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. 

 

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. 

 

Best NHL Prop Bets & Other Picks Today, 11/23