as long as he shows that he’s ready to go, there’s a chance that the Rangers could bring him back at some point during their weekend series against the Dodgers.
Beat reporter Scott Bair reports that Bears DC Dennis Allen asked slot CB Kyler Gordon to learn a second position, either on the perimeter or at safety.
The Bears’ previous coaching staff spent two seasons trying this experiment before allowing Gordon to blossom in a full-time slot- and box-coverage role last season. Perhaps, Allen can succeed where others have failed. His intent is to “find some more playing time” for Gordon, which is understandable given Gordon’s significant on-field impact last year.
Kyle Schwarber went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs on Thursday afternoon, propelling the Phillies to a 6-4 victory over the visiting Giants.
Schwarber got the Phillies on the board with a go-ahead two-run single off of Jordan Hicks and then scored on a wild pitch as part of a five-run opening inning. He also reached on an infield single in the fifth inning but was left stranded there. The 32-year-old slugger is off to a strong start to the 2025 campaign, slashing .284/.435/.597 with six homers, 14 RBI and a stolen base in his first 85 plate appearances.
José Alvarado notched his fourth save of the season on Thursday, protecting a two-run advantage in the ninth inning against the Giants.
The 29-year-old left-hander came on with a three-run lead to protect, but things got a bit closer as he served up a one-out solo homer to Tyler Fitzgerald. After getting Wilmer Flores on a ground ball to shortstop, Alvarado walked Jung Hoo Lee to bring the tying run to the plate before retiring Christian Koss on a fielder’s choice to end it. He appears to be locked in as the preferred ninth inning option for manager Rob Thomson and should continue to provide plenty of fantasy value for as long as he remains healthy and stationed there.
Cristopher Sanchez picked up his second victory of the season on Thursday, racking up a season-high 12 strikeouts over seven innings against the Giants.
The 28-year-old southpaw allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk. The Giants scratched out a run against him in the first inning on a two-out RBI single by Matt Chapman. Sanchez then served up a two-run homer to Chapman in the sixth after Heliot Ramos had reached on an error. He got a whopping 24 swings and misses on 97 pitches in the ballgame — 22 of those on his changeup alone — while posting an elite CSW of 40 percent. Now 2-0 on the season, Sanchez will carry a 2.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and a 31/6 K/BB ratio (24 1/3 innings) into Tuesday’s showdown against the Mets in New York.